José Ramón Alexanko facts for kids
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Alexanko in 1977
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | José Ramón Alexanko Ventosa | ||
| Date of birth | 19 May 1956 | ||
| Place of birth | Barakaldo, Spain | ||
| Height | 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Centre-back | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Llodio | |||
| Athletic Bilbao | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1973–1976 | Bilbao Athletic | 97 | (9) |
| 1976–1980 | Athletic Bilbao | 91 | (8) |
| 1976 | → Alavés (loan) | 5 | (0) |
| 1980–1993 | Barcelona | 274 | (26) |
| Total | 440 | (43) | |
| International career | |||
| 1977 | Spain U21 | 2 | (0) |
| 1978–1982 | Spain | 34 | (4) |
| 1979 | Basque Country | 1 | (0) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 1997–1998 | FC U Craiova | ||
| 1998–1999 | Naţional București | ||
| 2000–2002 | Barcelona (assistant) | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
José Ramón Alexanko Ventosa, often called Alexanko, is a famous Spanish football player and manager. He was born on May 19, 1956. Alexanko was a strong central defender. He played for two big Spanish clubs: Athletic Bilbao and Barcelona. He won many awards with Barcelona, a total of 16! He played in 367 La Liga games over 17 seasons, scoring 34 goals. Alexanko also played for the Spanish national team more than 30 times. He represented Spain in one FIFA World Cup and one UEFA European Championship. After retiring as a player, he became a manager and later a director of football.
Contents
Alexanko's Football Journey
Early Days at Athletic Bilbao
Alexanko was born in Barakaldo, Spain. He joined Athletic Bilbao's youth team in 1972. Before playing for the main team, he had a short loan spell at Alavés in the second division. He made his first appearance in La Liga on December 12, 1976. Athletic Bilbao won that game 5–2 against Espanyol.
From his second season, Alexanko became a key player for Athletic Bilbao. He helped his team reach two finals in 1977. They were runners-up in the Copa del Rey (Spanish Cup) and the UEFA Cup.
Becoming a Barcelona Legend
In 1980, Alexanko moved to Barcelona. He was one of several Basque players who joined the club around that time. Alexanko became the captain of Barcelona's famous "Dream Team." This team won four league championships in a row! They also won the European Cup (now called the UEFA Champions League) for the first time in Barcelona's history.
Alexanko played for Barcelona for 13 seasons. One of his most memorable moments was scoring the winning goal in the 1988 Spanish Cup final. Barcelona beat Real Sociedad 1–0. He also played in the 1992 European Cup Final, which Barcelona won. However, six years earlier, in the 1986 European Cup final, his penalty kick was saved. Barcelona lost that game to Steaua București.
Playing for Spain
Alexanko played his first game for the Spanish national team on November 15, 1978. It was a 1–0 win against Romania. He played for Spain in the UEFA Euro 1980 and the 1982 FIFA World Cup. He decided to stop playing for the national team at age 26. He had played 34 games for Spain. He also played one game for the Basque Country team in 1979.
Life After Playing
After he stopped playing football in 1993, Alexanko started a coaching career. He managed two teams in Romania: Universitatea Craiova and Naţional București.
In 2000, he returned to Barcelona. He worked as an assistant coach to Carles Rexach. In 2005, he became the coordinator for Barcelona's youth system. This means he helped organize and guide the young players.
In 2015, Alexanko became the director of the Valencia Academy. In 2017, he became the interim director of football for Valencia. He was later given a permanent contract until 2019. However, he left his position at Valencia in September of that year.
In 2018, he worked as a commentator for beIN Sports. In 2019, he moved to South Africa. He became the academy and scouting director for Mamelodi Sundowns. He left this role in November 2020.
In March 2021, Alexanko returned to Barcelona again. He became the youth football director after Joan Laporta won the presidential elections for the club.
Honours
Player
Athletic Bilbao
- Copa del Rey runner-up: 1976–77
- UEFA Cup runner-up: 1976–77
Barcelona
- La Liga: 1984–85, 1990–91, 1991–92, 1992–93
- Copa del Rey: 1980–81, 1982–83, 1987–88, 1989–90
- Copa de la Liga: 1982–83, 1985–86
- Supercopa de España: 1983, 1991, 1992
- European Cup: 1991–92
- UEFA Cup Winners' Cup: 1981–82, 1988–89
- UEFA Super Cup: 1992
Manager
Universitatea Craiova
- Cupa României runner-up: 1997–98
See also
In Spanish: José Ramón Alexanco para niños
