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 (6 ft 0 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Centre-back | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 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 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2022–2025 | Spain U21 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2024 | Spain Olympic | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Santiago Denia Sánchez (born March 9, 1974), known as Santi, is a Spanish former professional footballer. He played as a central defender. Today, he is a football manager.
Santi played in 297 matches in La Liga, Spain's top football league. He scored eight goals during his 11 seasons there. He played for Albacete and Atlético Madrid. With Atlético Madrid, he helped his team win the league championship in 1996.
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Playing Career Highlights
Santi started his professional football journey with his hometown team, Albacete Balompié. He was only 18 years old when he first played in La Liga. He quickly became a key player for Albacete. His strong defense helped the team stay in the top league.
Joining Atlético Madrid
In 1995, Santi moved to Atlético Madrid. In his very first season, he achieved great success. His team won both the league championship and the Copa del Rey (Spanish Cup). He played in 37 league matches that season. He was part of a strong defense with players like Juan Manuel López and Roberto Solozábal.
After Atlético Madrid was relegated in 2000, Santi played less often. In 2005, he returned to Albacete on loan. Later, he made the move permanent. He played two more years for Albacete before retiring. At that time, Albacete was in the Segunda División, Spain's second division.
Return to Atlético Madrid as Coach
In 2009, Santi came back to Atlético Madrid. This time, he was an assistant coach. He even served as a temporary manager for one match. This was before Quique Sánchez Flores took over as the main coach.
International Football
Santi also played for the Spanish national team twice. His first game was in October 1997 against the Faroe Islands. Spain won the match 3–1. He also played in a friendly game against Sweden in March 1998.
Before playing for the senior national team, Santi represented Spain at the 1996 Summer Olympics.
Coaching the National Youth Teams
After he stopped playing, Santi became a coach for Spain's youth teams. He coached the Spain under-17s and later 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 head coach of the Spain under-21s. This happened after Luis de la Fuente moved up to coach the main national team. As of July 2025, Santi is still coaching the U21 team. He also coached the Spain Olympic team in 2024, leading them to a gold medal.
Honours and Achievements
Santi has won many awards both as a player and as a manager.
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
