Quick Facts
PiscesBiography
Fidel Uriarte Macho (1 March 1945 – 19 December 2016) was a Spanish footballer who played as a striker.
Having spent most of his 15-year professional career with Athletic Bilbao, he was crowned La Liga's Pichichi in 1968, winning two Copa del Rey and scoring more than 100 official goals with his main team.
Club career
Born in Sestao, Biscay, Uriarte was promoted to Basque giants Athletic Bilbao's first team at only 17, making his La Liga debut on 23 September 1962 in a 0–2 away loss against CD Málaga. At the end of his fourth season, aged 21, he had already appeared in 100 league matches and scored 14 goals.
In the 1967–68 campaign, Uriarte netted a career-best 22 goals in only 24 games (35/28 overall), helping Athletic to the seventh position in the league – on 31 December 1967, he contributed with five to a 8–0 home demolition of Real Betis. In the following year he conquered the first of his two Copa del Rey with the club, and left in 1974 with 389 competitive appearances (121 goals).
Subsequently, Uriarte joined Málaga, achieving one promotion and two relegations with the Andalusians and retiring in 1977 at the age of 32. He worked as a coach in the following decades, managing both Athletic's reserve and youth sides amongst others.
International career
Uriarte gained nine caps for Spain during four years, his debut coming on 28 February 1968 in a friendly with Sweden, in Seville. In another exhibition game, a 2–1 away win over Italy on 20 February 1971, he scored his only goal.
International goals
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 20 February 1971 | Sant'Elia, Cagliari, Italy |  Italy | 0–2 | 1–2 | Friendly |
Death
Uriarte died on 19 December 2016 in Castro Urdiales, Bay of Biscay, after a long illness. He was 71 years old.
Honours
Club
- Athletic Bilbao
- Copa del Generalísimo: 1969, 1972–73
Individual
- Pichichi Trophy: 1967–68
- "2–0: No tuvo rival serio en el Castellón" [2–0: Castellón was no serious match]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). 30 June 1973. Retrieved 20 December 2016.
- "Spain – List of Topscorers ("Pichichi") 1929–2015". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 27 July 2016.