Athletic Bilbao Born in
Barakaldo,
Biscay, del Horno began his career at
Athletic Bilbao in 1999, where his combative tackling and strength in the air saw him rise through
the ranks as a left-footed
central defender. However, his pace and ability to contribute to the attack led to his being switched to the flank by the time he had arrived in the seniors for both club and
country. Del Horno made his first-team debut in the
2000–01 opener at only 19, and finished his first season at the
San Mamés Stadium with 14 games to help the
Basques finish in 12th position.
Chelsea In June 2005, del Horno moved to
Chelsea for a fee of
£8 million. He won the first and only league championship of his career with the
Blues, as part of the squad that
conquered the
Premier League title. During his spell at
Stamford Bridge, del Horno played 34 overall matches and scored once, against
Tottenham Hotspur at
White Hart Lane in a 2–0 victory on 27 August 2005. The following 22 February, late into the first half of a
UEFA Champions League round-of-16 clash at home against
FC Barcelona, he received a straight
red card for a foul on
Lionel Messi, as his team went on to lose the match 1–2 and
the tie 2–3.
Valencia On 21 July 2006, del Horno returned to Spain to sign for
Valencia CF on a six-year contract worth
€8 million, seen as a natural replacement for
Amedeo Carboni who had retired at 41. Athletic Bilbao had expressed interest, but withdrew from further negotiations, forfeiting any further financial advantage; following surgery on his injured
Achilles heel, which kept him off the pitches for most of the season, he made his debut for his new team on 3 March 2007 in a 1–0 home win over
RC Celta de Vigo. Del Horno was placed on the transfer list by manager
Quique Sánchez Flores, as the latter announced that the defender would not retain his position for
2007–08. In the last day of the
transfer window, he agreed to join his former club Athletic on a one-year loan deal, returning to Valencia after an injury-filled campaign. At the
Che, his physical problems persisted and, after an unassuming first half of
2009–10 – only played in the
Copa del Rey and only when
facing rivals of smaller entity – he was loaned to
Real Valladolid until the end of the season, on 30 January; an undisputed starter since his arrival, he could not however prevent the
Castile and León side from returning to
Segunda División, after a three-year stay in the top division. For
2010–11, 29-year-old del Horno was loaned once again, joining
freshly promoted side
Levante UD. He was used regularly in both defensive positions as the
Valencians eventually retained their league status, but also missed the final stretch due to physical ailments which had been bothering him since early into the campaign.
Later years Upon returning to Valencia, del Horno's contract was immediately terminated. In early August 2011, he re-joined Levante on a permanent deal. After again dealing with injury throughout
the season, where he was not able to dislodge 35-year-old
Juanfran from the left-back position, del Horno was released. ==International career==