Wikipedia

Urko Vera

Urko Vera Mateos (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈuɾko ˈβeɾa];[a] born 14 May 1987) is a Spanish former professional footballer who played as a centre-forward.

Urko Vera
Personal information
Full name Urko Vera Mateos[1]
Date of birth (1987-05-14) 14 May 1987 (age 39)[2]
Place of birth Barakaldo, Spain
Height 1.89 m (6 ft 2 in)[2]
Position Centre-forward
Youth career
1996–1997 Santutxu
1997–1999 Athletic Bilbao
2001–2003 Lezama
2003–2006 Santutxu
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2006–2007 Santutxu 16 (8)
2007–2008 Laudio ? (10)
2008–2009 Portugalete ? (6)
2009–2010 Eibar B ? (14)
2010 Eibar 3 (0)
2010–2011 Lemona 18 (13)
2011 Bilbao Athletic 7 (1)
2011 Athletic Bilbao 5 (1)
2011–2012 Hércules 31 (11)
2012–2013 Ponferradina 14 (2)
2013 Alcorcón 7 (1)
2013–2014 Eibar 31 (5)
2014–2015 Mirandés 38 (17)
2015 Jeonbuk Hyundai 6 (0)
2016 Osasuna 19 (3)
2016–2017 Huesca 14 (1)
2017 Mirandés 16 (5)
2017–2019 CFR Cluj 17 (5)
2018 → Astra Giurgiu (loan) 10 (1)
2019–2020 Oldham Athletic 10 (2)
2020 Guijuelo 4 (0)
2020–2021 Portugalete 7 (0)
2021–2025 Santutxu 40+ (12+)
Total 313+ (118+)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals

Club career

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Born in Barakaldo, Biscay, Vera played mostly amateur football until the age of 23, having represented Basque giants Athletic Bilbao as a youth from ages 10 to 12. During his spell at SD Lemona, he earned part of his wage by taking the team's kits to the laundry.[3]

In the last minutes of the 2011 January transfer window, after impressing with Lemona in Segunda División B (the club was coached by legendary Athletic player Aitor Larrazábal), Vera transferred to Athletic on a one-and-a-half-year contract and was assigned to the reserve side, Bilbao Athletic.[4] He made his first-team – and La Liga – debut on 5 February, coming on as a substitute for Iker Muniain for the final 15 minutes of a 3–0 home win against Sporting de Gijón.[5]

On 14 March 2011, again from the bench, Vera scored his only goal for the club and in the top flight, heading home in injury time in a 2–2 draw at Getafe CF.[6][3] After being released, he resumed his career in the Segunda División, appearing for five sides in four years, including CD Mirandés[7] for whom he netted 20 times in all competitions.[8][9]

Vera signed with Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors FC in the K League 1 in late July 2015.[10] On 10 January 2016, he returned to his country and joined CA Osasuna in the second division.[11]

On 19 August 2016, Vera agreed to a one-year deal at SD Huesca, still in the second tier.[12] He left by mutual consent and, the following January, returned to Mirandés.[13]

On 18 May 2017, Vera moved to Romania with CFR Cluj.[14] In January 2019, following a short loan spell at FC Astra Giurgiu also in the country's Liga I,[15] he signed with English League Two club Oldham Athletic.[16] His contract at the latter was mutually terminated on 24 January 2020,[17] and he returned to the Spanish lower leagues shortly after with CD Guijuelo.[18]

Vera returned to his native region on 28 August 2020, with the 33-year-old agreeing to a deal at third-tier Club Portugalete.[19] He retired in June 2025, his last employers being his first, Santutxu FC.[20][21]

Honours

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Notes

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  1. ↑ In isolation, Vera is pronounced [ˈbeɾa].

References

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  1. ↑ "Notification of shirt numbers: Oldham Athletic" (PDF). English Football League. p. 50. Retrieved 24 October 2019.
  2. 1 2 "Urko Vera". Diario AS (in Spanish). Retrieved 12 March 2026.
  3. 1 2 "Urko Vera, de mileurista al cielo" [Urko Vera, from mileurista to the sky]. El Mundo (in Spanish). 15 March 2011. Retrieved 8 April 2011.
  4. ↑ Ortiz de Lazcano, Javier (26 January 2011). "Urko Vera ficha por el Athletic hasta 2012" [Urko Vera signs for Athletic until 2012]. El Correo (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 29 January 2011. Retrieved 8 April 2011.
  5. ↑ "Easy for Bilbao". ESPN Soccernet. 5 February 2011. Archived from the original on 24 October 2012. Retrieved 8 April 2011.
  6. ↑ "Vera rescues point for Bilbao". ESPN Soccernet. 14 March 2011. Archived from the original on 29 June 2011. Retrieved 8 April 2011.
  7. ↑ "El Mirandés ficha a Urko Vera y Aitor Fernández" [Mirandés sign Urko Vera and Aitor Fernández]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). 13 August 2014. Retrieved 27 July 2015.
  8. ↑ "Un triplete de Urko Vera mete al Mirandés en la tercera fase" [Three from Urko Vera send Mirandés to third stage]. Diario AS (in Spanish). 10 September 2014. Retrieved 27 July 2015.
  9. ↑ "Los goles de la Liga Adelante tienen pasaporte español" [Liga Adelante goals have a Spanish passport] (in Spanish). La Liga. 9 June 2015. Retrieved 27 July 2015.
  10. ↑ Dae-seon, Lee (26 July 2015). "루이스-우르코 베라,'전북의 새 외국인 선수'" [Luiz Henrique-Urko Vera, Jeonbuk Hyundai's new foreign players]. OSEN (in Korean). Retrieved 27 July 2015.
  11. ↑ "Osasuna confirma los fichajes de Urko Vera y Manuel Sánchez" [Osasuna confirm signings of Urko Vera and Manuel Sánchez] (in Spanish). EITB. 10 January 2016. Retrieved 12 March 2026.
  12. ↑ "Urko Vera llega a la SD Huesca" [Urko Vera arrives at SD Huesca] (in Spanish). SD Huesca. 19 August 2016. Retrieved 20 August 2016.
  13. ↑ "Urko Vera, nuevo jugador del Club Deportivo Mirandés" [Urko Vera, new player of Club Deportivo Mirandés] (in Spanish). CD Mirandés. 23 January 2017. Retrieved 26 January 2017.
  14. ↑ "Încă un transfer la CFR Cluj! Ardelenii și-au adus un atacant din liga a doua spaniolă" [Another transfer to CFR Cluj! The Transylvanians brought a striker from the Spanish second league] (in Romanian). Digi Sport. 18 May 2017. Retrieved 20 October 2017.
  15. ↑ Dobrescu, Petre (25 January 2018). "Atacantul spaniol Urko Vera a semnat cu Astra Giurgiu" [Spanish forward Urko Vera signed with Astra Giurgiu]. Libertatea (in Romanian). Retrieved 15 April 2019.
  16. ↑ "Urko Vera and Sonhy Sefil: Oldham Athletic sign duo". BBC Sport. 18 January 2019. Retrieved 15 April 2019.
  17. ↑ "Urko Vera departs". Oldham Athletic A.F.C. 24 January 2020. Retrieved 24 January 2020.
  18. ↑ González, Juanjo (29 January 2020). "El espectacular currículum del nuevo delantero del CD Guijuelo" [The spectacular résumé of CD Guijuelo's new forward]. El Norte de Castilla (in Spanish). Retrieved 12 March 2026.
  19. ↑ Olazabal, Peru (28 August 2020). "El ex león Urko Vera regresa al Portugalete doce años después" [Former lion Urko Vera returns to Portugalete twelve years later]. El Correo (in Spanish). Retrieved 24 November 2020.
  20. ↑ Rodríguez Beltrán, Javier (30 March 2025). "Urko Vera: "Daría lo que fuera por empaquetar 15 años a alguien y volver a empezar"" [Urko Vera: "I would give anything to turn back the clock 15 years and start again"]. Diario AS (in Spanish). Retrieved 12 March 2026.
  21. ↑ Aramendia, Arkaitz (1 June 2025). ""El Athletic fue como el helado que le compras a un niño y se le cae al suelo"" ["Athletic was like that ice cream you buy for a child and it falls on the floor"]. Deia (in Spanish). Retrieved 12 March 2026.
  22. ↑ Ramos, Gabi (8 June 2014). "¡Campeones de Segunda!" [Segunda champions!] (in Spanish). Cadena SER. Retrieved 12 March 2026.
  23. ↑ Labarga, Nacho (28 November 2015). "Urko Vera, campeón en Corea: "Es imposible entender una palabra del idioma"" [Urko Vera, champion in Korea: "It's impossible to understand a word of the language"]. Marca (in Spanish). Retrieved 12 March 2026.
  24. ↑ "Imaginile bucuriei la Cluj! La fel ca anul trecut, Țucudean a dat tonul petrecerii: "Cum e la primul titlu? / Incredibiiil!"" [Pictures of joy in Cluj! Just like last year, Țucudean set the tone for the party: "How's the first title? / Incredible!"] (in Romanian). Digi Sport. 20 May 2018. Retrieved 12 March 2026.
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