| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | José Aurelio Gay López[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1965-12-10)10 December 1965 (age 59)[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Madrid, Spain[1] | ||
| Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)[1] | ||
| Position | Midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Real Madrid | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1984–1988 | Real Madrid B | 109 | (14) |
| 1988–1991 | Español | 80 | (12) |
| 1991–1996 | Zaragoza | 114 | (20) |
| 1996–1997 | Oviedo | 13 | (0) |
| 1997–1999 | Toledo | 30 | (2) |
| Total | 346 | (48) | |
| International career | |||
| 1983 | Spain U18 | 1 | (0) |
| 1985 | Spain U19 | 1 | (0) |
| 1985 | Spain U20 | 6 | (0) |
| 1985 | Spain U21 | 2 | (1) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2001 | Toledo | ||
| 2001–2002 | Real Madrid C | ||
| 2002–2005 | Pontevedra | ||
| 2005–2006 | Jaén | ||
| 2006 | Lorca Deportiva | ||
| 2008 | Fuenlabrada | ||
| 2009 | Pontevedra | ||
| 2009 | Zaragoza B | ||
| 2009–2010 | Zaragoza | ||
| 2012–2013 | Racing Santander | ||
| 2013–2015 | Real Madrid C | ||
| 2016 | Palencia | ||
| 2019–2021 | Espanyol B | ||
| 2023 | Vaca Díez | ||
| 2023 | Guabirá | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
José Aurelio Gay López (born 10 December 1965) is a Spanish retiredfootballer who played as amidfielder, currently amanager.
He was associated withZaragoza throughout his career, serving the club as both a player and manager.[2] He amassedLa Liga totals of 180 matches and 27 goals over eight seasons, starting out atCastilla.
After starting working in that capacity in 2001, Gay went on to coach a host of clubs in theSegunda División andSegunda División B.
Born inMadrid, Gay began playing football withReal Madrid, eventually progressing tothe reserves,Castilla CF.[3] While at the club he was a member of theSpain under-20 side that finished runners-up at the1985 FIFA World Youth Championship, starting in five of six games and appearing as asubstitute in the other.[4]
After four seasons in theSegunda División, Gay moved up toLa Liga withRCD Español in summer 1988. He scored twice in 17 matches in hisdebut season, in which theCatalans were relegated, but eventually established himself in the starting XI, spending one season in the second tier and another in the first; in1990–91, his last year, he was the team's second-highest league scorer with five goals – only behind GermanWolfram Wuttke – as he helped them to narrowly retain their top-flight status.[5][6][7]
Gay signed forReal Zaragoza on 4 July 1991.[8] In consecutive seasons he helped theAragonese to the 1994Copa del Rey andthe following year'sUEFA Cup Winners' Cup, although he was seriously injured during thelatter campaign. He featured sparingly afterwards, and left the club in June 1996.[9]
Gay's final three seasons were spent atReal Oviedo[10] andCD Toledo, totalling only 43 league appearances for both clubs and retiring in 1999 at age 33.[11]
After his retirement, Gay managed numerous teams in both the second division and theSegunda División B, starting at his last club Toledo.Real Madrid C,Pontevedra CF,Real Jaén,Lorca Deportiva CF,[12]CF Fuenlabrada andDeportivo Aragón followed;[13] he took the reins of the latter's first team following the dismissal ofMarcelino García Toral on 12 December 2009.[14]
Gay's first game in charge of Zaragoza saw them lose 6–0 away against Real Madrid, a result that led to rumours that he would be replaced byVíctor Muñoz;[15] the reports, however, proved to be unfounded and he was offered the job until June 2010.[2] After bringing in several new players in the Januarytransfer window, the side's fortunes began to turn as he led them out of the relegation zone by mid-February,[16] eventuallyfinishing in 14th position with 41 points.[17]
In mid-November 2010, with Zaragoza ranking last in the league (eventuallymanaging to avoid relegation), Gay was sacked.[18] On 12 December 2012, after more than two years out of work, he replaced the firedFabri at the helm ofRacing de Santander,[19] lasting until March ina season that saw theCantabrians relegated to the third division.[20][21]
Gay returned to Real Madrid C in November 2013.[22] He led the team to atop-half finish, but they were relegated toTercera División due to thefate of Castilla[23] and disbanded in 2015.[24]
In August 2016, Gay ran training sessions forCD Palencia Balompié but did not manage the club in an official match.[25][26] He signed a one-year deal with the option of a second at third-tierRCD Espanyol B in June 2019.[27]
Gay later worked in theBolivian Primera División, withC.D. Vaca Díez (resigning shortly after being appointed due to his father's ill health)[28] andClub Deportivo Guabirá.[29]
| Team | Nat | From | To | Record | Ref. | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | D | L | Win % | |||||
| Toledo |  | 12 February 2001 | 26 June 2001 | 19 | 11 | 6 | 2 | 057.89 | [30] |
| Real Madrid C | | 26 June 2001 | 22 May 2002 | 40 | 16 | 8 | 16 | 040.00 | |
| Pontevedra | | 23 September 2002 | 24 January 2005 | 110 | 47 | 29 | 34 | 042.73 | |
| Jaén | | 21 November 2005 | 30 May 2006 | 25 | 10 | 6 | 9 | 040.00 | [31] |
| Lorca Deportiva | | 29 June 2006 | 18 December 2006 | 18 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 022.22 | [32] |
| Fuenlabrada | | 14 January 2008 | 19 May 2008 | 18 | 3 | 8 | 7 | 016.67 | [33] |
| Pontevedra | | 9 February 2009 | 12 May 2009 | 14 | 6 | 1 | 7 | 042.86 | [34] |
| Zaragoza B | | 1 July 2009 | 13 December 2009 | 15 | 13 | 1 | 1 | 086.67 | |
| Zaragoza | | 13 December 2009 | 18 November 2010 | 37 | 9 | 12 | 16 | 024.32 | [35] |
| Racing Santander | | 12 December 2012 | 5 March 2013 | 11 | 4 | 1 | 6 | 036.36 | [36] |
| Real Madrid C | | 20 November 2013 | 29 May 2015 | 62 | 27 | 12 | 23 | 043.55 | |
| Palencia | | 4 August 2016 | 10 August 2016 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | !— | |
| Espanyol B | | 8 June 2019 | Present | 20 | 10 | 6 | 4 | 050.00 | [37] |
| Total | 389 | 160 | 96 | 133 | 041.13 | — | |||
Zaragoza
Spain U20
Pontevedra