Rafael Gordillo
Gordillo in 2011
Personal information
Full name Rafael Gordillo Vázquez
Date of birth (1957-02-24) 24 February 1957 (age 67)
Place of birth Almendralejo, Spain
Height 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Position(s) 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 retired footballer. A tremendously attacking left wing-back, equally at ease as defender and midfielder and with a good effort rate, he had an unmistakable style of playing with his socks down.[1]

He represented mainly Betis and Real Madrid during his career, appearing in 428 La 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 the Spain national team in the 80s, appearing in 75 matches and representing the nation in five international tournaments.

Club career

Born in Almendralejo, Province of Badajoz, Extremadura, Gordillo moved to Seville (from where his parents were originally) when he was just a few months old. He grew up in the Polígono de San Pablo neighbourhood, and signed with Real Betis in 1972 at the age of 15.[1] On 30 January 1977 he made his first-team and La Liga debut, against Burgos CF, and helped the Andalusians to win the Copa del Rey in his first year.[2]

After nine professional seasons with Betis – 12 in total, and another with the reserve side – being named the country's footballer of the year at the end of 1979–80[3] and appearing in nearly 300 official matches, Gordillo moved to Real Madrid for 1985–86,[4] winning the UEFA Cup in his debut campaign and scoring in the final against 1. FC Köln, and forming a dreaded left-wing partnership with José Antonio Camacho during his tenure, with the former playing as a midfielder. In 1989's Spanish Cup, he scored the final's only goal against Real Valladolid.[5]

Gordillo returned to Betis in 1992 at the age of 35, helping them return to the top division in his second year and retiring after one final season with neighbours Écija Balompié, also in the Segunda División. With the latter, he later worked as director of football.[6]

In the following decade, Gordillo returned to Betis also in directorial capacities.[7] On 13 December 2010, he was elected the club's president.[8]

International career

Gordillo earned 75 caps and scored three goals for Spain over one decade. His debut came on 29 March 1978, in a friendly 3–0 win over Norway in Gijón.[9]

Gordillo went on to represent the country in two FIFA World Cups (1982 and 1986)[10] and three UEFA European Championships (1980, 1984 and 1988, appearing in all the matches but one in the second competition for an eventual runner-up finish).[11]

International goals

# Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition[9]
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

Post-retirement

Gordillo re-joined Betis for a third time, appearing for the club in the indoor soccer national league.[12] He also worked briefly for laSexta as a sports commentator, at the 2006 World Cup.[13]

Honours

Betis

Real Madrid

Spain

Individual

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f "Gordillo" (in Spanish). Real Madrid CF. Archived from the original on 17 August 2010. Retrieved 14 December 2010.
  2. ^ a b Rovira, Ramón (26 June 1977). "2–2: Los andaluces remontaron dos ventajas vascas" [2–2: The Andalusians countered Basques' advantage twice]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). Retrieved 13 July 2017.
  3. ^ a b Pla Díaz, Emilio. "Spain – Footballer of the Year". RSSSF. Retrieved 24 April 2008.
  4. ^ "Fallece de un paro cardiaco el ex presidente del Real Madrid, Ramón Mendoza" [Death of heart failure of former Real Madrid president, Ramón Mendoza]. El País (in Spanish). 4 April 2001. Retrieved 12 July 2018.
  5. ^ Guasch, Tomás (1 July 1989). "El temprano gol de Gordillo cambió el partido" [Gordillo's early goal was game-changing]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). Retrieved 1 July 2016.
  6. ^ Fernández Fuertes, Santiago (25 October 2006). "Un mito en el palco del Écija" [A myth in the stands of Écija]. El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 12 July 2018.
  7. ^ Pineda, Rafael (17 May 2011). "El ascenso más especial de Gordillo" [Gordillo's most special promotion]. El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 12 July 2018.
  8. ^ "Rafa Gordillo, nuevo presidente del Betis" [Rafa Gordillo, new Betis president]. Marca (in Spanish). 13 December 2010. Retrieved 14 December 2010.
  9. ^ a b Pla Díaz, Emilio. "Rafael Gordillo Vázquez – International Matches". RSSSF. Retrieved 24 April 2008.
  10. ^ Pascual, Alfredo (21 May 2016). "Del utillero falangista al positivo de Calderé: nuestro Mundial 86 en diez episodios" [From the falangista kit man to Calderé's positive: our 86 World Cup in ten episodes]. El Confidencial (in Spanish). Retrieved 28 September 2017.
  11. ^ a b Mentruit, Imma (13 April 2016). "1984: Los 'bleus' se coronan tras el error de Arconada" [1984: 'Bleus' crowned after Arconada's mistake]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). Retrieved 19 October 2018.
  12. ^ Griñán, Virginia (5 June 2009). "Qué fue de... Gordillo" [What happened to... Gordillo] (in Spanish). Cadena SER. Retrieved 12 July 2018.
  13. ^ Machuca, J. Félix (10 July 2006). "Rafael Gordillo: "En Alemania le preparé un gazpacho a la prensa y si tengo tiempo les hago un arroz a la marinera"" [Rafael Gordillo: "I made a gazpacho for the press in Germany and if I had the time I make them seafood rice"]. ABC (in Spanish). Retrieved 12 July 2018.

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