Jorge Valdano
Jorge Alberto Francisco Valdano Castellanos (Las Parejas, October 4, 1955) is an Argentine speaker, former soccer player and former coach. He was a world champion with Argentina in the 1986 World Cup in Mexico, he played as a forward and his first team was Newell's Old Boys. As a coach, he developed his entire career in Spain, directing Club Deportivo Tenerife, Valencia CF, Real Madrid, Deportivo Alavés and Real Zaragoza. He currently works as a commentator for Movistar Liga de Campeones and Movistar LaLiga also intervenes in the program El Transistor , from “Onda Cero”.
From 2003 to 2009 he was the sports director of Real Madrid Club de Fútbol, when Florentino Pérez included him in the candidacy three years after winning the club's elections in 2000. Between June 1, 2009 and May 25 In 2011 he faced a new stage, this time as CEO and deputy to the presidency of Florentino Pérez.
He resigned from his position on May 25, 2011. According to the president, his departure was justified by the "dysfunction of his position with that of the coach", since José Mourinho was trying to get closer to the English model, where the coach has the highest authority in sports management.
After his resignation, Valdano began to alternate his activities as a columnist in different media outlets with that of a football commentator on the television network La Sexta. In the summer of 2011, it was announced that Jorge would join the Cadena SER carousel deportivo program, where he was a commentator on Real Madrid matches for a few years. Currently, he participates in the radio program El Transistor.
In 2006, he survived a helicopter crash in Mexico.
Due to his goals, achievements and career, he was included by FIFA in the soccer hall of fame in 2017.
Sports career
Footballer
He began his career in Rosario, in the youth ranks of Newell's Old Boys. Very soon, in 1973, he made his debut with the first team, specifically on August 5. He scored 11 goals in the First Division with his team. He was part of the rojinegro squad that won the first Argentine League title in its history, in the Metropolitano in 1974.
In 1975 he reached the Spanish soccer league, specifically the Second Division, signing for Deportivo Alavés. In total he scored 21 goals with the Basque team.
In 1979 he signed for Real Zaragoza. With that team he made his debut in the First Division of Spain on September 9, 1979 in the Zaragoza 2: 2 FC Barcelona match, where Valdano scored his team's second goal. With the Aragonese team, Valdano played 172 games and scored 71 goals.
In 1984 he joined Real Madrid. In his first season at the club he achieved his record scorer in the Spanish First Division soccer league, 17 goals, forming a fearsome front line with Mexican center forward Hugo Sánchez and Spanish Emilio Butragueño. With the Madrid team he won 2 Leagues, a League Cup and two UEFA Cups. In total he played 120 games and scored 56 goals with the white team.
March 1, 1987 was his last game as a soccer player, since he later retired due to an illness, hepatitis B.
He played a total of 292 games in the Spanish First Division, scoring 127 goals.
National team
With the Under-21 team he was champion in the 1975 Toulon Hopes Tournament, directed by César Luis Menotti.
He was later capped by the Argentina Mayor soccer team 22 times, scoring a total of 11 goals. He was part of the champion squad in the 1986 World Cup in Mexico, scoring four goals: two against South Korea, one against Bulgaria and his fourth goal was Argentina's 2-0 partial in the final against Germany. The latter, the most important of his career, was reported by Valdano himself as follows:
Playing a world and a world ending was a recurring dream from a child. That party was convinced that we were going to win it, the Negro Enrique touched me by passing the half court over the German mark and I always said that all the way to the arch, I was praying a prayer to the value, which in summary said: “Come!!” After the goal I thought: Will it be true? Is it the real world or is it again the dream of all my life that I am putting a goal at the end of the world? It is the fear that your mother wakes you... at the end of the game I looked at the sick rostrum and said, "You are the champion of the world!" It was the feeling that he was a great privileged, they're amazing memories that last for a lifetime.
In 1990, after training for several months to be called up for the World Cup in Italy, he was dismissed at the last moment by Carlos Salvador Bilardo, coach of the national team. In allusion to this fact, his phrase is remembered: “I swam across the ocean and drowned on the shore” .
Participations in World Cups
| World | Headquarters | Outcome | PJ | Goles |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 World Cup Soccer | Spain Spain
| Phase two | 2 | 0 |
| 1986 World Cup Soccer | Mexico Mexico
| Champion | 7 | 4 |
Coach
In 1992 he returned to football as a coach, signing for Club Deportivo Tenerife. That season he prevented the island team from being relegated and also prevented Real Madrid from winning the league title, winning the last league game played in Tenerife. The following year he qualified the Canarian team for the UEFA Cup.
In 1994 he began to train Real Madrid, where he stayed for a year and a half. In his first season, he wins the League. He made Raúl González Blanco debut in the Spanish league. During the preseason of that year, he stated that he would not have the services of the players Iván Zamorano or José Emilio Amavisca. However, both would end up being the undisputed starters of the team, the first even being the Pichichi of the League.
He was sacked at the beginning of 1996, in the first game of the second round, after Rayo Vallecano's victory at the Bernabéu.
In November 1996, once the 96-97 season had started, he signed as the new coach of Valencia CF, getting 10th place in the League. He was fired shortly after starting the following campaign.In total he coached 167 games in the Spanish First Division.
Other jobs
Valdano has worked as a commentator in various media outlets: Canal+, Movistar+, El País newspaper, Marca newspaper, Cadena SER, Telemadrid, Televisión Azteca (Mexico) and La Sexta (Spain).
After retiring as a coach, he has written five books: Soccer Dreams, Soccer Tales, Soccer Tales II, Valdano's notebooks and Scenic fright and other herbs.
On September 16, 1987, while still active at Real Madrid, Valdano made his debut as a commentator on Spanish Television in the European Cup match between Real Madrid and Napoli, remembered for being played behind closed doors.
In September 1990, he joined the then recently created Canal+ pay channel to comment on its First Division matches during the 1990/1991 season.
In 1998, he was invited by the journalist and television director José Ramón Fernández to be part of the team of Los Protagonistas, a stellar sports program on TV Azteca, to cover the 1998 Soccer World Cup with his comments along with personalities such as Cesar Luis Menotti and Emilio Butragueño. He collaborated again for Los Protagonistas in the World Cups in Germany 2006, Brazil 2014 and Russia 2018.
He was also the general sports director of Real Madrid until June 2004. On June 1, 2009, after the inauguration of Florentino Pérez as the new president of Real Madrid, he was appointed general director of the Presidency. He held said position until May 2011, when he was dismissed by Florentino Pérez. Rafael Martín Vázquez would enter his position.
He was a collaborator on the program Don't tell me you don't like football (2007-2009) on La Sexta chain, as well as being a commentator on some matches offered by said chain.
In 2006 the book Passion according to Valdano by the Argentine journalist Ariel Scher was published, which compiles conversations that he had with Valdano, where he talks about the origins of the coach, the relationship between sport, business and politics and the interviewee also gives his opinion on current soccer players such as Ronaldo, Ronaldinho and Ibrahimović, among others. In 2006 Valdano published a memorable chapter comparing Guardiola and Maradona and their leadership styles in the book Intelligent Administration published by the Ministry of Public Administration.
Between 2006 and 2009, he held the position of General Director of the Real Madrid School of University Studies-Universidad Europea de Madrid Archived 2012-03-28 at the Wayback Machine.
In the summer of 2011, Valdano was hired by Cadena SER for the Carrusel deportivo program, where he will be a commentator on Real Madrid matches starting in the 2011-2012 season.
In May 2014, prior to the Soccer World Cup, he worked as a motivator for the Honduras soccer team, led by Luis Fernando Suárez at the time.
In 1999, together with Andoni Zubizarreta and Juan Antonio Corbalán, he founded the consultancy Makeateam, specialized in transferring the values of sport to business organizations. Various elite athletes participated as consultants in it, such as the skier Paco Fernández Ochoa, the basketball player Juanma López de Iturriaga, or the pilot Balba Camino. He was president and director of the company until his friendly departure from it, in 2013, to dedicate himself to to his facet as a lecturer.
Currently, he is a regular commentator for Movistar+ for the Spanish League and the UEFA Champions League. He also directs the Universo Valdano program for said platform.
Clubs
As a player
| Club | Country | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Newell's Old Boys |  Argentina
| 1972-1976 |
| Real Zaragoza | SpainSpain
| 1976-1980 |
| Valencia CF | 1980-1983 | |
| Real Madrid C. F. | 1983-1985 | |
| Club Deportivo Tenerife | 1989-1990 |
As a coach
| Club | Country | Year |
|---|---|---|
| C. D. Tenerife | SpainSpain
| 1990-1992 |
| Valencia C. F. | 1992-1994 | |
| Real Madrid C. F. | 1994-1996 | |
| U. D. Las Palmas | 1996-1999 | |
| Real Zaragoza | 1999-2001 |
Honours of Prizes
As a player
National Championships
| Title | Club | Country | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Metropolitan | Newell's Old Boys | Argentina
| 1974 |
| League Cup | Real Madrid | SpainSpain
| 1985 |
| Spanish League | 1986 | ||
| Spanish League | 1987 |
International Cup
| Title | Equipment | Country | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| UEFA Cup | Real Madrid | SpainSpain
| 1985 |
| UEFA Cup | Germany Germany
| 1986 | |
| World Cup Soccer | Selection of Argentina | Mexico Mexico
| 1986 |
Individual awards
| Distinction | Year |
|---|---|
| Don Balon Award for Best Foreign Player | 1986 |
As a coach
National Championships
| Title | Club | Country | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spanish League | Real Madrid | SpainSpain
| 1995 |
Individual awards
| Distinction | Year |
|---|---|
| Gold Medal of the European University of Madrid for its outstanding work at the EURM Archived on March 28, 2012 at Wayback Machine. | 2009 |
Participations in World Cups
- He participated in the 1982 Spanish Football World Cup playing two games against Belgium and Hungary.
- He participated in the 1986 Mexico Soccer World Cup, playing all the games (7 matches: South Korea, Italy, Bulgaria, Uruguay, England, Belgium and Federal Germany). Valdano scored the second goal (minute 55) of the final Argentina 3:2 Germany Federal.