Quick Facts
Biography
José Agustín Gajate Vidriales (born 23 March 1958 in Mondragón, Gipuzkoa) is a Spanish retired footballer who played as a central defender.
Not a skilled player (he was nicknamed Zapatones (Big shoes)), he excelled in man-marking, and played for Real Sociedad's first team for 15 years.
Football career
A Real Sociedad youth graduate, Gajate played solely for the Basque club, making his first-team debuts on 1 January 1978 at Valencia CF. He appeared very rarely for the back-to-back La Liga champions – only four matches combined – as he was barred by another youth graduate, Alberto Górriz, but gradually carved a starting XI niche, going on to form an historical centre-back partnership with the former.
After only missing three games combined from 1986 to 1988, adding five goals, as Real won the Copa del Rey in one season and finished league runner-up in the other, Gajate retired in June 1992, having appeared in 364 top flight matches (469 overall). Internationally he played three times for Spain under-21 team, also appearing at the 1980 Summer Olympics as the nation exited in the group stage after three draws.
Honours
- La Liga: 1980–81, 1981–82
- Copa del Rey: 1986–87
- Supercopa de España: 1982