| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Antonio Pinilla Miranda | ||
| Date of birth | 25 February 1971 | ||
| Place of birth | Badalona, Spain | ||
| Height | 1.76 m (5 ft 9 in) | ||
| Playing position | Forward | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Barcelona | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1988–1991 | Barcelona B | 95 | (38) |
| 1990–1993 | Barcelona | 8 | (1) |
| 1991–1992 | → Mallorca (loan) | 21 | (4) |
| 1992–1993 | → Albacete (loan) | 36 | (8) |
| 1993–2000 | Tenerife | 184 | (30) |
| 2000–2001 | Salamanca | 34 | (4) |
| 2001–2008 | Gimnàstic | 202 | (32) |
| Total | 580 | (117) | |
| National team | |||
| 1987 | Spain U16 | 5 | (5) |
| 1987 | Spain U17 | 1 | (0) |
| 1987–1988 | Spain U18 | 8 | (2) |
| 1988–1989 | Spain U19 | 3 | (0) |
| 1989–1990 | Spain U20 | 5 | (2) |
| 1990–1991 | Spain U21 | 5 | (1) |
| 1991–1992 | Spain U23 | 8 | (1) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals). |
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| Olympic medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Competitor for Spain | ||
| Men's Football | ||
| Gold | 1992 Barcelona | Team Competition |
Antonio Pinilla Miranda (born 25 February 1971) is a retired Spanish footballer who played mainly as a forward.
Best known for his stints with Tenerife and Gimnàstic de Tarragona – he began playing professionally for Barcelona, but had virtually no impact for its first team – he also served as general manager at the latter club, playing in more than 500 official matches for seven different clubs in exactly 20 years, 242 of those in La Liga.
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Born in Badalona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Pinilla was formed in the youth ranks of FC Barcelona. In 1989–90, a week before turning 19, Johan Cruyff gave him the chance to make his La Liga debuts, on 18 February 1990, in a match against Rayo Vallecano. He appeared 25 minutes in a 4–1 win, having replaced Julio Salinas.
The following season, Barcelona won the league and Pinilla appeared in seven matches, scoring a decisive goal against Valencia CF. He also appeared in that campaign's UEFA Cup Winners' Cup final, subbing in for veteran José Ramón Alexanko in a 1–2 loss against Manchester United.
However, strong competition in the emerging Dream Team meant Pinilla had to leave Barça on loan, and he joined RCD Mallorca, scoring four goals in a season which ended in top flight relegation. The following season brought the player to top level newcomer Albacete Balompié, only missing two games as the Castile-La Mancha side retained its league status.
The summer of 1993, Pinilla was finally released, signing CD Tenerife, where he remained seven seasons, helping the Canary Islands' side to the semifinals of the 1996–97 UEFA Cup. He previously entered the club's history books when scoring Tenerife's first goal ever in European competition, against AJ Auxerre, on 15 September 1993. The 1998–99 season brought with it relegation, and Pinilla followed the club into the second division.
After one season with UD Salamanca, also in the second level, Pinilla joined Catalonia's Gimnàstic de Tarragona, freshly promoted into that category. His seven goals, however, proved insufficient to retain the side's status. In addition, a serious knee injury in the final months of the season forced him into the operating room, which led two a six-month period of inactivity, in turn prompting his release by the club.[1]
After recovering on his own, Pinilla was re-taken by Gimnàstic in the 2003 winter transfer window. Although he barely managed to make the team while it was in the third level, he became a basic element in the side's return to second division two. Pinilla would add five goals in the last ten days as Gimnàstic achieved an historic return to the top level in 2005–06.
Pinilla served as club captain during Gimnàstic's short-lived spell in the first division, scoring twice in 28 contests for the last-ranked team, against RCD Espanyol (4–0 at home) and against Athletic Bilbao (2–0, away).
On 11 September 2007, the club was proclaimed for the first time ever champion of the Catalonia Cup after a 2–1 defeat of Barcelona. Pinilla, who started the final, netted one of the grana. At the end of 2007–08, after helping Nàstic retain second-level status, he announced his retirement after having competed in 200 games overall with the club,[2] promptly being named its general manager,[3] and leaving the post in early February 2010.
Pinilla never gained one full cap for Spain, but did represent the nation in various youth levels. Additionally, he was a member of the squad that won the gold medal at the 1992 Summer Olympics, appearing in two of six matches.
Pinilla also played seven matches with the unofficial Catalonia national team.
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