Iñaki Descarga

Template:Short description Template:Use dmy dates Template:Family name hatnote Template:Infobox football biography Iñaki Descarga Retegui (born 25 August 1976) is a Spanish former footballer. Mainly a central defender, he could also operate as a right-back.

He started and ended his 16-year professional career with Real Unión, but played mainly for Levante (eight seasons and 226 official matches, 61 in La Liga).

Club career

Descarga was born in Irun, Basque Country. After an insignificant stint with CA Osasuna in the Segunda División and a season with neighbours SD Eibar in the same level, he spent eight years with Levante UD, where he would be one of their most influential players as well as captain, helping to two promotions to La Liga. His first match in the competition came on 13 November 2004 in a 1–0 away loss against Deportivo de La Coruña, with the Valencian Community side being relegated on the last matchday.

Following Levante's severe financial crisis during 2007–08, Descarga was one of many players who would leave, joining Legia Warsaw in August 2008 and reuniting with former Osasuna teammate Iñaki Astiz. He made his Ekstraklasa debut in a 2–2 draw against Arka Gdynia, leaving the pitch after just 13 minutes after tearing his hamstring; he left at the end of the campaign, with ten total appearances.

In July 2009, Descarga signed with his first club Real Unión, recently promoted to the second tier. On 20 June 2010, as they were immediately relegated, he helped seal their fate by scoring in his own net in a 0–2 home defeat to neighbours Real Sociedad (last matchday).

After not being able to help Unión return to division two, Descarga retired in June 2011 at the age of 35.

Match-fixing controversy

On 3 December 2008, Spanish regional TV channel Popular TV del Mediterráneo released a recording of a telephone conversation between Levante's president, Julio Romero, and club defender Descarga, in which the latter admitted that a certain number of his teammates had accepted a bribe to lose a 17 June 2007 match against Athletic Bilbao. The opposition won 2–0, and RC Celta de Vigo were instead relegated.

Honours

Levante

• Segunda División: 2003–04

External links

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