Fernando Redondo
Redondo in 2019
Personal information
Full name Fernando Carlos Redondo Neri
Date of birth (1969-06-06) 6 June 1969 (age 54)
Place of birth Adrogué, Argentina[1]
Height 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)[1]
Position(s) Defensive midfielder
Youth career
Talleres RE
1979–1985 Argentinos Juniors
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1985–1990 Argentinos Juniors 65 (1)
1990–1994 Tenerife 103 (8)
1994–2000 Real Madrid 165 (4)
2000–2004 AC Milan 16 (0)
Total 349 (13)
International career
1992–1999 Argentina 29 (1)
Medal record
Men's football
Representing  Argentina
Copa América
Winner 1993 Ecuador
FIFA Confederations Cup
Winner 1992 Saudi Arabia
South American U-17 Championship
Winner 1985 Argentina
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Fernando Carlos Redondo Neri (Spanish pronunciation: [feɾˈnando reˈðondo]; born 6 June 1969) is an Argentine former professional footballer who played as a defensive midfielder. He most notably played for Real Madrid and AC Milan.

A defensive midfielder with the ability to contribute offensively and creatively, he turned professional playing for Argentinos Juniors and played one full decade in La Liga, for CD Tenerife and Real Madrid, then finished his career (curtailed by several injury problems) in Italy, with Milan.[2][3] With Real Madrid, he won two La Liga championships and as many Champions League trophies, adding the 2003 Champions League with Milan.

Redondo was a member of the Argentina national team in the 1990s, representing the nation in the 1994 World Cup, and also winning the 1992 King Fahd Cup and the 1993 Copa América.

Club career

Early years / Tenerife

Born in Adrogué, Buenos Aires Province, Redondo played his first game in the Primera División at only 16 for Argentinos Juniors, and remained five years with the team before moving abroad to Spain.

Redondo made his debut in La Liga with CD Tenerife, under the management of countryman Jorge Solari. During this period, Real Madrid twice lost the league title to arch-rivals FC Barcelona on the final day of the season, in matches against Tenerife who were managed by Jorge Valdano[4] and, when the coach was appointed at Real Madrid in the summer of 1994, the player also made the move for a fee of US$5 million.[5]

Real Madrid

The key years of Redondo's career were spent at Real Madrid, where he won two league championships and the UEFA Champions League in 1998 and 2000. During the second victorious campaign in the latter competition, his performances won him the competition's Most Valuable Player award, with new coach Vicente del Bosque utilising him in a midfield combination with Steve McManaman. In the quarter-finals against Manchester United at Old Trafford, he was the author of a spectacular play in which he dribbled past Henning Berg by backheeling the ball around him, recovering it and assisting Raúl for his side's third goal (3–2 win, 3–2 on aggregate); after the game, opposing manager Alex Ferguson said "What does this player have in his boots? A magnet?”.[6] For his performances, he was subsequently voted the Champions League and UEFA Club Footballer of the Year footballer of the year.[7]

During his time in Madrid, Redondo earned the nickname El Principe ("The Prince").[8] In April 2013 he was named by daily newspaper Marca as a member of the "Best foreign eleven in Real Madrid's history",[9] and four years later was selected by its readers to the club's all-time XI;[10] during one full decade, he amassed Spanish top division totals of 268 games and 12 goals.

AC Milan

In 2000, Redondo transferred to Serie A club A.C. Milan in a controversial £11m move: he stated that he was not involved in transfer discussions and expressed his desire to stay at Madrid.[11] In response, a section of Real Madrid supporters gathered outside the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium protesting the transfer.[12] However, he suffered a serious knee injury in one of his first training sessions for his new team, and was unable to play for the next 2+1⁄2 years; he suspended his £2.74m-a-year salary, and even tried to give back the house and car which the Milan board had given him.[13]

Redondo did manage to contribute (albeit in a peripheral role) to Milan's successes in the 2002–03 and 2003–04 seasons, making a combined 16 league appearances and adding five in the 2002–03 Champions League and six in the same edition of the Coppa Italia, including the two-legged final.[14] In late 2004, at the age of 35, he retired from professional football following another knee injury.[8]

International career

Redondo earned 29 caps for Argentina, the bulk of his appearances coming from 1992 to 1994 while Alfio Basile was the manager. His first appearance was on 18 June 1992, in a 2–0 friendly win over Australia.

Redondo turned down a call-up to the national team just before the 1990 FIFA World Cup, when it was coached by Carlos Salvador Bilardo. The player excused himself on account of not wanting to interrupt his law studies, but it was also reported that he objected to Bilardo's defensive strategy.[6][8] Redondo later explained: "I was picked for Argentina's World Cup squad in 1990 but I knew I wasn't going to be in the starting line-up, I would just be another squad member, so I preferred to stay home."[15]

In the 1994 World Cup, Redondo started in all of Argentina's matches, but was unable to prevent the country from falling 2–3 to Romania in the round of 16. Following the tournament in the United States he refused to play under Daniel Passarella who had banned long hair, earrings and homosexuals in his squad, leading to disputes with several players.[16] The former refused the latter's demand to cut his hair, and was left out of the national team as even Diego Maradona and president Carlos Menem went on to take sides in the situation.[17]

Passarella excluded Redondo from his 1998 World Cup squad, stating: "Twice he was asked to play for the national team and twice he refused and gave a different reason each time. Then he announced publicly he did not want to play for the national team and I do not pick any player who does not want to play for Argentina."[18] The player later explained: "I was in great form. But he had particular ideas about discipline and wanted me to have my hair cut. I didn't see what that had to do with playing football so I said no again."[15]

In 1999, when Argentina was managed by Marcelo Bielsa, Redondo was recalled to the national side for two exhibition matches with Brazil. Although he was chosen Player of the match in the 2–0 victory in Buenos Aires he refused any subsequent call-ups, preferring to focus on club football; in 2015, he was included in an all-time team by the Argentine Football Association.[19]

Style of play

An elegant deep-lying playmaker who played in front of the defence,[20] Redondo's main attributes were his creative passing, vision, technique and close control with his left foot, his ability to control the tempo of his team's play in midfield making him a key member of the Real Madrid side of the 90s.[21][22][23] Despite not having a great deal of pace, he possessed good acceleration and was an efficient and aggressive tackler, who contributed defensively just as much as he did offensively.[24][25][26][27] As such, his role has also been likened to that of a metodista ("centre-half," in Italian football jargon), due to his ability to dictate play in midfield as well as assist his team defensively.[28][29][30]

Although he was regarded as one of the greatest midfielders of his generation,[31][32][33] Redondo's career was also largely marked by injuries, in particular during the final years of his career.[24][23]

Personal life

Redondo was born into an industrialist family and enjoyed a wealthy upbringing, later studying law at university in the early years of his playing career.[30] He married the cousin of fellow footballer Santiago Solari,[34] and his sons Federico and Fernando Jr. were also involved in the sport.[35][36]

An avid reader, Redondo counted Jorge Luis Borges and Gabriel García Márquez as his two favourite authors.[37]

Career statistics

[38][39]

Club

Club Season League Cup Continental Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Argentinos Juniors 1985–86 Argentine Primera División 1 0 0 0 0 0 — 1 0
1986–87 Argentine Primera División 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
1987–88 Argentine Primera División 14 0 0 0 — — 14 0
1988–89 Argentine Primera División 36 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 36 0
1989–90 Argentine Primera División 14 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 14 1
Total 65 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 65 1
Tenerife 1990–91 La Liga 23 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 23 1
1991–92 La Liga 32 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 32 2
1992–93 La Liga 20 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 20 4
1993–94 La Liga 28 1 0 0 4 0 0 0 32 1
Total 103 8 0 0 4 0 0 0 107 8
Real Madrid 1994–95 La Liga 23 1 0 0 3 1 0 0 26 2
1995–96 La Liga 23 2 2 0 4 0 1 0 30 2
1996–97 La Liga 33 1 6 0 0 0 0 0 39 1
1997–98 La Liga 33 0 2 0 11 0 0 0 46 0
1998–99 La Liga 23 0 2 0 7 0 2 0 34 0
1999–2000 La Liga 30 0 5 0 15 0 3 0 53 0
Total 165 4 17 0 37 1 6 0 225 5
Milan 2000–01 Serie A 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2001–02 Serie A 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2002–03 Serie A 8 0 6 0 5 0 0 0 19 0
2003–04 Serie A 8 0 5 0 1 0 0 0 14 0
Total 16 0 11 0 6 0 0 0 33 0
Career total 349 13 28 0 47 1 6 0 430 14

Honours

Real Madrid[40]

Milan[40]

Argentina U17[40]

Argentina[40]

Individual

References

  1. ^ a b "Fernando Carlos Redondo" (in Spanish). BDFA. Retrieved 7 November 2019.
  2. ^ "Il regista di centrocampo: da Redondo a Verratti passando per Pirlo e Xavi" [Midfield playmakers: from Redondo to Verratti through Pirlo and Xavi] (in Italian). Fanta Gazzetta. 31 March 2013. Retrieved 3 December 2014.
  3. ^ "Fernando Carlos Redondo Neri "Il Principe"" [Fernando Carlos Redondo Neri "The Prince"] (in Italian). Maglia Rossonera. Retrieved 3 December 2014.
  4. ^ Del Río, Joel; Whelan, Padraig (10 July 2017). "Fernando Redondo: The man with magnets in his boots who stole two titles from Real Madrid". Marca. Retrieved 23 December 2017.
  5. ^ Galaz, Mábel; Segurola, Santiago (20 April 1994). "Acuerdo entre el Madrid y el Tenerife para el traspaso de Redondo" [Acuerdo between Madrid and Tenerife for transfer of Redondo]. El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 3 September 2018.
  6. ^ a b Kuper, Simon (21 May 2000). "One-touch perfectionist". The Guardian. Retrieved 18 January 2010.
  7. ^ a b "Euro coaches name Redondo the best". BBC Sport. 18 August 2000. Retrieved 23 December 2017.
  8. ^ a b c Gardner, Paul (30 November 2004). "A prince retires". The New York Sun. Retrieved 29 July 2013.
  9. ^ "The best foreign eleven in Real Madrid's history". Marca. 11 April 2013. Retrieved 12 April 2013.
  10. ^ García, Sergio (22 December 2017). "Readers pick their all-time Real Madrid XI". Marca. Retrieved 23 December 2017.
  11. ^ "Furious Redondo joins Milan for £11m". The Guardian. 28 July 2000. Retrieved 28 July 2013.
  12. ^ "Madrid lose Redondo to Milan". BBC Sport. 27 July 2000. Retrieved 28 July 2013.
  13. ^ Aikman, Richard; Ronay, Barney; Bandini, Nicky (13 February 2008). "Football knowledge: Players who fell short of a century of caps". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 May 2008.
  14. ^ Almanacco illustrato del Milan, 2ª ed., Panini, Marzo 2005, p. 612
  15. ^ a b Radnedge, Keir (13 January 2003). "Two-year agony over as Milan ace roars back". The Free Library. Retrieved 8 November 2010.
  16. ^ "Daniel Passarella – Argentinian manager". BBC. 2 May 1998. Retrieved 28 July 2013.
  17. ^ "Spain/Argentina: Argentina's major controversy of the moment-the length of midfielder Fernando Redondo's hair". ITN Source. 6 September 1995. Archived from the original on 13 May 2014. Retrieved 29 July 2013.
  18. ^ George, Bill (22 April 1998). "Ace Batistuta keen to play for Liverpool". Irish Examiner. Archived from the original on 29 June 2011. Retrieved 2 May 2010.
  19. ^ Gonzalez, Roger (4 January 2016). "Best ever Argentina starting lineup includes Messi and Maradona". CBS Sports. Retrieved 23 December 2017.
  20. ^ Newman, Blair (24 April 2015). "The relationship between a player's age and their position on a football pitch". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 September 2015.
  21. ^ "Real Madrid's key players". BBC Sport. 23 May 2000. Retrieved 24 September 2015.
  22. ^ "Ivan Zamorano: Perfect XI". FourFourTwo. 1 August 2010. Retrieved 24 September 2015.
  23. ^ a b "A prince at the Bernabéu". Real Madrid CF. Retrieved 24 September 2015.
  24. ^ a b Zizzo, Mike (15 June 1994). "Baggio takes great strides toward soccer greatness". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved 24 September 2015.
  25. ^ Hughes, Sam (11 February 2012). "When El Rey Fernando ruled Madrid". El Centrocampista. Retrieved 16 May 2015.
  26. ^ Ondra, Paul (9 May 2017). "Fernando Redondo: The pure essence of elegance". SB Nation. Retrieved 23 December 2017.
  27. ^ "Redondo, a lord of football". A.C. Milan. 6 June 2017. Retrieved 23 December 2017.
  28. ^ Carriero, Cristiano; Tossani, Michele (24 February 2017). "Il 5 è il nuovo 10" [The 5 is the new 10] (in Italian). Rivista Undici. Retrieved 15 February 2024.
  29. ^ "Che fine hanno fatto i nostri "Preferiti"" (in Italian). L'Ultimo Uomo. 19 October 2023. Retrieved 15 February 2024.
  30. ^ a b Perrone, Roberto (14 November 2013). "Redondo, "el taconazo" che leggeva Borges" [Redondo, "el taconazo" who read Borges]. Corriere della Sera (in Italian). Retrieved 7 November 2016.
  31. ^ Clarey, Christopher (30 June 1998). "World Cup '98; Argentina's coach knows way to ultimate prize". The New York Times. Retrieved 24 September 2015.
  32. ^ Penner, Mike (13 June 1998). "For a world of reasons, many standouts are sitting this out". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 24 September 2015.
  33. ^ Carminati, Nadia. "Spurs keep tabs on Redondo". Sky Sports. Retrieved 24 September 2015.
  34. ^ Romero, Enrique (30 October 1999). "Que hoy nos dejen muy bien parados" [May our name be held very high today]. Olé (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 7 November 2016. Retrieved 7 November 2016.
  35. ^ Brunati, Verónica (5 February 2016). "El hijo de Fernando Redondo debuta mañana en Tigre" [Son of Fernando Redondo makes debut with Tigre tomorrow]. Diario AS (in Spanish). Retrieved 2 November 2017.
  36. ^ "Federico Redondo, hijo de Fernando, comienza a entrenar con la Selección Sub 15" [Federico Redondo, son of Fernando, starts training with the Under-15 national team] (in Spanish). Minuto Uno. 24 September 2017. Retrieved 2 November 2017.
  37. ^ Bolognini, Luigi (10 January 2002). "Il mistero Redondo alla prova del campo – Rientro nel Milan dopo due anni di stop" [The Redondo mystery tests the pitch – Return to Milan after two years of inactivity]. La Repubblica (in Italian). Retrieved 7 November 2016.
  38. ^ Fernando Redondo at BDFutbol
  39. ^ "Fernando Redondo". Footballdatabase. Retrieved 5 May 2015.
  40. ^ a b c d e f g "Craque imortal Redondo" [Immortal star – Redondo] (in Portuguese). Imortais do Futebol. 26 May 2013. Retrieved 3 September 2018.
  41. ^ Pierrend, José Luis. "FIFA Awards". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 24 July 2010.
  42. ^ Leme de Arruda, Marcelo. "FIFA XI´s Matches – Full Info". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Archived from the original on 17 November 2015. Retrieved 25 October 2015.
  43. ^ "Libreta de apuntes" [Notebook]. Clarín (in Spanish). 20 January 2001. Retrieved 5 March 2018.
  44. ^ "La Selección de Todos los Tiempos" [The Team of All Time] (in Spanish). Argentine Football Association. 4 January 2016. Archived from the original on 14 August 2018. Retrieved 29 January 2018.
  45. ^ "IFFHS ALL TIME ARGENTINA MEN'S DREAM TEAM". 26 August 2021.

External links

Argentina squads
King Fahd Cup and FIFA Confederations Cup awards
UEFA Club Footballer of the Year
European Cup and UEFA Champions League winning captains
Categories