Enrique Saura facts for kids
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Enrique Saura Gil | ||
| Date of birth | 2 August 1954 | ||
| Place of birth | Onda, Spain | ||
| Height | 1.71 m (5 ft 7 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1969–1972 | Onda | ||
| 1972–1974 | Castellón | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1974–1975 | Castellón | 34 | (6) |
| 1975–1985 | Valencia | 306 | (37) |
| 1985–1988 | Castellón | 108 | (7) |
| 1988–1992 | Onda | ||
| Total | 448 | (50) | |
| International career | |||
| 1976 | Spain amateur | 2 | (0) |
| 1980–1981 | Spain B | 3 | (0) |
| 1978–1982 | Spain | 23 | (4) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Enrique Saura Gil, born on August 2, 1954, is a Spanish former professional footballer. He was a talented attacking midfielder, which means he played in the middle of the field and helped score goals. Enrique spent most of his career playing for two important Spanish clubs: Castellón and Valencia. He played over 400 official matches for Valencia and helped them win three big championships. He also proudly represented his country, Spain, in major tournaments like the 1982 FIFA World Cup and Euro 1980.
Contents
Playing for Clubs
Enrique Saura was born in Onda, Castellón, a town in the Valencian Community region of Spain. He played his entire career in this region.
Early Career and Valencia CF
Saura started his football journey at CD Castellón. Later, he moved to one of the biggest clubs in the area, Valencia CF. He played for Valencia for ten years, from 1975 to 1985. During this time, he was a key player, always in the starting lineup.
He helped Valencia win three important titles in just one year! These included the 1979–80 European Cup Winners' Cup, which was a big European competition. He also scored 37 goals in La Liga, Spain's top football league.
Later Career and Retirement
After leaving Valencia when he was 31, Saura went back to play for CD Castellón for three more seasons. These seasons were in the Segunda División, which is the second-highest league in Spain.
After that, he joined CD Onda, which was his very first youth club. He played there until he retired from football at almost 38 years old.
Playing for Spain
Enrique Saura played 23 matches for the Spanish national team. His first game was on November 8, 1978, in a friendly match against France.
Major Tournaments
During the 1979–80 season, when Valencia was playing very well, Saura became a regular player for the national team. He was chosen to play in both the UEFA Euro 1980 tournament and the 1982 FIFA World Cup.
In the 1982 World Cup, he scored one of his four goals for Spain. This important goal came in a crucial 2–1 win against Yugoslavia. He had only been on the field for three minutes when he scored!
Saura also represented Spain at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The Spanish team was eliminated in the first round of the football tournament there.
International Goals for Spain
Here are the goals Enrique Saura scored for the Spanish national team:
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 9 December 1979 | Trisiron, Limassol, Cyprus |  Cyprus |
1–3 | 1–3 | Euro 1980 qualifying |
| 2. | 21 May 1980 | Idrætsparken, Copenhagen, Denmark |  Denmark |
0–1 | 2–2 | Friendly |
| 3. | 14 October 1981 | Mestalla, Valencia, Spain |  Luxembourg |
2–0 | 3–0 | Friendly |
| 4. | 20 June 1982 | Mestalla, Valencia, Spain |  Yugoslavia |
2–1 | 2–1 | 1982 FIFA World Cup |
Trophies and Awards
Enrique Saura won several important titles during his time with Valencia:
- Valencia
- Copa del Rey: 1978–79 (Spanish Cup)
- UEFA Cup Winners' Cup: 1979–80 (European Cup Winners' Cup)
- UEFA Super Cup: 1980 (UEFA Super Cup)
See also
In Spanish: Enrique Saura para niños
