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Robert Fernández (footballer) facts for kids

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Robert Fernández
Personal information
Full name Roberto Fernández Bonillo
Date of birth (1962-07-05) 5 July 1962 (age 63)
Place of birth Betxí, Spain
Height 1.79 m (5 ft 10 in)
Position(s) Central midfielder
Youth career
1976–1978 Villarreal
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1978–1979 Villarreal
1979–1981 Castellón 63 (8)
1981–1986 Valencia 135 (36)
1986–1990 Barcelona 144 (35)
1990–1995 Valencia 123 (22)
1995–1999 Villarreal 142 (8)
1999–2001 Córdoba 67 (0)
Total 674 (109)
International career
1979–1980 Spain U18 10 (1)
1981 Spain U19 3 (0)
1980–1988 Spain U21 21 (7)
1982 Spain U23 1 (0)
1983 Spain amateur 2 (0)
1982–1991 Spain 29 (1)
Managerial career
2004 Valencia B
2004 Córdoba
2006–2007 Orihuela
2008–2009 Alzira
Medal record
Representing  Spain
UEFA European Championship
Runner-up 1984 France
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Roberto Fernández Bonillo (born on July 5, 1962) is a Spanish former professional footballer. People often called him Robert or Roberto. He mostly played as a central midfielder, which is a key position in the middle of the field.

Roberto played for Valencia and Barcelona for 14 years, starting in 1981. He played in 439 La Liga matches and scored 95 goals. La Liga is Spain's top football league. He also played for Villarreal twice, which is where he began his career.

Roberto also played for the Spanish national team for almost ten years. He took part in one World Cup and one European Championship.

Roberto's Football Journey

Early Career and Valencia Days

Roberto Fernández was born in Betxí, a town in Spain. He started his professional football journey with CD Castellón in 1979. Before that, he played for the youth teams of Villarreal CF. After two years with Castellón, he joined Valencia CF in 1981.

At Valencia, Roberto scored 33 goals in his first four seasons. However, his team was relegated from La Liga in 1986. This means they moved down to a lower league.

Playing for FC Barcelona

In the summer of 1986, Roberto joined FC Barcelona. In his first season, he scored ten goals in 40 matches. One of his goals was a penalty in a 2–1 win against Real Madrid. Real Madrid won the league that year, but Barcelona was a close second.

Roberto was a very important player for Barcelona. During his time there, the team won two Copa del Rey trophies. The Copa del Rey is a major Spanish football cup. They also won the 1988–89 European Cup Winners' Cup, which was a big European competition.

Return to Valencia and Villarreal

Roberto went back to Valencia in 1990. He helped the team finish fourth in the league two times in a row. In the 1993–94 season, he was out for most of the time because of an injury.

For the 1995–96 season, Roberto joined Villarreal CF again. This time, Villarreal was in the Segunda División, which is the second division of Spanish football. In his third year, he scored one goal in 36 games. He helped Villarreal get promoted to La Liga for the first time ever. However, they were immediately relegated back to the second division the next year.

Roberto retired from playing football in 2001. He was almost 39 years old. His last two seasons were with Córdoba CF in the second division.

Life After Playing Football

After playing more than 700 official games, Roberto Fernández became a coach. He coached several smaller teams in his home region. These included Valencia B, Orihuela CF, and UD Alzira. In the 2004–05 season, he was one of four managers for Córdoba. That team finished 19th and moved down to a lower league.

In 2015, Roberto returned to Barcelona. This time, he worked in a management role. He left the club in June 2018 when his contract ended. Another former player, Eric Abidal, took his place.

Roberto's International Career

Roberto Fernández played for the Spanish national team for nine years. He played in 29 matches and scored one goal. He was part of the team for the UEFA Euro 1984 and the 1990 FIFA World Cup.

His first game for Spain was on October 27, 1982. It was a qualifying match for the UEFA Euro 1984 against Iceland. Spain won 1–0, and Roberto played the entire game.

Career Achievements

Roberto Fernández won several important trophies during his career:

More About Roberto

  • List of FC Barcelona players (Players with 100+ appearances)
  • List of La Liga players (Players with 400+ appearances)
  • List of Valencia CF players (Players with 100+ appearances)

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Robert Fernández para niños

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