Asier del Horno Coscaya (born January 19, 1981 in Barakaldo,
Spain) plays for Chelsea F.C. and is a Spanish international
Basque footballer, usually playing as a left-back.
He began his career at Athletic Bilbao in 1999, where his
combative tackling and aerial power saw him quickly rise through
the ranks. However, it is del Horno's electric pace and the
attacking outlet he offers down the wing that have provided an
added dimension for both club and country so far in his career.
He scored 13 goals in 94 league appearances for Bilbao. Del
Horno made his Spain debut against Scotland in September 2004
and scored the winner in a friendly against England two months
later.
In June 2005, del Horno was transferred from Athletic Bilbao to
Chelsea for a fee of £8 million. He has since starred in his
first appearances for the English club, putting in a number of
solid performances and grabbing his first goal against Spurs. He
picked up an injury in Chelsea's 2-0 home win aginst Sunderland
on September 10, which kept him off the pitch for a month.
He is noted, however, for his love for his hometown team,
Athletic Bilbao. While transferring to Chelsea in 2005, he
ensured that all money involved in the transaction went straight
to his former club, rather than into the hands of agents. He has
also stated his desire to return to play for Bilbao in the
future.
He was controversially sent off during the UEFA Champions League
loss against Barcelona on 22 February at Stamford Bridge after a
challenge on Lionel Messi. |
