| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Antonio Álvarez Giráldez | ||
| Date of birth | (1955-04-10)10 April 1955 (age 70) | ||
| Place of birth | Marchena, Spain | ||
| Height | 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) | ||
| Position | Centre-back | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Sevilla | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1973–1978 | Sevilla B | ||
| 1975–1988 | Sevilla | 297 | (6) |
| 1988–1991 | Málaga | 98 | (4) |
| 1991–1995 | Granada | 130 | (6) |
| 1992 | →Málaga (loan) | 7 | (0) |
| Total | 532 | (16) | |
| International career | |||
| 1983 | Spain amateur | 3 | (0) |
| 1981 | Spain B | 2 | (0) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2000–2008 | Sevilla (assistant) | ||
| 2010 | Sevilla | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Antonio Álvarez Giráldez (born 10 April 1955) is a Spanish formerfootballcentral defender andmanager.
Born inMarchena, Seville, and a product of hometownSevilla FC's youth system, Álvarez made hisLa Liga debut during the1975–76 season, scoring once in eight games as the team finished in 11th position. In the following decade he would be more often than not an undisputed starter for theAndalusians, eventually playing 370 matches all competitions comprised.[1]
At the end of the1987–88 campaign, still with Sevilla in the top division, the 33-year-old Álvarez – having made just 17 league appearances – opted to move on, and signed with neighbouringCD Málaga. In summer 1991 he joined another club in the region,Segunda División B'sGranada CF, eventually retiring at the age of 40.[2]
After retiring, Álvarez eventually worked again with main club Sevilla, serving as assistant under several coaches, the firstJoaquín Caparrós in 2000. He was part ofJuande Ramos' staff as they won two consecutiveUEFA Cups and oneCopa del Rey, amongst other accolades.
In March 2010, after roughly two years as Sevilla'sdirector of football, Álvarez replaced former teammateManolo Jiménez as first-team manager following his dismissal,[1] afterLuis Aragonés, recently departed fromBeşiktaş JK, declined an offer to coach the side.[3] He led the team throughout the last ten fixtures ofthe season, winning six, losing four and robbingRCD Mallorca of the fourth place whichqualified for theUEFA Champions League in the last minute of the last matchday, a 3–2 away win against neighboursUD Almería.[4]
On 19 May 2010, Álvarez was also on the bench as Sevillawon the Spanish Cup, with goals from youth graduatesDiego Capel andJesús Navas (2–0).[5] Four months later, following two losses and one draw in three games (two inthe league and one in theUEFA Europa League), he was sacked.[6]
| Team | Nation | From | To | Record | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Played | W | D | L | Win % | ||||
| Sevilla |  | 26 March 2010 | 27 September 2010 | 21 | 10 | 2 | 9 | 47.6 |