Salva Ballesta facts for kids
Salva playing for Levante in 2007
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Salvador Ballesta Vialcho | ||
| Date of birth | 22 May 1975 | ||
| Place of birth | Zaragoza, Spain | ||
| Height | 1.84 m (6 ft 0 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Striker | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Sevilla | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1994–1996 | Sevilla B | 36 | (10) |
| 1995–1998 | Sevilla | 49 | (15) |
| 1996 | → Écija (loan) | 17 | (6) |
| 1998–2000 | Racing Santander | 52 | (29) |
| 2000–2001 | Atlético Madrid | 33 | (21) |
| 2001–2005 | Valencia | 24 | (5) |
| 2003 | → Bolton Wanderers (loan) | 6 | (0) |
| 2003–2004 | → Málaga (loan) | 34 | (18) |
| 2004–2005 | → Atlético Madrid (loan) | 28 | (7) |
| 2005–2009 | Málaga | 87 | (28) |
| 2007 | → Levante (loan) | 14 | (4) |
| 2009–2010 | Albacete | 23 | (5) |
| Total | 403 | (148) | |
| International career | |||
| 1996–1998 | Spain U21 | 9 | (2) |
| 1997 | Spain U23 | 4 | (2) |
| 2000–2004 | Spain | 4 | (0) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2013−2015 | Málaga B | ||
| 2017−2018 | Jaén | ||
| 2018−2019 | Móstoles | ||
| 2020−2021 | Algeciras | ||
| 2021–2022 | UCAM Murcia | ||
| 2022 | San Fernando | ||
| 2024 | Estepona | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Salvador Ballesta Vialcho (born May 22, 1975), known as Salva, is a Spanish former professional footballer. He played as a striker, which means he was a forward player whose main job was to score goals. After his playing career, he became a manager (coach) for different football teams.
Salva was known for being a great goalscorer. He also worked very hard on the field. He played for many top clubs in Spain, including Atlético Madrid, Valencia, and Málaga. With Valencia, he won his only major team trophy. He played in 235 games in Spain's top league, La Liga, scoring 86 goals. He also played 126 games in the second division, scoring 52 goals.
Off the field, Salva was known for his strong love for his country and his interest in military history.
Contents
Playing Career Highlights
Starting Out in Football
Salva was born in Zaragoza, a city in Spain. He started his professional football journey with Sevilla. He quickly showed his talent for scoring goals.
Becoming a Top Scorer
In the 1999–2000 season, Salva played for Racing de Santander. He was the top scorer in La Liga, Spain's main football league. He scored an amazing 27 goals that season, winning the Pichichi Trophy. This award is given to the highest goalscorer in La Liga each year.
After this success, he moved to Atlético Madrid. Even though they were in the second division at the time, Salva scored 21 goals for them. He was their leading scorer, showing his skill even when his team wasn't in the top league.
Winning the League with Valencia
In 2001, Salva joined Valencia. He helped them win the league championship in the 2001–02 season. This was a big achievement for Valencia, as they hadn't won the league in 31 years! Salva scored five goals that season to help his team.
He didn't play as much the next season. He even had a short loan spell with Bolton Wanderers in England in 2003. He helped them avoid being relegated from the Premier League.
Loan Spells and Return to Málaga
From 2003 to 2005, Salva had two more loan periods. He played for Málaga, where he scored 21 goals in total. One memorable moment was when he scored three goals (a hat-trick) in a 5–1 win against Barcelona in December 2003. He also had another loan spell with Atlético Madrid.
Later, he officially signed with Málaga. In 2007, he went on loan to Levante. He scored the only goal in a big away win against Real Madrid. After helping Levante stay in the top league, he returned to Málaga. He scored seven goals to help Málaga get promoted back to La Liga.
Later Career and Retirement
In his final years, Salva faced some injuries. However, he still made important contributions. In one game in 2009, he came off the bench and scored two goals to help Málaga win 3–2 after being 0–2 down. He also scored two goals in a 2–2 draw against his former club, Sevilla.
In 2009, he joined Albacete at the age of 34. He played mostly as a backup player. After one season, he retired from playing professional football.
Playing for Spain
Salva also played for the Spanish national team four times. His first game was a friendly match against Poland in January 2000. He also played for Spain's Under-21 and Under-23 teams earlier in his career.
Coaching Career
After he stopped playing, Salva became a coach. He started by coaching youth teams at his former club, Málaga.
In 2013, he became the manager of Málaga's reserve team, Atlético Malagueño. He coached them for two years. After that, he continued to manage other teams in Spain's lower leagues. These teams included Real Jaén, Móstoles, Algeciras, UCAM Murcia, San Fernando, and Estepona.
Personal Life and Views
Salva was known for being very open about his beliefs. He had a strong love for his country, Spain. He even showed the Spanish flag on his football boots. He came from a family with a military background.
He once said that he would be the first to serve in the Iraq War if he were called upon by the prime minister at the time. He also supported a military helicopter school in his hometown.
In 2013, Salva was considered for an assistant coach job at Celta de Vigo. However, he was not chosen for the role.
Managerial Statistics
| Team | Nat | From | To | Record | Ref | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Win % | |||||
| Málaga B |  |
12 July 2013 | 1 June 2015 | 82 | 50 | 15 | 17 | 149 | 77 | +72 | 60.98 | |
| Jaén | |
26 September 2017 | 22 February 2018 | 22 | 13 | 3 | 6 | 34 | 17 | +17 | 59.09 | |
| Móstoles | |
19 June 2018 | 26 June 2019 | 42 | 23 | 8 | 11 | 43 | 28 | +15 | 54.76 | |
| Algeciras | |
20 January 2020 | 17 June 2021 | 33 | 14 | 10 | 9 | 37 | 36 | +1 | 42.42 | |
| UCAM Murcia | |
9 November 2021 | 20 March 2022 | 17 | 4 | 4 | 9 | 24 | 28 | −4 | 23.53 | |
| San Fernando | |
21 September 2022 | 11 December 2022 | 12 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 11 | 15 | −4 | 25.00 | |
| Estepona | |
9 April 2024 | 18 June 2024 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | +0 | 25.00 | |
| Total | 212 | 108 | 45 | 59 | 300 | 203 | +97 | 50.94 | — | |||
Honours and Awards
Salva achieved several important honours during his football career:
With Valencia
- La Liga: 2001–02 (Spanish League Champions)
With Spain U21
- UEFA European Under-21 Championship: 1998 (European Champions for Under-21 teams)
Individual Awards
- Pichichi Trophy: 1999–2000 (Top Scorer in La Liga)
- Pichichi Trophy (Segunda División): 2000–01 (Top Scorer in Spain's Second Division)
See also
In Spanish: Salva Ballesta para niños
