Spanish footballer (1963–2004)
Juan María Mujika
Full name
Juan María Mujika Izaguirre Date of birth
(1963-05-12 ) 12 May 1963 Place of birth
San Sebastián , Spain Date of death
14 June 2004(2004-06-14) (aged 41) Place of death
Zumarraga , Spain Height
1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) Position(s)
Midfielder Years
Team
Apps
(Gls ) 1984–1985
Real Sociedad B
31
(4) 1985–1990
Real Sociedad
128
(11) 1990–1993
Deportivo La Coruña
37
(2) 1993–1995
Alavés
66
(20) 1995–1996
San Pedro
33
(1)
Urola
Total
295+
(38+) 1985
Spain U21
1
(0)
Urola
*Club domestic league appearances and goals
Juan María Mujika Izaguirre (12 May 1963 – 14 June 2004), also known by the first name Musti , was a Spanish footballer who played as a midfielder .
He played 146 games and scored 12 goals in La Liga for Real Sociedad and Deportivo de La Coruña , and won the Copa del Rey in 1987 with the former.
Mujika died aged 41, having been in a coma for three years due to a car accident.
Career
Real Sociedad
Born in San Sebastián in the Basque Country , Mujika came through the youth ranks of his hometown club Real Sociedad . He made his debut under manager John Toshack on 15 September 1985 in the first round of the Copa del Rey , a 3–0 win at nearby Amorebieta .[ 1] Thirteen days later he played his first game in La Liga , coming on as a substitute for the injured Jesús María Satrústegui 30 minutes into a 3–1 loss at Valencia .[ 2]
Mujika scored four goals in his first top-flight season and two more in the Copa de la Liga , starting on 15 December 1985 by opening a 2–1 home win over Real Valladolid when Roberto López Ufarte teed him off from a free kick;[ 3] he concluded the season with a late goal in a 5–3 win over newly crowned champions Real Madrid at Atotxa Stadium .[ 4] On 29 January 1986 he earned his only cap for Spain at under-21 level, in a 3–0 friendly win over Morocco at La Rosaleda Stadium .[ 5]
Mujika played in La Real ' s run to the final of the Copa del Rey in 1986–87 , scoring in a 2–0 win over fellow Basques Eibar in the last 16 and again in a 10–1 win over Mallorca B in the second leg of the quarter-finals, after the first leg had finished goalless against the reserve team .[ 6] In the final on 27 June, he came on for Jesús María Zamora late in regulation time, as the game ended 2–2 after extra time and his team won the penalty shootout ; he put his attempt past Atlético Madrid goalkeeper Abel Resino .[ 7]
Later career
In 1990, Mujika transferred to Deportivo de La Coruña , winning promotion from the Segunda División in his first season. He returned to his native region by joining Alavés of the Segunda División B in 1993, being defeated in the playoffs in his first season and winning it in the second.[ 8]
Mujika played one season in the Tercera División for Sociedad Deportiva Urola [es ] and was their manager in the regional divisions at the time of his accident.[ 9]
Death
In June 2001, Mujika was involved in a road accident in Eskoriatza and was taken to an intensive care unit with multiple trauma.[ 9] He entered a permanent vegetative state .[ 8]
Real Sociedad and Real Madrid held a benefit match for his family in November 2003. He died on 14 June 2004 in Zumarraga , aged 41.[ 8]
Musti Taldea , a Real Sociedad fan club formed in 2003, is dedicated to Mujika.[ 10] He is sometimes erroneously cited as the source of the name of another fan group Peña Mujika , which is instead named after a factory that backed on to the stand where said fans congregated.[ 11]
References
^ "0-3: Sin problemas para la Real Sociedad" [0-3: Without problems for Real Sociedad]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). EFE . 20 September 1985. Retrieved 12 October 2024 .
^ Domínguez, M. (29 September 1985). "3-1: El Valencia, de la mano de Wilmer Cabrera" [3-1: Valencia, guided by Wilmer Cabrera]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). Retrieved 12 October 2024 .
^ Sáez, Félix (16 December 1985). "2-1: La Real y el Valladolid entusiasmaron" [2-1: Real Sociedad and Valladolid excite]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). Retrieved 12 October 2024 .
^ Sáez, Félix (21 April 1986). "5-3: El campeón, con "la pájara" " [5-3: The champions, with "the fall-off"]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). Retrieved 12 October 2024 .
^ Mancera, José (30 January 1986). "3-0: Los "Suárez Boys" ganan hasta con comodidad" [3-0: The "Suárez Boys" win quite comfortably]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). Retrieved 18 October 2024 .
^ Sáez, Félix (12 March 1987). "10-1: ¡Goleada histórica de La Real!" [10-1: Historic rout by La Real!]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). Retrieved 12 October 2024 .
^ Isasa, Xabier (1 April 2020). "Hoy en Teledeporte, la final de Copa del 87' entre la Real y el Atlético" [Today on Teledeporte, the 87' Copa final between Real Sociedad and Atlético]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). Retrieved 12 October 2024 .
^ a b c " 'Musti' Mujika, ex jugador de la Real, el Alavés y el Depor" ['Musti' Mujika, ex-player for Real Sociedad, Alavés and Depor]. El Mundo (in Spanish). Europa Press . 15 June 2004. Retrieved 12 October 2024 .
^ a b " 'Musti' Mujika, ingresado grave tras un accidente" ['Musti' Mujika, taken to hospital in a serious condition after an accident] (PDF) . Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). 28 June 2001. Retrieved 12 October 2024 .
^ Zaldua, Asier (2 May 2013). "Una década recordando a 'Musti' " [A decade remembering 'Musti']. Noticias de Gipuzkoa (in Spanish). Retrieved 12 October 2024 .
^ Azurmendi, Nerea (23 November 2018). "Protagonistas del pasado vagonero de Gipuzkoa" [Protagonists of the railwaymen past of Gipuzkoa]. El Diario Vasco (in Spanish). Retrieved 12 October 2024 .
External links