Jordi Lardín

Jordi Lardín
Personal information
Full nameJordi Lardín Cruz
Date of birth4 June 1973
Place of birthManresa, Spain
Height1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Playing positionWinger
Youth career
Manresa
Espanyol
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
1990–1991Manresa
1992–1997Espanyol163(47)
1997–2002Atlético Madrid69(6)
2001Espanyol (loan)8(0)
2001–2002Xerez (loan)17(0)
2004–2005Leganés28(0)
Total285(53)
National team
1994–1996Spain U2115(1)
1996Spain U234(0)
1997–1998Spain3(0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.
† Appearances (Goals).
This name uses Spanish naming customs: the first or paternal family name is Lardín and the second or maternal family name is Cruz.

Jordi Lardín Cruz (born 4 June 1973) is a Spanish retired footballer who played mostly as a winger.

Over the course of eight seasons he amassed La Liga totals of 200 games and 44 goals, with Espanyol and Atlético Madrid.

Football career

A skilled and pacy offensive player with netting ability, Lardín was born in Manresa, Barcelona, Catalonia, and started playing football with local CE Manresa, making his professional debuts with RCD Espanyol also in his native region in 1992–93. The team would be relegated from La Liga, and he went on to become an essential offensive figure in the following years.

From 1994–96, as the Pericos reached the UEFA Cup in one season, narrowly missing on qualification in another, Lardín scored 29 goals in 76 league games, under the guidance of José Antonio Camacho.[1] In the latter campaign he found the net in both games against Real Madrid, for 3–1 and 2–1 wins.[2]

For the 1997–98 season Lardín signed with Atlético de Madrid for 1.500 million pesetas, but would only appear significantly throughout his first year. A serious car accident in October 1997[3] would not prevent his Spanish national team debut one month later, a 1–1 friendly match against Romania in Palma de Mallorca.[4]

After unassuming loan stints with old team Espanyol[5] and Xerez CD in Segunda División, Lardín retired from football at age 29 claiming to be "fed up" with the sport.[2] He made a tentative comeback two years later, with modest CD Leganés; internationally he also appeared for Spain at the 1996 Summer Olympics, playing in all the matches as the national side reached the quarterfinals in Atlanta.[6]

Honours

Club

Espanyol

Country

Spain U21

References

External links