Markel Susaeta · Biography

The first trophy of Markel Susaeta Laskurain's career came in August 2015, when Athletic Club beat FC Barcelona 5-1 on aggregate in the Supercopa de España. They won 4-0 at San Mamés on the 14th and drew 1-1 at the Camp Nou three days later. Susaeta played in both legs. He was born in Eibar, Gipuzkoa, on 14 December 1987 and played as a right winger or right-sided midfielder. He spent twelve seasons in Athletic's first team, from 2007 to 2019, and finished his career in Japan and Australia.

Youth years at Lezama

He joined Athletic's academy in 1997 and came up through the youth teams at Lezama alongside players of his generation such as Beñat Etxebarria, who would still be his teammate on the last day of his career. In 2005 he moved to CD Basconia, where he played 36 games and scored 4 goals in one season. In 2006 he stepped up to Bilbao Athletic, the reserve side, and made 41 appearances with 3 goals between 2006 and 2008. It was the club's usual route: Basconia, then the reserves, then the first team. His cousin Néstor Susaeta, also a winger, came through Real Sociedad's academy and spent a short time with Athletic's reserves.

A debut goal at the Camp Nou

He made his La Liga debut on 2 September 2007, on the second matchday, away to Barcelona. Athletic lost 3-1 and he scored their goal. He ended that 2007-08 season with 29 league games and 4 goals, and the right wing was his. In 2008-09 the team reached the Copa del Rey final, which he did not start. The 2011-12 campaign was his highest-scoring season, with 13 competitive goals, five of them in the UEFA Europa League. That side reached two finals in the same month. Susaeta started both and Athletic lost both 3-0: the Europa League final against Atlético de Madrid in Bucharest and the Copa del Rey final against Barcelona. In 2015 he played his third cup final, again against Barcelona and again without winning it.

The Super Cup and club records

Under coach Ernesto Valverde, the 2015 Super Cup ended a 31-year wait for a trophy at the club. In the first leg at San Mamés, Aritz Aduriz scored three goals and Mikel San José got the other. On 15 September 2016, against Sassuolo, Susaeta reached 56 European appearances for Athletic, passing José Ángel Iribar as the club's record holder for games in continental competition. On 7 January 2018, against Alavés, he became the club's top provider of league assists in the 21st century. He scored two goals straight from corners, against Sevilla in 2014 and against Deportivo in April 2018. On 16 January 2019 he played his 500th competitive game, a Copa del Rey tie in Seville. On 6 May 2019 the club announced that his contract would not be renewed. He left with 507 competitive appearances and 56 goals: 379 games and 38 goals in La Liga, 53 games in the Copa del Rey and 75 in Europe.

Spain national team

He made his Spain under-21 debut on 12 October 2007 against Poland (2-0). He played two more games at that level, against France in February 2008 and against Russia, and Spain won both 2-0. Vicente del Bosque called him up to the senior squad for the first time in November 2012, for a friendly in Panama. He was the only new name on the list. On 14 November 2012 in Panama City he came on in the second half and scored the fifth goal in Spain's 5-1 win. It was his only senior cap, with one goal. He also played seven friendlies for the unofficial Basque Country team between 2010 and 2016. He made his debut in December 2010 against Venezuela and scored once, against Peru.

Japan and Australia

After leaving Bilbao as a free agent, he joined Gamba Osaka, who announced the deal on 9 September 2019 for the last four months of the Japanese season. He made his debut on 14 September in a 1-0 win over Sagan Tosu and played 5 J1 League games, 7 in all competitions. On 15 January 2020 he signed for Australian club Melbourne City and scored 2 goals in 10 A-League games. He left in mid-July 2020 for family reasons, and the COVID-19 pandemic delayed his release. On 18 November 2020 another A-League club, Macarthur FC, announced his signing. He played 21 league games for them and scored 5 goals. Macarthur announced on 29 June 2021 that Susaeta and Beñat Etxebarria were retiring at the end of the 2020-21 season.