Isaac Oceja
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Isaac Oceja Oceja | ||
| Date of birth | 29 May 1915 | ||
| Place of birth |
Escalante , Spain | ||
| Date of death | 27 September 2000 (aged 85) | ||
| Place of death | Barakaldo, Spain | ||
| Position(s) | Defender | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1933–1948 | Athletic Bilbao | 186 | (1) |
| 1948–1949 | Zaragoza | ? | (?) |
| International career | |||
| 1941–1942 | Spain | 4 | (0) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 1948–1949 | Alavés | ||
| 1949 | Zaragoza | ||
| 1954–1960 | Cultural Durango | ||
| 1961–1965 | Cultural Durango | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Isaac Oceja Oceja[1] (1915-2000) was a Spanish football player and coach. He is most known for the 15 years he spent at Athletic Bilbao.
Playing career
Club
Born in
Real Madrid where Athletic won 4–1.[4] When the Spanish Civil War interrupted the normal football processes, Oceja spent time playing for Barakaldo CF.[4] Returning to Bilbao following the conflict, the club was faced with rebuilding a squad using several young players, and refused to sanction the transfer of the more experienced Oceja to FC Barcelona, an offer which would have greatly increased his salary.[2][4]
He was noted for his elegance on the field and disciplined manner off it. In his career with Athletic he played a total of 239 games (186 in the league), winning a league title in
1945.[2][4] Due to his injury lay-offs, Athletic tied him to a 'pay as you play' contract,[2][4] and Oceja admitted that due to his dissatisfaction with the situation he refused to play in a crucial league clash against Valencia CF in 1947 (having been involved in every other match that season); in his absence, Los Ché won the match and went on to secure the title over Athletic on head-to-head results after finishing level on points.[4]
International
He received four call-ups for the Spain national team. He made his debut at 12 January 1941 at his 'home' stadium San Mamés in a friendly match against Portugal (2–2), in which his defensive colleague at Athletic Bilbao, Juan José Mieza, also appeared for the first time.[5][2][4]
Coaching
Oceja retired from playing in 1949 after a short stint at
La Rosaleda did not last long after that achievement, and despite having secured the relevant coaching qualifications, his only later forays into management were two spells with Durango in the lower leagues during the 1950s and 60s.[4]
Honours
Athletic Bilbao[2]
- La Liga: 1935–36; runner-up: 1940–41, 1946–47
- Copa del Rey: 1943, 1944
- Basque Cup: 1934–35
- Biscay Championship: 1939–40
References
- ^ Oceja: Isaac Oceja Oceja, BDFutbol
- ^ a b c d e f g "Isaac Oceja, el Samitier de la defensa bilbaína" [Isaac Oceja, the Samitier of the Bilbao defence]. El Mundo (in Spanish). 29 January 2017. Retrieved 23 November 2018.
- ^ "El alirón en las venas" [The roar in the blood]. Naiz (in Spanish). 24 May 2015. Retrieved 23 November 2018.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n José Ignacio Corcuera (4 September 2016). "Oceja, el futbolista digno" [Oceja, the worthy footballer] (in Spanish). CIHEFE. Retrieved 23 November 2018.
- ^ "Fútbol en la Red". Archived from the original on 2009-12-22. Retrieved 2020-01-26.