Santamaría, guardian of a blue fortress that resists with its heroism

A double intervention by Roberto Santamaría in the 92nd minute of the Basque derby keeps Amorebieta undefeated in their fiefdom. The goalkeeper from Pamplona stopped the penalty taken by Esteban Burgos and the subsequent shot by Blanco Leschuk, crowning himself as the hero of the draw against Eibar. Arrived this summer at the club, he is the only player in the Zornotzarra team who has played every minute of these seven LaLiga Smartbank days.

One of the first incorporations of the blues in the summer market. On July 13 of this summer, he arrived at the club after Amore's heroic promotion to the Second Division for the first time in its history. Precisely, one of the great architects of this achievement was his counterpart Mikel Saizar, who made the dream of a whole town come true with two stops in the playoff final. With one of the great protagonists of the Viverazo as a competition, it could not be foreseen that Santamaría was so indisputable in the blue goal. Now, and despite having conceded 10 goals, no one doubts his ownership.

With 287 matches in Second, is the most experienced Amore player in this division. Also has 20 games in LaLiga as a Huesca player, keeping a clean sheet in 6 of them. At 36 years old, his career speaks for itself, playing all over the peninsula, the Balearic Islands and the Canary Islands. After having defended the colors of Osasuna, Las Palmas, Málaga, Girona, Ponferradina, Mallorca, Reus, Huesca and Rayo Vallecano, he reached the UD Logroñés where a magnificent season took hold. Although the Rioja group ended up descending, He played 21 games where he only received 22 goals and bolted his goal on 9 occasions.

It has come like a glove for Vélez de Mendizabal, thanks to his experience, security and good ball hitting. Lead the ranking of successful long passes of all silver category. The style of Amorebieta, which refuses to risk taking the ball short, bets a lot on direct play, accumulating players in advanced zones. That is why Santamaría is the one who tries the most, but also the one who has the most success, 102 balls that come to fruition. With a comfortable difference with the second goalkeeper on the list, Dani Jimenez, from Alcorcón with 72 precise long passes.

It comes from a family saga dedicated to football. His uncle and namesake Roberto Santamaria Calavia He was Osasuna's goalkeeper for 8 seasons in the First Division, being the goalkeeper with the most matches with the rojillos in the highest category and the second from Pamplona with more minutes, after Patxi Puñal. What's more, his brother Mikel, He is the current defender of Racing Rioja and was trained in the quarry of the El Sadar team. Precisely, in the Osasuna Promises the current player of the Blues began to emerge, but his debut in Second would arrive in Las Palmas. Curiously, in that first match against Celta, he saved Canobbio from a penalty in the 95th minute.