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Santi
Santi Denia 2019.jpg
Santi as Spain U19 manager
Personal information
Full name Santiago Denia Sánchez
Date of birth (1974-03-09) 9 March 1974 (age 51)
Place of birth Albacete, Spain
Height 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)
Position(s) Centre-back
Team information
Current team
Spain U21 (manager)
Youth career
Albacete
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1992–1995 Albacete 98 (2)
1995–2005 Atlético Madrid 225 (7)
2005 Albacete (loan) 12 (0)
2005–2007 Albacete 26 (1)
Total 361 (10)
International career
1991 Spain U18 1 (0)
1992–1996 Spain U21 27 (0)
1996 Spain U23 3 (1)
1997–1998 Spain 2 (0)
Managerial career
2009 Atlético Madrid (assistant)
2009 Atlético Madrid (caretaker)
2010–2018 Spain U17
2018–2022 Spain U19
2022– Spain U21
2024 Spain Olympic
Medal record
Men's football
Representing  Spain (as manager)
Olympic Games
Gold 2024 Paris Team
FIFA U-17 World Cup
Runner-up 2017 India Team
UEFA European Under-21 Championship
Runner-up 2023 Georgia–Romania Team
UEFA European Under-19 Championship
Winner 2019 Armenia Team
UEFA European Under-17 Championship
Winner 2017 Croatia Team
Runner-up 2016 Azerbaijan Team
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Santiago Denia Sánchez (born 9 March 1974), known as Santi, is a Spanish former football player. He played as a central defender. Today, he is the manager of the Spain under-21 national team.

Santi played in 297 matches in La Liga, which is Spain's top football league. He scored eight goals during his 11 seasons there. He played for Albacete and Atlético Madrid. In 1996, he helped Atlético Madrid win the league championship.

Santi Denia: A Football Journey

Playing Days: From Albacete to Atlético

Santi was born in Albacete, Spain. He started his professional football career with his hometown team, Albacete Balompié. He was only 18 when he played his first game in La Liga. He quickly became a key player for the team. Albacete managed to stay in the top league thanks to strong players like him.

In 1995, Santi joined Atlético Madrid. In his very first season, he helped them win both the league and the Copa del Rey (Spanish Cup). He was part of a strong defense. He played in 37 league matches that season.

Later, in 2000, Atlético Madrid was moved down to a lower league. Santi started to play less for the team. In 2005, he went back to his first club, Albacete, on loan. This move became permanent later that year. He played two more years for Albacete, which was then in the Segunda División (second division). After that, he retired from playing.

In 2009, Santi returned to Atlético Madrid. This time, he was an assistant coach. He even took charge of the team for one game as a temporary manager.

Coaching the Next Generation

Santi also played for the Spanish national team twice. His first game was in 1997 against the Faroe Islands. He also played in a friendly match against Sweden in 1998. However, he did not play in the 1998 FIFA World Cup.

Before that, Santi played for Spain's under-23 team in the 1996 Summer Olympics. After he stopped playing, he became a coach for Spain's youth teams. He coached the under-17s and the under-19s.

In 2019, he led the under-19 team to win the UEFA European Under-19 Championship. This was a big achievement for the young players. In December 2022, Santi became the manager of the under-21 national team. This happened after the previous manager moved to coach the main Spanish national team.

Major Wins and Achievements

Santi has won many awards both as a player and as a coach.

  • As a Player*

Atlético Madrid

Spain U21

  • As a Manager*

Spain U17

  • UEFA European Under-17 Championship: 2017
  • UEFA European Under-17 Championship runner-up: 2016
  • FIFA U-17 World Cup runner-up: 2017

Spain U19

  • UEFA European Under-19 Championship: 2019

Spain U21

Spain U23

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