Ramón Blanco (footballer) facts for kids
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Ramón Blanco Rodríguez | ||
| Date of birth | 20 February 1952 | ||
| Place of birth | Vimianzo, Spain | ||
| Date of death | 9 May 2013 (aged 61) | ||
| Place of death | Cádiz, Spain | ||
| Height | 1.73 m | ||
| Playing position | Defensive midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1965–1969 | Sportivo Italiano | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1969–1971 | Sportivo Italiano | ||
| 1972–1974 | Mallorca | 34 | (0) |
| 1974–1976 | Betis | 14 | (0) |
| 1976–1980 | Cádiz | 98 | (16) |
| 1980–1981 | Recreativo | 21 | (0) |
| 1981–1984 | Portuense | 87 | (7) |
| 1984–1985 | Chiclana | ||
| 1985–1986 | Sanluqueño | ||
| 1986–1987 | CD Moguer | ||
| Total | 254 | (23) | |
| Teams managed | |||
| 1990 | Cádiz | ||
| 1991–1992 | Cádiz | ||
| 1993 | Cádiz | ||
| 1993–1995 | Marbella | ||
| 1996–1998 | Cádiz | ||
| 1998–1999 | Almería | ||
| 1999–2000 | San Fernando | ||
| 2001–2002 | Granada | ||
| 2002–2003 | Torredonjimeno | ||
| 2003–2004 | San Fernando | ||
| 2012 | Cádiz | ||
|
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Ramón Blanco Rodríguez (born February 20, 1952 – died May 9, 2013) was a Spanish football player and coach. He was known for playing as a defensive midfielder, which is a player who helps protect the defense. He also became a football manager, leading teams from the sidelines.
Ramón Blanco's career was very closely linked to the football club Cádiz. He played for them and also managed them many times.
Contents
Ramón Blanco's Playing Career
Early Life and First Teams
Ramón Blanco was born in Vimianzo, a town in Spain. When he was young, his parents moved to Argentina to find better work. Ramón started playing football there. He joined a team called Sportivo Italiano when he was just 13 years old. Amazingly, he started playing for their main team only four years later!
Playing in Spain's Top Leagues
After his time in Argentina, Ramón Blanco returned to Spain. He signed with RCD Mallorca in 1972, a team in the Segunda División, which is Spain's second-highest football league.
In 1974, he moved up to La Liga, Spain's top league, with Real Betis. Even though he didn't play in many games, he stayed with the team for two years. His first game in La Liga was on January 5, 1975. He came into the game as a late substitute in a match where his team won 3–0 against Hércules CF.
Time with Cádiz CF
In 1976, Ramón Blanco joined Cádiz CF, a team from the Andalusia region, just like Real Betis. In his first year with Cádiz, his team was promoted to La Liga for the very first time in their history! This was a huge achievement for the club.
Under the coach Enrique Mateos, Ramón Blanco played in different positions. Besides his usual role as a defensive midfielder, he also played as a right winger (a player who runs down the side of the field) and even as a centre forward (a player who scores goals).
On January 29, 1978, Ramón Blanco scored his only goal in La Liga. It was in a home game against Valencia CF, but Cádiz lost 1–2. That season, Cádiz was relegated back to the second division. Ramón stayed with Cádiz for two more years in the second division before moving to Recreativo de Huelva due to a contract disagreement.
Retirement from Playing
Ramón Blanco stopped playing professional football in 1987 when he was 35 years old. Before retiring, he played for several smaller teams in lower leagues, mostly for Racing Club Portuense. He wanted to stay close to Cádiz, the city he loved.
Ramón Blanco's Coaching Career
Starting as a Coach
Right after he stopped playing, Ramón Blanco began his coaching career. He started by coaching the youth teams at Cádiz. Sometimes, he would also help the main team's manager, Víctor Espárrago.
He later became the coach for Cádiz's reserve team (a team for younger players) and helped other coaches. In 1990, he was put in charge of the main Cádiz team. He did a great job, helping the team avoid being relegated from La Liga in the playoffs. They won a penalty shootout against CD Málaga to stay in the top league. He repeated this amazing feat the next year, saving Cádiz from relegation again by beating UE Figueres.
Moving to Other Clubs
In 1993, Cádiz was finally relegated from La Liga. Ramón Blanco then left the club and became the coach for CA Marbella in the second division. He was later let go from that team in 1995.
He returned to Cádiz in 1996, but the team was now in Segunda División B, the third tier of Spanish football. He left Cádiz again in 1998 because he couldn't help them get promoted. After that, he coached several other teams in the same league, including UD Almería, CD San Fernando (twice), Granada CF, and Torredonjimeno CF.
Return to Cádiz and Final Years
After being away from football for a long time, during which he worked as a sports commentator, Ramón Blanco returned to his beloved Cádiz in 2012. The club was still in the third division. However, he had to leave after only three games because of health problems.
Death
Ramón Blanco passed away on May 9, 2013, in Cádiz. He was 61 years old. He died after suffering a stroke.
