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 (5 ft 7 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
|
Current team
|
Al-Riyadh (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) | |
| International career | |||
| 1993 | Spain U16 | 1 | (0) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2012–2017 | Villarreal (youth) | ||
| 2017 | Villarreal B | ||
| 2017–2018 | Villarreal | ||
| 2019–2020 | Villarreal | ||
| 2021 | Alavés | ||
| 2022–2024 | Levante | ||
| 2024–2025 | Oviedo | ||
| 2025– | Al-Riyadh | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Javier Calleja Revilla (born on May 12, 1978) is a Spanish football expert. He used to be a professional footballer, playing mostly as a left midfielder. Now, he is a manager for the Saudi Pro League club Al-Riyadh.
Javier played in La Liga, Spain's top football league, for ten years. He played 192 matches and scored nine goals. He spent most of his time with Villarreal (six seasons) and Osasuna (three seasons). He also played for Málaga. His career as a player lasted 16 years. After retiring as a player, Calleja became a manager, even leading Villarreal, the club where he played for many years.
Contents
Playing Career Highlights
Javier Calleja started his football journey in the youth teams of Real Madrid. He then played for smaller clubs like UD Almería and RSD Alcalá. In 1999, he joined Villarreal CF. He first played for their farm team, CD Onda.
Joining Villarreal
Calleja made his debut for Villarreal's main team in the Segunda División, which is Spain's second-tier league. In the 1999–2000 season, he played nine games. His team returned to La Liga, the top league, that year. He even scored one goal during this time.
For his first three seasons in La Liga with Villarreal, Calleja was a very important player. In the 2001–02 season, he scored four goals in 35 matches. A special moment happened on April 5, 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.
Later, another talented player named Santi Cazorla joined the team. Also, Calleja had two serious knee injuries. These things meant he played less often in the following three seasons.
Time with Málaga and Osasuna
Before the 2006–07 season, Calleja left Villarreal and joined Málaga CF. He quickly became a key player there. In his second season, he played 38 games. Málaga returned to the top league after two years away.
In the next season, Calleja often played as a left-back. This was because a teammate, Adriano Rossato, had a serious injury. In June 2009, after his contract with Málaga ended, he moved to CA Osasuna. He signed a deal to play there for at least two years.
Coaching Career Highlights
In September 2012, at 34 years old, Javier Calleja decided to stop playing football. He immediately went back to his old club, Villarreal. This time, he became a manager for their youth teams. On May 9, 2017, he took over as manager of Villarreal's reserve team.
Managing Villarreal's Main Team
Calleja was named manager of Villarreal's first team on September 25, 2017. He replaced the previous manager, Fran Escribá. In his first season, he led the team to finish fifth in La Liga. This meant they qualified for the group stage of the UEFA Europa League. He signed a new contract on May 20, 2018.
On December 10, 2018, Calleja was let go from his role. The team was close to the relegation zone, meaning they were in danger of dropping to a lower league. They had only won one game in their last nine league matches. However, he was brought back on January 29, 2019, after the new manager was also dismissed. He left Villarreal again in July 2020. His team finished fifth and qualified for European competition again.
Other Coaching Roles
On April 5, 2021, Calleja became the coach of Deportivo Alavés. The team was in last place at the time. He helped them avoid relegation, which was his main goal. Because of this success, he was given a two-year contract. However, he left the club at the end of 2021. The team was back in the relegation zone, and they had been knocked out of the Copa del Rey by a lower-division team.
Calleja was named manager of Levante UD on October 16, 2022. In his first season, he led the team to the playoff final. They lost to his former club, Alavés, in a very close game. He was relieved of his duties on February 19, 2024, after a difficult period for the team.
On July 6, 2024, he took on a two-year deal with Real Oviedo. However, his contract was ended on March 25, 2025. As of July 6, 2025, Calleja is the head coach of the Saudi Pro League club Al-Riyadh SC.
Personal Life
Javier Calleja has a younger brother named Fernando. Fernando also played football, but he never played in a league higher than the third division.
Managerial Statistics
| Team | Nat | From | To | Record | Ref | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Win % | |||||
| Villarreal B |  |
26 May 2017 | 25 September 2017 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 2 | +5 | 66.67 | |
| Villarreal | |
25 September 2017 | 10 December 2018 | 65 | 25 | 18 | 22 | 100 | 80 | +20 | 38.46 | |
| Villarreal | |
29 January 2019 | 19 July 2020 | 66 | 32 | 12 | 22 | 113 | 85 | +28 | 48.48 | |
| Alavés | |
5 April 2021 | 28 December 2021 | 29 | 9 | 6 | 14 | 31 | 41 | −10 | 31.03 | |
| Levante | |
16 October 2022 | 19 February 2024 | 68 | 29 | 27 | 12 | 85 | 61 | +24 | 42.65 | |
| Oviedo | |
6 July 2024 | 25 March 2025 | 33 | 14 | 10 | 9 | 42 | 37 | +5 | 42.42 | |
| Al-Riyadh |  |
6 July 2025 | Present | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | +0 | — | |
| Career total | 267 | 113 | 75 | 79 | 378 | 306 | +72 | 42.32 | — | |||
Player Achievements
Villarreal
- UEFA Intertoto Cup: 2003, 2004
See also
In Spanish: Javier Calleja para niños
