Javier Calleja facts for kids
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Calleja managing Villarreal in 2018
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Javier Calleja Revilla | ||
| Date of birth | 12 May 1978 | ||
| Place of birth | Alcalá de Henares, Spain | ||
| Height | 1.71 m | ||
| Playing position | Midfielder | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Oviedo (manager) | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Real Madrid | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1996–1998 | Real Madrid C | 60 | (11) |
| 1998 | Almería | 3 | (0) |
| 1998–1999 | Alcalá | 22 | (8) |
| 1999–2000 | Onda | 29 | (17) |
| 1999–2006 | Villarreal | 124 | (9) |
| 2006–2009 | Málaga | 104 | (6) |
| 2009–2012 | Osasuna | 46 | (1) |
| Total | 388 | (52) | |
| National team | |||
| 1993 | Spain U16 | 1 | (0) |
| Teams managed | |||
| 2012–2017 | Villarreal (youth) | ||
| 2017 | Villarreal B | ||
| 2017–2018 | Villarreal | ||
| 2019–2020 | Villarreal | ||
| 2021 | Alavés | ||
| 2022–2024 | Levante | ||
| 2024– | Oviedo | ||
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Javier Calleja Revilla (born 12 May 1978) is a Spanish former football player. He mostly played as a left midfielder. Today, he is a manager for the Real Oviedo team.
Javier played in 192 matches in La Liga, Spain's top football league. He scored nine goals over ten years. He spent six seasons with Villarreal and three with Osasuna. He also played for Málaga during his 16-year professional career.
Later, Calleja became a football manager. His first time managing a main team was with Villarreal in 2017.
Contents
Javier Calleja's Playing Career
Javier Calleja started his football journey in the youth teams of Real Madrid. However, he didn't make it to their main team. He then played his first professional games with a smaller team, UD Almería.
Calleja, who was born in Alcalá de Henares, later joined Villarreal CF. Before playing for their main team, he spent some months with their partner team, CD Onda. He played his first games for Villarreal in the second division. In the 1999–2000 season, he played nine games. His team returned to La Liga, the top league, that season. He even scored one goal in a 3–1 loss against CA Osasuna.
Javier was a very important player for Villarreal, also known as the Yellow Submarine. This was especially true in his first three seasons in the top league. In the 2001–02 season, he scored four goals in 35 matches. On 5 April 2003, he scored a penalty kick in a 2–0 win against FC Barcelona. He dedicated this goal to his mother, who had passed away just hours before. However, another talented player named Santi Cazorla joined the team. Also, Javier had two serious knee injuries. These things meant he played in only 25 games over the next three seasons.
Before the 2006–07 season, Calleja left Villarreal. He then joined Málaga CF. He quickly became a key player there. In his second season, he played 38 games. Málaga then returned to the top league after two years away.
After a serious injury to his teammate Adriano Rossato, Calleja often played as a left-back during the following season. On 12 June 2009, his contract with Málaga ended. He then moved to Osasuna, signing a deal for two years, with an option for a third.
Javier Calleja's Coaching Career
In September 2012, when he was 34, Calleja announced he was stopping his playing career. He immediately went back to his old club, Villarreal. This time, he became a manager for their youth teams. On 9 May 2017, he took over from Paco López as the manager of Villarreal's reserve team.
Calleja was then chosen to manage Villarreal's first team on 25 September 2017. He took over after the previous manager, Fran Escribá, was let go. In his first season, he led the team to finish fifth in the league. This meant they qualified for the group stage of the UEFA Europa League. On 20 May 2018, he signed a new contract to stay longer.
On 10 December 2018, Calleja was dismissed as manager. The team was only three points away from the relegation zone. They had won only one game in their last nine league matches. However, on 29 January 2019, he was brought back as manager. This happened after Luis García was sacked. He left the club in July 2020. This was after a strong finish to the season. The team finished fifth and qualified for European competitions again.
On 5 April 2021, Calleja became the coach of Deportivo Alavés. The team was in last place at the time. He signed a short-term deal. He successfully helped the team avoid relegation. Because of this, he was given a two-year contract the next month. He left the club at the end of 2021. The Basque team was in the relegation zone. They had only earned one point from their last 15 games. They were also knocked out of the Copa del Rey by a lower-league team.
Calleja was named manager of Levante UD on 16 October 2022. In his first season, he led the team to the playoff final. They lost to his former team, Alavés, after a penalty kick in extra time.
Calleja was let go from Levante on 19 February 2024. This was after his team had won only three of their last 16 matches. On 6 July, he was appointed as the new manager for Real Oviedo. He signed a two-year contract with them.
Personal Life
Javier Calleja has a younger brother named Fernando. Fernando also played football, but he never played higher than the third division.
Honours
Player
Villarreal
- UEFA Intertoto Cup: 2003, 2004
See also
In Spanish: Javier Calleja Revilla para niños
