Rubén de la Red facts for kids
De la Red playing for Real Madrid in 2008
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| Personal information | |||||||||||||
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| Full name | Rubén de la Red Gutiérrez | ||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 5 June 1985 | ||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Móstoles, Spain | ||||||||||||
| Height | 1.87 m (6 ft 1+1⁄2 in) | ||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Central midfielder | ||||||||||||
| Team information | |||||||||||||
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Current team
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Racing Madrid (manager) | ||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||
| 1999–2004 | Real Madrid | ||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||
| 2004–2007 | Real Madrid B | 95 | (14) | ||||||||||
| 2005–2007 | Real Madrid | 10 | (0) | ||||||||||
| 2007–2008 | Getafe | 31 | (2) | ||||||||||
| 2008–2010 | Real Madrid | 7 | (1) | ||||||||||
| Total | 143 | (17) | |||||||||||
| International career | |||||||||||||
| 2004–2006 | Spain U19 | 4 | (0) | ||||||||||
| 2006–2008 | Spain U21 | 5 | (0) | ||||||||||
| 2008 | Spain | 3 | (1) | ||||||||||
| Managerial career | |||||||||||||
| 2012–2015 | Real Madrid (youth) | ||||||||||||
| 2015–2016 | Getafe B | ||||||||||||
| 2018–2019 | Guangzhou Evergrande (youth) | ||||||||||||
| 2022–2025 | Al-Nasr (youth) | ||||||||||||
| 2025– | Racing Madrid | ||||||||||||
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Medal record
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| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||||||||||||
Rubén de la Red Gutiérrez (born on June 5, 1985) is a Spanish former professional football player. He used to play as a central midfielder, which is a player who helps both attack and defense in the middle of the field.
Rubén became well-known while playing for Getafe. Before that, he grew up playing in Real Madrid's youth academy, called La Fábrica.
He returned to Real Madrid in 2008. Sadly, he had a serious heart problem that stopped him from playing for two years. He then retired from playing football in November 2010.
Rubén de la Red was also part of the Spanish team that won the Euro 2008 tournament. After his playing career, he started working as a football coach.
Contents
Rubén's Football Journey
Starting at Real Madrid
Rubén de la Red was born in Móstoles, a town in Community of Madrid, Spain. He joined the Real Madrid youth system when he was 14 years old. At one point, he was sent to another club, CD Móstoles, because he was told he wasn't good enough. However, Real Madrid soon brought him back.
After his fourth year in the youth team, his coach, Quique Sánchez Flores, wanted Rubén to join him at his new club, Getafe CF. But Real Madrid decided to keep Rubén.
Rubén played his first game for Real Madrid's main team on November 10, 2004. It was a Copa del Rey match, which is Spain's main cup competition. His first game in La Liga, Spain's top football league, was on September 22, 2005. He played a few minutes in that game.
In the 2006–07 season, Rubén was called up to the main squad by the manager Fabio Capello. He played seven matches that season, helping Real Madrid win the league title. On November 9, 2006, he scored his first goal for the main team in a cup game. In July 2007, he signed a new contract with Real Madrid until 2011.
Time at Getafe
On August 31, 2007, Rubén de la Red moved to Getafe, another club in Madrid. Real Madrid kept the option to buy him back in the next two years. At Getafe, Rubén became a very important player. He often played as a playmaker, which means he helped create scoring chances for his team. Another player from Real Madrid's youth academy, Esteban Granero, also joined Getafe on loan.
During the 2007–08 season, Rubén sometimes had to play as a centre-back because other teammates were injured. This happened notably in a UEFA Cup game against FC Bayern Munich. In that European competition, he scored three goals in 11 matches. One memorable goal was in a 2–1 win against Tottenham Hotspur on October 25, 2007.
Back to Real Madrid and Retirement
In May 2008, Real Madrid's president confirmed that Rubén, along with Granero and Javi García, would return to the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium for the 2008–09 season. The coach, Bernd Schuster, said he wanted to give Rubén a chance to play in his team.
Rubén scored his first goal after returning to Real Madrid on August 24, 2008. It was in the Supercopa de España, a Spanish Super Cup match, against Valencia CF. He scored his first league goal for Real Madrid on September 21, 2008, in an away game against Racing de Santander.
On October 30, 2008, Rubén de la Red had to go to the hospital after feeling unwell during a Spanish Cup game. As a safety measure, he did not play for the rest of the season. Later, it was reported that he had a heart condition.
Because of his heart condition, Rubén missed the entire 2009–10 season. He also had regular medical tests to check on his health. On July 2, 2009, Real Madrid confirmed this news. When a new player, Raúl Albiol, joined Real Madrid, he was given Rubén's old jersey number, 18. Albiol said he would give the number back if Rubén could ever play again.
On November 3, 2010, Rubén de la Red announced that he was retiring from football at just 25 years old. Before this announcement, he said he would stay at Real Madrid as a youth coach. The club's director, Jorge Valdano, said that Rubén would become part of José Mourinho's coaching staff.
Playing for Spain
Rubén de la Red played for the Spain under-21 team before being called up to the senior national team. He was chosen for a friendly match against Italy on March 26, 2008, but he did not play in that game.
Even though he hadn't played for the senior team yet, he was picked for Spain's squad of 22 players for UEFA Euro 2008. Before the main tournament, he played in two friendly games against Peru and the United States.
During the Euro 2008 tournament, Rubén scored his only goal for the national team. It was a powerful shot against Greece on June 18, helping Spain win 2–1. Spain went on to win the entire tournament!
Becoming a Coach
On October 20, 2015, Rubén de la Red became the manager of Getafe's reserve team. This team played in the third tier of Spanish football. The team was moved down to a lower league in his only season as manager, and he left the club soon after.
In 2022, after working with youth teams at Guangzhou Evergrande FC in China and Al-Nasr SC (Dubai) in Dubai, Rubén started working with the Racing City Group. He often worked for their team, Racing Dallas. On July 1, 2025, he was named the head coach of Tercera Federación club Racing Madrid FC.
Trophies and Awards
Rubén de la Red won several important titles during his career:
With Real Madrid
- La Liga: 2006–07 (Spanish League Champions)
- Supercopa de España: 2008 (Spanish Super Cup)
With Getafe
- Copa del Rey runner-up: 2007–08 (They reached the final of the Spanish Cup)
With Spain National Team
- UEFA European Championship: 2008 (European Champions)
With Spain Under-19 Team
- UEFA European Under-19 Championship: 2004 (European Under-19 Champions)
See also
In Spanish: Rubén de la Red para niños
