Santiago Cañizares facts for kids
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Cañizares with Valencia in 2006
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| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | José Santiago Cañizares Ruiz | ||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 18 December 1969 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Madrid, Spain | ||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.81 m (5 ft 11 in) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | 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) | |||||||||||||||||
| International career | |||||||||||||||||||
| 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) | ||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||||||||||||||||||
José Santiago Cañizares Ruiz is a famous Spanish former footballer (soccer player). He was a goalkeeper, which means he protected the goal.
Santiago was born on December 18, 1969. He played for many years, mostly for Valencia and Real Madrid. He won many important titles with these teams. He also played for the Spanish national team in big tournaments like the World Cup.
Contents
Playing for Clubs
Santiago Cañizares was born in Madrid, Spain. He grew up in a town called Puertollano. He started his football journey with Real Madrid in 1988.
Early Career and Loans
At first, he played for Real Madrid's younger teams. To gain experience, he was loaned out to other clubs. He played for Elche and Mérida. Then, he joined Celta de Vigo. He played very well there, becoming a regular starter.
Return to Real Madrid
After his time at Celta, Santiago returned to Real Madrid. He played for the main team but found it hard to be the first-choice goalkeeper. Even though he played 26 matches in one season, he sometimes lost his spot. He missed the Champions League final in 1998.
Success with Valencia
In 1998, Santiago moved to Valencia. This was a big move for him. He quickly became a key player for the team. He helped Valencia win the Copa del Rey (Spanish Cup) and the Supercopa de España in 1999.
Valencia also reached the UEFA Champions League finals two years in a row, in 2000 and 2001. Santiago was a hero in the 2001 final, even saving a penalty. Valencia won the La Liga championship twice with him, in 2002 and 2004. They also won the UEFA Cup and the UEFA Super Cup in 2004.
Later Years at Valencia
Towards the end of 2007, Santiago faced a tough time. The manager, Ronald Koeman, decided to remove him and two other teammates from the main squad. They were only allowed to train.
However, things changed when Koeman left. Santiago and his teammates were brought back to help Valencia avoid relegation. He played his last game for Valencia on May 18, 2008. He retired from football at almost 39 years old. He played exactly 500 league matches in his career.
Playing for Spain
Santiago Cañizares played 46 times for the Spanish national team. His first game was in 1993. In that match, the main goalkeeper was sent off early, and Santiago came in. He helped Spain win the game without letting in any goals.
World Cups and European Championships
Even though he was a great goalkeeper, Santiago was often the second choice for Spain. He played in three World Cups and three European Championships. However, he only played a few games in these big tournaments. He was usually behind other famous goalkeepers like Andoni Zubizarreta and Iker Casillas.
He was part of the team that won a gold medal at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona. But he did not play in any of those matches.
Missing the 2002 World Cup
Santiago was supposed to be the starting goalkeeper for the 2002 FIFA World Cup. But he had a very unusual accident. He dropped an aftershave bottle, which cut a tendon in his foot. This injury sadly made him miss the entire tournament.
His last game for Spain was in the 2006 FIFA World Cup against Saudi Arabia.
How He Played
Many people thought Santiago Cañizares was one of the best goalkeepers of his time. Another famous goalkeeper, Peter Schmeichel, even called him the best in the world in 2004.
Santiago was known for his quick reflexes and his ability to stop penalties. He was also very consistent and calm under pressure. He had a great sense of where to be on the field and was good at telling his defenders what to do. He was a strong voice in the goal.
Motor Racing Career
After retiring from football, Santiago Cañizares started a new hobby: motor racing. In October 2010, he competed in his first official rally race. He drove a Suzuki Swift car.
He continued racing in the Spanish Rally Championship. In 2016, he had a crash during a race but was not hurt. In 2017, he 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
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After his football and racing careers, Santiago Cañizares became a sports commentator. He has seven children from his two marriages.
In 2018, Santiago shared the sad news that his five-year-old son, Santi, had passed away due to cancer.
In 2020, it was reported that his son, Lucas, was following in his footsteps. Lucas was included in the squad list for Real Madrid for a league match.
Honours and Awards
Santiago Cañizares won many awards and titles during his football career.
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
- 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 (Gold Medal)
Individual Awards
- Ricardo Zamora Trophy (Best Goalkeeper in La Liga): 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 (players with 400+ appearances)
- List of Valencia CF players (players with +100 appearances)
