Juan Carlos Ablanedo

Juan Carlos Ablanedo
Personal information
Full nameJuan Carlos Ablanedo Iglesias
Date of birth2 September 1963
Place of birthMieres, Spain
Height1.77 m (5 ft 9 1⁄2 in)
Playing positionGoalkeeper
Youth career
Sporting Gijón
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps†(Gls)†
1982–1984Sporting B
1983–1999Sporting Gijón401(0)
National team
1981–1982Spain U1810(0)
1984–1986Spain U2112(0)
1986–1987Spain U232(0)
1986–1991Spain4(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 Ablanedo and the second or maternal family name is Iglesias.

Juan Carlos Ablanedo Iglesias (born 2 September 1963) is a Spanish retired footballer who played as a goalkeeper.

Due to his above-average reflexes he was nicknamed El gatu (cat), and represented local Sporting de Gijón for almost 20 years as a professional.[1][2]

Club career

Ablanedo was born in Mieres, Asturias. During his career he played solely for Sporting de Gijón after being a product of the club's famed youth system, Mareo, and received his first-team debut on 2 January 1983, as a second-half substitute in a 1–0 home win against RCD Español after José Aurelio Rivero was sent off.[3]

After two further appearances in the following season Ablanedo became the Asturian side's undisputed starter, totalling 399 La Liga appearances. In the 1986–87 campaign, as Sporting finished fourth, he appeared in 42 matches (out of 44, as the league had a second stage).

Ablanedo retired from football after 1998–99, with Sporting now in the second division.[4] He also had some serious injuries during his career, playing in only two games in his last season and none in 1991–92.[5][6][7] He was awarded three Ricardo Zamora Trophy awards during his career.[1][8]

International career

Ablanedo earned four caps for Spain, the first coming on 24 September 1986 in a 3–1 friendly win over Greece in Gijón.[9] He was a backup in both the 1986 and 1990 FIFA World Cups.

Previously, Ablanedo helped the nation's under-21s conquer the 1986 European Championship.[10]

Honours

Country

Spain U21

Individual

Personal life

Ablanedo's older brother, José Luis, was also a footballer. A defender, he too played several top level seasons with Sporting, and they were hence known as Ablanedo I and Ablanedo II.

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Ablanedo, el portero más seguro (Ablanedo, the safest goalkeeper); El País, 13 November 1985 (Spanish)
  2. ↑ Juan Carlos Ablanedo: palabras mayores (Juan Carlos Ablanedo: bigger words); Yo Jugué en el Sporting, 28 March 2008 (Spanish)
  3. ↑ 1–0: Savic, en su debut, marcó el gol del Sporting ante el Español (1–0: Savic, in his debut, scored Sporting's goal against Español); ABC, 3 January 1983 (Spanish)
  4. ↑ Ablanedo se despide (Ablanedo says goodbye); El Mundo Deportivo, 18 June 1999 (Spanish)
  5. ↑ Ablanedo: Un mes y medio K.O. (Ablanedo: One month and a half out); El Mundo Deportivo, 15 August 1987 (Spanish)
  6. ↑ Ablanedo, cinco meses K.O. (Ablanedo, five months out); El Mundo Deportivo, 28 January 1989 (Spanish)
  7. ↑ El Sporting de Gijón se queda sin guardametas (Sporting de Gijón loses all goalkeepers); El Mundo Deportivo, 1 May 1991 (Spanish)
  8. ↑ El portero más seguro (The safest goalkeeper); El Mundo Deportivo, 22 April 1985 (Spanish)
  9. ↑ 3–1: Son los mismos, pero parecían dormidos (3–1: Same guys, they just looked asleep); El Mundo Deportivo, 25 September 1986 (Spanish)
  10. ↑ ¡¡¡Campeones!!! (Champions!!!); El Mundo Deportivo, 30 October 1986 (Spanish)

External links