José Aurelio Gay

José Aurelio Gay
Personal information
Full name José Aurelio Gay López
Date of birth (1965-12-10) 10 December 1965
Place of birth Madrid, Spain
Height 1.74 m (5 ft 8 1⁄2 in)
Playing position Midfielder
Youth career
Real Madrid
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1984–1988 Castilla 109 (14)
1988–1991 Español 80 (12)
1991–1996 Zaragoza 114 (20)
1996–1997 Oviedo 13 (0)
1997–1999 Toledo 30 (2)
Total 346 (48)
National team
1983 Spain U18 1 (0)
1985 Spain U19 1 (0)
1985 Spain U20 6 (0)
1985 Spain U21 2 (1)
Teams managed
1999–2000 Toledo
2001–2002 Real Madrid C
2002–2005 Pontevedra
2005–2006 Jaén
2006 Lorca Deportiva
2007–2008 Fuenlabrada
2008–2009 Pontevedra
2009 Zaragoza B
2009–2010 Zaragoza
2012–2013 Racing Santander
2013–2015 Real Madrid C
2016 Palencia

* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.


This name uses Spanish naming customs: the first or paternal family name is Gay and the second or maternal family name is López.

José Aurelio Gay López (born 10 December 1965) is a Spanish retired footballer who played as a midfielder, and a current coach.

Gay was associated with Zaragoza throughout his career, serving the club as both a player and manager.[1] Over the course of eight seasons he amassed La Liga totals of 180 games and 27 goals, starting playing football with Real Madrid Castilla.

Playing career

Born in Madrid, Gay began his playing career with Real Madrid and progressed to the team's reserve team, Castilla CF.[2] While at the club he was a member of the Spain U-20 side that finished runners-up at the 1985 FIFA World Youth Championship, starting five of the team's six games and appearing as a substitute in the other.[3]

After two seasons in the second division, Gay moved up to La Liga with RCD Español in the summer of 1988. He scored twice in 17 matches during his debut season, in which the Catalans were relegated, but eventually established himself in the club's starting XI, spending one season in the second level and another in the first; in 1990–91, his last year, he was the team's second-highest league goalscorer with five goals – only behind German Wolfram Wuttke – as he helped the team maintain its top flight status.

Gay moved to Real Zaragoza in the summer of 1991. In consecutive seasons he helped the Aragonese to the 1994 domestic cup and the following year's UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, although he was seriously injured during the latter campaign. He only appeared sparingly afterwards and left the club in June 1996.

Gay's final three seasons were spent at Real Oviedo and CD Toledo, with whom he spent two years in the second division, only amassing 43 league appearances combined, and retiring in 1999 at the age of 33. In total he played in nearly 350 games both major levels of Spanish football combined.

Managerial career

After his retirement Gay managed numerous teams in both the second and third divisions, starting at his last club Toledo immediately after hanging up his boots.

Real Madrid C, Pontevedra CF, Real Jaén, Lorca Deportiva CF, CF Fuenlabrada and Real Zaragoza B followed.[4] He took the reins of the latter's first team following the dismissal of Marcelino García Toral on 12 December 2009.[5]

Gay's first game in charge of Zaragoza saw his side lose 0–6 away against Real Madrid, a result that led to rumours that he would be replaced by Víctor Muñoz.[6] The reports, however, proved to be unfounded and he was offered the job until the summer of 2010.[1] After bringing in several new players in the January transfer window, the team's fortunes began to turn as he led the side out of the relegation zone by mid-February,[7] eventually finishing in 14th position.

In mid-November 2010, with Zaragoza ranking last in the league (eventually managing to avoid relegation), Gay was sacked by the club. On 12 December 2012, after more than two years out of work, he replaced fired Fabri at the helm of Racing de Santander.[8]

Honours

Spain U20

References

  1. 1 2 "Gay to stay at Zaragoza until end of season". ESPN Soccernet. 24 December 2009. Retrieved 26 February 2010.
  2. ↑ "Matchday 15 opponent: Real Zaragoza". Real Madrid C.F. 17 December 2009. Retrieved 26 February 2010.
  3. ↑ José Aurelio Gay – FIFA competition record
  4. ↑ "Jose Aurelio Gay, entrenador del Zaragoza B, a cargo del primer equipo" [Jose Aurelio Gay, Zaragoza B's manager, in charge of first team] (in Spanish). Join Futbol. 14 December 2009. Retrieved 26 February 2010.
  5. ↑ "José Aurelio Gay dirige su primer entrenamiento" [José Aurelio Gay's first practice] (in Spanish). Marca. 15 December 2009. Retrieved 26 February 2010.
  6. ↑ Cyrus C. Malek (23 December 2009). "Real Zaragoza change coaches again; Victor Munoz to replace Jose Aurelio Gay". Goal.com. Retrieved 26 February 2010.
  7. ↑ "Zaragoza vs Gijon preview". ESPN Star Sports. 20 February 2010. Retrieved 26 February 2010.
  8. ↑ "José Aurelio Gay, nuevo entrenador del Racing" [José Aurelio Gay, new Racing manager] (in Spanish). Racing Santander. 12 December 2012. Retrieved 14 December 2012.
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