Fernando Redondo facts for kids
Redondo in 2019
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Fernando Carlos Redondo Neri | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 6 June 1969 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Adrogué, Argentina | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 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) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Fernando Carlos Redondo Neri, born on June 6, 1969, is a famous former football player from Argentina. He was a defensive midfielder, which means he helped protect his team's goal while also starting attacks. Many people think he is one of the best defensive midfielders ever.
He played for big clubs like Real Madrid in Spain and AC Milan in Italy. With Real Madrid, he won two La Liga titles and two Champions League trophies. He also won the Champions League with AC Milan in 2003.
Redondo also played for the Argentina national team in the 1990s. He played in the 1994 World Cup and helped Argentina win the 1992 FIFA Confederations Cup and the 1993 Copa América.
Contents
Fernando Redondo's Club Career
Starting Out in Argentina and Spain
Fernando Redondo was born in Adrogué, Argentina. He started playing professional football at just 16 years old for Argentinos Juniors. He played there for five years before moving to Spain.
In Spain, Redondo joined CD Tenerife. He played well there, and his team even helped stop Real Madrid from winning the league title twice. In 1994, his coach, Jorge Valdano, moved to Real Madrid, and Redondo followed him for about US$5 million.
Playing for Real Madrid
Redondo's most important years were at Real Madrid. He helped them win the Spanish league title twice, in 1995 and 1997. He also won the UEFA Champions League twice, in 1998 and 2000.
In the 2000 Champions League, Redondo was named the Most Valuable Player. One famous moment was in a game against Manchester United. He dribbled past a player by flicking the ball behind him with his heel, then passed it for a goal. The opposing manager, Alex Ferguson, famously asked, "What does this player have in his boots? A magnet?"
Fans called Redondo El Principe (which means "The Prince"). He is considered one of the best foreign players in Real Madrid's history. He played 268 games and scored 12 goals in the Spanish top league.
Time at AC Milan
In 2000, Redondo moved to Serie A club A.C. Milan in Italy. This move was a bit controversial because he wanted to stay at Real Madrid. Sadly, he got a serious knee injury soon after joining Milan. He couldn't play for about two and a half years. He even stopped taking his salary and tried to give back the house and car Milan had given him.
Even with his injuries, Redondo helped Milan win some trophies. He played a small part in their 2002–03 and 2003–04 seasons. He played in the Champions League and the Coppa Italia, which Milan won. He retired from football in late 2004, at age 35, because of another knee injury.
Fernando Redondo's International Career
Redondo played 29 games for the Argentina national team. Most of these games were between 1992 and 1994. His first game was a friendly match against Australia in June 1992.
He was chosen for the 1990 FIFA World Cup squad but decided not to go. He said he wanted to focus on his law studies. He also mentioned he didn't like the coach's defensive style.
In the 1994 World Cup, Redondo played in all of Argentina's matches. However, Argentina lost to Romania in the round of 16. After this tournament, he had disagreements with the new coach, Daniel Passarella. Redondo was left out of the national team because of these disagreements.
In 1999, Redondo was called back to the national team for two friendly matches against Brazil. He was named "Player of the Match" in one of these games. After that, he chose to focus on his club career instead of playing for the national team. In 2015, the Argentine Football Association included him in their all-time best team.
How Fernando Redondo Played
Redondo was a very elegant player who played in front of the defense. He was known for his amazing passing, great vision, and excellent control of the ball with his left foot. He could control the speed of his team's play in the middle of the field, which made him a key player for Real Madrid in the 1990s.
Even though he wasn't super fast, he could accelerate quickly. He was also good at tackling and helped his team both in defense and attack. His style of play was like a "metodista" in Italian football, meaning he could both direct the game and help defend.
Sadly, Redondo's career was often affected by injuries, especially in his later years. Despite this, he is still remembered as one of the best midfielders of his time.
Fernando Redondo's Personal Life
Fernando Redondo grew up in a wealthy family. He even studied law at university when he was starting his football career. He married the cousin of another famous footballer, Santiago Solari. His sons, Federico and Fernando Jr., also became involved in football.
Redondo loves to read. His favorite authors include Jorge Luis Borges and Gabriel García Márquez.
Honours and Awards
Real Madrid
- La Liga: 1994–95, 1996–97
- Supercopa de España: 1997
- UEFA Champions League: 1997–98, 1999–2000
- Intercontinental Cup: 1998
Milan
- Serie A: 2003–04
- Coppa Italia: 2002–03
- UEFA Champions League: 2002–03
- UEFA Super Cup: 2003
Argentina U17
- South American U-17 Championship: 1985
Argentina
- Copa América: 1993
- FIFA Confederations Cup: 1992
Individual Awards
- FIFA Confederations Cup: Golden Ball 1992
- FIFA XI: 1996
- Tenerife Player of The Year: 1992–93, 1993–94
- Real Madrid Player of The Year: 1996–97, 1999–2000
- ESM Team of the Year: 1997–98
- Trofeo EFE: Player of The Decade 1990–99
- UEFA Club Footballer of the Year: 1999–2000
- AFA Team of All Time (published 2015)
- IFFHS Argentina All Times Dream Team: 2021
See also
In Spanish: Fernando Redondo para niños
