Thursday, September 15, 2011

Daniel Guiza


Daniel Guiza

Daniel González Güiza (Spanish pronunciation; born 17 August 1980) is a Spanish footballer who plays for Getafe CF in La Liga, as a striker.

A late bloomer, he made a name for himself at the age of 27, being crowned La Liga topscorer with Mallorca. Subsequently, he helped the Spanish national team win the Euro 2008, and signed with Fenerbahçe in Turkey shortly afterwards.
Having started playing on the streets of his hometown of Jerez de la Frontera in Cádiz, Güiza used to hide behind trees in an attempt to avoid the running, despite being then coached by boyhood idol Kiko, who begun his professional career with local Cádiz CF. He eventually made it into his local team, Xerez CD and, after one season there, first showed his eye for goal at third-tier side Dos Hermanas CF, loaned immediately after RCD Mallorca bought him. Such performances saw him make his debut in La Liga at the age of 19, but he would fail to perform, being demoted to the B team where he scored 28 goals in 70 games.

Güiza was then loaned out to Recreativo de Huelva, but could not find a secure place in the team, and was soon after loaned to FC Barcelona B, where he scored five third division goals.Subsequently, he moved to Ciudad de Murcia in division two, where his career saw a turning point, with two consecutive top-five finishes in the topscorers' list (runner-up in the 2004–05 campaign).
Bernd Schuster found this impressive enough to sign him for Getafe CF. Güiza became an instant first-choice, and became recognised as a top flight striker, scoring 20 goals in just over 60 games and six in as many Copa del Rey appearances, while the team from Madrid's outskirts achieved back-to-back ninth-league places.

The club's president, Ángel Torres, described him as "the best finisher in the first division after Ronaldo".
After four years, Güiza returned to Mallorca in a €5 million move, brokered by his wife and agent Nuria Bermúdez, experiencing a breakthrough season. On 20 April 2008, he scored a hat-trick against Real Murcia, and finished the season as the league's top scorer, scoring 27 goals in 37 matches, a feat achieved without a single penalty kick.

Club coach Gregorio Manzano said: "In 24 years of coaching I've never had the winner of the Pichichi in my team. Dani is the top goalscorer in our league, and deserves extra credit for doing it without taking penalties, and he is also worthy of selection to Euro 2008".
On 8 July 2008, Güiza signed for Turkish club Fenerbahçe for €14 million. In his first month, he managed to score twice in the Süper Lig and another two in the club's UEFA Champions League campaign.

Güiza ended a long scoring drought on 22 March 2009, with an early goal against Bursaspor, as Fenerbahçe lost 2–1 in the dying minutes of the game. Prior to the beginning of the 2009–10 season, he scored three against Budapest Honvéd FC in the UEFA Europa League third round, in a 5–1 home win (6–2 on aggregate), netting his first in the domestic competition in matchday one against Denizlispor, in the first minute of the game.

During his first two seasons with the Istanbul club, Güiza helped the team to consecutive Turkish Cup finals, netting in the 2008–09 edition, a 2–4 loss against Beşiktaş JK.
Güiza was a late bloomer on the international stage, having been first called-up by Spain on 8 November 2007 (aged 27), for UEFA Euro 2008 qualifiers against Sweden and Northern Ireland, as the national team was already qualified for the finals in Austria and Switzerland. He made his international debut against the latter on 21 November, in a 1–0 home win, in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.

Güiza was subsequently selected to the final squad of 23 but, despite being the league's top scorer in that year, still doubted his chances of being picked: "I was really scared I'd miss out, because being the league's top scorer doesn't guarantee you a place". On 18 June 2008, he made his debut in the tournament, and scored Spain's winning goal against Greece during the dying moments of the last match group stage match

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