Alberto Zapater

Football player infobox


playername = Alberto Zapater
fullname = Alberto Zapater Arjol
nickname = 'El Toro' (The bull)
dateofbirth = Birth date and age|1985|6|13|df=y
cityofbirth = Zaragoza
countryofbirth = Spain
height = height|m=1.80
currentclub = Real Zaragoza
clubnumber = 21
position = Midfielder
youthyears = 2000–2004
youthclubs = Zaragoza B
years = 2004–
clubs = Real Zaragoza
caps(goals) = 138 (3)
nationalyears = 2005–
nationalteam = Spain U-21
nationalcaps(goals) = 9 (0)
pcupdate = September 1, 2008
ntupdate =

Alberto Zapater Arjol, Zapater (born 13 June 1985 in Zaragoza, Aragon), is a Spanish footballer, currently playing for Real Zaragoza in the Spanish second division, as a defensive midfielder.

Club career

In 2004, Zapater was first touted as a promising young player, after completing a successful season in the youth leagues with hometown Real Zaragoza. He scored fourteen goals and was noted for being a strong midfielder, with great passing ability.

Then team manager, former Spanish international Víctor Muñoz, was impressed enough, allowing Zapater to join the first team in pre-season training. He was given his first-team debut on Zaragoza's first game of 2004-05, against Valencia CF in the Spanish Super Cup. Although Zaragoza ended up losing the first-leg match at home 1-0, Zapater put up a solid performance, confirmed in the 3-1 second leg away win. At just 19, Zapater went on to feature in 31 league matches during the league campaign, netting in a March 2, 2005 defeat at Real Sociedad, while also receiving his marching orders in the match. In the 2005-06 season season, Zapater helped the club finish as runners-up in the Spanish Cup to RCD Espanyol, while also only missing three league matches (0 goals). During the season, his strong tackling and the amount of fouls he committed earned him the nickname of 'The Bull', given by Argentine football legend Diego Maradona.

From 2006-08, Zapater remained an undisputed starter, only missing 4 games combined, while experiencing UEFA Cup honours (in 2006-07) and relegation.

International career

Zapater took part in the 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship, in a side that also featured future A internationals Cesc Fàbregas, reaching the last-eight round.

After that, he immediately established himself as an under-21 regular.

External links

* [http://www.realzaragoza.com/r2z/paginas/equipo.php Real Zaragoza profile] es icon
* [http://www.lfp.es/historico/primera/plantillas/historial.asp?jug=7420 Stats at Liga de Fútbol Profesional] es icon
* [http://www.albertozapater.tk/ Fansite] ca icon