Can Julen Agirrezabala Finally Win Athletic's No. 1 Shirt? Age, Value and Net Worth (2026)

Most goalkeepers spend their mid twenties chasing one thing: a number one shirt that nobody can take off them. Julen Agirrezabala already has a Copa del Rey medal, a penalty save against Kylian Mbappe and a season as Valencia's starter. He still doesn't have that shirt at Athletic Bilbao. His Valencia loan ended in June 2026, Unai Simon is still there, and his contract runs to June 2027. This is the stretch where a goalkeeper's career either settles or stalls.

Key Facts

Errenteria to Lezama, the Slow Way

Athletic only fields players with Basque roots, so its academy isn't a fallback. It's the whole plan. Agirrezabala's route through it was patient. He joined local club Touring at 11, spent 2014 to 2018 at Antiguoko, one of the best known feeder clubs in the region, and then moved into Athletic's youth setup in 2018.

The senior steps came one at a time: CD Basconia, then Athletic Bilbao B, then a first team call up in the summer of 2021. His La Liga debut on August 16, 2021, was a 0 to 0 draw against Elche. A clean sheet in your first top flight game is about as calm an introduction as a goalkeeper gets.

He also played for Spain at under 21 level from 2021 to 2023, and has been called up by the Basque Country representative side since 2024.

Cup Winner, Penalty Stopper

The 2023/2024 Copa del Rey run is where he stopped being just a promising understudy. He was a key part of the squad that won the trophy, and the club president publicly praised his performances in the competition. For Athletic, a club whose identity is tied up in cup history, that carries real weight.

Then came the moment most fans remember. In a win over Real Madrid, he saved a penalty from Kylian Mbappe and later said he had simply guessed the right way. It's a modest explanation. A guess still needs the reach to get there.

His 2024/2025 numbers back up the highlight. In 14 La Liga matches he kept five clean sheets and conceded only nine goals, while sharing duties with Simon. He also got his first taste of the Europa League that season.

The Valencia Gamble

Sharing a position with Spain's established keeper only teaches you so much. In July 2025 Athletic sent him to Valencia on loan for the season, reportedly for a fee of around 1 million euros, so he could play every week as a starter.

It worked, for a while. He started 18 La Liga matches, made 54 saves and kept four clean sheets, and he also featured in the Copa del Rey. Four clean sheets from 18 starts isn't spectacular. But 54 saves tells you he was busy, and a busy keeper at a team that concedes chances learns far more than a backup ever can.

Knee Surgery and an Early Return

In January 2026 the run stopped. A meniscus injury in his knee needed surgery, and the first prognosis was that his season was over. He beat that timeline and returned to the squad before the campaign ended, which Valencia coach Carlos Corberan confirmed.

It wasn't his first setback. A back problem in the summer of 2024 cost him about five weeks, and he picked up a brief facial injury that September. None of these look like chronic issues. Still, a goalkeeper trying to make a case for a starting role needs availability as much as anything, and that's the one box he hasn't fully ticked yet.

Not the Next Kepa

The comparison with Kepa Arrizabalaga is almost unavoidable. Both are Basque, both are left footed, and both came through Athletic's system. Kepa became the most expensive goalkeeper in history when Chelsea signed him in 2018.

Agirrezabala's path has been quieter, and arguably more sensible. He has built his career inside Spain, one step at a time, without a world record fee hanging over every mistake. The comparison flatters him, but it doesn't really fit. What it does show is how reliably Athletic's small talent pool keeps producing goalkeepers worth arguing about.

If you want to weigh in on who belongs among football's very best, you can vote in our best football players of all time poll.

What He Earns and What He's Worth

His salary has never been published, so any figure is a guess. Icon Polls estimates that a goalkeeper at his level at Athletic earns roughly 1 million to 2 million euros a year, and his wages at Valencia were probably in a similar range.

Based on that, plus the Valencia spell and any sponsorship income, Icon Polls estimates his net worth at $4 million to $6 million in 2026. Treat that as a ballpark, not a bank statement.

His market value is just as uncertain. Transfermarkt had him at around 9 million euros in mid 2026, and other platforms have gone as high as 14 million to 14.5 million euros. The gap comes down to the same two questions: how much he plays, and how well his knee holds up.

The Simon Question

Here's the honest picture. A contract ending in June 2027 gives Athletic leverage now, but that leverage fades with every month. If Simon stays first choice, the club has to decide whether a 25 year old with Copa del Rey and La Liga starting experience should be sitting on the bench. If Agirrezabala forces his way in, his value goes up quickly.

Either way, the next full, injury free season is what matters most. He has shown the reflexes and the nerve. What he hasn't shown yet is a full year as the undisputed starter, and that's the step that would turn a good career into a big one.

Worth Knowing

Does Julen Agirrezabala have siblings?

He keeps his family life private, and no details about siblings have been made public.

Why is being left footed notable for him?

Left footed goalkeepers are fairly uncommon, and it can help with distribution to the left side of the pitch. It's also one of the reasons people compare him to Kepa.

When does his Athletic contract end?

June 30, 2027, unless the club extends it or sells him before then.