Diego Rodríguez Fernández
Encyclopedia
Diego Rodríguez Fernández (born 20 April 1960 in La Orotava, Tenerife
), simply Diego, is a retired Spanish
footballer who played as a central defender.
During his professional career, which spanned nearly two decades, he played for both Seville
clubs, Betis
and Sevilla
, appearing in a total of 450 La Liga
games.
, Diego joined Real Betis
in 1982–83, appearing in 198 first division
matches, with four goals.
After six seasons, Diego joined Andalusia
neighbours Sevilla Fútbol Club
, continuing as an undisputed starter almost until his final season, 1995–96. With Sevila, he added, in the top flight, 252 games and eight goals. He retired professionally two years later, at 38, in the second division
, with Albacete Balompié
, but still played well into his 40's with another club in his region of adoption, amateur Dos Hermanas CF
.
In 2008, Diego began his coaching career, with Sevilla C
, upgrading the following year to the B's
. In mid-February 2010, he was sacked from the latter.
for the Spanish national team
, on 24 February 1988, appearing in the second half of a 1–2 friendly loss with Czechoslovakia
, in Málaga
. He was subsequently picked in the nation's squad for UEFA Euro 1988.
Tenerife
Tenerife is the largest and most populous island of the seven Canary Islands, it is also the most populated island of Spain, with a land area of 2,034.38 km² and 906,854 inhabitants, 43% of the total population of the Canary Islands. About five million tourists visit Tenerife each year, the...
), simply Diego, is a retired Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
footballer who played as a central defender.
During his professional career, which spanned nearly two decades, he played for both Seville
Seville
Seville is the artistic, historic, cultural, and financial capital of southern Spain. It is the capital of the autonomous community of Andalusia and of the province of Seville. It is situated on the plain of the River Guadalquivir, with an average elevation of above sea level...
clubs, Betis
Real Betis
Real Betis Balompié S.A.D. is a Spanish football club based in Seville, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. Founded on 12 September 1907, it currently plays in La Liga, holding home games at Estadio Benito Villamarín....
and Sevilla
Sevilla FC
Sevilla Fútbol Club S.A.D. is a Spanish professional football club based in Seville, Spain that plays in the Spanish La Liga championship.They are one of the most successful clubs in Spanish football having won a 1 La Liga title, 5 Spanish "Copa del Rey" Cups, 1 Spanish Super Cup and 2 UEFA...
, appearing in a total of 450 La Liga
La Liga
The Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...
games.
Football career
Having started professionally with CD TenerifeCD Tenerife
Club Deportivo Tenerife, S.A.D. is a Spanish football club based in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, in Tenerife . Founded in 1922, it currently plays in Segunda División B, holding home matches at Estadio Heliodoro Rodríguez López, with a 24,000-seat capacity.-History:Club Deportivo Tenerife was founded in...
, Diego joined Real Betis
Real Betis
Real Betis Balompié S.A.D. is a Spanish football club based in Seville, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. Founded on 12 September 1907, it currently plays in La Liga, holding home games at Estadio Benito Villamarín....
in 1982–83, appearing in 198 first division
La Liga
The Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...
matches, with four goals.
After six seasons, Diego joined Andalusia
Andalusia
Andalusia is the most populous and the second largest in area of the autonomous communities of Spain. The Andalusian autonomous community is officially recognised as a nationality of Spain. The territory is divided into eight provinces: Huelva, Seville, Cádiz, Córdoba, Málaga, Jaén, Granada and...
neighbours Sevilla Fútbol Club
Sevilla FC
Sevilla Fútbol Club S.A.D. is a Spanish professional football club based in Seville, Spain that plays in the Spanish La Liga championship.They are one of the most successful clubs in Spanish football having won a 1 La Liga title, 5 Spanish "Copa del Rey" Cups, 1 Spanish Super Cup and 2 UEFA...
, continuing as an undisputed starter almost until his final season, 1995–96. With Sevila, he added, in the top flight, 252 games and eight goals. He retired professionally two years later, at 38, in the second division
Segunda División
The Segunda División is the lower tier of the two professional football leagues in Spain. From the season 2008-09 onwards, the name of the league is Liga Adelante.-History:...
, with Albacete Balompié
Albacete Balompié
Albacete Balompié, S.A.D. is a Spanish football team based in Albacete, in the autonomous community of Castile-La Mancha. Founded on August 2, 1940, it currently plays in Segunda División B, holding home matches at Estadio Carlos Belmonte, with a 17,300-seat capacity.-History:The club was founded...
, but still played well into his 40's with another club in his region of adoption, amateur Dos Hermanas CF
Dos Hermanas CF
Dos Hermanas Club de Fútbol is a Spanish football team based in Dos Hermanas, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. Founded in 1971, it plays in 1ª Andaluza, holding home games at Estadio Miguel Román García, with a capacity of 3,000 seats....
.
In 2008, Diego began his coaching career, with Sevilla C
Sevilla FC C
Sevilla Fútbol Club C, S.A.D. is a Spanish football team based in Seville, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. Founded in 2003, it plays in Tercera División, holding home games at Ciudad Deportiva Cisneros Palacios...
, upgrading the following year to the B's
Sevilla Atlético
Sevilla Atlético Club is a Spanish football team based in Seville, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. Founded in 1958, it plays in Segunda División B, and is the reserve team of Sevilla FC, holding home games at Ciudad Deportiva José Ramón Cisneros Palacios, with a 7,000-seat capacity.Unlike...
. In mid-February 2010, he was sacked from the latter.
International career
Diego earned one capCap (sport)
In sports, a cap is a metaphorical term for a player's appearance on a select team, such as a national team. The term dates from the practice in the United Kingdom of awarding a cap to every player in an international match of association football...
for the Spanish national team
Spain national football team
The Spain national football team represents Spain in international association football and is controlled by the Royal Spanish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Spain. The current head coach is Vicente del Bosque...
, on 24 February 1988, appearing in the second half of a 1–2 friendly loss with Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia national football team
The Czechoslovakia national football team was the national association football team of Czechoslovakia from 1922 to 1993. At the dissolution of Czechoslovakia at the end of 1992, the team was participating in UEFA qualifying Group 4 for the 1994 World Cup; it completed this campaign under the name...
, in Málaga
Málaga
Málaga is a city and a municipality in the Autonomous Community of Andalusia, Spain. With a population of 568,507 in 2010, it is the second most populous city of Andalusia and the sixth largest in Spain. This is the southernmost large city in Europe...
. He was subsequently picked in the nation's squad for UEFA Euro 1988.