Rubén Baraja facts for kids
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Baraja as Elche manager in 2016
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Rubén Baraja Vegas | ||
| Date of birth | 11 July 1975 | ||
| Place of birth | Valladolid, Spain | ||
| Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | ||
| Position(s) | 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) | |
| International career | |||
| 1993 | Spain U18 | 3 | (1) |
| 2000–2005 | Spain | 43 | (7) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 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 | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Rubén Baraja Vegas is a Spanish former football player. He was born on July 11, 1975. After his playing career, he became a manager.
Rubén Baraja was a talented central midfielder. He was good at tackling, had great technique, and could score goals. He also made accurate passes. He spent most of his 17-year career playing for Valencia. He was a very important player for Valencia, helping them win five major titles. These titles included 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 played in 43 international games. He started working as a head coach in 2015. Eight years later, he became the manager for Valencia.
Contents
Playing Career Highlights
Club Football Journey
Rubén Baraja started his football journey in Valladolid, Spain. He began playing for his local team, Real Valladolid. Later, he moved to Atlético Madrid. He played for their reserve team, Atlético Madrid B, for two and a half seasons. He first played for the main Atlético Madrid team in February 1999. In the 1998–99 season, he scored his highest number of goals, netting eleven for the reserve team.
When Atlético Madrid was moved down to a lower league in 2000, Baraja joined Valencia. Valencia was looking for strong central midfielders at the time. In his first season with Valencia, he was key to their Champions League journey. Valencia reached the final but lost to Bayern Munich in a penalty shootout. Baraja scored his penalty kick in that game.
Winning Trophies with Valencia
In the 2001–02 season, Baraja won his first trophy with Valencia. 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. He scored seven goals in only 17 games after recovering from a knee injury. The 2003–04 season was another great year for him. Valencia won both the Spanish league championship and the UEFA Cup. Baraja scored eight league goals that season. Valencia beat Marseille 2–0 in the UEFA Cup final.
In later years, Baraja faced some physical problems. He played fewer games in the 2006–07 season. He continued to struggle with injuries in the 2009–10 season. He only played in 18 matches that year.
Rubén Baraja left Valencia after ten years on May 16, 2010. He received a warm farewell from the fans at the Mestalla Stadium. He was replaced in the 89th minute of his last game. The 35-year-old announced his retirement soon after. He had played in 338 top-level games over 15 seasons. He scored 47 goals in those games.
International Games for Spain
Rubén Baraja played his first game for Spain on October 7, 2000. This 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 in a penalty shootout. Baraja scored his penalty kick in that game. He also scored a goal during the game, but it was not allowed.
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 team. This was because of his ongoing injuries.
Coaching Career
Starting as a Coach
In June 2011, Baraja went back to his old team, Atlético Madrid. He joined the coaching staff of the new manager, Gregorio Manzano. In the summer of 2013, he returned to Valencia. He started by coaching the youth teams.
In December 2013, Baraja briefly took charge of Valencia's reserve team, Valencia B. He led them to a 2–1 victory against Sant Andreu.
Managing in the Second Division
Baraja became the manager of Elche on July 12, 2015. Elche had just been moved down to the second division. He resigned in June 2016 after not agreeing on new contract terms.
On November 8, 2016, Baraja took over as manager of Rayo Vallecano, another second-division team. He was in charge for only three wins out of 13 games. He was let go on February 20, 2017, as the team was close to the relegation zone.
Baraja was then appointed manager of Sporting de Gijón on December 12, 2017. He was dismissed on November 18, 2018. This happened after his team lost a local derby match. The team was in 14th place at the time. In December 2019, he became the coach of Tenerife in the same league. He helped them avoid being moved down to a lower league. He left the club on July 20, 2020.
Baraja replaced Víctor Fernández at Real Zaragoza on August 20, 2020. He was relieved of his duties on November 9, 2020. This was after a difficult start to the season.
Return to Valencia as Head Coach
On February 14, 2023, Baraja returned to his former club, Valencia, as head coach. The team was struggling and had dropped to 18th place. His long-time teammate, Carlos Marchena, joined his coaching team. His first top-flight game as a manager was a 1–0 loss to Getafe.
Baraja helped Valencia avoid being moved down to a lower league. A 1–1 draw against Real Betis on the final day of the season secured their safety. He then signed a new contract for two more years. However, on December 23, 2024, Baraja was sacked. This was after the team had only achieved 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. He also started his career at Valladolid and spent most of his playing time there.
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
See also
In Spanish: Rubén Baraja para niños
