Rafael Guijosa facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Rafael Guijosa |
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| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Full name | Rafael Guijosa Castillo | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 31 January 1969 Alcalá de Henares, Spain |
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| Nationality | Spanish | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.82 m (5 ft 11+1⁄2 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Playing position | left wing | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior clubs | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| CD Iplacea | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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1989-1993
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BM Guadalajara | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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1993-1995
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Juventud Alcalá | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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1995-2002
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FC Barcelona | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| National team | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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1995-2002
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Spain | 119 | (518) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Teams managed | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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2003-2009
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BM Alcobendas | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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2011
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Toledo BM | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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2013-2014
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Iran | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Samen Al-Hojaj Sabzewar | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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2015-2019
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Ademar León | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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2020-
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Al-Arabi | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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2023-2024
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Rwanda | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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2024-
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Iran | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Rafael Guijosa Castillo is a famous Spanish handball player and coach. He was born on January 31, 1969, in Alcalá de Henares, Spain. Rafael was known for being a fantastic left wing player.
He played for the Spanish national team for many years. With them, he won two bronze medals at the Olympic Games. These were in Atlanta and Sydney. In 1999, he was even named the World Player of the Year by the International Handball Federation. This is a huge honor in handball!
Rafael Guijosa's Playing Career
Rafael Guijosa started his professional handball journey in 1989. He joined BM Guadalajara, a top team in Spain. Before that, he played for CD Iplacea. In 1993, he moved to Juventud Alcalá in Madrid. With this team, he reached the final of the Copa del Rey de Balonmano in 1994.
His most successful time as a player began in 1995. He joined FC Barcelona, one of the biggest clubs in handball. He played there until he retired in 2002. With FC Barcelona, Rafael won many important titles. He helped them win the EHF Champions League an amazing five times! This is the most important club competition in Europe.
Rafael was also a great scorer. At the 1999 World Championship, he scored the second-highest number of goals.
Rafael Guijosa's Coaching Career
After retiring as a player, Rafael Guijosa became a coach. He first coached Spanish teams like BM Alcobendas and Toledo BM. Later, he became the head coach for the Iran national team.
In 2014, he led Iran to a bronze medal at the Asian Championships. For a short time, he also coached an Iranian club team called Samen Al-Hojaj Sabzewar. However, he had to leave that club role. This was because the Iranian team decided coaches could not work for both the national team and a club at the same time.
In 2015, Rafael returned to club handball. He coached Ademar León until 2019. In August 2020, he took over the Qatari team Al-Arabi SC. He quickly led them to win the 2020 Qatari championship.
In December 2023, he became the head coach of the Rwanda national team. He guided them in their first-ever African Championship in 2024. The team finished 14th and won one match against Zambia. After about ten months, he left Rwanda. He then returned to coach the Iran national team again in 2024.
See also
In Spanish: Rafa Guijosa para niños
