 López Ufarte as aReal Sociedad player | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Roberto López Ufarte | ||
| Date of birth | (1958-04-19)19 April 1958 (age 67) | ||
| Place of birth | Fes, Morocco | ||
| Height | 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in) | ||
| Position | Forward | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Real Unión | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1974–1975 | Real Unión | ||
| 1975–1976 | San Sebastián | ||
| 1975–1987 | Real Sociedad | 363 | (101) |
| 1987–1988 | Atlético Madrid | 27 | (8) |
| 1988–1989 | Betis | 28 | (3) |
| Total | 418 | (112) | |
| International career | |||
| 1975–1976 | Spain U18 | 10 | (4) |
| 1976–1977 | Spain U21 | 3 | (0) |
| 1977–1982 | Spain | 15 | (5) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2000–2001 | Real Sociedad B | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Roberto López Ufarte (born 19 April 1958) is a Spanish former professionalfootballer who played as aforward.
NicknamedThe little devil, most of his 15-year career was spent atReal Sociedad where he remained 12 seasons, winning four major titles including twoLa Liga championships.[1] He also represented in the competitionAtlético Madrid andBetis, amassing totals of 418 matches and 112 goals.
López Ufarte appeared forSpain at the1982 World Cup.
López Ufarte was born inFes,Morocco. His parents, fromAndalusia andCatalonia, moved abroad in search of work, and arrived in Morocco (then part of Spain) in 1944 during theSecond World War. They returned toIrun (Basque Country) after about 22 years in Morocco. After making his early footballing efforts at neighbouringReal Unión he signed forReal Sociedad, making hisLa Liga debut in the1975–76 season, playing his first game in the competition on 30 November 1975 in a 2–0derby away loss againstAthletic Bilbao aged only 17. From then on he became an essential first-team member, scoring 16 goals in 63 matches in the side's back-to-back league titles.[2]
López Ufarte left theTxuriurdin in 1987, after another solid season: 33 games and ten goals inthe league, andthe conquest of theCopa del Rey. He scored 129 goals in 474 official appearances during his spell.[2]
After one season withAtlético Madrid (third place), López Ufarte closed his career atReal Betis at the age of 31, after struggling withknee injuries and seeing his teamrelegate to theSegunda División.[3][4] He then acted as assistant manager to several coaches at his first professional club,[5] following which he returned to Real Unión asdirector of football.[6]
López Ufarte won 15 caps for theSpain national team in five years. His debut came on 21 September 1977, scoring in 2–1friendly win inSwitzerland.[7]
López Ufarte appeared for the nation at the1982 FIFA World Cup which was held on home ground, playing his last match in a 1–2 second group-stage loss againstWest Germany.[8]
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition[9] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 21 September 1977 | Wankdorf,Bern,Switzerland |  Switzerland | 1–2 | 1–2 | Friendly |
| 2. | 14 October 1981 | Luis Casanova,Valencia,Spain |  Luxembourg | 1–0 | 3–0 | Friendly |
| 3. | 14 October 1981 | Luis Casanova, Valencia, Spain | Luxembourg | 3–0 | 3–0 | Friendly |
| 4. | 18 November 1981 | Stadion ŁKS,Łódź,Poland |  Poland | 0–1 | 2–3 | Friendly |
| 5. | 16 June 1982 | Luis Casanova, Valencia, Spain |  Honduras | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1982 FIFA World Cup |
Real Sociedad
 | ||