Santiago Cañizares facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Santiago Cañizares

Cañizares with Valencia in 2006
Personal information
Date of birth	(1969-12-18) 18 December 1969 (age 55)
Place of birth	Madrid, Spain
Height	1.81 m
Playing position	Goalkeeper
Youth career
	Calvo Sotelo
1985–1988	Real Madrid
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1988–1989	Real Madrid C
1989–1990	Real Madrid B	35	(0)
1988–1992	Real Madrid	0	(0)
1990–1991	→ Elche (loan)	7	(0)
1991–1992	→ Mérida (loan)	38	(0)
1992–1994	Celta	74	(0)
1994–1998	Real Madrid	41	(0)
1998–2008	Valencia	305	(0)
Total		500	(0)
National team
1985–1986	Spain U16	10	(0)
1987	Spain U17	1	(0)
1986–1988	Spain U18	8	(0)
1988–1989	Spain U19	5	(0)
1989–1990	Spain U20	6	(0)
1990–1991	Spain U21	3	(0)
1991–1992	Spain U23	6	(0)
1993–2006	Spain	46	(0)
Honours Representing  Spain Olympic Games Gold 1992 UEFA European Under-16 Championship Winner 1986
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

José Santiago Cañizares Ruiz (born December 18, 1969) is a famous Spanish former footballer. He played as a goalkeeper. After his football career, he became a rally driver.

Santiago Cañizares started his football journey in the youth teams of Real Madrid. He later joined Valencia in 1998. He played over 400 official matches for Valencia. During his time there, he helped the club win many important titles. These included two La Liga championships and the UEFA Cup in 2004.

He also played for the Spanish national team. He took part in three World Cups and three European Championships. In 1992, he won a gold medal at the Summer Olympics. Many people, including famous goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel, thought he was one of the best goalkeepers in the world.

Football Career Highlights

Santiago Cañizares was born in Madrid. He grew up in Puertollano. He began his football career with Real Madrid in 1988. He first played for their C team.

Early Club Teams

Cañizares started playing professionally with teams like Elche and Mérida. He then joined Celta de Vigo. He made his first appearance in Spain's top league, La Liga, with Celta in the 1992–93 season. He played almost every league game for them. After this, he returned to Real Madrid.

Time at Real Madrid

At Real Madrid, it was hard for him to become the main goalkeeper. He played 26 matches in the 1997–98 season. But he lost his spot to another goalkeeper, Bodo Illgner. This meant he missed playing in the 1998 Champions League final.

Success with Valencia

In 1998, Cañizares moved to Valencia. He took over from the retiring goalkeeper Andoni Zubizarreta. He quickly helped Valencia win the Spanish Cup and Supercup in 1999.

Valencia also reached the UEFA Champions League finals two years in a row, in 2000 and 2001. In the 2001 final, he even saved a penalty kick! He helped Valencia win national championships in 2002 and 2004. They also won the UEFA Cup and the UEFA Super Cup in 2004.

In December 2007, the manager Ronald Koeman decided to remove Cañizares and two teammates from the main squad. However, in April 2008, a new coach, Voro, brought them back. Cañizares returned to play on April 27, 2008, helping Valencia win 3–0 against Osasuna.

On May 16, 2008, Cañizares decided to leave Valencia. He played his last game two days later against Atlético Madrid. He retired from football at almost 39 years old. He had played exactly 500 league matches in his career.

International Football Career

Santiago Cañizares played 46 times for the Spanish national team. His first game was on November 17, 1993. In that game, the main goalkeeper was sent off early. Cañizares stepped in and helped Spain win 1–0 against Denmark. This win helped Spain qualify for the 1994 FIFA World Cup.

He was often the second-choice goalkeeper for Spain. He played in five major international games. These included one game in the 1994 World Cup, three in UEFA Euro 2000, and one in the 2006 World Cup. He was also part of the squad for Euro 1996, the 1998 World Cup, and Euro 2004. However, he did not play in those tournaments.

Cañizares was supposed to be the starting goalkeeper for the 2002 FIFA World Cup. But he missed the tournament because of an unusual accident. He dropped an aftershave bottle, which cut a tendon in his foot. He was also in Spain's squad for the 2006 FIFA World Cup. He played his last international game in that tournament, a 1–0 win against Saudi Arabia.

Motor Racing Career

After his football career, Santiago Cañizares started a new hobby: rally driving. In October 2010, he competed in his first rally event. He drove a Suzuki Swift in the Sierra Morena Rally. The next year, he joined the Suzuki Ibérica Motor Sport team.

In 2016, he had an accident during the Sierra Morena Rally. He crashed his car but was not hurt. On June 17, 2017, Cañizares won his first rally race, the Rally de la Cerámica, driving a Porsche 997. Later that year, he became the champion of the Valencian Community in rallying.

Life After Football

A representation of Cañizares at the 2019 Falles

After retiring from football, Santiago Cañizares became a commentator for sports. He has seven children from his two marriages. His son, Lucas, was included in the squad list for Real Madrid for a league match in 2020.

Career Statistics

Club

International

Honours

Real Madrid

• La Liga: 1994–95, 1996–97
• Supercopa de España: 1997
• UEFA Champions League: 1997–98

Valencia

• La Liga: 2001–02, 2003–04
• Copa del Rey: 1998–99
• Supercopa de España: 1999; runner-up 2002, 2004
• UEFA Cup: 2003–04
• UEFA Super Cup: 2004
• UEFA Intertoto Cup: 1998
• UEFA Champions League runner-up: 1999–2000, 2000–01

Spain U16

• UEFA European Under-16 Championship: 1986

Spain U23

• Summer Olympic Games: 1992

Individual

• Ricardo Zamora Trophy: 1992–93 (shared), 2000–01, 2001–02, 2003–04
• UEFA Team of the Year: 2001

See also

In Spanish: Santiago Cañizares para niños

• List of La Liga players (400+ appearances)
• List of Valencia CF players (+100 appearances)