Dani (footballer, born 1951)


Daniel Ruiz-Bazán Justa, commonly known as Dani, is a Spanish retired footballer who played as a striker.
During his career he played almost exclusively for Athletic Bilbao, scoring nearly 200 official goals in more than one decade with the first team. He was a penalty kick specialist.

Club career

Born in Sopuerta, Biscay, Dani played his youth football in various clubs in the Basque Country, arriving in Athletic Bilbao in 1971 at the age of 20 and playing one full season with the reserve side in the third division.
After two years loaned at neighbouring Barakaldo CF in the second level, he returned to his alma mater, scoring in double digits for nine of the following ten years. Dani's first La Liga match occurred on 29 September 1974 in a 0–3 away loss against Valencia CF and, in the 1976–77 season, as the Lions reached the final of the UEFA Cup and the Copa del Rey, also finishing third in the league, he netted a total of 29 goals in 46 official games; in the latter competition, during his 12-year stint with the club, he reached the 20-goal mark twice.
Dani helped Athletic to back-to-back league titles in his later years, although he was only a fringe player in the latter campaign – ten matches, three goals – due to the emergence of another youth product of the club, Manuel Sarabia. He would be further pushed down the pecking order after the first-team promotion of Julio Salinas, and eventually retired in June 1986 at the age of 35, having scored 147 league goals in 302 appearances.
Dani's total of 11 goals in European competition stood as a club record for 25 years, until passed by Fernando Llorente in 2012.

International career

Dani played 25 matches and scored ten goals for Spain, during four years and two days. His debut came on 21 September 1977, in a 2–1 friendly win in Switzerland.
Dani represented his country in both the 1978 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 1980, respectively scoring against Austria and England.

International goals

#DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
1.25 January 1978Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid, Spain2–02–1Friendly
2.29 March 1978El Molinón, Gijón, Spain3–03–0Friendly
3.26 April 1978Los Cármenes, Granada, Spain2–02–0Friendly
4.3 June 1978José Amalfitani Stadium, Buenos Aires, Argentina1–12–11978 FIFA World Cup
5.4 April 1979Stadionul Central, Craiova, Romania1–12–2Euro 1980 qualifying
6.4 April 1979Stadionul Central, Craiova, Romania2–22–2Euro 1980 qualifying
7.26 September 1979Balaídos, Vigo, Spain1–01–1Friendly
8.23 January 1980Balaídos, Vigo, Spain1–01–0Friendly
9.18 June 1980San Paolo, Naples, Italy1–11–2UEFA Euro 1980
10.12 November 1980Sarrià, Barcelona, Spain1–11–2Friendly

Honours

Athletic Bilbao