Carles Rexach facts for kids
Rexach in 2008
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Carles Rexach Cerdà | ||
| Date of birth | 13 January 1947 | ||
| Place of birth | Pedralbes, Spain | ||
| Height | 1.82 m (5 ft 11+1⁄2 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Winger | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1958–1959 | Rosés | ||
| 1959–1965 | Barcelona | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1965–1981 | Barcelona | 328 | (81) |
| 1965–1967 | → Condal (loan) | 22 | (2) |
| Total | 350 | (83) | |
| International career | |||
| 1965 | Spain U18 | 2 | (0) |
| 1966 | Spain amateur | 3 | (0) |
| 1967–1970 | Spain U23 | 7 | (3) |
| 1969–1978 | Spain | 15 | (2) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 1982–1983 | Catalonia (youth) | ||
| 1983–1984 | Barcelona B (assistant) | ||
| 1984–1987 | Barcelona (youth) | ||
| 1987–1996 | Barcelona (assistant) | ||
| 1988 | Barcelona (interim) | ||
| 1991 | Barcelona (interim) | ||
| 1996 | Barcelona (interim) | ||
| 1998 | Yokohama Flügels | ||
| 2001–2002 | Barcelona | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Carles Rexach Cerdà (born on January 13, 1947) is a Spanish former football player and manager. He was a talented winger.
Carles Rexach spent most of his career, 44 years, with Barcelona. This included his time as a youth player and as a coach. He worked very well with Johan Cruyff, both on the field as a player and later as a coach. As a player, he played in 638 games and scored 197 goals. He won the Pichichi Trophy in 1971. Overall, he won eight titles with Barcelona, including the La Liga championship in the 1973–74 season and the Cup Winners' Cup in 1979.
Rexach also played for the Spanish national team in the 1978 World Cup. He played 15 games for Spain over nine years.
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Carles Rexach: A Football Player
Carles Rexach was born in Pedralbes, Barcelona, Catalonia. He joined Barcelona's youth team when he was 12 years old. He made his first team debut for Barcelona on April 25, 1965. In that game, he scored a goal in a 4–0 win against Racing de Santander in the Spanish Cup. His first game in La Liga (Spain's top football league) was on September 10, 1967. He scored in that game too, but Barcelona lost 3–2 to Real Zaragoza. He also spent two years playing on loan for CD Condal, which was a team linked to Barcelona.
Top Scorer and Cup Wins
In the 1970–71 season, Rexach scored 17 goals. This was his best scoring year, and he won the Pichichi Trophy. This award is given to the top scorer in La Liga. He shared the award with Atlético Madrid player José Eulogio Gárate. His team, Barcelona, finished second in the league that year. They also won the Spanish Cup.
On November 5, 1974, Rexach scored three goals in one game, which is called a hat-trick. This helped Barcelona beat Feyenoord 3–0 in the European Cup. His teammate Johan Cruyff helped him by providing three assists. In the 1978 Spanish Cup final, Rexach was named the best player of the match. He scored two goals in a 3–1 win against UD Las Palmas. The next year, on May 16, he scored a goal in the Cup Winners' Cup final. Barcelona won that game 4–3 in extra time against Fortuna Düsseldorf.
Retirement from Playing
Carles Rexach stopped playing football in 1981 when he was 34 years old. On September 1, Barcelona played a special game, called a testimonial match, against the Argentina national team at their home stadium, the Camp Nou. This game was to honor Rexach's career.
He first played for the Spanish national team on April 23, 1969. He played in the second half of a friendly game against Mexico in Seville. He was chosen for the 1978 FIFA World Cup team. He played in one game during the tournament before Spain was knocked out in the group stage.
Carles Rexach: A Football Coach
After he stopped playing, Rexach joined the coaching team at Barcelona B, which is Barcelona's reserve team. In 1984, he helped start a football school in Barcelona called TARR. He started it with other former players like Juan Manuel Asensi, Joaquim Rifé, and Antoni Torres.
Working with Johan Cruyff
Rexach became part of Luis Aragonés's coaching staff for the 1987–88 season. He briefly became the temporary manager when Aragonés left. When Johan Cruyff was hired as the new manager, Rexach stayed on as his assistant.
During the 1990–91 season, Cruyff needed heart surgery. Rexach stepped in again as the temporary manager. He led the team to win their 11th league title. His first game in charge was on February 27, 1991, a 6–0 home win against Las Palmas in the Spanish Cup. He remained in his assistant role during the successful "Dream Team" era under Cruyff.
After Cruyff was let go by club president Josep Lluís Nuñez in May 1996, Rexach became the head coach again. After new manager Bobby Robson arrived, Rexach became a scout for the club. He is famous for discovering young talent, including Lionel Messi.
Later Coaching Roles
Rexach then had a short time coaching in Japan with Yokohama Flügels. After Lorenzo Serra Ferrer was fired by Barcelona in 2001, Rexach was named his replacement. In the very last game of the season, Barcelona beat Valencia 3–2 with a late goal from Rivaldo. This win helped them qualify for the Champions League.
Because of this success, Joan Gaspart appointed him as coach for the next season. However, Barcelona was knocked out of the Champions League by Real Madrid in the semi-finals. They also lost in the Spanish Cup and the Copa Catalunya final. Because of these results, he was fired and replaced by Louis van Gaal. Rexach continued to work with the club in other leadership roles.
On April 8, 2010, Rexach said he wanted to run for Barcelona's president. This did not happen, but he was chosen by the new chairman Sandro Rosell as a sports advisor. He worked alongside Josep Maria Fusté and Migueli.
Career Statistics
| Club | Season | League | Copa del Rey | Europe | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Barcelona | 1964–65 | La Liga | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| 1965–66 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | ||
| 1966–67 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1967–68 | 22 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 25 | 7 | ||
| 1968–69 | 14 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 21 | 4 | ||
| 1969–70 | 26 | 7 | 6 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 37 | 10 | ||
| 1970–71 | 29 | 17 | 9 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 42 | 22 | ||
| 1971–72 | 26 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 35 | 5 | ||
| 1972–73 | 27 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 32 | 7 | ||
| 1973–74 | 28 | 9 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 35 | 10 | ||
| 1974–75 | 31 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 4 | 39 | 10 | ||
| 1975–76 | 32 | 6 | 6 | 2 | 8 | 5 | 46 | 13 | ||
| 1976–77 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 19 | 1 | ||
| 1977–78 | 22 | 9 | 6 | 5 | 7 | 4 | 35 | 13 | ||
| 1978–79 | 24 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 32 | 6 | ||
| 1979–80 | 24 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 31 | 6 | ||
| 1980–81 | 9 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 15 | 1 | ||
| Career total | 328 | 81 | 59 | 16 | 63 | 25 | 450 | 122 | ||
Managerial Statistics
| Team | From | To | Record | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | D | L | Win % | |||
| Barcelona (caretaker) | 1991 | 1991 | 9 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 66.67 |
| Barcelona (caretaker) | 1996 | 1996 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 50.00 |
| Yokohama Flügels | 1998 | 1998 | 25 | 12 | 0 | 13 | 48.00 |
| Barcelona | 2001 | 2002 | 66 | 31 | 18 | 17 | 46.97 |
| Total | 102 | 50 | 21 | 31 | 49.02 | ||
Honours and Awards
As a Player
With Barcelona
- La Liga: 1973–74
- Copa del Rey: 1967–68, 1970–71, 1977–78, 1980–81
- UEFA Cup Winners' Cup: 1978–79
- Inter-Cities Fairs Cup: 1971
Individual Awards
- Pichichi Trophy: 1970–71 (top scorer in La Liga)
As a Manager
With Barcelona
- La Liga: 1990–91
See also
In Spanish: Carles Rexach para niños
