The 13-match ban imposed this Wednesday on the Argentine goalkeeper Esteban Andrada, from Real Zaragoza, for hitting Huesca player Jorge Pulido with a punch, It is among the most severe in Spanish football in recent years.
The punishment originated after the incident that occurred last Sunday in a Second Division match, and has revived the memory of other historic sanctions in Spanish football.
One of the most extreme cases continues to be that of the player of the Zaragoza Joaquín Cortizo, who received a 24-game suspension in 1964 after a harsh tackle on Enrique Collar, of Atlético de Madrid, which caused a fracture of the tibia.
The sanction against the Paraguayan also stands out Pedro Fernández, from Granada, punished with 15 games in 1974 after an attack against Madrid player Amancio, who was out for four months due to injury.
Another memorable case is that of Andoni Goikoetxea, from Athletic Bilbao, initially sanctioned with 18 games for a tackle on Diego Maradona in 1983, although the penalty was reduced to seven. The Argentine suffered a fractured ankle and was without playing for three months.
Goikoetxea was also one of the protagonists of the remembered fight after the 1984 Copa del Rey final between Athletic and Barcelona, where several players were suspended for three months, including Maradona.
From Stoichkov to Pepe
In 1990, Bulgarian Hristo Stoichkov of Barcelona was suspended for six months for stepping on referee Urizar Azpitarte in a match against Real Madrid. The sanction was later reduced to two months and two games.
More recently, in 2015, Antonio Galdeano, “Apoño”, was punished with 12 games for insulting and threatening the referee in a Second B match.
Also in 2000, Racing Santander goalkeeper José María Ceballos was initially banned for 12 games for attempting to attack a referee, although the ban was reduced to eight after appeal.
In 1999, Argentine goalkeeper Germán “Mono” Burgos received an 11-game suspension after attacking an opponent while playing for Mallorca.
Among the 10-game sanctions are that of the Portuguese Pepe, from Real Madrid, in 2009 for attacking Getafe players; that of José María López Igartua in 1977 for attacking a referee; and that of the Paraguayan Carlos “Lobo” Diarte in 1983.
The most recent sanctions
In the current season, the highest sanctions had been seven games. One of them for the Argentine coach Matías Almeyda, then coach of Sevilla, after being sent off in a match against Alavés.
The other was for Rayo Vallecano player Isi Palazón, punished for insulting the referee, protesting and accumulating cards in a match against Real Sociedad.
Likewise, Sevilla defender Marcao was banned for six games last December for insults and unsportsmanlike conduct after being sent off in a duel against Real Madrid.
With this panorama, Andrada’s sanction joins the list of harshest punishments in Spanish football, in a league where attacks and unsportsmanlike conduct have historically been severely penalized.
Esteban Andrada, today Zaragoza’s goalkeeper, was EXPELLED, GOING CRAZY AND HIT THE Huesca captain’s face with a PINEAPPLE.
EVERYTHING UNUSUAL. 😳🇦🇷🇪🇸 pic.twitter.com/7wfO12gMFi
— Ataque Futbolero (@AtaqueFutbolero) April 26, 2026