| Intro | Spanish footballer | |||||||||||
| Is |
Athlete Football player Association football player |
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| From |
Spain Equatorial Guinea |
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| Type | Sports | |||||||||||
| Gender | male | |||||||||||
| Birth |
30 August 1980, Valladolid, Spain |
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| Age | 40 years | |||||||||||
| Star sign | Virgo | |||||||||||
| Stats |
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| Sports Teams |
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Iván Zarandona Esono (born 30 August 1980) is an Equatorial Guinean former footballer and a sports agent. Mainly a defensive midfielder, he also operated as a central defender.
He spent the better part of his career in Spain, representing Valladolid at the professional level.
Zarandona was a member of the Equatorial Guinea national team.
Club career
Born in Valladolid, Castile and León, Spain, Zarandona played the vast majority of his career in the lower leagues of that country, having a second division stint with Real Valladolid in the 2004–05 season where he played in less than half of the games.
Rarely settling with a club, he also represented CF Extremadura, CD Ferriolense, RCD Mallorca B, Real Betis B, Caravaca CF, Rayo Vallecano, Zamora CF, Real Murcia Imperial, UD Los Palacios, UD Pájara Playas de Jandía, CD Leganés, Real Jaén, CD Lugo, SD Noja and Burgos CF. In the third level, he appeared in more than 300 official matches for several teams.
International career
Zarandona played for the Spanish under-18 team but, in June 2003, FIFA allowed the player to change his nationality. This rule originally applied only for under-21 players not yet capped for the senior sides, but FIFA also allowed overage ones to apply, until December 2004.
Zarandona started representing his “new nation”, Equatorial Guinea, in October 2003, in the 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification first round tie loss against Togo.
International goals
- As of 12 June 2016 (Equatorial Guinea score listed first, score column indicates score after each Zarandona goal)
| No | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 12 June 2016 | Stade de l’Amitié, Cotonou, Benin | Benin | 1–1 | 1–2 | 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualification |
Personal life
Zarandona’s father is Basque, and his mother was from Equatorial Guinea. His older brother, Benjamín, successfully represented Valladolid, Real Betis and the Spanish under-21s, before switching too to Equatorial Guinea at senior level.
Club statistics
- As of 17 April 2015
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Other | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Mallorca | 2001–02 | La Liga | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | |
| Betis B | 2002–03 | Segunda División B | 24 | 1 | — | — | 24 | 1 | ||
| Valladolid | 2004–05 | Segunda División | 15 | 0 | 6 | 0 | — | 21 | 0 | |
| Rayo Vallecano | 2005–06 | Segunda División B | 9 | 2 | 2 | 0 | — | 11 | 2 | |
| Zamora | 2005–06 | Segunda División B | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | |
| Pájara Playas | 2006–07 | Segunda División B | 19 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 20 | 1 |
| 2007–08 | Segunda División B | 33 | 2 | 0 | 0 | — | 33 | 2 | ||
| Total | 52 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 53 | 3 | ||
| Leganés | 2008–09 | Segunda División B | 28 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 30 | 3 |
| 2009–10 | Segunda División B | 32 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | 33 | 1 | ||
| Total | 60 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 63 | 4 | ||
| Jaén | 2010–11 | Segunda División B | 32 | 4 | 1 | 0 | — | 33 | 4 | |
| Lugo | 2011–12 | Segunda División B | 18 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 24 | 0 |
| Noja | 2012–13 | Segunda División B | 29 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | 31 | 1 | |
| 2013–14 | Segunda División B | 14 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 14 | 1 | ||
| Total | 43 | 2 | 2 | 0 | — | 45 | 2 | |||
| Hong Kong Rangers | 2013–14 | Hong Kong First Division League | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 6 | 0 | |
| 2014–15 | Hong Kong Premier League | 6 | 0 | 4 | 0 | — | 10 | 0 | ||
| Total | 10 | 0 | 6 | 0 | — | 16 | 0 | |||
| Career total | 265 | 16 | 20 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 293 | 16 | ||