Aitor Paredes

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Wikipedia

Aitor Paredes
Paredes in 2022
Personal information
Full name Aitor Paredes Casamichana
Date of birth (2000-04-29) 29 April 2000 (age 25)
Place of birth Bilbao, Spain
Height 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)
Position(s) Centre-back
Team information
Current team
 Athletic Bilbao
Number 4
Youth career
2006–2010 Etorkizun
2010–2018 Athletic Bilbao
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2018–2020 Basconia 49 (2)
2019–2022 Bilbao Athletic 53 (4)
2021– Athletic Bilbao 74 (4)
International career‡
2018 Spain U18 4 (0)
2018–2019 Spain U19 4 (0)
2023 Spain U21 7 (0)
2024– Spain 1 (0)
Medal record
Men's football
Representing  Spain
UEFA European Under-21 Championship
Runner-up2023 Georgia–RomaniaTeam
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 17 August 2025
‡ National team caps and goals as of 18 November 2024

Aitor Paredes Casamichana (born 29 April 2000) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for La Liga club Athletic Bilbao and the Spain national team.

Club career

Born in Bilbao, Biscay, Basque Country, Paredes joined Athletic Bilbao's youth setup in 2010 from Etorkizun KT, based in his hometown of Arrigorriaga.[1] He made his senior debut with the farm team during the 2018–19 season, in Tercera División.

Paredes made his debut with the reserves on 6 December 2019, starting in a 0–1 Segunda División B away loss against SD Leioa.[2][3] Promoted officially to the B-side in June 2020, he subsequently became a regular starter for the team, playing in 18 matches (play-offs included) of the 2020–21 campaign, scoring once in a 3–0 home victory against Barakaldo CF on 3 January 2021.[4]

On 26 May 2021, Paredes renewed his contract with the Lions until 2025.[5] He made his first team – and La Liga – debut on 29 August 2022, coming on as a late substitute for Iñigo Lekue in a 4–0 away routing of Cádiz CF.[6] A short time prior to his debut he was the sixth-choice central defender in the squad, behind Iñigo Martínez, Yeray Álvarez, Daniel Vivian, Unai Núñez and Peru Nolaskoain. However, the latter pair left on loan, and injuries to the others gave Paredes some opportunities (nine starts and seven further appearances from the bench) during 2022–23.

From the start of the next season, with Martínez having joined FC Barcelona and Yeray still absent with physical issues, the relatively inexperienced Vivian and Paredes (aged 24 and 23 respectively) formed an effective defensive partnership as the team challenged at the top end of the table,[7][8] and won the Copa del Rey to end the club's 40-year unsuccessful sequence in the competition.[9] Paredes scored his first goal in the top tier on 4 January 2024, in a 2–0 away victory against Sevilla FC,[10][11] and renewed his contract until 2029 on 21 March.[12][13]

International career

Paredes featured in the under-18, under-19, and under-21 categories of the Spanish national team. On 30 June 2018, he was proclaimed champion of the Mediterranean Games with the under-18 team managed by Luis de la Fuente, where he was a starter.[14]

On 17 March 2023, Paredes was called up to the under-21 team led by Santi Denia.[15] On 2 June of that year, he was called up to the squad taking part in the 2023 UEFA European Under-21 Championship in Georgia and Romania;[16] he was part of the Starting XI in five of the six matches during the tournament, including the final against England.[17]

On 18 November 2024, Paredes debuted for Spanish senior squad in a Nations League match against Switzerland at Estadio Heliodoro Rodríguez López, playing the full match as the former national team won 3–2.[18]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 17 August 2025
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League Copa del Rey Europe Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Basconia 2018–19 Tercera División 292———292
2019–20 Tercera División 200———200
Total 492———492
Bilbao Athletic 2019–20 Segunda División B 70———70
2020–21 Segunda División B 161——2[a]0181
2021–22 Primera Federación 303———303
Total 534——20554
Athletic Bilbao 2022–23 La Liga 16010——170
2023–24 La Liga 34160——401
2024–25 La Liga 2332010[b]11[c]0364
2025–26 La Liga 1000000010
Total 7349010110935
Career total 17610901013019811

International

As of match played 18 November 2024[19]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National teamYearAppsGoals
Spain 202410
Total10


Honours

Athletic Bilbao

Spain U21

References

  1. ↑ Aitor Paredes: "Proud of the entire journey", Athletic Club, 6 June 2022
  2. ↑ "Aitor Paredes, el pasajero 24 del filial" [Aitor Paredes, the 24th passenger of the reserves]. El Correo (in Spanish). Bilbao Editorial. 8 December 2019. Retrieved 29 July 2021.
  3. ↑ "Aitor Paredes makes Bilbao Athletic debut in loss to Leioa". Inside Athletic. 6 December 2019. Retrieved 29 July 2021.
  4. ↑ "El Bilbao Athletic se sube al liderato a costa del colista" [Bilbao Athletic reach the leadership at the expense of the last-placed team]. Deia (in Spanish). 4 January 2021. Retrieved 29 July 2021.
  5. ↑ "El Athletic oficializa la renovación de otros tres cachorros" [Athletic turn official the renewal of another three puppies]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). 26 May 2021. Retrieved 29 August 2022.
  6. ↑ "El Cádiz es un regalo para el Athletic" [Cádiz is a gift to Athletic]. Marca (in Spanish). Unidad Editorial. 29 August 2022. Retrieved 29 August 2022.
  7. ↑ "Una defensa reconstruida en el Athletic" [A rebuilt defence at Athletic]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). 30 December 2023. Retrieved 28 January 2024.
  8. ↑ "El Chelsea, atento a la evolución de Paredes" [Chelsea, attentive to the evolution of Paredes]. Diario AS (in Spanish). 7 January 2024. Retrieved 28 January 2024.
  9. 1 2 Real, Mario Reinoso del (7 April 2024). "Athletic 1-1 (4-2) Mallorca, en directo: final de Copa del Rey 2024 | Celebración del Athletic, campeón de Copa". Diario AS (in Spanish).
  10. ↑ "El Athletic merienda roscón y se lleva el regalo del Sánchez-Pizjuán". Marca (in Spanish). 4 January 2021. Retrieved 7 August 2024.
  11. ↑ "Aitor Paredes se estrena en Primera". Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). 4 January 2024. Retrieved 7 August 2024.
  12. ↑ Ensunza, Julen (21 March 2024). "El Athletic blinda el eje de su defensa con la renovación de Paredes hasta 2029". El Correo (in Spanish). Retrieved 7 August 2024.
  13. ↑ "El Athletic renueva a Paredes y se asegura la línea de centrales". Marca (in Spanish). 21 March 2024. Retrieved 7 August 2024.
  14. ↑ "Juegos Mediterráneos Tarragona 2018: Un triplete de Abel Ruiz baña a España en oro" [A hat-trick from Abel Ruiz bathes Spain in gold]. Marca (in Spanish). 30 June 2018. Retrieved 14 May 2024.
  15. ↑ "Guillamón y Yeremy Pino 'descienden' a la sub 21" [Guillamón and Yeremy Pino 'relegated' to the under-21s]. Marca (in Spanish). 17 March 2023. Retrieved 14 May 2024.
  16. ↑ "Agirrezabala, Paredes y Sancet tendrán menos vacaciones" [Agirrezabala, Paredes and Sancet will have fewer holidays]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). 2 June 2023. Retrieved 14 May 2024.
  17. ↑ Canencia, Óscar Lopez (8 July 2023). "Inglaterra contiene a España y se proclama campeona del Europeo sub-21" [England contains Spain and is proclaimed champion of the U21 European Championship] (in Spanish). RTVE. Retrieved 14 May 2024.
  18. ↑ Nagore, Marcos (19 November 2024). "Paredes aprueba en su debut con España" [Paredes makes his debut with Spain]. Deia (in Spanish). Retrieved 20 June 2025.
  19. ↑ "Aitor Paredes". EU-Football.info. Retrieved 18 November 2024.
  20. ↑ Southby, Ben (9 July 2023). "England 1–0 Spain: James Trafford saves last-gasp penalty as England win dramatic UEFA European Under-21 Championship". TNT Sports. Retrieved 20 June 2025.