Rafael Gordillo
Encyclopedia
Rafael Gordillo Vázquez (born 24 February 1957) is a retired Spanish
footballer.
A tremendously offensive left wingback, equally at ease as defender
and midfielder
and with a good effort rate, he had an unmistakable style of playing with his socks
down, he represented with individual and team success Betis
and Real Madrid
, appearing in 428 La Liga
games and scoring 38 goals (505/47 during his professional career), over the course of 16 seasons.
He was a mainstay for the Spanish national team
in the 80's, appearing in nearly 80 matches and representing the nation in five international tournaments.
, Province of Badajoz, Extremadura
, Gordillo moved to Seville
- from where his parents were originally - when he was just a few months old. He grew up in the Polígono de San Pablo neighbourhood, and signed with Real Betis
in 1972, at the age of 15. On 30 January 1977, he made his first team - and La Liga
- debuts, against Burgos CF
, and helped the Andalusia
ns to the Copa del Rey
in his debut season.
After nine professional seasons with Betis (12 in total, and another on loan to an amateur club), being named the country's footballer of the year in 1979–80, and appearing in more than 300 official matches, Gordillo moved to Real Madrid
in 1985–86, winning the UEFA Cup in his first season (scoring in the final
against 1. FC Köln
) and forming a dreaded left-wing partnership with José Antonio Camacho
during four seasons - with Gordillo playing as a midfielder
. In 1989's Spanish Cup, he scored the final's only goal against Real Valladolid
.
In 1992, 35-year old Gordillo returned to Betis, helping the team return to the first division in his second year and retiring after one final season with neighbours Écija Balompié
, also in the second division
. With the latter club, he also worked in the vice-president role.
In the following decade, Gordillo returned to Betis, also in directorial capacities. On 13 December 2010, he was elected the club's president.
during one full decade, his debut coming on 29 March 1978 in a friendly 3–0 win over Norway
, in Gijón
.
He went on to represent the country in two FIFA World Cup
s (1982
and 1986
) and three UEFA European Football Championship
s (1980, 1984 (where Spain were runners-up) and 1988).
national league. He also worked briefly for La Sexta as a sports commentator
, at the 2006 World Cup
.
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.
A tremendously offensive left wingback, equally at ease as defender
Defender (association football)
Within the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to prevent the opposition from attacking....
and midfielder
Midfielder
A midfielder is an association football position. Some midfielders play a more defensive role, while others blur the boundaries between midfielders and forwards. The number of midfielders a team uses during a match may vary, depending on the team's formation and each individual player's role...
and with a good effort rate, he had an unmistakable style of playing with his socks
Sock
A sock is an item of clothing worn on the feet. The foot is among the heaviest producers of sweat in the body, as it is able to produce over of perspiration per day. Socks help to absorb this sweat and draw it to areas where air can evaporate the perspiration. In cold environments, socks decrease...
down, he represented with individual and team success 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 Real Madrid
Real Madrid C.F.
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol , commonly known as Real Madrid, is a professional football club based in Madrid, Spain. The club have won a record 31 La Liga titles, the Primera División of the Liga de Fútbol Profesional , 18 Copas del Rey, 8 Spanish Super Cups, 1 Copa Eva Duarte and 1 Copa de la...
, appearing in 428 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 and scoring 38 goals (505/47 during his professional career), over the course of 16 seasons.
He was a mainstay 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...
in the 80's, appearing in nearly 80 matches and representing the nation in five international tournaments.
Club career
Born in AlmendralejoAlmendralejo
Almendralejo is a town in the province of Badajoz, Extremadura, Spain. It is situated 59 km south-east of Badajoz, on the main road and rail route between Mérida and Seville. , it has a population of 33,975. There was a battle and massacre here in 1936 during the Spanish Civil War.Sights...
, Province of Badajoz, Extremadura
Extremadura
Extremadura is an autonomous community of western Spain whose capital city is Mérida. Its component provinces are Cáceres and Badajoz. It is bordered by Portugal to the west...
, Gordillo moved to 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...
- from where his parents were originally - when he was just a few months old. He grew up in the Polígono de San Pablo neighbourhood, and signed with 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 1972, at the age of 15. On 30 January 1977, he made his first team - and 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...
- debuts, against Burgos CF
Burgos CF
Burgos Club de Fútbol is a Spanish football team based in Burgos, in the autonomous community of Castile and León. Founded in 1936 and refounded in 1994, it currently plays in Segunda División B – Group 2, holding home matches at the Estadio El Plantío, with a capacity of 14,000.-History:Burgos CF...
, and helped the 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...
ns to the Copa del Rey
Copa del Rey
The Copa del Rey is an annual football cup competition for Spanish football teams. Its full name is Campeonato de España – Copa de Su Majestad el Rey de Fútbol ....
in his debut season.
After nine professional seasons with Betis (12 in total, and another on loan to an amateur club), being named the country's footballer of the year in 1979–80, and appearing in more than 300 official matches, Gordillo moved to Real Madrid
Real Madrid C.F.
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol , commonly known as Real Madrid, is a professional football club based in Madrid, Spain. The club have won a record 31 La Liga titles, the Primera División of the Liga de Fútbol Profesional , 18 Copas del Rey, 8 Spanish Super Cups, 1 Copa Eva Duarte and 1 Copa de la...
in 1985–86, winning the UEFA Cup in his first season (scoring in the final
1986 UEFA Cup Final
The 1986 UEFA Cup Final was a football tie played on 30 April and 6 May 1986 between Real Madrid C.F. of Spain and 1. FC Köln of West Germany. Madrid won 5–3 on aggregate.-First leg:-Second leg:-References:*...
against 1. FC Köln
1. FC Köln
1. FC Köln is a German association football club based in Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia. It was formed in 1948 as a merger of the clubs Kölner Ballspiel-Club 1901 and SpVgg Sülz 07....
) and forming a dreaded left-wing partnership with José Antonio Camacho
José Antonio Camacho
José Antonio Camacho Alfaro is a retired Spanish footballer who played as a left defender, and the current coach of the China PR national football team....
during four seasons - with Gordillo playing as a midfielder
Midfielder
A midfielder is an association football position. Some midfielders play a more defensive role, while others blur the boundaries between midfielders and forwards. The number of midfielders a team uses during a match may vary, depending on the team's formation and each individual player's role...
. In 1989's Spanish Cup, he scored the final's only goal against Real Valladolid
Real Valladolid
Real Valladolid Club de Fútbol, S.A.D. is a Spanish football club based in Valladolid, in the autonomous community of Castile and León, from where the nickname Pucela is derived....
.
In 1992, 35-year old Gordillo returned to Betis, helping the team return to the first division in his second year and retiring after one final season with neighbours Écija Balompié
Écija Balompié
Écija Balompié, S.A.D. is a Spanish football team based in Écija, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. Founded in 1968, it currently plays in Segunda División B - Group 4.-Season to season:----*2 seasons in Segunda División...
, also 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 the latter club, he also worked in the vice-president role.
In the following decade, Gordillo returned to Betis, also in directorial capacities. On 13 December 2010, he was elected the club's president.
International career
Gordillo earned 75 caps and scored three goals for the Spanish national teamSpain 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...
during one full decade, his debut coming on 29 March 1978 in a friendly 3–0 win over Norway
Norway national football team
The Norway national football team represents Norway in association football and is controlled by the Football Association of Norway, the governing body for football in Norway. Norway's home ground is Ullevaal Stadion in Oslo and their head coach is Egil Olsen...
, in Gijón
Gijón
Gijón , officially Gijón / Xixón, is a coastal industrial city and a municipality in the autonomous community of Asturias in Spain. Early mediaeval texts mention it as "Gigia". It was an important regional Roman city, although the area has been settled since earliest history...
.
He went on to represent the country in two FIFA World Cup
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
s (1982
1982 FIFA World Cup
The 1982 FIFA World Cup, the 12th FIFA World Cup, was held in Spain from 13 June to 11 July. The tournament was won by Italy, after defeating West Germany 3–1 in the final.-Host selection:...
and 1986
1986 FIFA World Cup
The 1986 FIFA World Cup, the 13th FIFA World Cup, was held in Mexico from 31 May to 29 June. The tournament was the second to feature a 24-team format. Colombia had been originally chosen to host the competition by FIFA but, largely due to economic reasons, was not able to do so and officially...
) and three UEFA European Football Championship
UEFA European Football Championship
The UEFA European Football Championship is the main football competition of the men's national football teams governed by UEFA . Held every four years since 1960, in the even-numbered year between World Cup tournaments, it was originally called the UEFA European Nations Cup, changing to the current...
s (1980, 1984 (where Spain were runners-up) and 1988).
International goals
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 15 May 1983 | Ta' Qali National Stadium, Attard Attard Ħ'Attard is a village located at the centre-most point of the island of Malta. Together with Balzan and Lija it forms part of "the Three Villages" and has been inhabited since the Classical Period. Ħ'Attard's traditional Latin motto is Florigera rosis halo due to its many flower gardens and citrus... , Malta Malta Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in... |
2–3 | 2–3 | Euro 1984 qualifying | |
| 2. | 25 September 1985 | Benito Villamarín Estadio Manuel Ruiz de Lopera The Estadio Benito Villamarín is a football stadium in Seville, Spain. It is the home stadium of Real Betis.- History :Sevilla Balompié, Real Betis Balompié precursor during the years 1907-1914, initially played in the Prado de San Sebastian. In 1920, they began to play in the field of Real... , 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... , Spain 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... |
2–1 | 2–1 | 1986 World Cup qualification | |
| 3. | 11 June 1988 | Niedersachsenstadion AWD-Arena The AWD-Arena is a football stadium in the district Calenberger Neustadt in Hanover, Lower Saxony, Germany, and competition venue of the German Bundesliga football club Hannover 96.... , Hanover Hanover Hanover or Hannover, on the river Leine, is the capital of the federal state of Lower Saxony , Germany and was once by personal union the family seat of the Hanoverian Kings of Great Britain, under their title as the dukes of Brunswick-Lüneburg... , Germany Germany Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate... |
1–3 | 2–3 | UEFA Euro 1988 |
Real Madrid
- UEFA Cup: 1985–86
- Spanish LeagueLa LigaThe 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...
: 1985–86, 1986–87, 1987–88, 1988–89, 1989–90 - Spanish CupCopa del ReyThe Copa del Rey is an annual football cup competition for Spanish football teams. Its full name is Campeonato de España – Copa de Su Majestad el Rey de Fútbol ....
: 1988–89 - Spanish SupercupSupercopa de EspañaThe Supercopa de España is a Spanish football championship contested by the winners of La Liga and the Copa del Rey...
: 19881988 Supercopa de EspañaThe 1988 Supercopa de España was two-leg Spanish football matches played on 21 September and 29 September 1988. It contested by FC Barcelona, who were Spanish Cup winners in 1987–88, and Real Madrid who won the 1987–88 Spanish League. Real Madrid won 3–2 on aggregate.-First leg:-Second...
, 1989Supercopa de EspañaThe Supercopa de España is a Spanish football championship contested by the winners of La Liga and the Copa del Rey...
, 19901990 Supercopa de EspañaThe 1990 Supercopa de España was two-leg Spanish football matches played on 5 December and 12 December 1990. It contested by FC Barcelona, who were Spanish Cup winners in 1989–90, and Real Madrid who won the 1989–90 Spanish League. Real Madrid won 5–1 on aggregate.-First leg:-Second...
Post-retirement
Gordillo re-joined Betis for a third time, appearing for the side in the indoor footballIndoor soccer
Indoor soccer or arena soccer, or six-a-side football in the United Kingdom, is a game derived from association football adapted for play in an indoor arena such as a turf-covered hockey arena or skating rink. The most important difference in play is that the indoor field is surrounded by a wall...
national league. He also worked briefly for La Sexta as a sports commentator
Sports commentator
In sports broadcasting, a commentator gives a running commentary of a game or event in real time, usually during a live broadcast. The comments are normally a voiceover, with the sounds of the action and spectators also heard in the background. In the case of television commentary, the commentator...
, at the 2006 World Cup
2006 FIFA World Cup
The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which won the right to host the event in July 2000. Teams representing 198 national football associations from all six...
.
External links
- BDFutbol profile
- National team data
- International appearances; at RSSSFRec.Sport.Soccer Statistics FoundationThe Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation is an international amateur organization dedicated to collecting statistics about association football...
- France Football's Football Player of the Century; at RSSSF
- Official website