 Güiza as aMallorca player in 2008 | ||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Daniel González Güiza[1] | |||||||||||||
| Date of birth | (1980-08-17)17 August 1980 (age 45)[2] | |||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Jerez de la Frontera, Spain[1] | |||||||||||||
| Height | 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)[2] | |||||||||||||
| Position | Striker | |||||||||||||
| Team information | ||||||||||||||
Current team | Rayo Sanluqueño | |||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||
| Xerez | ||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||
| 1998–1999 | Xerez | 16 | (1) | |||||||||||
| 1999–2002 | Mallorca B | 70 | (37) | |||||||||||
| 1999–2003 | Mallorca | 7 | (1) | |||||||||||
| 1999–2000 | →Dos Hermanas (loan) | 18 | (9) | |||||||||||
| 2002–2003 | →Recreativo (loan) | 4 | (0) | |||||||||||
| 2003 | →Barcelona B (loan) | 13 | (5) | |||||||||||
| 2003–2005 | Ciudad Murcia | 81 | (36) | |||||||||||
| 2005–2007 | Getafe | 61 | (20) | |||||||||||
| 2007–2008 | Mallorca | 37 | (27) | |||||||||||
| 2008–2011 | Fenerbahçe | 62 | (23) | |||||||||||
| 2011–2015 | Getafe | 32 | (3) | |||||||||||
| 2012–2013 | →Johor Darul Ta'zim (loan) | 10 | (6) | |||||||||||
| 2013–2015 | →Cerro Porteño (loan) | 46 | (15) | |||||||||||
| 2015–2017 | Cádiz | 47 | (15) | |||||||||||
| 2017–2022 | Atlético Sanluqueño | 107 | (14) | |||||||||||
| 2022–2023 | Algaida | 10 | (0) | |||||||||||
| 2023 | Rota | 12 | (2) | |||||||||||
| 2023–2024 | Algaida | 20 | (0) | |||||||||||
| 2024–2025 | Roteña | 23 | (4) | |||||||||||
| 2025– | Rayo Sanluqueño | 6 | (1) | |||||||||||
| International career | ||||||||||||||
| 2007–2010 | Spain | 21 | (6) | |||||||||||
Medal record
| ||||||||||||||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 00:46, 5 November 2025 (UTC) | ||||||||||||||
Daniel González Güiza (Spanish pronunciation:[da'njelˈɣwiθa]; born 17 August 1980) is a Spanish professionalfootballer who plays as astriker for Rayo Sanluqueño.
Alate bloomer, he made a name for himself at the age of 27, being crownedLa Liga top scorer withMallorca. Subsequently, he helped theSpain national team winEuro 2008, and signed withFenerbahçe in Turkey shortly afterwards.
Over eight seasons, Güiza amassed Spanish top division totals of 141 matches and 52 goals, mainly with Mallorca andGetafe. Throughout his career, he played in three continents.[3]
Having started playing on the streets of his hometown ofJerez de la Frontera inCádiz, Güiza used to hide behind trees in an attempt to avoid the running, despite being then coached by boyhood idolKiko, who begun his professional career with localCádiz CF.[4] He eventually made it into his local clubXerez CD and, after one season there, first showed his eye for goal atSegunda División B sideDos Hermanas CF, loaned immediately afterRCD Mallorca bought him. Such performances saw him make his debut inLa Liga for the latter at the age of 19, but he would fail to perform, being relegated tothe reserves.[5]
Güiza was then loaned out toRecreativo de Huelva, but could not find a secure place in the team, and moved soon after toFC Barcelona B, also on loan.[5] Subsequently, he joinedCiudad de Murcia of theSegunda División, where his career saw a turning point with two consecutive top-five finishes in the top scorers' list (runner-up in the2004–05 season).[5]
This impressedBernd Schuster enough to sign Güiza forGetafe CF in the summer of 2005. He was an instant first-choice at his new team and became recognised as a top flight striker, scoring 27 goals in 70 competitive games – seven in nineCopa del Rey appearances – while the team from theMadrid outskirts achieved back-to-back ninth-league places.[6]
The club's president, Ángel Torres, described him as "the best finisher in the first division afterRonaldo".[5] On 10 May 2007, he was one of three players on target in a 4–0 home defeat ofFC Barcelona in thesemi-finals of theCopa del Rey, which meant qualification for the decisive match for the first time ever after a 6–5 aggregate win.[7]
Güiza returned to Mallorca in August 2007 in a€5 million move, brokered by his wife and agentNuria Bermúdez, experiencing a breakthrough season.[8][4] On 20 April 2008, he scored ahat-trick againstReal Murcia CF,[9] and finished the campaign asthe league's top scorer by scoring 27 goals in 37 matches, a feat achieved without a singlepenalty kick.[5]
Club coachGregorio Manzano said: "In 24 years of coaching I've never had the winner of thePichichi in my team. Dani is the top goalscorer in our league, and deserves extra credit for doing it without taking penalties, and he is also worthy of selection to Euro 2008".[5]
On 8 July 2008, Güiza joined Turkish clubFenerbahçe SK for €14 million.[10] He managed to score twice in theSüper Lig in his first month, adding another two in the team'srun in theUEFA Champions League.[11][12]
Güiza ended a long scoring drought on 22 March 2009 with an early goal againstBursaspor, as Fenerbahçe lost 2–1 in the dying minutes of the game. Prior to the beginning of2009–10 he put three pastBudapest Honvéd FC in thethird qualifying round of theUEFA Europa League, in a 5–1 home win (6–2 on aggregate),[13] netting his first in the domestic competition in matchday one againstDenizlispor, in the first minute of the game.[14]
In his first two seasons inIstanbul, Güiza helped the team to consecutiveTurkish Cup finals, netting in the2008–09 edition in a 4–2 loss toBeşiktaş JK.[15]
On 18 August 2011, one day after his 31st birthday, Güiza moved to former club Getafe for €6 million,[16] agreeing to a three-year contract shortly after. He was regularly played in thefirst season in his second spell, starting in 15 of his appearances, but failed to reproduce his previous form and scored just three goals.[17]
On 6 November 2012, Güiza signed forMalaysia Super League sideJohor Darul Ta'zim F.C. on a season-long loan.[18] His move, along with the acquisition of formerSS Lazio wingerSimone Del Nero and sevenMalaysian internationals, was part of the club's major restructuring plans upon the appointment ofTunku Ismail Idris, the Crown Prince ofJohor, as president;[19] based on past achievements and honours the player, at the time of his signing, was arguably the most prolific footballer to have competed in the league.[20]
Güiza made his first competitive appearance and league debut for his new team on 8 January 2013, in an opening day away game againstPahang FA: despite a 3–2 defeat, he provided theassists for both of his side's goals.[21] He scored his first competitive goal on 15 January in an away game against treble-winnersKelantan FA, with an expertly curledfree kick from 25 yards out as the game ended 1–1.[22] Three days later, he netted from open play in a home fixture against2012 Malaysia Cup runners-upATM FA, with a volleyed lob from the edge of the penalty area in an eventual 2–2 draw.[23]
Güiza played his last match for Johor Darul Takzim on 6 April 2013 in a2–1 loss againstSelangor FA in theFA Cup, after his loan was ended prematurely.[24] Both he and Del Nero left the club.[25][26]
In July 2013, Güiza joinedCerro Porteño on loan;[27] his signing was initially criticised by the Paraguayan press.[3] He made his debut on 14 September of that year as a 69th-minutesubstitute againstSportivo Carapeguá, scoring four minutes later in a 4–0 home win[28] as the team went on to win their 30thParaguayan Primera División title.[29]
Güiza also featured inthe following year'sCopa Libertadores, netting three times to help to progress from the group stage and leading to interest from other clubs, to which he responded: "My heart is here, from day one they have shown me affection, my heart is what drives me, so I'm staying here". However, new managerLeonardo Astrada did not have the player in his plans, which led to his release in March 2015[30] despite having a contract running until June;[31] he also cited the poor health of his father as one of the main reasons for his departure.[32][30]
During his spell at theEstadio General Pablo Rojas, Güiza scored 20 goals from 59 competitive appearances.[30] Years after leaving, he was offered a deal at Cerro's rivalsOlimpia Asunción, but rejected the offer.[33]
In August 2015, Güiza returned to his native Andalusia, signing for Cádiz. His arrival drew the ire of fans, due to disparaging remarks he had made about the club a decade ago while playing for local rivals Xerez.[34]
On 26 June 2016, Güiza scored the only goal atHércules CF in the second leg of theplay-off finals (2–0 on aggregate), helping the team return to the second division after six years.[35] On 4 July of the following year, after appearing sparingly duringthe season, he left.[36]
On 10 July 2017, the 37-year-old Güiza signed a two-year contract forAtlético Sanluqueño CF,recently relegated toTercera División.[37] He achieved promotion to the third tiervia the playoffs inhis first season,[38] having earlier become one of the few players to score in all of Spain's top four divisions.[39]
Güiza remained inSanlúcar de Barrameda for the ensuing seasons, agreeing to new one-year deals in June 2019[40] and May 2020, while his game time and goals decreased.[41] On 3 January 2021, the 40-year-old scored his first goal ofthe campaign to secure a 2–1 win atCádiz CF B, after which he asked for forgiveness from his former club.[42]
In August 2022, Güiza left Sanluqueño.[43] Shortly after, he joined amateurs UD Algaida.[44]
Güiza signed withTercera Federación clubCD Rota on 19 January 2023.[45]
Güiza was alate bloomer on the international stage, having been first called up bySpain on 8 November 2007 (aged 27) forUEFA Euro 2008qualifiers againstSweden andNorthern Ireland, as the national team was already qualified for the finals inAustria andSwitzerland. He made his international debut against the latter on 21 November, in a 1–0 home win inLas Palmas.[46]
Güiza was subsequently selected to the final squad of 23 but, despite being the league's top scorer in that year, still doubted his chances of being picked: "I was really scared I'd miss out, because being the league's top scorer doesn't guarantee you a place".[5] On 18 June 2008 he made his debut in the tournament, and scored Spain's winning goal againstGreece during the dying moments of the last match group stage match.[47] In the quarter-finals he came on as a substitute againstItaly, missing the team's fourth attempt in an eventualpenalty shootout win.[48]
In the semi-final match againstRussia, Güiza netted his second international goal, in a 3–0 win: after receiving a pass fromCesc Fàbregas, he quickly side-flicked it over the goalkeeper.[49] He played 15 minutes inthe final againstGermany after replacingFernando Torres (who scored the game's only goal), and came very close to assistingMarcos Senna.[50]
On 15 October 2008, Güiza came on as a late substitute againstBelgium, and soon after assistedDavid Villa who scored the winning goal in a close 2–1 contest for the2010 FIFA World Cupqualifiers.[51]
After an article circulated in January 2009 involving details about personal life and behaviour in training, Güiza's international career future was questioned.[52] Such reports on his behaviour became debatable due to the unreliable sources and any rumours of him being dropped from the Spain team were put to rest whenVicente del Bosque called him up for his services for the 2010 World Cup qualification matches againstTurkey, where he solidified his superb performance against Belgium, once again coming on in the dying minutes and assisting a last-minute winner during the match held in Istanbul.[53]
On 1 June 2009, Güiza was selected to the2009 FIFA Confederations Cup.[54] On the 28th he came from the bench as the national team trailed hostsSouth Africa (0–1) in the third-place match, and responded with a spectacular brace in the last two minutes as Spain eventually won the game inextra-time (3–2).[55]
Güiza also played for theAndalusia autonomous team on 27 December 2006, scoring twice in a 3–1 win over a combinedIsrael–Palestine side at theEstadio de La Cartuja in Seville.[56]
Güiza was born to a humble family. He spent his childhood in the working class neighbourhood of La Liberación, in the south side of Jerez de la Frontera.[57] He is ofRomani descent.[58][59]
Güiza suffered a divorce from his first wife Rocío with whom he had his first child, which gained a lot of publicity in the Spanish press. Furthermore, he admitted that "the night confuses me" and, after joining Getafe, he started to take advantage of the night life inMadrid, suffering a stomach infection as a result and subsequently being forced to go on a diet consisting of liquids alone.[4]
During his time at Getafe, Güiza metNuria Bermúdez. She sat for the qualifications to become an officialFIFA football agent, which she passed scoring 29 points, just five below the top and went on to become Güiza's agent.[60] She also obtained the highest score for a female football agent in Spain.[61]
Speaking of his relationship with the model, Getafe coach Schuster said: "Ever since Dani's been with Nuria, he turns up to training and it doesn't look like he's slept under a bridge". On 1 December 2007, Bermúdez gave birth to Güiza's second son, also named Daniel, atPoliclínica Miramar inPalma, Majorca.[62]
Before Euro 2008, Güiza promised the media that if he were to win the competition, he would then propose to Bermúdez.[63] In January 2009, the Spanish media began to publicise problems between his family and Bermúdez, with his mother apparently threatening to slit Bermúdez's throat for being a "thief".[64] Bermúdez then left Turkey with son Daniel, amongst claims the latter was ignored by the father.[65]
Güiza's ex-wife, Rocío Aranda, revealed that the two had met up just hours before the start of the match betweenEngland and Spain on 11 February 2009. According to Aranda, they met up in the hotel bar and went on to have sexual intercourse in one of the bedrooms. Subsequently, it was rumoured that Spain coach Del Bosque would drop him from the team.[52] Güiza spoke against this in an interview withMarca saying: "The truth is, I hadn't seen my son in a while so I went to see him in the hotel, I have to take advantage of such opportunities to see my children. To make money, she [his ex-wife] makes up stories. I spoke withHierro and I explained the situation. I told him that I had to see my son and I wanted to be with him. I explained everything. I tried my best to be with my son and the truth is the whole story has not come out well in the press."[66]
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Xerez | 1998–99[68] | Segunda División B | 16 | 1 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 16 | 1 | ||
| Dos Hermanas (loan) | 1999–2000[68] | Segunda División B | 18 | 9 | 1 | 0 | – | – | 19 | 9 | ||
| Mallorca B | 1999–2000[68] | Segunda División B | 17 | 9 | – | – | – | 17 | 9 | |||
| 2000–01[68] | 28 | 19 | – | – | – | 28 | 19 | |||||
| 2001–02[68] | 25 | 9 | – | – | – | 25 | 9 | |||||
| Total | 70 | 37 | – | – | – | 70 | 37 | |||||
| Mallorca | 1999–2000[68] | La Liga | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 1 | 0 | |
| 2000–01[68] | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | – | 7 | 3 | |||
| 2001–02[68] | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | – | – | 2 | 0 | ||||
| 2002–03[68] | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 1 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 7 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | – | 11 | 3 | |||
| Recreativo (loan) | 2002–03[68] | La Liga | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 4 | 0 | ||
| Barcelona B (loan) | 2002–03[68] | Segunda División B | 13 | 5 | – | – | 2[b] | 0 | 15 | 5 | ||
| Ciudad Murcia | 2003–04[68] | Segunda División | 40 | 16 | 2 | 0 | – | – | 42 | 16 | ||
| 2004–05[68] | 41 | 20 | 2 | 0 | – | – | 43 | 20 | ||||
| Total | 81 | 36 | 4 | 0 | – | – | 85 | 36 | ||||
| Getafe | 2005–06[68] | La Liga | 32 | 9 | 3 | 1 | – | – | 35 | 10 | ||
| 2006–07[68] | 29 | 11 | 6 | 6 | – | – | 35 | 17 | ||||
| Total | 61 | 20 | 9 | 7 | – | – | 70 | 27 | ||||
| Mallorca | 2007–08[68] | La Liga | 37 | 27 | 3 | 2 | – | – | 40 | 29 | ||
| Fenerbahçe | 2008–09[69][70] | Süper Lig | 32 | 11 | 8 | 2 | 10 | 3 | – | 50 | 16 | |
| 2009–10[69][70] | 27 | 11 | 6 | 4 | 10 | 3 | 1[c] | 0 | 44 | 18 | ||
| 2010–11[69][70] | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 4 | 1 | |||
| Total | 62 | 23 | 15 | 6 | 20 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 98 | 35 | ||
| Getafe | 2011–12[69] | La Liga | 32 | 3 | 2 | 0 | – | – | 34 | 3 | ||
| 2012–13[68][69] | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 32 | 3 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 34 | 3 | ||||
| Johor Darul Ta'zim (loan) | 2013 | Malaysia Super League | 10 | 6 | 3 | 2 | – | – | 13 | 8 | ||
| Cerro Porteño | 2013[69] | Paraguayan Primera División | 12 | 3 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 12 | 3 | ||
| 2014[69] | 32 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 5 | – | 43 | 17 | |||
| 2015[69] | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | – | 4 | 0 | |||
| Total | 46 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 5 | – | 59 | 20 | |||
| Cádiz | 2015–16[69] | Segunda División B | 35 | 13 | 3 | 0 | – | – | 38 | 13 | ||
| 2016–17[68][69] | Segunda División | 12 | 2 | 2 | 0 | – | – | 14 | 2 | |||
| Total | 47 | 15 | 5 | 0 | – | – | 52 | 15 | ||||
| Atlético Sanluqueño | 2018–19[68][69] | Segunda División B | 31 | 7 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 31 | 7 | ||
| 2019–20[68][69] | Segunda División B | 21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 21 | 0 | |||
| 2020–21[68][69] | Segunda División B | 13 | 1 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 13 | 1 | |||
| 2021–22[68][69] | Primera División RFEF | 17 | 1 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 17 | 1 | |||
| Total | 84 | 9 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 84 | 9 | ||||
| Algaida | 2022–23[71] | División de Honor | 10 | 0 | – | – | – | 10 | 0 | |||
| Rota | 2022–23[71] | Tercera Federación | 12 | 2 | – | – | – | 12 | 2 | |||
| Algaida | 2023–24[71] | División de Honor | 20 | 0 | – | – | – | 20 | 0 | |||
| Career total | 627 | 209 | 44 | 17 | 35 | 13 | 3 | 0 | 709 | 239 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spain | 2007 | 1 | 0 |
| 2008 | 11 | 2 | |
| 2009 | 8 | 4 | |
| 2010 | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 21 | 6 | |
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 18 June 2008 | Wals Siezenheim,Salzburg, Austria |  Greece | 2–1 | 2–1 | UEFA Euro 2008 |
| 2 | 26 June 2008 | Ernst Happel,Vienna, Austria |  Russia | 2–0 | 3–0 | UEFA Euro 2008 |
| 3 | 9 June 2009 | Tofiq Bahramov,Baku, Azerbaijan |  Azerbaijan | 5–0 | 6–0 | Friendly |
| 4 | 28 June 2009 | Royal Bafokeng,Rustenburg, South Africa |  South Africa | 1–1 | 3–2 | 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup |
| 5 | 2–1 | |||||
| 6 | 18 November 2009 | Ernst Happel, Vienna, Austria |  Austria | 4–1 | 5–1 | Friendly |
Fenerbahçe
Cerro Porteño
Spain
Individual
Spain squads | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||
