Juan Carlos Ablanedo facts for kids
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Juan Carlos Ablanedo Iglesias | ||
| Date of birth | 2 September 1963 | ||
| Place of birth | Mieres, Spain | ||
| Height | 1.77 m (5 ft 10 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Goalkeeper | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Sporting Gijón | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1981–1984 | Sporting Gijón B | 94 | (0) |
| 1983–1999 | Sporting Gijón | 401 | (0) |
| Total | 495 | (0) | |
| International career | |||
| 1981–1982 | Spain U18 | 10 | (0) |
| 1984–1986 | Spain U21 | 12 | (0) |
| 1986–1987 | Spain U23 | 2 | (0) |
| 1986–1991 | Spain | 4 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Juan Carlos Ablanedo Iglesias (born on September 2, 1963) is a Spanish former football player. He was a goalkeeper, which means he was the player who tries to stop the ball from going into the goal.
People called him El Gato, which means "The Cat" in Spanish. This nickname was because he had amazing reflexes, like a cat! He played for almost 20 years as a professional for his local club, Sporting de Gijón.
Contents
Club Career: Playing for Sporting Gijón
Juan Carlos Ablanedo was born in Mieres, a town in Asturias, Spain. He spent his entire professional career playing for Sporting de Gijón. He grew up in the club's famous youth training system called Mareo.
First Team Debut and Becoming a Starter
Ablanedo played his first game for the main team on January 2, 1983. He came into the game as a substitute after the original goalkeeper was sent off. Sporting de Gijón won that game 1-0 against RCD Español.
After playing two more games the next season, Ablanedo became the main goalkeeper for Sporting de Gijón. He played in a total of 399 games in La Liga, which is Spain's top football league. In the 1986–87 season, he played in 42 matches, helping his team finish fourth in the league.
Retirement and Achievements
Ablanedo stopped playing football after the 1998–99 season. By then, Sporting de Gijón was playing in the Segunda División, which is the second division of Spanish football. He faced some serious injuries during his career. For example, he only played two games in his last season and didn't play any games at all in the 1991–92 season.
Despite his injuries, he was a very successful goalkeeper. He won the Ricardo Zamora Trophy three times. This award is given to the goalkeeper who has the lowest goals-to-games ratio in La Liga.
International Career: Playing for Spain
Ablanedo played four games for the Spanish national team. His first game was on September 24, 1986, in a friendly match against Greece in Gijón, which Spain won 3-1.
He was also a backup goalkeeper for Spain in two big tournaments: the 1986 FIFA World Cup and the 1990 FIFA World Cup. This means he was part of the team but didn't play in those specific tournaments.
Before playing for the senior national team, Ablanedo helped Spain's under-21 team win the 1986 UEFA European Under-21 Championship. This was a big achievement for the younger team.
Personal Life: The Ablanedo Brothers
Juan Carlos Ablanedo had an older brother named José Luis Ablanedo. José Luis was also a football player, and he played as a defender. He also played several seasons for Sporting de Gijón in the top league.
Because both brothers played for the same club, they were known as Ablanedo I (José Luis) and Ablanedo II (Juan Carlos).
Honours
Spain U21
Individual
- Ricardo Zamora Trophy: 1984–85, 1985–86, 1989–90
See also
In Spanish: Juan Carlos Ablanedo para niños
- List of one-club men
