Ricardo Gallego facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Ricardo Gallego

Personal information
Full name	Ricardo Gallego Redondo
Date of birth	(1959-02-08) 8 February 1959 (age 66)
Place of birth	Madrid, Spain
Height	1.77 m (5 ft 10 in)
Position(s)	Midfielder
Youth career
1973–1977	Real Madrid
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1977–1980	Castilla	87	(4)
1980–1989	Real Madrid	250	(22)
1989–1990	Udinese	30	(2)
1991–1992	Rayo Vallecano	31	(1)
Total		398	(29)
International career
1977	Spain U18	3	(1)
1977	Spain U20	3	(0)
1978	Spain U21	2	(0)
1980–1981	Spain B	4	(0)
1982–1988	Spain	42	(2)
Medal record Representing  Spain UEFA European Championship Runner-up 1984 France
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Ricardo Gallego Redondo (born 8 February 1959) is a Spanish former footballer. He played as a defensive midfielder, which means he helped protect his team's goal.

Ricardo Gallego spent most of his professional career playing for Real Madrid. He played in 372 official games over nine years. During his time there, he helped the team win ten major titles.

Gallego also played for the Spanish national team. He played almost 45 games for his country. He represented Spain in two World Cups and two European Championships.

Club Career: Playing for Real Madrid

Ricardo Gallego grew up in Madrid and joined the youth system of Real Madrid. This team is one of the biggest in La Liga, Spain's top football league. He quickly made a strong impression with the main team.

In his first year, 1980–81, he played in 26 matches. After that, he became a key player in the midfield for many seasons. He played a total of 250 top-division matches for Real Madrid.

Winning Titles with Real Madrid

During his time at Real Madrid, Gallego helped his team win many important trophies. They won four league titles in a row. They also won two Copa del Rey cups.

Real Madrid also won the UEFA Cup twice in a row, in 1985 and 1986. Ricardo Gallego was a very skilled player. He was strong physically and had great technical ability. He could even play as a sweeper, which is a defender who plays behind the main defensive line.

In the 1986–87 season, Gallego played in 37 games and scored two goals. He played for over 3,000 minutes as Real Madrid won the national championship. They also reached the semi-finals of the domestic cup that year.

Later Career: Udinese and Rayo Vallecano

After leaving Real Madrid, Ricardo Gallego played briefly for Udinese Calcio in Italy. Then, he returned to Spain and played for Rayo Vallecano. This team was also from the Spanish capital.

He spent one season with Rayo Vallecano in the Segunda División, which is Spain's second-tier league. He helped them get promoted to a higher league. Ricardo Gallego retired from playing football at the age of 33. After retiring, he worked in management roles for both Real Madrid and Rayo Vallecano.

International Career: Playing for Spain

Ricardo Gallego played 42 times for the Spanish national team. His first game for Spain was a friendly match on 24 February 1982. This game was played before the 1982 FIFA World Cup in Spain.

Spain won that match against Scotland by a score of 3–0. Gallego came into the game in the second half. He replaced FC Barcelona's Víctor Muñoz and scored the final goal.

Major Tournaments and Coaching

Even though he only played once in the 1982 World Cup, Gallego became a very important defensive player for Spain in the next two big tournaments. He played in the UEFA Euro 1984, where Spain finished as runner-up. He also played in the 1986 FIFA World Cup.

Ricardo Gallego stopped playing for the national team after UEFA Euro 1988. In August 2011, he joined his former Spain and Real Madrid teammate José Antonio Camacho. He worked as Camacho's assistant coach for the China national team.

International Goals for Spain

Ricardo Gallego scored two goals during his time playing for the Spanish national team. Here are the details of those goals:

#	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1.	24 February 1982	Luis Casanova, Valencia, Spain	Scotland	3–0	3–0	Friendly
2.	26 May 1984	Charmilles, Geneva, Switzerland	Switzerland	0–2	0–4	Friendly

Honours: Trophies Won

Ricardo Gallego won many titles during his football career.

Castilla

• Copa del Rey runner-up: 1979–80 (This means they reached the final but did not win the cup)

Real Madrid

• La Liga (Spanish League Championship):
  • 1985–86
  • 1986–87
  • 1987–88
  • 1988–89
• Copa del Rey (Spanish Cup):
  • 1981–82
  • 1988–89
• Supercopa de España (Spanish Super Cup): 1988
• Copa de la Liga (League Cup): 1985
• UEFA Cup (European Club Competition):
  • 1984–85
  • 1985–86

See also

In Spanish: Ricardo Gallego para niños