Ángel María Villar facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ángel María Villar
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Villar in 2009
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| Senior Vice President of FIFA | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 16 March 2017 – 27 July 2017 |
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| President | Gianni Infantino | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Issa Hayatou | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | David Chung | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| First Vice President of UEFA | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 1992 – September 2017 |
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| President | Lennart Johansson Michel Platini Aleksander Čeferin |
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| Acting President of UEFA | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 9 October 2015 – 14 September 2016 |
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| Preceded by | Michel Platini | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Aleksander Čeferin | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 24th President of the Royal Spanish Football Federation | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 29 June 1988 – 27 July 2017 |
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| Preceded by | José Luis Roca | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Juan Luis Larrea (interim) Luis Rubiales |
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| Personal details | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born |
Ángel María Villar Llona
21 January 1950 Bilbao, Spain |
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| Height | 1.79 m (5 ft 10 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Occupation | Footballer (retired) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Ángel María Villar Llona (born 21 January 1950) is a Spanish former professional footballer. He played as a midfielder.
Villar spent ten years playing for Athletic Bilbao. He appeared in over 350 official matches and scored 11 goals. After his playing career, he became president of the Spanish Football Federation. He held this important role for almost 30 years.
Villar also played for the Spanish national team in the 1970s.
Contents
Playing Career: A Midfielder's Journey
Early Days and Club Success
Ángel María Villar was born in Bilbao, Biscay, Spain. He started his football journey in the youth teams of his local club, Athletic Bilbao. He gained experience by playing for other teams on loan (meaning he played for them temporarily).
In 1971, he returned to Athletic Bilbao. For nine out of his ten seasons with the team, he was a regular starter. He helped his team reach two Copa del Rey finals, winning the cup in 1973.
A Famous Match Moment
In March 1974, during a match against FC Barcelona, Villar had a notable moment. He accidentally elbowed the famous opposing player, Johan Cruyff. Villar was banned for four matches because of this. However, the two players later became friends. Villar retired seven years later, having played 361 games for Athletic Bilbao.
International Football: Representing Spain
Villar played 22 times for the Spanish national team and scored three goals. His first game for Spain was on 17 October 1973. It was a friendly match against Turkey in Istanbul.
His last game for Spain was on 9 December 1979. In this game, he helped Spain qualify for UEFA Euro 1980 by scoring a goal in a 3–1 win against Cyprus. However, he did not play in any major international tournaments.
Villar also played for the unofficial Basque Country team.
Life After Playing: A Leader in Football
From Player to Football Administrator
While still playing football, Villar studied law and became a lawyer in 1979. In the years that followed, he combined his legal work with various roles in football organizations. He was one of the people who helped start the Association of Spanish Footballers in 1978.
Villar worked for the Royal Spanish Football Federation before becoming its president in 1988. During his time as president, the Spanish national team achieved great success. They won the 2010 FIFA World Cup and the European Championships in 2008 and 2012.
Roles at UEFA and FIFA
Villar also held important positions at UEFA (European football's governing body) and FIFA (world football's governing body). He became vice president of UEFA in 1992 and FIFA in 2002. After the 2002 FIFA World Cup, he took on other leadership roles, including leading the Referees' Committee for both FIFA and UEFA.
He was involved in the bid for Spain and Portugal to host the 2018 FIFA World Cup, but their bid was not successful. In 2012, he was re-elected for his seventh term as president of the Spanish Federation, serving until 2016.
Acting President and Later Developments
In October 2015, Villar became UEFA's acting president after Michel Platini was suspended. In July 2017, he resigned from his positions at both FIFA and UEFA.
Personal Life
In September 2016, Ángel María Villar's niece, María Villar Galaz, passed away in Toluca, Mexico.
Honours
Athletic Bilbao
- Copa del Rey: 1972–73; runner-up: 1976–77
- UEFA Cup runner-up: 1976–77
Images for kids
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Villar in 2009
See also
In Spanish: Ángel María Villar para niños
