Ángel de Juana García
Encyclopedia
Ángel de Juana García, aka Geli (born 15 February 1968 in Santander, Cantabria
), is a retired Spanish
footballer who played as a midfielder
.
debuts, with hometown's Racing de Santander
, courtesy of manager Javier Irureta
. He then played a single season at Real Zaragoza
; regularly used in the league, where he netted in a 2–1 home win against FC Barcelona
, he also played the last ten minutes in the Aragon
ese side's 1994–95 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup
final win
against Arsenal
(2–1).
During his three seasons at Celta de Vigo
, Geli, who would again reunite with Irureta in his final year, amassed a further 61 matches in the top flight, but also struggled with injuries.
He played one more year with Racing, then finished his career at almost 36, after stints at CF Extremadura
(second division
) and Gimnástica de Torrelavega
(third
). He later worked as a local commentator on Racing matches.
Santander, Cantabria
The port city of Santander is the capital of the autonomous community and historical region of Cantabria situated on the north coast of Spain. Located east of Gijón and west of Bilbao, the city has a population of 183,446 .-History:...
), 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 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...
.
Football career
Aged already 25, Geli made his La LigaLa 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, with hometown's Racing de Santander
Racing de Santander
Real Racing Club de Santander, S.A.D. is a Spanish football club based in Santander, in the autonomous community of Cantabria. Founded in 1913, it currently plays in La Liga, holding home games at Estadio El Sardinero, with a capacity for 22,400 spectators....
, courtesy of manager Javier Irureta
Javier Irureta
Javier Iruretagoyena Amiano , Irureta for short, is a retired Spanish footballer who played as a forward, and a current manager....
. He then played a single season at Real Zaragoza
Real Zaragoza
Real Zaragoza, S.A.D. is a Spanish association football team from Zaragoza in Spain. Founded on 18 March 1932, Real Zaragoza have spent the majority of their 78 year history in the Spanish top-flight. Real Zaragoza are Spain's 9th highest ranked team in overall league points...
; regularly used in the league, where he netted in a 2–1 home win against FC Barcelona
FC Barcelona
Futbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....
, he also played the last ten minutes in the Aragon
Aragon
Aragon is a modern autonomous community in Spain, coextensive with the medieval Kingdom of Aragon. Located in northeastern Spain, the Aragonese autonomous community comprises three provinces : Huesca, Zaragoza, and Teruel. Its capital is Zaragoza...
ese side's 1994–95 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup
UEFA Cup Winners' Cup
The UEFA Cup Winners' Cup was a football club competition contested annually by the most recent winners of all European domestic cup competitions. The cup is one of the many inter-European club competitions that have been organised by UEFA. The first competition was held in the 1960–61 season—but...
final win
1995 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup Final
The 1995 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup Final was a football match on 10 May 1995 contested between cup holders Arsenal of England and Real Zaragoza of Spain. The final was held at Parc des Princes in Paris. It was the final match of the 1994–95 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup and the 35th UEFA Cup Winners' Cup Final...
against Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
(2–1).
During his three seasons at Celta de Vigo
Celta de Vigo
Real Club Celta de Vigo , simply referred to as Celta Vigo, is a Spanish professional football club based in Vigo, Galicia, currently playing in the Segunda División. It was founded on March 28, 1923 following the merger of Real Vigo Sporting and Real Fortuna Foot-ball Club.Nicknamed Los Celestes ,...
, Geli, who would again reunite with Irureta in his final year, amassed a further 61 matches in the top flight, but also struggled with injuries.
He played one more year with Racing, then finished his career at almost 36, after stints at CF Extremadura
CF Extremadura
Club de Fútbol Extremadura was a Spanish football team based in Almendralejo, in the autonomous community of Extremadura. Founded in 1924, it played two seasons in La Liga, and held home games at Estadio Francisco de la Hera, with a capacity of 11,580 seats.-History:Extremadura was founded in 1924,...
(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:...
) and Gimnástica de Torrelavega
Gimnástica de Torrelavega
Real Sociedad Gimnástica de Torrelavega is a Spanish football team based in Torrelavega, in the autonomous community of Cantabria. Founded on September 28, 1907, it is the oldest football club in the region, and currently plays in Segunda División B – Group 2, holding home matches at Estadio El...
(third
Segunda División B
Segunda División B is the third level of the Spanish football league system. It is administered by the RFEF. The top two levels are La Liga, also referred to as the Primera División, and the Segunda División. Immediately below Segunda División B is the Tercera Division...
). He later worked as a local commentator on Racing matches.