Rubén Baraja facts for kids
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Baraja as Elche manager in 2016
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 11 July 1975 | ||
| Place of birth | Valladolid, Spain | ||
| Height | 1.80 m | ||
| Playing position | Central midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Valladolid | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1993–1995 | Valladolid B | 46 | (11) |
| 1993–1996 | Valladolid | 41 | (2) |
| 1996–1999 | Atlético Madrid B | 79 | (20) |
| 1999–2000 | Atlético Madrid | 34 | (4) |
| 2000–2010 | Valencia | 263 | (41) |
| Total | 463 | (78) | |
| National team | |||
| 1993 | Spain U18 | 3 | (1) |
| 2000–2005 | Spain | 43 | (7) |
| Teams managed | |||
| 2011 | Atlético Madrid (assistant) | ||
| 2013–2015 | Valencia (youth) | ||
| 2013 | Valencia B (interim) | ||
| 2015–2016 | Elche | ||
| 2016–2017 | Rayo Vallecano | ||
| 2017–2018 | Sporting Gijón | ||
| 2019–2020 | Tenerife | ||
| 2020 | Zaragoza | ||
| 2023–2024 | Valencia | ||
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Rubén Baraja Vegas (born 11 July 1975) is a Spanish former professional footballer. He is now a manager.
Rubén was a very skilled central midfielder. He was good at tackling, had great technique, and could score goals. He was also known for his accurate passes. He spent most of his 17-year career playing for Valencia. He was a key player when Valencia won five major titles, including two La Liga championships.
Baraja also played for the Spanish national team for five years. He played in one World Cup and one European Championship. He earned 43 caps (appearances) for his country. He started working as a head coach in 2015. Eight years later, he became the manager of Valencia.
Contents
Playing Career Highlights
Rubén Baraja was born in Valladolid, Spain. He started his football journey at his local club, Real Valladolid.
Early Club Years
After playing for Valladolid, Baraja moved to Atlético Madrid. He spent two and a half seasons with their reserve team, Atlético Madrid B. He first played for the main Atlético Madrid team on 7 February 1999. In the 1998–99 season, he scored his career-best eleven goals for the reserve team.
When Atlético Madrid was relegated (moved down a league) at the end of the 1999–2000 season, Baraja left the club. He joined Valencia, who were looking for strong central midfielders.
Success with Valencia
In his first season with Valencia, Baraja was very important in their Champions League journey. They reached the final but lost to Bayern Munich in a penalty shootout. Baraja scored his penalty kick in that final.
The 2001–02 season brought Baraja his first trophy. His goals helped Valencia win their first La Liga title in 31 years. He was the team's top scorer in the league that season, scoring seven goals in just 17 games after recovering from a knee injury.
The 2003–04 season was another fantastic year for Baraja and Valencia. They won both the Spanish league championship and the UEFA Cup. Baraja scored eight league goals that season. In the UEFA Cup final, Valencia beat Marseille 2–0.
In the following years, Baraja faced some physical problems and injuries. This meant he played fewer games. Despite this, he continued to be an important player for Valencia.
Rubén Baraja left Valencia on 16 May 2010, after playing for the club for ten years. He received a standing ovation from the fans in his last home game. Shortly after, the 35-year-old announced his retirement from playing football. He had played in 338 top-flight games and scored 47 goals.
Playing for Spain
Baraja played his first game for Spain on 7 October 2000. It was a 2–0 win against Israel in a World Cup qualification match.
He was chosen to play in the 2002 FIFA World Cup. Spain reached the quarter-finals but lost to co-hosts South Korea on penalties. Just like with Valencia, Baraja scored his penalty kick in the shootout. He also scored a goal during the game, but it was not allowed by the referee.
Baraja also played in the UEFA Euro 2004 tournament. Spain was eliminated in the group stage by Portugal and Greece. He was not chosen for the 2006 FIFA World Cup squad because of his ongoing injuries.
Coaching Career
After retiring as a player, Rubén Baraja began his coaching career.
Starting as a Coach
In June 2011, Baraja went back to his former club, Atlético Madrid. He joined the coaching staff as an assistant manager. In the summer of 2013, he returned to Valencia, where he first coached the youth teams.
On 22 December 2013, Baraja took temporary charge of Valencia's reserve team, Valencia B. He led them to a 2–1 win.
Managing in Segunda División
Baraja became the manager of Elche on 12 July 2015. Elche had just been relegated to the second division. He resigned in June 2016 after not agreeing to new terms.
On 8 November 2016, Baraja took over as manager of Rayo Vallecano, another second-division team. He was sacked on 20 February 2017, after only winning three out of 13 games.
Baraja was appointed manager of Sporting de Gijón on 12 December 2017. He was dismissed on 18 November 2018, after a difficult period for the team. In December 2019, he became the coach of Tenerife in the same league. He helped them avoid relegation but left the club on 20 July 2020.
On 20 August 2020, Baraja took charge of Zaragoza. However, he was relieved of his duties on 9 November after a poor start to the season.
Return to Valencia
On 14 February 2023, Baraja returned to his beloved former club, Valencia, as their head coach. The team was struggling and in danger of relegation. His former teammate, Carlos Marchena, joined his coaching team.
Baraja's first game as manager of Valencia's main team was a 1–0 loss. However, he managed to guide the team to safety on the final day of the season. They secured their place in La Liga by just two points. After this success, he signed a new contract for two more years.
On 23 December 2024, Baraja was sacked from his role at Valencia, having achieved only two wins during the season.
Personal Life
Rubén Baraja has a younger brother named Javier Baraja. Javier was also a professional footballer. He played as a defender and also started his career at Valladolid. He spent most of his playing career there.
Career Statistics
Club
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Valladolid B | 1993–94 | Segunda División B | 20 | 8 | — | — | — | 20 | 8 | |||
| 1994–95 | Segunda División B | 26 | 3 | — | — | — | 26 | 3 | ||||
| Total | 46 | 11 | — | — | — | 46 | 11 | |||||
| Valladolid | 1993–94 | La Liga | 5 | 1 | — | — | — | 5 | 1 | |||
| 1994–95 | La Liga | 9 | 0 | — | — | — | 9 | 0 | ||||
| 1995–96 | La Liga | 27 | 1 | — | — | — | 27 | 1 | ||||
| Total | 41 | 2 | — | — | — | 41 | 2 | |||||
| Atlético Madrid B | 1996–97 | Segunda División | 22 | 1 | — | — | — | 22 | 1 | |||
| 1997–98 | Segunda División | 32 | 8 | — | — | — | 32 | 8 | ||||
| 1998–99 | Segunda División | 25 | 11 | — | — | — | 25 | 11 | ||||
| Total | 79 | 20 | — | — | — | 79 | 20 | |||||
| Atlético Madrid | 1998–99 | La Liga | 8 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 14 | 1 | |
| 1999–2000 | La Liga | 26 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 6 | 2 | — | 37 | 7 | ||
| Total | 34 | 4 | 9 | 2 | 8 | 2 | — | 51 | 8 | |||
| Valencia | 2000–01 | La Liga | 35 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 15 | 2 | — | 52 | 7 | |
| 2001–02 | La Liga | 17 | 7 | — | 1 | 0 | — | 18 | 7 | |||
| 2002–03 | La Liga | 35 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 50 | 9 | |
| 2003–04 | La Liga | 35 | 8 | 6 | 2 | 11 | 2 | — | 52 | 12 | ||
| 2004–05 | La Liga | 25 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 38 | 9 | |
| 2005–06 | La Liga | 31 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 34 | 4 | ||
| 2006–07 | La Liga | 14 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | 18 | 1 | ||
| 2007–08 | La Liga | 25 | 2 | 8 | 1 | 3 | 0 | — | 36 | 3 | ||
| 2008–09 | La Liga | 28 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 38 | 5 | |
| 2009–10 | La Liga | 18 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 0 | — | 28 | 0 | ||
| Total | 263 | 41 | 28 | 5 | 66 | 10 | 7 | 1 | 364 | 57 | ||
| Career total | 463 | 78 | 37 | 7 | 74 | 12 | 7 | 1 | 581 | 98 | ||
International
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spain | 2000 | 3 | 1 |
| 2001 | 5 | 1 | |
| 2002 | 10 | 3 | |
| 2003 | 10 | 0 | |
| 2004 | 12 | 2 | |
| 2005 | 3 | 0 | |
| Total | 43 | 7 | |
- Scores and results list Spain's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Baraja goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 11 October 2000 | Ernst Happel, Vienna, Austria |  Austria |
1–1 | 1–1 | 2002 World Cup qualification |
| 2 | 25 April 2001 | Nuevo Arcángel, Córdoba, Spain |  Japan |
1–0 | 1–0 | Friendly |
| 3 | 17 April 2002 | Windsor Park, Belfast, Northern Ireland |  Northern Ireland |
2–0 | 5–0 | Friendly |
| 4 | 12 October 2002 | Carlos Belmonte, Albacete, Spain | Northern Ireland |
1–0 | 3–0 | Euro 2004 qualification |
| 5 | 3–0 | |||||
| 6 | 18 February 2004 | Lluís Companys, Barcelona, Spain |  Peru |
2–1 | 2–1 | Friendly |
| 7 | 5 June 2004 | Alfonso Pérez, Getafe, Spain |  Andorra |
2–0 | 4–0 | Friendly |
Managerial Statistics
| Team | Nat | From | To | Record | Ref | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Win % | |||||
| Valencia B (interim) |  |
15 December 2013 | 22 December 2013 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | +1 | 100.00 | |
| Elche | |
12 July 2015 | 6 June 2016 | 43 | 13 | 19 | 11 | 43 | 49 | −6 | 30.23 | |
| Rayo Vallecano | |
8 November 2016 | 20 February 2017 | 13 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 12 | 14 | −2 | 23.08 | |
| Sporting Gijón | |
12 December 2017 | 18 November 2018 | 43 | 20 | 9 | 14 | 59 | 42 | +17 | 46.51 | |
| Tenerife | |
2 December 2019 | 20 July 2020 | 28 | 12 | 9 | 7 | 38 | 27 | +11 | 42.86 | |
| Zaragoza | |
20 August 2020 | 9 November 2020 | 10 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 9 | 9 | +0 | 20.00 | |
| Valencia | |
14 February 2023 | 23 December 2024 | 78 | 26 | 20 | 32 | 82 | 95 | −13 | 33.33 | |
| Total | 216 | 77 | 65 | 74 | 245 | 237 | +8 | 35.65 | — | |||
Honours
Valencia
- La Liga: 2001–02, 2003–04
- Copa del Rey: 2007–08
- UEFA Cup: 2003–04
- UEFA Super Cup: 2004
Individual
- ESM Team of the Year: 2001–02
- UEFA Super Cup Man of the Match: 2004
Images for kids
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Baraja as Elche manager in 2016
See also
In Spanish: Rubén Baraja para niños
