Urko Izeta turned 27 on 29 September, only weeks into life as a Cádiz CF player. That timing matters. For most of his career he has been the forward who scores freely one level down and then has to prove it all over again one level up. Cádiz is the first club in a while that signed him to be a main part of the plan rather than a squad option, and that changes the question around him.
The short version: he left Athletic Club in July 2026 on a permanent five-year deal after a first-team season that gave him experience but very few goals. Now he needs minutes, and Cádiz can give them.
Izeta by the Numbers
| Full name | Urko Iruretagoiena Lertxundi |
|---|---|
| Known as | Urko Izeta, or simply Izeta |
| Born | 29 September 1999, Aia, Gipuzkoa, Spain |
| Age | 27 |
| Nationality | Spanish |
| Position | Centre-forward |
| Height | About 1.75 m (roughly 5 ft 9 in) |
| Preferred foot | Right |
| Club | Cádiz CF (joined from Athletic Club, July 2026) |
| Contract | Five years |
| Net worth | Icon Polls estimate: US$1 million to US$2 million |
| Salary | Not publicly confirmed |
Basque Roots, Long Detours
Izeta comes from Aia, a small town in Gipuzkoa, and his football story is Basque from start to finish. After local youth football he developed through the Eibar and CD Vitoria setups, which is not the glamorous route. Nobody was building campaigns around him as a teenager.
What followed were loans, and they did real work. At Arenas de Getxo he scored 19 goals in 35 appearances in all competitions, the first sign that he could carry a team's scoring load. A spell at SD Amorebieta added a different kind of education: the physical, scrappy side of senior football, where a 1.75 m striker learns quickly how to survive against bigger centre-backs.
The Bilbao Athletic Breakout
Then came Bilbao Athletic, Athletic Club's reserve side, and the numbers got hard to ignore. Across two seasons he scored 25 goals in 52 appearances. The standout year was 2023/24, when he hit 21 league goals in Segunda Federación.
Reserve team goals come with an asterisk, and fair enough. Plenty of forwards dominate at that level and fade above it. What made Izeta different was the next step.
Mirandés, Where It Clicked
His 2024/25 loan at Mirandés was the season that answered the obvious doubt. In Segunda División he played 44 matches in all competitions, scored 15 goals and added three assists as the club pushed hard for promotion and came close. That is a genuine contribution to a team with something on the line, not padding in a mid-table season.
It also showed the version of Izeta that works best: trusted, starting regularly, and allowed to build rhythm. He is a confidence striker in the good sense. Give him a run and he repays it.
Sixteen Games in Red and White
Athletic brought him into the first team for 2025/26. He made his debut in September 2025 and went on to play 16 official games, scoring once. On paper that looks like a step backwards. In context it's the usual problem for a forward in a deep La Liga squad: short cameos, few starts, and no chance to settle into the kind of run that made him dangerous at Mirandés.
Our view is simple. That season didn't prove he can't score at a higher level. It proved he wasn't going to get the minutes to find out at Athletic.
How He Plays
Don't expect a classic target man. Izeta is compact, mobile and right-footed, and his value comes from movement. He arrives in the box at the right moment, attacks space between defenders and presses from the front with real energy. Coaches tend to like that combination because he contributes even on days he doesn't score.
The flip side is that he is not the player you hit long and hope for. He needs service into the areas where he's quickest, which puts some responsibility on how Cádiz build around him.
The Deal Athletic Didn't Fully Let Go Of
The structure of the transfer tells you something. Cádiz paid a fixed fee, while Athletic kept performance-related bonuses, a share of any future sale and a right of first refusal. Clubs don't write those clauses for players they've given up on. Athletic clearly think his value could rise, and they want a piece of it if it does.
As for market value, it's fair to put him in the low-million-euro range for 2026, but treat any figure as a guide. Goals, fitness and contract length move it. A productive first season at Cádiz could lift it quickly. An interrupted one could drag it down just as fast.
What He Earns, and What Nobody Knows
Icon Polls estimates Urko Izeta's net worth at US$1 million to US$2 million. That's an editorial estimate based on his years as a professional, his rising profile after Mirandés, a first-team season at Athletic and a five-year contract at Cádiz. It is not an official figure.
His salary hasn't been made public, and we won't pretend otherwise. Spanish football contracts often mix fixed pay with appearance fees, bonuses and promotion clauses, so any single number floating around online should be treated with suspicion. What we can say is that he has entered the strongest earning stage of his career so far.
Career Mode Material in FC 26
For EA SPORTS FC 26 players, Izeta is an interesting Career Mode pick: old enough to contribute straight away, with room to grow if he plays regularly. His overall rating, potential and card details can shift with roster updates, so check the game for current figures. Use him the way he plays in real life: a pressing forward, a near-post poacher, or a runner in behind a high line.
Life Outside Football, Kept Quiet
There's no verified public information that Izeta is married, and he doesn't make his relationships part of his public profile. He keeps his private life private, and that deserves respect. His public story is the football one, and it's a good one.
Where does a grafting Segunda goalscorer sit next to the game's all-time greats? Nowhere yet, obviously, but debating who belongs at the top is half the fun. Vote for your pick of the best football players of all time and see how your choices stack up.
Three Things People Ask
How old is Urko Izeta?
He is 27. He was born on 29 September 1999 in Aia, Gipuzkoa.
Has he played in La Liga?
Yes. He debuted for Athletic Club in September 2025 and made 16 official first-team appearances that season, scoring once.
How long is his Cádiz contract?
Five years, signed when he joined permanently from Athletic Club in July 2026.
