Urko Vera

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Vera and the second or maternal family name is Mateos.
Urko Vera
Personal information
Full name Urko Vera Mateos[1]
Date of birth (1987-05-14) 14 May 1987[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

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

Club career

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

Eibar

Jeonbuk Hyundai

CFR Cluj

Notes

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

References

  1. ^ "Notification of shirt numbers: Oldham Athletic" (PDF). English Football League. p. 50. Retrieved 24 October 2019.
  2. ^ a b "Urko Vera". Diario AS (in Spanish). Retrieved 12 March 2026.
  3. ^ a b "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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