José Ramón Alexanko
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | José Ramón Alexanko Ventosa | ||
| Date of birth | 19 May 1956 | ||
| Place of birth | Barakaldo, Spain | ||
| Height | 1.82 m (5 ft 11 1⁄2 in) | ||
| Playing position | Centre back | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Llodio | |||
| Athletic Bilbao | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1973–1976 | Bilbao Athletic | 97 | (9) |
| 1976–1980 | Athletic Bilbao | 91 | (8) |
| 1976 | → Alavés (loan) | 5 | (0) |
| 1980–1993 | Barcelona | 274 | (26) |
| Total | 440 | (43) | |
| National team | |||
| 1977 | Spain U21 | 2 | (0) |
| 1978–1982 | Spain | 34 | (4) |
| 1979 | Basque Country | 1 | (0) |
| Teams managed | |||
| 1997–1998 | Universitatea Craiova | ||
| 1998–1999 | National Bucureşti | ||
| 2000–2002 | Barcelona (assistant) | ||
|
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. | |||
José Ramón Alexanko Ventosa (Spanish pronunciation: [xo'se ra'mon alek'saŋko βen'tosa]; born 19 May 1956) is a Spanish retired footballer and manager.
During his career the central defender played with success for both Athletic Bilbao and Barcelona, winning several accolades for the latter – 16 in total – and appearing in 367 La Liga games over the course of 17 seasons (34 goals).[1]
A Spanish international on more than 30 occasions, Alexanko represented the nation in one World Cup and one European Championship.
Club career
Athletic Bilbao
Born in Barakaldo, Biscay, Alexanko joined Athletic Bilbao's youth system in 1972, then served an unassuming loan with Basque neighbours Deportivo Alavés – second division – and returned subsequently. He made his La Liga debut on 12 December 1976, in a 5–2 home win against RCD Español (30 minutes played).[2]
An undisputed starter from his second season onwards, Alexanko's highlights at Athletic were winning two runners-up medals, one in the Copa del Rey and one in the UEFA Cup, both in 1977. Among his teammates were veterans José Ángel Iribar and Javier Irureta.
Barcelona
In 1980 Alexanko signed for FC Barcelona, paving the way for a number of fellow Basque players including José Mari Bakero, Txiki Begiristain, Ion Andoni Goikoetxea, Julio Salinas and Andoni Zubizarreta. With him as captain they formed the backbone of the legendary Dream Team, which won four consecutive league championships.
Among his most memorable moments during his 13 seasons at the Catalan side, Alexanko scored the winning goal as Barcelona beat Real Sociedad 1–0 in the 1988 domestic cup final,[3] also playing about ten minutes in the 1992 European Cup Final. Six years earlier he had his penalty shootout attempt saved by FC Steaua Bucureşti's Helmuth Duckadam, as Barça lost the 1986 edition in Seville.[4]
After retiring as a player in 1993 Alexanko started a coaching career, in Romania, as he managed FC Universitatea Craiova and FC Naţional Bucureşti. In the 2000 summer he returned to Barcelona, assisting head coach Carles Rexach (his teammate in the forward's last season as a player).
In July 2005, Alexanko was named the club's youth system coordinator.[5]
Controversy
Alexanko was accused of raping a maid in a hotel at Papendal, the Netherlands, in 1988. Eventually, all of the charges were dropped.[6]
International career
Alexanko made his debut for Spain on 15 November 1978, playing in the 1–0 home win against Romania for the UEFA Euro 1980 qualifiers.
He represented the nation at both Euro 1980 and the 1982 FIFA World Cup, retiring from the international scene at only 26 after the second group stage draw against England in the latter competition, with a total of 34 caps; he also appeared in one game for the Euskadi XI, in 1979.
Honours
Player
- Athletic Bilbao
- Barcelona[9]
- La Liga: 1984–85, 1990–91, 1991–92, 1992–93
- Copa del Rey: 1980–81, 1982–83, 1987–88, 1989–90
- Copa de la Liga: 1982–83, 1985–86
- Supercopa de España: 1983, 1991, 1992
- European Cup: 1991–92
- UEFA Cup Winners' Cup: 1981–82, 1988–89
- UEFA Super Cup: 1992
Manager
- Universitatea Craiova
- Cupa României: Runner-up 1997–98[10]
References
- ↑ Jonathan Stevenson and Chris Bevan (22 April 2008). "When Bryan Robson tamed Barca". BBC Sport. Retrieved 24 April 2014.
- ↑ "Naufragó el Español en el centro del campo" [Español adrift in midfield] (in Spanish). Mundo Deportivo. 13 December 1976. Retrieved 24 April 2014.
- ↑ "El día que volvieron a ser campeones" [The day they were champions again] (PDF) (in Spanish). Mundo Deportivo. 31 March 1988. Retrieved 24 April 2014.
- ↑ Duckadam inspires Steaua; UEFA.com, 18 April 2006
- ↑ Alexanco: "Todo ha cambiado, ahora los niños ya vienen con representante" (Alexanco: "Everything has changed, now even kids come with agent"); El Entorno, 17 July 2005 (Spanish)
- ↑ Alexanco será procesado por presunta violación (Alexanko to be charged with alleged rape); El País, 14 January 1989 (Spanish)
- ↑ "Spain – Cup 1977". RSSSF. Retrieved 3 September 2014.
- ↑ "Athletic 2–1 Juventus". UEFA.com. Retrieved 3 September 2014.
- ↑ "Legends – José Ramón Alexanko". FC Barcelona. Retrieved 3 September 2014.
- ↑ "Rapid Bucureşti 1–0 Universitatea Craiova (1998)". Romanian Soccer. Retrieved 3 September 2014.
External links
- José Ramón Alexanko profile at BDFutbol
- National team data (Spanish)
- Athletic Bilbao profile
- José Ramón Alexanko at National-Football-Teams.com
- José Ramón Alexanko – FIFA competition record
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