Wikipedia

Iván de la Peña

Iván de la Peña López (Spanish pronunciation: [iˈβan delaˈpeɲa]; born 6 May 1976) is a Spanish former professional footballer who played as a central midfielder.

Iván de la Peña
De la Peña with Espanyol in 2009
Personal information
Full name Iván de la Peña López[1]
Date of birth (1976-05-06) 6 May 1976 (age 50)[1]
Place of birth Santander, Spain
Height 1.69 m (5 ft 7 in)[1]
Position Midfielder
Youth career
Racing Santander
1991–1993 Barcelona
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1993–1995 Barcelona B 37 (5)
1995–1998 Barcelona 81 (11)
1998–2002 Lazio 16 (0)
1999–2000 → Marseille (loan) 12 (1)
2000–2001 → Barcelona (loan) 9 (0)
2002–2011 Espanyol 179 (8)
Total 334 (25)
International career
1991–1992 Spain U16 17 (2)
1992 Spain U17 4 (1)
1994 Spain U18 7 (3)
1995 Spain U20 5 (2)
1995–1996 Spain U21 10 (1)
1996 Spain U23 4 (0)
2005 Spain 5 (0)
Medal record
Representing  Spain
UEFA European Under-21 Championship
Runner-up1996 Spain
* Club domestic league appearances and goals

Having started out at Barcelona, he closed out his 18-year senior career, where he earned the nicknames El Pequeño Buda ('Little Buddha') and Lo Pelat ('The Shaven One') due to his shaven head and small stature,[2][3] at neighbouring Espanyol, amassing La Liga totals of 269 games and 19 goals. He won the 2005–06 Copa del Rey with the latter club, and several others with the former.

De la Peña earned caps for Spain in 2005.

Club career

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Born in Santander, Cantabria, de la Peña was recruited to FC Barcelona's academy in 1991 and made his senior debut for the reserves two years later. He went on to play 37 games for them, and first-team manager Johan Cruyff handed him his official debut for the main squad on 3 September 1995 as he came on as a substitute – and scored – in a 2–0 away win against Real Valladolid; at 19, he was initially regarded as the natural successor to Pep Guardiola. However, he gradually fell out of favour and found himself dropped, although he netted a career-best seven league goals in that rookie season.[4][5]

With the arrival of Bobby Robson in 1996, de la Peña was given a second chance to establish himself in the team. He subsequently developed a partnership with Ronaldo and was a prominent member of the squad that won the Copa del Rey/UEFA Cup Winners' Cup/UEFA Supercup treble in 1997.[6] He was also voted best young player by newspaper El País twice during this timeframe.[7]

De la Peña was deemed surplus to requirements at Barça once again after another Dutch coach was appointed, Louis van Gaal,[8][6] and he was consequently transferred to SS Lazio along with Fernando Couto.[9] However, he failed to establish himself in Serie A and was loaned to Olympique de Marseille. This move was not successful either, and he returned to Barcelona on loan for 2000–01; after only appearing nine times throughout the season under Lorenzo Serra Ferrer (one start, against Racing de Santander), he returned to Italy, being released the following summer.[10]

On 29 August 2002, de la Peña signed a one-year deal with Barcelona neighbours RCD Espanyol,[11] where he produced some of the best football in his career.[10] In 2004–05, he helped the Catalan club to finish fifth in La Liga, enabling it to qualify for the UEFA Cup. In the 2006 domestic cup final, he masterminded a 4–1 victory over Real Zaragoza, being directly involved in two goals: Raúl Tamudo scored in the second minute when he headed in a rebound following a de la Peña free kick, and the pair combined again to set up Luis García;[12] as a result, Espanyol again qualified for the UEFA Cup and eventually reached the competition final, losing to Sevilla FC on penalties.[13]

From 2007 to 2009, with his contract extended,[14] de la Peña was severely hindered by injury problems. However, on 21 February 2009, he managed to net twice in a 2–1 win at Barça in the Derbi Barceloní, as one side ranked first in the league and the other last.[15]

After the death of new captain Daniel Jarque in August 2009, de la Peña was named as his replacement.[10] His physical problems continued to bother him tremendously, to a point which he said that if this became a major issue he would retire, which happened on 22 May 2011 at the age of 35 at the end of a home match against Sevilla.[16]

International career

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De la Peña, alongside the likes of Gaizka Mendieta, Fernando Morientes and Raúl, played for the Spanish under-21s at both the 1996 UEFA European Championship[17] and the 1996 Summer Olympics. He helped the nation reach the quarter-finals in the latter.[18][19][20][21]

Despite this, de la Peña did not make his debut for the senior team until 9 February 2005, at the age of 28 years and 9 months in a 5–0 victory over San Marino for the 2006 FIFA World Cup qualifiers held in Almería.[22][23] He made a further four appearances until the end of the year, his last being against the same opponents.[10]

Style of play

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De la Peña was known for his technical skills and accurate passing ability.[24]

Post-retirement

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On 8 June 2011, de la Peña joined Serie A club AS Roma's coaching staff under new manager Luis Enrique, a former Barcelona teammate.[25] It was announced in August that he would be taking a leave of absence for family reasons.[26]

De la Peña subsequently worked as a player agent, with his agency Footalent representing Barcelona youth products Carles Aleñá, Eric García and Gavi among others.[27]

Personal life

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De la Peña's son, also named Iván (born 2001), played as a defender in the lower leagues.[28][29]

On 6 July 2000, he married Lourdes Asensi, daughter of the legendary Barcelona player Juan Manuel Asensi.[30]

Career statistics

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Club

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Source:[31][32][33]
Club Season League Cup[a] Continental Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Barcelona B 1993–94 Segunda División 30———30
1994–95 314———314
1995–96 31———31
Total 375———375
Barcelona 1995–96 La Liga 317407[b]2—429
1996–97332206[c]01[d]1423
1997–98 172202[e]000212
Total 8111801521110514
Lazio 1998–99 Serie A 150304[c]11[f]0231
2001–02 101000—20
Total 160404110251
Marseille (loan) 1999–2000 Ligue 1 121007[e]0—191
Barcelona (loan) 2000–01 La Liga 90103[e]0—120
Espanyol 2002–03 La Liga 29000——290
2003–04 25100——251
2004–05 29310——303
2005–06 300608[b]0—440
2006–07 2601010[b]11[d]0381
2007–08 12030——150
2008–09 22400——224
2009–10 4010——50
2010–11 2000——20
Total 1798120181102109
Career total 334252404743140830
  1. ↑ Includes Copa del Rey, Coupe de France, Coppa Italia
  2. 1 2 3 Appearances in UEFA Cup
  3. 1 2 Appearances in UEFA Cup Winners' Cup
  4. 1 2 Appearance in Supercopa de España
  5. 1 2 3 Appearances in UEFA Champions League
  6. ↑ Appearance in Supercoppa Italiana

International

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Spain[34]
YearAppsGoals
200550
Total50

Honours

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References

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  1. 1 2 3 "Iván DE LA PEÑA López". El Mundo (in Spanish). Retrieved 11 January 2020.
  2. ↑ Besa, Ramón (26 December 2003). "'Lo Pelat'". El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 11 January 2020.
  3. ↑ Hunter, Graham (15 May 2007). "Espanyol bank on 'Little Buddha'". UEFA. Retrieved 31 May 2010.
  4. ↑ Martínez, Alberto; Martin, Lu (1 November 2024). "Ivan de la Peña, el genio que lo tuvo todo para ser "el mejor de su época", entre el Barça y el Espanyol: "Pero están las lesiones y su generosidad…"" [Iván de la Peña, the genius who had everything to be "the best of his age", between Barça and Espanyol: "But then you have injuries and his generosity…"] (in Spanish). Relevo. Retrieved 27 March 2026.
  5. ↑ Carceller, J. R. (18 July 2025). "14 tantos y un golazo de Iván de la Peña" [14 goals and a wonder one by Iván de la Peña]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). Retrieved 27 March 2026.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 Norval, Edd (22 October 2018). "Remembering the sumptuous talents of Iván de la Peña". These Football Times. Retrieved 27 March 2026.
  7. 1 2 Pla Díaz, Emilio. "Spain – Footballer of the Year". RSSSF. Retrieved 4 December 2005.
  8. ↑ Atkin, Ronald (16 October 2005). "The lost boys of Barcelona". Ezilon. Archived from the original on 8 June 2011. Retrieved 10 February 2011.
  9. ↑ "Lazio: presi De la Pena e Couto. Inter: Torricelli e' vicino" [Lazio: De la Peña and Couto snapped. Inter: Torricelli close]. Corriere della Sera (in Italian). 25 June 1998. Retrieved 16 April 2010.
  10. 1 2 3 4 Camedda, Paolo (6 May 2023). "Ivan De la Peña, 'Il Piccolo Buddha' che si perse per strada" [Iván de la Peña, 'The Little Buddha' who got lost along the way] (in Italian). Goal. Retrieved 27 March 2026.
  11. ↑ "De la Peña seals Spanish return". UEFA. 29 August 2002. Retrieved 21 March 2025.
  12. 1 2 Astruells, Andrés (13 April 2006). "¡Increíble Espanyol!" [Incredible Espanyol!]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). Retrieved 6 March 2014.
  13. 1 2 Henderson, Charlie (16 May 2007). "Espanyol 2–2 Sevilla". BBC Sport. Retrieved 27 March 2026.
  14. ↑ "Espanyol confirm De la Peña deal". UEFA. 19 June 2007. Retrieved 21 March 2025.
  15. ↑ "Barcelona humbled while Madrid strike six". UEFA. 22 February 2009. Archived from the original on 24 October 2012. Retrieved 31 May 2010.
  16. ↑ Torres, M.C.; Navarro, Cristina (19 May 2011). "De la Peña, el último romántico, cuelga las botas" [De la Peña, the last romantic, hangs boots]. Marca (in Spanish). Retrieved 20 May 2011.
  17. 1 2 "Italia ya ganó un Europeo a España en el 1996" [Italy have already won European Championships against Spain in 1996] (in Spanish). Orgullo Bianconero. 18 June 2013. Archived from the original on 13 November 2013. Retrieved 13 November 2013.
  18. ↑ Cubero, Cristina (21 July 1996). "Mágico gol de Óscar" [Óscar wonder goal]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). Retrieved 27 March 2026.
  19. ↑ Cubero, Cristina (23 July 1996). "Óscar, otra vez vital" [Óscar, crucial again]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). Retrieved 27 March 2026.
  20. ↑ Cubero, Cristina (26 July 1996). "Argentina, en el camino" [Argentina, in the way]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). Retrieved 27 March 2026.
  21. ↑ Cubero, Cristina (29 July 1996). "Cuartos gafes" [Jinxed last-eight]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). Retrieved 27 March 2026.
  22. ↑ "De la Peña in line for debut". UEFA. 4 February 2005. Archived from the original on 23 October 2012. Retrieved 10 December 2015.
  23. ↑ "España le enseña la manita a San Marino" [Spain show open hand to San Marino]. El País (in Spanish). 9 February 2005. Retrieved 10 December 2015.
  24. ↑ González Fernández, Javier (12 April 2012). "Iván de la Peña, genio maltratado por las lesiones" [Iván de la Peña, genius undone by injuries] (in Spanish). Vavel. Retrieved 8 February 2015.
  25. ↑ "Luis Enrique ha firmato "Farò calcio spettacolo"" [Luis Enrique has signed "I will produce spectacular football"]. La Repubblica (in Italian). 8 June 2011. Retrieved 8 June 2011.
  26. ↑ Schiavone, David (13 August 2011). "De La Pena leaves Roma for family reasons". Forza Italian Football. Retrieved 6 October 2011.
  27. ↑ Rodríguez, Carlos (5 September 2023). "El éxito de Gavi en el FC Barcelona hace de oro a Iván de la Peña con su agencia Footalent" [Gavi's success at FC Barcelona makes Iván de la Peña and his agency Footalent a fortune]. El Confidencial (in Spanish). Retrieved 27 March 2026.
  28. ↑ Bernad Suelves, Marc (21 July 2021). "Iván de la Peña jugará el Barça-Nàstic" [Iván de la Peña will play Barça-Nàstic]. Diario AS (in Spanish). Retrieved 27 March 2026.
  29. ↑ "De la Peña se va cedido al Manresa" [De la Peña goes to Manresa on loan]. Sport (in Spanish). 23 January 2024. Retrieved 27 March 2026.
  30. ↑ "La carrera de De la Peña en imágenes" [De la Peña's career in pictures]. Marca (in Spanish). 19 May 2011. Retrieved 27 March 2026.
  31. ↑ Iván de la Peña at BDFutbol Edit this at Wikidata
  32. ↑ Iván de la Peña at Soccerway
  33. ↑ Iván de la Peña at WorldFootball.net
  34. ↑ Iván de la Peña at EU-Football.info (archived)
  35. 1 2 "De la Peña cuelga las botas" [De la Peña hangs up his boots]. El País (in Spanish). 19 May 2011. Retrieved 27 March 2026.
  36. ↑ Tejedor Carnicero, José Vicente; Di Maggio, Roberto; Torre, Raúl; Lozano Ferrer, Carles. "Spain – List of Super Cup Finals". RSSSF. Retrieved 27 March 2026.
  37. ↑ "#LazioStory | I biancocelesti conquistano la prima Supercoppa italiana" [#LazioStory | White-and-blue win the first Italian Supercup] (in Italian). S.S. Lazio. 29 August 2025. Retrieved 27 March 2026.
  38. ↑ Izquierdo, José (25 April 2017). "Los equipos que la Liga echa de menos (V): el Mallorca" [Teams the League is missing (V): Mallorca]. Diario AS (in Spanish). Retrieved 27 March 2026.
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