Jorge Valdano
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Jorge Alberto Valdano (born October 4, 1955 in Las Parejas, Santa Fe Province) is a former Argentine football player and, for many, a reference in World Football, sometimes called The Philosopher of Football. He was part of the Argentine team that won the 1986 FIFA World Cup in Mexico (he scored Argentina's second goal in their 3-2 victory over Germany), a starter in Spanish giant Real Madrid, and later became Sporting Director of the Spanish club.
Valdano started playing when he was 16 years old for Santa Fe club Newell's Old Boys, where he also started playing professionally, as well as with the Argentine national football team, in 1972. In 1975 he was transferred to Deportivo Alavés of the Spanish Second Division, where he played until 1979. In that year he moved to Real Zaragoza of the first division, and then to Real Madrid in 1984, playing with the Quinta del Buitre. Stricken by Hepatitis, he decided to retire in 1988, and became a sports commentator and Real Madrid youth team's coach. In the 1991/1992 season he became CD Tenerife's coach, helping it avoid relegation, and qualifying for the UEFA Cup in the following season. He went back to Real Madrid, now as coach, and won them the 1994/1995 league. He finally coached Valencia CF in 1996/1997, before becoming Real Madrid's Sporting Director until his resignation in June 2005.
Valdano played 22 times for Argentina, scoring seven goals. Other than the 1986 triumph, he also took part in the 1982 FIFA World Cup, but missed most of the tournament after being injured in Argentina's second game, against Hungary.
Valdano also wrote the book Sueños de fútbol ("Dreams of Football") and edited the book Cuentos de Fútbol ("Football short stories") by diverse authors.
Recently Valdano agreed to write for the British paper, The Guardian during the 2006 World Cup. He will give his views on how the Argentine team is doing.
Club career
| Year | Team | Matches | Goals
|
|---|---|---|---|
| 1973~1975 | Newell's Old Boys | 49 | 11 |
| 1975~1979 | Deportivo Alavés (2nd Div.) | ? | 9 |
| 1980~1984 | Real Zaragoza | 143 | 46 |
| 1984~1987 | Real Madrid | 85 | 40
|
Titles
- 1973 - Argentine Championship (Newell's Old Boys)
- 1985 - Spanish League Cup (Real Madrid)
- 1985 - UEFA Cup (Real Madrid)
- 1986 - Spanish Championship (Real Madrid)
- 1986 - UEFA Cup (Real Madrid)
- 1986 - 1986 FIFA World Cup (Argentina)
- 1987 - Spanish Championship (Real Madrid)
- 1995 - Spanish Championship, as coach (Real Madrid)
Famous quotes
- Football is beginning to be a lie well documented by the media
- [Diego] Maradona has no peers inside the pitch, but he has turned his life into a show, and is now living a personal ordeal that should not be imitated.
- The coach proposes and the player disposes, but the limits that the tactics imposes us are every day more obfuscating to the expression of new talents. A pity.
- Every team that is good to the ball, is also good to the public.
- The bacillus of efficiency has also attacked football, and some dare to ask what's the point on playing good. I feel temped to tell about the time they dared to ask Borges what is poetry for, to what he answered with more questions: What is a sunrise for?, what are caress for? what is the smell of coffee for? Each question sounded like a sentence: they are for pleasure, for emotion, for living.
- Football is not a matter of life and death, is much more than that.
External links
- [Brief] (Spanish)
- [Red Argentina] (Spanish)
- [Biography] (Spanish)
- [El Mundo Interview](Spanish)
- [Quique Wolf Interview] (Spanish)
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