 Gordillo in 2011 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Rafael Gordillo Vázquez | ||
| Date of birth | (1957-02-24)24 February 1957 (age 68) | ||
| Place of birth | Almendralejo, Spain | ||
| Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | ||
| Position | Wing-back | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1971–1972 | San Pablo | ||
| 1972–1975 | Betis | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1975–1976 | Triana Balompié | ||
| 1976–1985 | Betis | 275 | (23) |
| 1985–1992 | Real Madrid | 182 | (20) |
| 1992–1995 | Betis | 68 | (8) |
| 1995–1996 | Écija | 18 | (1) |
| Total | 543 | (52) | |
| International career | |||
| 1977 | Spain U21 | 1 | (1) |
| 1979 | Spain U23 | 3 | (0) |
| 1979 | Spain amateur | 4 | (0) |
| 1978–1988 | Spain | 75 | (3) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Rafael Gordillo Vázquez (born 24 February 1957) is a Spanish former professionalfootballer. A tremendously attackingleft wing-back, equally at ease asdefender andmidfielder and with a good effort rate, he had an unmistakable style of playing with his socks down.[1]
He represented mainlyBetis andReal Madrid during his career, appearing in 428La Liga games and scoring 38 goals over 16 seasons. He won ten major titles with the latter club, including five national championships.
Gordillo was a mainstay for theSpain national team in the 80s, appearing in 75 matches and representing the nation in five international tournaments.
Born inAlmendralejo,Province of Badajoz,Extremadura, Gordillo moved toSeville, from where his parents were originally, when he was just a few months old. He grew up in thePolígono de San Pablo neighbourhood, and signed withReal Betis in 1972 at the age of 15.[1] On 30 January 1977 he made his first-team andLa Liga debut, againstBurgos CF, andhelped theAndalusians to win theCopa del Rey in hisfirst year.[2]
After nine professional seasons with Betis – 12 in total, and another with thereserve side – being named the country's footballer of the year at the end of1979–80[3] and appearing in 330 official matches, Gordillo moved toReal Madrid for1985–86,[4]winning theUEFA Cup in his debut campaign and scoring inthe final victory over1. FC Köln.[5][6]
Gordillo formed a reliable left-wing partnership withJosé Antonio Camacho during his tenure, playing mainly as amidfielder and being deployed in defence when the latter retired.[7][8] In 1989's Spanish Cup, he scoredthe final's only goal againstReal Valladolid.[9]
Gordillo returned to Betis in 1992 at the age of 35, helping them return to the top division in hissecond year (totalling 411 appearances across two spells)[10] and retiring afterone season with neighboursÉcija Balompié, also in theSegunda División. With the latter, he later worked asdirector of football.[11]
In the following decade, Gordillo returned to Betis also in directorial capacities.[12] On 13 December 2010, he was elected the club's president.[13]
Gordillo earned 75caps and scored three goals forSpain over one decade. His debut came on 29 March 1978, in afriendly 3–0 win overNorway inGijón.[14]
Gordillo went on to represent the country in twoFIFA World Cups (1982 and1986)[15] and threeUEFA European Championships (1980,1984 and1988, appearing in all the matches but one in the second competition for an eventual runner-up finish).[16]
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition[14] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 15 May 1983 | Ta' Qali National Stadium,Attard,Malta |  Malta | 2–3 | 2–3 | Euro 1984 qualifying |
| 2. | 25 September 1985 | Benito Villamarín,Seville, Spain |  Iceland | 2–1 | 2–1 | 1986 World Cup qualification |
| 3. | 11 June 1988 | Niedersachsenstadion,Hanover, Germany |  Denmark | 1–3 | 2–3 | UEFA Euro 1988 |
Gordillo re-joined Betis for a third time, appearing for the club in theindoor soccer national league.[17] He also worked briefly forlaSexta as asports commentator, at the2006 World Cup.[18]
Betis
Real Madrid
Spain
Individual
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