 Gerard as aRecreativo player in 2008 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Gerard López Segú[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1979-03-12)12 March 1979 (age 46)[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Granollers, Spain[1] | ||
| Height | 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in) | ||
| Position | Midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Catalonia (manager) | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1989–1993 | Granollers | ||
| 1993–1996 | Barcelona | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1996–1997 | Barcelona B | 32 | (10) |
| 1997–2000 | Valencia | 45 | (4) |
| 1998–1999 | →Alavés (loan) | 29 | (7) |
| 2000–2005 | Barcelona | 91 | (5) |
| 2005–2007 | Monaco | 13 | (1) |
| 2007–2008 | Recreativo | 18 | (0) |
| 2009–2011 | Girona | 31 | (4) |
| Total | 259 | (31) | |
| International career | |||
| 1996–1998 | Spain U18 | 9 | (5) |
| 1997 | Spain U20 | 4 | (0) |
| 1998–2000 | Spain U21 | 10 | (5) |
| 2000 | Spain | 6 | (2) |
| 1998–2008 | Catalonia | 6 | (2) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2013–2016 | Catalonia | ||
| 2015–2018 | Barcelona B | ||
| 2018– | Catalonia | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Gerard López Segú (Catalan pronunciation:[ʒəˈɾaɾtˈlɔpəθsəˈɣu]; born 12 March 1979), usually known as justGerard, is a Spanish former professionalfootballer, currentlymanager of theCatalonia national team. An all-aroundmidfielder, he was known for precision passes and ball control skills. During his career, he played for several clubs, includingBarcelona andValencia, helping the latter to reach the2000 Champions League final.
Over nine seasons, Gerard amassedLa Liga totals of 183 matches and 16 goals. He participated withSpain atEuro 2000.
Born inGranollers,Barcelona,Catalonia, Gerard began his career in theFC Barcelona youth system and, in the1996–97 season, made his professional debut with itsB team. As a 17-year-old he was signed byValencia CF, making hisLa Liga debut on 31 August 1997 in a 2–1 away loss againstRCD Mallorca (90 minutes played);[2] for the1998–99 campaign he was loaned toDeportivo Alavés, which hadreturned to the top flight after a four-decade absence.[3]
After a breakout season with theBasque side, scoring a squad-best seven goals,[4] Gerard returned to Valencia, helping them toreach the final of theUEFA Champions League.[5] During this time with theChe, he came to be regarded as one of the top players in Spain and, after receiving interest from several top clubs in Europe, includingInter Milan,A.C. Milan andManchester United, he decided to join his former club Barcelona in July 2000, in a deal worth€24 million;[6] when he netted three times for Valencia againstSS Lazio on5 April 2000, he became the youngest player ever to achieve this feat in the knockout stages of the Champions League.[7]
Gerard would go on to appear regularly for the team during his five-year second spell, although never an undisputed starter. Injuries also began to curtail his career.[8][9][10]
After leavingBarça with the2005 national championship, Gerard moved abroad, spending two unassuming seasons with France'sAS Monaco FC,[11] also being severely injured.[12] He returned to Spain for2007–08, with top-divisionRecreativo de Huelva.[13]
After rejecting a move toPAOK FC, Gerard trained for a few months with lowlyEC Granollers, inPreferent Territorial de Catalunya.[14] In mid-February 2009 he moved back to Catalonia, joiningGirona FC until the end ofthe campaign;[15] shortly after arriving he was injured again, but managed to score four goals in only sixSegunda División games.[16][17][18]
After a spectacular1999–00 season with Valencia, on both fronts, Gerard earned his firstcap forSpain on 3 June 2000, in a 1–1friendly withSweden inGothenburg.[19] He went on to play a further five matches, being selected forUEFA Euro 2000.[20][21]
In October 2013, Gerard replacedJohan Cruyff as manager ofCatalonia.[22] On 22 July 2015, he was appointed at Barcelona B after theirrelegation toSegunda División B.[23]
At the end of the2016–17 season, Gerard coached his team back to the second tier. Subsequently, he renewed his contract for another year.[24]
On 25 April 2018, with the side placedinside the relegation zone, Gerard was relieved of his duties.[25]
Gerard's older brothers,Sergi and Julià López Segú (commonly known as Juli, born 1969), were also footballers, anddefenders. The former, who also represented Barcelona, died by suicide at 39.[26]
The latter played almost exclusively forBarça B whilst they were in division two, also having a brief top-flight spell (13 matches) withReal Valladolid, in1993–94.[27][28]
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 September 2000 | Koševo,Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina |  Bosnia and Herzegovina | 1–0 | 2–1 | 2002 World Cup qualification[29] |
| 2 | 7 October 2000 | Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid, Spain |  Israel | 1–0 | 2–0 | 2002 World Cup qualification[30] |
| Team | Nat | From | To | Record | Ref | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Win % | |||||
| Barcelona B |  | 22 July 2015 | 25 April 2018 | 118 | 49 | 31 | 38 | 169 | 122 | +47 | 041.53 | [31] |
| Total | 118 | 49 | 31 | 38 | 169 | 122 | +47 | 041.53 | — | |||
Valencia
Barcelona
