Asier del Horno

Asier del Horno Cosgaya (born 19 January 1981) is a Spanish retired footballer who played as a left back.
After solid displays in La Liga with Athletic Bilbao, for which he appeared in 126 official games in five years scoring 17 goals, he moved to Chelsea in England, where he won the Premier League in the 2005–06 season.
Subsequently, del Horno – who missed the 2006 World Cup with Spain due to a last-minute injury – returned to his country with Valencia, who loaned him to several clubs for the duration of his contract.

Athletic Bilbao

Born in Barakaldo, Biscay, del Horno began his career at Athletic Bilbao in 1999, where his combative tackling and strength in the air saw him rise through the ranks as a stout left-footed central defender. However, his pace and ability to contribute to the attack led to his being switched to left-back by the time he had arrived in the seniors for both club and country.

Del Horno made his main squad debut in the 2000–01 opener at only 19, and eventually scored 17 goals in 126 competitive appearances for the Basque giants.

Chelsea

In June 2005, del Horno moved to Chelsea for a fee of £8 million. He won the first and only league championship of his career with the Blues, as part of the squad that conquered the season's Premier League title.

Del Horno played 34 matches overall for Chelsea and scored once, against Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane in a 2–0 victory on 27 August.

Valencia

On 21 July 2006, del Horno returned to Spain to sign for Valencia CF on a six-year contract worth €8 million, seen as a natural replacement for Amedeo Carboni who had retired at 41. Athletic Bilbao had expressed interest, but withdrew from further negotiations, forfeiting any further financial advantage; following surgery on his injured Achilles heel, which kept him off the pitches for most of the season, he made his debut for his new team on 3 March 2007 in a 1–0 La Liga home win over Celta de Vigo.

Del Horno was placed on the transfer list by Valencia manager Quique Sánchez Flores, as the coach announced that the defender would not retain his position for 2007–08. In the last day of the transfer window, he agreed to join his former club Athletic Bilbao on a one-year loan deal, returning to Valencia after an injury-filled campaign. At the Che, his physical problems persisted and, after an unassuming first half of 2009–10 – only played in the Copa del Rey and only when Valencia faced rivals of smaller entity – he was loaned to Real Valladolid until the end of the season, on 30 January; an undisputed starter since his arrival, he could not however prevent the Castile and León side from returning to Segunda División, after a three-year stay in the top division.

For 2010–11, 29-year-old del Horno was loaned once again, joining freshly promoted side Levante UD. He was used regularly in both defensive positions as the Valencians eventually retained their top division status, but also missed the final stretch due to physical ailments which had been bothering him since early into the campaign.

Later years

Upon returning to Valencia, del Horno's contract was immediately terminated. In early August 2011, he re-joined Levante on a permanent deal. After again dealing with injury throughout the season, where he was not able to dislodge 35-year-old Juanfran from the left-back position, he was released.

Del Horno made his Spain debut on 3 September 2004, against Scotland. He scored the winner in a 1–0 friendly with England played in Madrid, two months later.

An ankle injury forced del Horno to withdraw from the 23-man team named by Luis Aragonés for the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany. Medical staff in the Royal Spanish Football Federation alleged that Chelsea had prior knowledge of del Horno's injury, but allowed him to continue playing; subsequently, his vacant position was controversially filled in by naturalised Argentinian Mariano Pernía, of Getafe CF.

International goals

#	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1.	17 November 2004	Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid, Spain	England	1–0	1–0	Friendly
2.	9 February 2005	Mediterráneo, Almería, Spain	San Marino	5–0	5–0	2006 World Cup qualification

Chelsea

• Premier League: 2005–06
• FA Community Shield: 2005