Emilio Arturo Izaguirre Girón (; born 10 May 1986) is a Honduran former professional footballer who played as a left-back. He is currently the sporting director of Motagua.
Izaguirre started his career at Motagua, where he played for seven years. In 2010, Scottish club Celtic spent £650,000 to sign him. Izaguirre won three awards in his first season in Scotland, being awarded the SPFA Players' Player of the Year, SFWA Footballer of the Year and the Scottish Premier League Player of the Year. He played over 250 games across all competitions for Celtic, winning six consecutive league titles in his first spell at the club, and a further league title when he rejoined for a second spell.
He made his debut for Honduras in 2007, and made 111 appearances. Izaguirre also played in two FIFA World Cups and four CONCACAF Gold Cups.
Club career Motagua Izaguirre began his career at F.C. Motagua in the Honduran League. He made his league debut on 20 March 2004 in the 3–0 victory over Universidad in Danlí.Desafíe a Ismael LaPrensa, 7 May 2009
On 22 July 2008, he had a 17-day trial with English Championship outfit Ipswich Town, but was unable to play in any matches, having not received international clearance from Motagua. He therefore failed to win a contract and the move fell through.Celtic help Emilio Izaguirre live out his dream BBC Sport, 28 August 2010 The following April, he was close to a move to Belgium's RSC Anderlecht.
In July 2010, it was reported that Toronto FC of Major League Soccer were interested in signing Izaguirre to a designated player contract, after two stand out performances in the CONCACAF Champions League against the Canadian side,Emilio Izaguirre aún podría emigrar pues tiene ofertas de Toronto y Rangers de Escocia Univision, 10 August 2010 but this move did not happen either.
Celtic Izaguirre agreed a four-year contract with Scottish Premier League side Celtic on 18 August 2010, subject to receiving a work permit.Celtic sign Honduras defender Izaguirre on four-year deal Reuters, 18 August 2010 He signed for a £650,000 fee and was given the number 3 shirt.Izaguirre is ready to live the dream STV Sport, 28 August 2010 He made his SPL debut in a 1–0 victory at Motherwell on 29 August, giving a solid performance that drew plaudits from Celtic manager Neil Lennon and Motherwell counterpart Craig Brown.Lennon: Izaguirre had fantastic debut STV Sport, 30 October 2010 On 19 September, Izaguirre set up Anthony Stokes for the winning goal in a 2–1 victory over Kilmarnock at Rugby Park. On 30 October, he scored his first Celtic goal against St Johnstone, where he intercepted a back pass then flicked the ball over St Johnstone centre back Dave MacKay,St Johnstone 0 - 3 Celtic ESPN Soccernet, 30 October 2010Anthony Stokes, Niall McGinn and Emilio Izaguirre speak to ESPN ESPN, 30 October 2010 before slotting a goal under the goalkeeper. The game ended 3–0 to Celtic, with Izaguirre awarded man of the match for his performance.Match commentary - St Johnstone 0 Celtic 3 Sky Sports, 30 October 2010 In Celtic's 3–0 victory over Rangers on 20 February 2011, he set up Gary Hooper's second goal.Celtic 3 - 0 Rangers: Gary Hooper strikes leave Rangers trailing The Scotsman, 20 February 2011
In the 2011 League Cup Final defeat to Old Firm rivals Rangers, Izaguirre was sent off in extra time for a foul on Vladimír Weiss.Celtic 1-2 Rangers: the key moments STV Sport, 20 March 2011Celtic 1 Rangers 2: match report The Telegraph, 20 March 2011 On 6 April 2011, he had another man of the match performance against Hibernian in a 3–1 victory,Deadly duo fire Celtic back to the top of the table Celtic FC, 6 April 2011 setting up Stokes for the first goal of the game.Celtic 3 Hibernian 1: match report The Telegraph, 6 April 2011 In the 2010–11 SPL season, Izaguirre achieved a clean sweep of available senior player awards as chosen by players, organisations and the Celtic supporters. Izaguirre won both the SPFA Players' Player of the Year and Scottish Premier League Player of the Year awards for 2010–11. The judging panel for the latter award described Izaguirre as a "class act", while Celtic assistant manager Johan Mjallby commented that Izaguirre could become one of the best players in his position in world football. On 8 May, at Celtic's award ceremony, Izaguirre picked up the Players' Player of the Year Award. Finally, he was voted Scottish Football Writers player of the year.
Izaguirre suffered a broken ankle in the second match of Celtic's season on 7 August against Aberdeen, requiring surgery which ruled out for between four and six months. On 27 August, he signed a new contract with Celtic, due to run until 2015. Izaguirre returned to training, after recovering from his ankle injury, in December. He made his long-awaited return as a substitute on 2 January 2012 in Celtic's 3–0 win over Dunfermline Athletic at East End Park.
Izaguirre played 32 league games as he won a second consecutive Scottish league title, and also featured in the 2013 Cup final, a 3–0 win over Hibernian on 26 May.
On 30 May 2014, Izaguirre signed a new contract with Celtic, keeping him at the club until 2017. In the 2015–16 season, he was displaced as first-choice left back by 18-year-old Kieran Tierney. Despite what looked like an emotional farewell after the final game of the season against Motherwell on 15 May 2016, Izaguirre told Honduras website La Prensa that he still had a contract to see out and had not had any discussions with the Celtic board. He returned to Celtic for the 2016–17 season and played 12 games, covering for Tierney when the latter was injured.
Al-Fayha Despite being offered a contract extension, Izaguirre left Celtic at the end of the 2016–17 season and joined Saudi Pro League club Al-Fayha on a two-year contract for an undisclosed fee. His stay in Al Majma'ah lasted just 11 months, however, as he opted to end his contract early. He stated: "My family has found the culture [of Saudi Arabia] to be very difficult. I have a meeting with [the club] to discuss my exit."
Return to Celtic On 10 August 2018, Izaguirre rejoined Celtic on a one-year deal. At the end of the season, after 19 appearances in all competitions, he turned down a further one-year deal and left Celtic for the second time.
Return to Motagua Izaguirre signed a one-year contract with Motagua in August 2019. Later that month he suffered an eye injury during a fan riot at a derby match with Olimpia.
International career
Izaguirre was part of the national team in the 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship in the Netherlands.Emilio Izaguirre BBC Sport, May 2010
He made his senior debut for Honduras in a January 2007 friendly match against Denmark. He has represented his country in 17 FIFA World Cup qualification matches and played at the 2007UNCAF (Qualifying Tournament for Gold Cup) 2007 - Details - Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation and 2009 UNCAF Nations CupsUNCAF (Qualifying Tournament for Gold Cup) 2009 - Details - Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation as well as at the 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup.CONCACAF Championship, Gold Cup 2007 - Full Details - Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation
He was named in the Honduras squad for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, playing two games against Chile and Spain. He also played at the 2014 World Cup and the 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup.
Personal life Izaguirre is known to live a modest lifestyle and is a Christian.
Emilio maintained a close and enduring relationship for over 20 years with the late renowned Honduran pastor Mario Tomas Barahona whom he regarded as mentor. Pastro Barahona served at the Mi Vina Church in Tegucigalpa, which Emilio has attended since the age of 15. He has remained committed to his Christian faith throughout his life.
Career statistics
Club
+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competitionClubSeasonLeagueNational cupLeague cupContinentalTotalDivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsMotagua2004–05Liga Nacional190 – 1902005–06300 – 3002006–07281 – 2812007–08251 – 2512008–09161 – 1612009–10251 – 281Total143400–401474Celtic2010–11Scottish Premier League3315040004212011–121201010001402012–1332050201004902013–14Scottish Premiership34020001004602014–1535150411405822015–161720010702522016–17120002040170Total17541801414502525Al-Fayha2017–18Saudi Pro League2401020–270Celtic2018–19Scottish Premiership140101030190Motagua2019-20Liga Nacional161––702312020-21150––40190Total3110000110421Marathón2020-21Liga Nacional140––201602021-22120––50170Total260000070330Career total413920017167051710
International
+ Appearances and goals by national team and yearNational teamYearAppsGoalsHonduras200717120087020091302010802011102012902013110201490201571201671201790201830201992202010Total1115
Scores and results list Honduras's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Izaguirre goal.
+ List of international goals scored by Emilio IzaguirreNo.DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition1 2 June 2007 Estadio Francisco Morazán, San Pedro Sula, Honduras 1–1 3–1 Friendly2 4 September 2015 Polideportivo Cachamay, Ciudad Guayana, Venezuela 3–0 3–0 Friendly3 15 November 2016 Estadio Olímpico Metropolitano, San Pedro Sula, Honduras 2–0 3–1 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification4 25 June 2019 Banc of California Stadium, Los Angeles, United States 4–0 4–0 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup5 5 September 2019 Estadio Tiburcio Carías Andino, Tegucigalpa, Honduras 1–0 4–0 Friendly
Honours
Celtic Scottish Premiership (7): 2011–12, 2012–13, 2013–14, 2014–15, 2015–16, 2016–17, 2018–19 Scottish Cup (3): 2010–11, 2012–13, 2018–19 Scottish League Cup (2): 2014–15, 2016–17
Individual SPFA Players' Player of the Year: 2010–11 SFWA Footballer of the Year: 2010–11 Scottish Premier League Player of the Year: 2010–11
See also List of footballers with 100 or more caps
References
External links
Honduras - Emilio Izaguirre Sky Sports, May 2010