Óscar Vales

Óscar Vales
Personal information
Full name Óscar Vales Varela
Date of birth (1974-09-13) 13 September 1974
Place of birth Bilbao, Spain
Height 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Playing position Defender
Youth career
1991–1994 Athletic Bilbao
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1991 Basconia 1 (0)
1994 Bilbao Athletic 14 (0)
1994–2005 Athletic Bilbao 178 (1)
1997–1999 → Celta (loan) 58 (0)
2008–2009 Gatika
1991–2005 Total 251 (1)
National team
1993 Spain U18 3 (0)
1993 Spain U20 3 (0)
1994–1995 Spain U21 4 (0)
1995–1997 Basque Country 2 (0)

* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.


This name uses Spanish naming customs: the first or paternal family name is Vales and the second or maternal family name is Varela.

Óscar Vales Varela (born 13 September 1974 in Bilbao, Biscay) is a Spanish retired footballer who played as a utility defender, and sometimes as a defensive midfielder.

Football career

Still in his teens, Vales appeared in one game for CD Basconia as the Basque club was in Segunda División B and still not acting as Athletic Bilbao's feeder team, which only took place in 1997. Aged 17 he was purchased by Athletic, and finished his football formation there.

After a handful of matches for the reserves, Vales made his first-team debut on 6 April 1994, playing as a defensive midfielder in a 0–3 away loss against Real Oviedo. In the following decade he would almost never be an automatic first-choice for Bilbao, but managed to appear regularly in various defensive positions; on 6 December 1994 he scored a rare goal, at Parma F.C. for the campaign's UEFA Cup, but his side lost it 2–4 and 3–4 on aggregate.

Vales was loaned for two years to fellow La Liga club Celta de Vigo, playing UEFA Cup in his second season. In the 1999 summer he returned to Athletic, managing to be regularly played during his second spell. However, after only two games combined from 2003 to 2005, he decided to retire from the game at the age of 30.

In 2008–09, after three years out of football, Vales joined longtime Athletic Bilbao teammate Aitor Larrazábal at regional club Gatika, the latter acting as manager. After one season he retired for good, having appeared in 236 matches in Spain's top division.

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