Santi Denia facts for kids
Santi as Spain U19 manager
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| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Santiago Denia Sánchez | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 9 March 1974 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Albacete, Spain | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.82 m | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Playing position | Centre-back | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Club information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Current club | 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) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| National team | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1991 | Spain U18 | 1 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1992–1996 | Spain U21 | 27 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1996 | Spain U23 | 3 | (1) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1997–1998 | Spain | 2 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Teams managed | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2009 | Atlético Madrid (assistant) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2009 | Atlético Madrid (caretaker) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2010–2018 | Spain U17 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2018–2022 | Spain U19 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2022– | Spain U21 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2024 | Spain Olympic | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Honours
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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.
Contents
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
- La Liga: 1995–96
- Copa del Rey: 1995–96
- Segunda División: 2001–02
Spain U21
- UEFA European Under-21 Championship runner-up: 1996
- 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
- UEFA European Under-21 Championship runner-up: 2023
Spain U23
- Summer Olympics gold medal: 2024
