Pablo Couñago

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is González and the second or maternal family name is Couñago.

Pablo González Couñago (born 9 August 1979) is a Spanish former footballer who played as a striker.

Pablo Couñago

Couñago with Ipswich Town in 2007
Personal information
Full name	Pablo González Couñago
Date of birth	(1979-08-09) 9 August 1979 (age 45)
Place of birth	Redondela, Spain
Height	1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)[1]
Position(s)	Striker
Youth career
1987–1994	Casa Paco
1994–1996	Celta
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1996–1998	Celta B	63	(28)
1998–2001	Celta	8	(0)
1998	→ Numancia (loan)	13	(1)
1999–2000	→ Recreativo (loan)	25	(4)
2001–2005	Ipswich Town	100	(31)
2005–2007	Málaga	54	(10)
2007–2011	Ipswich Town	114	(23)
2010–2011	→ Crystal Palace (loan)	30	(2)
2012	Đồng Tâm Long An	9	(5)
2012–2013	Kitchee	13	(7)
2013–2014	Choco	17	(15)
2014	Honka	8	(5)
2015–2016	PK-35	34	(17)
2016–2017	Alondras	21	(11)
2017–2018	Choco	22	(3)
Total		531	(162)
International career
1995–1996	Spain U16	6	(2)
1997	Spain U17	5	(1)
1997–1998	Spain U18	10	(6)
1998–1999	Spain U20	13	(6)
1999–2001	Spain U21	15	(9)
2006	Galicia	1	(0)
Medal record Men's football Representing  Spain FIFA U-20 World Cup Winner 1999 Nigeria
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

After having played 35 La Liga matches for Celta and Málaga, scoring three goals (75 games and 11 goals both major levels of Spanish football combined), he spent the bulk of his professional career in England with Ipswich Town, where he managed 65 official goals. He also competed in Vietnam, Hong Kong and Finland.

Couñago represented Spain in the 1999 World Youth Championship, winning the tournament.

Club career

Early career

Born in Redondela, Province of Pontevedra, Galicia, and a product of local RC Celta de Vigo's youth academy, Couñago made his professional debut in Segunda División, loaned to CD Numancia,^[2] but returned in January 1999 to his first club, failing to appear in La Liga in his first spell.

In 1999–2000, he returned to the second level yet on loan, now with Recreativo de Huelva, after which he returned to Vigo still with no impact (all of his league appearances were made from the bench).^[3]

Ipswich Town

After impressing in a Spain under-21 4–0 win over England at Birmingham City's ground, Couñago was signed by Ipswich Town in the late spring of 2001, as manager George Burley had been in the stands watching his performance. The player, who was out of contract, signed a four-year deal.^[4]

Couñago made his debut for Ipswich as a substitute on the opening day of the 2001–02 Premier League season against Sunderland. He struggled for regular game time during his first season at Ipswich, only making one league start and making 12 substitute appearances in the league, making a total of 19 appearances in all competitions.^[5]

Despite a slow start to his Ipswich career, Couñago found his goal scoring form following the club's relegation to the First Division. He scored his first goals for Ipswich on 18 August 2002, netting a brace in a 6–1 home win over Leicester City at Portman Road. On 29 August, he scored a hat-trick against FC Avenir Beggen in the 2002–03 UEFA Cup, in an 8–1 home thrashing, 9–1 on aggregate over two ties.^[6] Couñago finished the season as Ipswich's top goalscorer for the 2002–03 season with 21 goals in all competitions.^[7] His performances over the course of the season earned him the Players' Player of the Year award for the 2002–03 season.^[8]

He continued to feature regularly during the following season, scoring his first goal of the season in a 4–1 home win against Wimbledon on 20 September. Couñago managed to get in to double figures for goals for the second season running during the 2003–04 season, scoring 12 goals in 33 appearances, helping Ipswich reach the First Division play-offs after a 5th-placed finish.^[9]

Couñago did not feature as regularly during the 2004–05 season due to the form of first-choice strike partnership Darren Bent and Shefki Kuqi. He scored 3 goals in 4 league starts and 15 substitute appearances in the league as Ipswich finished 3rd in the First Division, before losing out in the play-off semi-finals to West Ham United for the second season in a row.^[10]

Málaga

Couñago joined Málaga CF in 2005–06,^[11] scoring three times in 27 matches as the Andalusians finished bottom of the table. He produced more in the following year, but the club failed to regain its top flight status.

Return to Ipswich Town

After being released by Málaga, Couñago re-signed for Ipswich on a two-year deal on 13 July 2007, extendable to three if the club gained promotion.^[12] Ipswich manager Jim Magilton said of the player: "I have always looked at Pablo as a player with all the attributes to be top class. He enjoyed a good relationship with the fans of this club, but I don't think anyone really saw the best of Pablo in his first spell here". The player stated: "It's great to be back here at Ipswich. I'm really excited about the move. As soon as I knew that Jim wanted me I was keen to come back. It's good to feel wanted. I also know the way Jim likes to play football, pass, pass, pass and that is good for me as well". He scored a return debut goal in the 4–1 home win against Sheffield Wednesday,^[13] and added two the following month in a home win against Coventry City.^[14] Couñago scored 12 goals in 45 appearances in all competitions following his first season after returning to Ipswich.^[15] One of those goals, an audacious backheel in a 1–3 defeat to Charlton Athletic on 8 December 2007, was voted goal of the season winner at Town's 2007–08 end of season awards night.^[16]

Couñago continued to be a key part of Ipswich's first team during the 2008–09 season. On 21 February 2009, Couñago started his 192nd league game for Ipswich and scored his 50th league goal for the club, in a 3–1 win at promotion rivals Queen Park Rangers.^[17] He once again reached double figure goals for the season, finishing the season with 11 goals in 47 appearances.

In the summer of 2009, he turned down the chance to join Swansea City following the arrival of Roy Keane as manager.^[18] He featured less regularly following Keane's arrival, making ll league starts during the 2009–10 season. In total, Couñago made 29 appearances across all competitions during the season, scoring 3 goals.^[19]

Loan to Crystal Palace

On 20 August 2010, Couñago joined Crystal Palace on a season-long loan, reuniting with former Ipswich boss George Burley.^[20] On 6 November 2010, Couñago scored his first goal for Palace, in a 1–2 loss at Middlesbrough,^[21] opening his home account on the 27th in the 1–0 win over Doncaster Rovers.

In June 2011, aged nearly 32, he was released by Ipswich Town after making over 200 appearances and scoring over 60 goals during a combined eight years at the club.^[22]

Later years

Subsequently, Couñago played five months with Đồng Tâm Long An F.C. in Vietnam, helping the club promote to the V-League during his spell. On 2 October 2012, he joined Hong Kong First Division League club Kitchee SC, for an undisclosed fee; he made his debut for his new team five days later, against Yokohama FC Hong Kong, coming on as a 62nd-minute substitute for compatriot Fernando Recio.

Couñago scored ten goals in 28 official appearances in his only season, and his 30-yard shot against Sun Pegasus FC helped the club win the Hong Kong FA Cup,^[23] while he also played a part in its quarterfinal run in the AFC Cup. In May 2014, after one year with CD Choco in Tercera División, he signed for Finland's FC Honka.^[24]

International career

Couñago was joint-top scorer and received the Golden Shoe award in the 1999 FIFA World Youth Championship, as the Spain under-20 team emerged victorious.^[25] In the following two years, he appeared and scored regularly for the under-21 side.^[26]

In December 2006, Couñago played for the Galicia unofficial team in a friendly match against Ecuador.^[27]

Personal life

Couñago's son, Iago, was born in April 2008.^[28]

Club statistics

Club	Season	League			Cup		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Celta	1996–97[29]	La Liga	0	0	1	1	—		1	1
	1997–98[29]	La Liga	0	0	0	0	—		0	0
	1998–99[29]	La Liga	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
	1999–00[29]	La Liga	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
	2000–01[29]	La Liga	8	0	2	0	7[lower-alpha 1]	1	17	1
	Total		8	0	3	1	7	1	18	2
Numancia (loan)	1998–99[29]	Segunda División	13	1	6	2	—		19	3
Recreativo (loan)	1999–2000[29]	Segunda División	26	4	2	0	—		28	4
Ipswich Town	2001–02[5]	Premier League	13	0	2	0	4[lower-alpha 2]	0	19	0
	2002–03[7]	First Division	39	17	4	1	4[lower-alpha 2]	3	49	21
	2003–04[9]	First Division	29	11	4	1	—		33	12
	2004–05[10]	Championship	19	3	3	0	—		22	3
	Total		100	31	13	2	8	3	121	36
Málaga	2005–06[29]	La Liga	27	3	1	0	—		28	3
	2006–07[29]	Segunda División	27	7	3	0	—		30	7
	Total		54	10	4	0	—		58	10
Ipswich Town	2007–08[30]	Championship	43	12	2	0	—		45	12
	2008–09[31]	Championship	44	9	3	2	—		47	11
	2009–10[19]	Championship	27	2	2	1	—		29	3
	2010–11[32]	Championship	0	0	0	0	—		0	0
	Total		114	23	7	3	—		121	26
Crystal Palace (loan)	2010–11[32]	Championship	30	2	2	0	—		32	2
Đồng Tâm	2012[33]	V.League 2		5			—			5
Kitchee	2012–13[33]	First Division League	13	7	7	1	7[lower-alpha 3]	2	27	10
Honka	2014[33]	Veikkausliiga	8	5	0	0	—		8	5
PK-35	2015[34]	Ykkönen	25	17	1	2[lower-alpha 4]	2	1	28	20
Career total			430	105	45	11	24	7	474	135

1. Appearances in UEFA Intertoto Cup and UEFA Cup
2. Appearances in UEFA Cup
3. Appearances in AFC Cup
4. Appearances in Veikkausliiga promotion play-off

Honours

Club

Celta

• UEFA Intertoto Cup: 2000^[35]
• Copa del Rey runner-up: 2000–01

Đồng Tâm Long An

• V.League 2: 2012^[36]

Kitchee

• Hong Kong FA Cup: 2012–13^[36]

International

Spain U20

• FIFA U-20 World Cup: 1999^[25]

Individual

• FIFA U-20 World Cup Golden Shoe: 1999^[25]
• Ipswich Town Top Scorer: 2002–03 (21 goals)
• Ipswich Town Players' Player of the Year: 2002–03^[8]
• Ipswich Town Goal of the Season: 2007–08^[37]
• Hong Kong FA Cup Most Valuable Player: 2012–13

References

1. "Pablo Counago". Premier League. Retrieved 31 October 2011.
2. "Breve enciclopedia numantina" [Brief numantina encyclopedia]. Desde Soria (in Spanish). 29 May 2013. Retrieved 16 October 2019.
3. "Pablo Couñago" (in Spanish). Yo Jugué en el Celta. 23 April 2008. Retrieved 11 July 2013.
4. Ipswich sign Spanish U21s star; BBC Sport, 24 May 2001
5. "Games played by Pablo Counago in 2001/2002". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 30 July 2015.
6. Ipswich thrash Beggen; BBC Sport, 29 August
7. "Games played by Pablo Counago in 2002/2003". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 30 July 2015.
8. "Pablo Players' Favourite". TWTD. 25 April 2003. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
9. "Games played by Pablo Counago in 2003/2004". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 30 July 2015.
10. "Games played by Pablo Counago in 2004/2005". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 30 July 2015.
11. Ambrose accepts Charlton challenge; UEFA, 8 July 2005
12. "Couñago makes return to Ipswich". BBC Sport. 13 July 2007. Retrieved 23 March 2008.
13. Ipswich 4–1 Sheff Wed; BBC Sport, 11 August 2007
14. Ipswich 4–1 Coventry; BBC Sport, 21 September 2007
15. "Ipswich Town FC team". Ipswich Town F.C. Archived from the original on 14 May 2008. Retrieved 11 January 2008.
16. "Jon at The Double". Ipswich Town F.C. 22 April 2008. Archived from the original on 13 May 2008. Retrieved 23 April 2008.
17. QPR 1–3 Ipswich; BBC Sport, 21 February 2009
18. Counago snubs Swansea overtures; BBC Sport, 25 July 2009
19. "Games played by Pablo Counago in 2009/2010". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 30 July 2015.
20. "Crystal Palace clinch Ipswich's Pablo Counago and Tottenham striker Jonathan Obika on loan". Goal. Retrieved 3 April 2021.
21. "Middlesbrough 2–1 Crystal Palace". BBC Sport. 6 November 2010. Retrieved 7 November 2010.
22. "Pablo and Lisbie's Exits Confirmed". TWTD. Retrieved 3 April 2020.
23. "Pablo the FA Cup Hero". TWTD. 12 May 2013. Retrieved 11 July 2013.
24. "Dos choqueiros en Finlandia" [Two choqueiros in Finland] (in Spanish). Global Galicia. May 2014. Archived from the original on 14 May 2014. Retrieved 13 May 2014.
25. García, Miguel Ángel (17 April 2009). "Qué fue de los campeones del mundo sub20" [What happened to the under-20 world champions]. Marca (in Spanish). Retrieved 3 May 2017.
26. Brodkin, Jon (28 February 2001). "Predatory Pablo punishes England". The Guardian. Retrieved 5 June 2018.
27. "Ecuador empató a 1 con Galicia" [Ecuador drew 1 all with Galicia]. El Universo (in Spanish). 29 December 2006. Retrieved 24 August 2017.
28. Davis, Derek (30 April 2008). "Pablo burning desire for tide to turn". Eastern Daily Press. Archived from the original on 2 February 2014. Retrieved 31 October 2011.
29. "Couñago: Pablo González Couñago". BDFutbol. Retrieved 30 July 2015.
30. "Games played by Pablo Counago in 2007/2008". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 30 July 2015.
31. "Games played by Pablo Counago in 2008/2009". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 30 July 2015.
32. "Games played by Pablo Counago in 2010/2011". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 30 July 2015.
33. "Pablo Couñago". Soccerway. Retrieved 30 July 2015.
34. "Counago Pablo" (in Finnish). Finnish Football Association. Retrieved 1 November 2015.
35. "Zenit 2-2 Celta (Aggregate: 3 - 4)". UEFA. Archived from the original on 23 June 2004. Retrieved 16 June 2020.
36. "Pablo Couñago – Trophies". Soccerway. Retrieved 8 October 2014.
37. "Double joy for Ipswich's Walters". BBC Sport. 23 April 2008. Retrieved 24 June 2013.

External links

• Pablo Couñago at BDFutbol
• Pablo Couñago at Futbolme (in Spanish)
• Pablo Couñago at LaPreferente.com (in Spanish)
• Pablo Couñago at Soccerbase
• Pablo Couñago – FIFA competition record (archived)