Ángel María Villar facts for kids
Ángel María Villar Llona (born 21 January 1950) is a Spanish former football player. He played as a midfielder.
Villar played for Athletic Bilbao for ten years, appearing in over 350 official games and scoring 11 goals. After his playing career, he became the president of the Spanish Football Federation for nearly 30 years. He also played for the Spanish national team in the 1970s.
Quick facts for kids
Ángel María Villar
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Villar in 2009
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| Senior Vice President of FIFA | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 16 March 2017 – 27 July 2017 |
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| President | Gianni Infantino | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Issa Hayatou | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | David Chung | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| First Vice President of UEFA | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 1992 – September 2017 |
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| President | Lennart Johansson Michel Platini Aleksander Čeferin |
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| Acting President of UEFA | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 9 October 2015 – 14 September 2016 |
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| Preceded by | Michel Platini | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Aleksander Čeferin | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 24th President of the Royal Spanish Football Federation | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 29 June 1988 – 27 July 2017 |
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| Preceded by | José Luis Roca | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Juan Luis Larrea (interim) Luis Rubiales |
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| Personal details | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born |
Ángel María Villar Llona
21 January 1950 Bilbao, Spain |
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| Height | 1.79 m (5 ft 10 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Occupation | Footballer (retired) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Association football career
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Contents
Playing Career: A Midfielder's Journey
Ángel María Villar was born in Bilbao, Spain. He started playing football in the youth teams of his local club, Athletic Bilbao.
Early Club Days
Villar made his first senior appearances in amateur football while on loan to other teams. He returned to Athletic Bilbao in 1971. For nine of his ten seasons with the team, he was a key player. He helped Athletic Bilbao reach two Copa del Rey finals. They won the 1973 edition of the tournament.
Villar played 361 competitive games for Athletic Bilbao before he retired in 1981.
Playing for Spain
Villar played 22 times for the Spain national football team, scoring three goals. His first game for Spain was on 17 October 1973. It was a friendly match against Turkey in Istanbul.
His last game for Spain was on 9 December 1979. In this game, he helped Spain qualify for UEFA Euro 1980 by scoring a goal in a 3–1 win against Cyprus. However, he did not play in any major international tournaments.
Villar also played for the unofficial Basque Country national football team.
Life After Football: A Leader in the Sport
In 1979, while still playing football, Villar earned a law degree. He worked as a lawyer in the years that followed. He also held several important positions in football organizations. He was one of the people who helped start the Association of Spanish Footballers in 1978.
Leading Spanish Football
Villar worked for the Royal Spanish Football Federation before becoming its president in 1988. During his time as president, the Spanish national team achieved great success. They won the 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2008 and 2012 European Championships.
Roles in UEFA and FIFA
Villar also held important roles in international football organizations. He became the vice president of UEFA in 1992 and FIFA in 2002. He was also named president of the Referees' Committee for both UEFA and FIFA in 2002.
Villar led the bid for Spain and Portugal to host the 2018 FIFA World Cup, but their bid was not successful. In 2012, he was re-elected for his seventh term as president of the Spanish Federation, staying in office until 2016.
After Michel Platini was suspended in October 2015, Villar became UEFA's acting president. He resigned from his positions at FIFA and UEFA on 27 July 2017.
Personal Life
Ángel María Villar's niece, María Villar Galaz, passed away in Mexico in September 2016.
Achievements
Athletic Bilbao
- Copa del Rey: 1972–73; runner-up: 1976–77
- UEFA Cup runner-up: 1976–77
See also
In Spanish: Ángel María Villar para niños
