César Azpilicueta

Osasuna

A product of hometown club Osasuna's youth system, he made his La Liga debut on 8 April 2007 in a 0–2 away loss against Real Madrid, while still registered with the reserve team; he started his career as a forward then switched to midfielder and, throughout both his club and international career (senior and youth), appeared in several positions, including centre-back and central midfielder. In 2007–08, due to injuries in the main squad, Azpilicueta established himself as a first-team regular at the age of just 18, albeit as a right-back. He went on to retain this position for the following season, appearing in all but two league games.

Marseille

On 21 June 2010, French club Marseille confirmed an agreement had been reached with Osasuna for the transfer of Azpilicueta, in a four-year contract for €7 million. A week later, the Navarrese confirmed the agreement, with the transfer fee possibly rising to as much as €9.5 million depending on appearances. On his UEFA Champions League debut, he scored the match's only goal in a group stage home match against Spartak Moscow, though it was into his own net. On 27 November 2010, in the early minutes of a 4–0 home win against Montpellier – which meant Marseille climbed to the top of the league – Azpilicueta ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee. He was sidelined for six months. On 13 May 2012, he scored his first and only Ligue 1 goal for Marseille in a 3–0 win over Auxerre. In August 2012,…

Youth

In 2007, Azpilicueta helped the Spain under-19 team win the UEFA European Championship. Shortly after he moved to the under-21s, being picked for the 2009 European Championships in Sweden where he started three matches in an eventual group stage exit. On 11 May 2010, 20-year-old Azpilicueta was named by senior side manager Vicente del Bosque in a provisional list of 30 players, in view of the forthcoming edition of the FIFA World Cup. Eventually, he did not make the final cut. A year later, after recovering from a long-term injury, he went to the European Under-21 Championship in Denmark, and won the tournament. Azpilicueta was picked for Spain's squad for the 2012 Summer Olympics, after missing out on selection for the UEFA Euro 2012 tournament. Due to the presence of Álvaro Domínguez, he only appeared in the last group match, a 0–0 draw with Morocco at Old Trafford, as the national team exited in the group stage.

Senior

On 1 February 2013, Azpilicueta was named in the squad for the upcoming international friendly against Uruguay. The manager said of the selection: 'Azpilicueta is playing many games for Chelsea. He has a lot of energy, defends well and is always willing to attack. We have a lot of hope for him. He made his debut five days later, playing the full 90 minutes in the 3–1 win in Doha, Qatar; after the match, he said that it was his "dream to play for Spain" at the senior level. Azpilicueta was selected to the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup…

Club

International

Spain score listed first, score column indicates score after each Azpilicueta goal

Azpilicueta was born in Zizur Mayor, Navarre, to Patxi Azpilicueta, a decorator and Charo Tanco, a primary school teacher. Azpilicueta's older brother, Juan Pablo (born 1980), was also a footballer. A midfielder, he competed exclusively in lower-league football. Since retiring, Juan Pablo has transitioned into management. Most recently, he served as manager of CD Subiza in Spain's Tercera División. In June 2015, Azpilicueta married his long-term girlfriend Adriana Guerendiain. Together, the couple have three children; two daughters and a son. Adriana gave birth to the couple's first daughter, Martina, in March 2014. Since 2018, Azpilicueta has been a board member and co-owner of English non-league side Hashtag United, which plays in the Isthmian League North Division. In 2020, Azpilicueta announced the formation of his own esports team, Falcons. He is part-owner along with Jose Antonio Cacho and Jesus Rincon, both of whom are top players in Spain with millions of YouTube subscribers. Azpilicueta is trilingual. He is fluent in Spanish, French, and English. As of 2021, he was working to complete an online degree, an MBA in Business Management from the Berlin School of Business and Innovation. In June 2023, Azpilicueta announced on his Instagram page that he had successfully completed a 4-day course and received a certificate in the business of entertainment, media and sports from Harvard Business School.