José Antonio Camacho Alfaro (born 8 June 1955) is a retired
SpanishSpain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
footballer who played as a
left defenderWithin the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to prevent the opposition from attacking....
, and the current coach of the China PR national football team.
He played for 15 professional years with
Real MadridReal Madrid Club de Fútbol , commonly known as Real Madrid, is a professional football club based in Madrid, Spain. The club have won a record 31 La Liga titles, the Primera División of the Liga de Fútbol Profesional , 18 Copas del Rey, 8 Spanish Super Cups, 1 Copa Eva Duarte and 1 Copa de la...
, appearing in more than 500 official matches with the team and helping it to 19 major titles, including nine
La LigaThe Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...
championships. Subsequently, he embarked in a lengthy manager career, which included two very brief spells with his main club.
Camacho gained more than 80
capsIn sports, a cap is a metaphorical term for a player's appearance on a select team, such as a national team. The term dates from the practice in the United Kingdom of awarding a cap to every player in an international match of association football...
with
SpainThe Spain national football team represents Spain in international association football and is controlled by the Royal Spanish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Spain. The current head coach is Vicente del Bosque...
, representing it in two
World CupsThe FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
and as many
European ChampionshipsThe UEFA European Football Championship is the main football competition of the men's national football teams governed by UEFA . Held every four years since 1960, in the even-numbered year between World Cup tournaments, it was originally called the UEFA European Nations Cup, changing to the current...
. He also managed the national team during four years, taking it to the quarterfinals in the
2002 World CupThe 2002 FIFA World Cup was the 17th staging of the FIFA World Cup, held in South Korea and Japan from 31 May to 30 June. It was also the first World Cup held in Asia, and the last in which the golden goal rule was implemented. Brazil won the tournament for a record fifth time, beating Germany 2–0...
.
Playing career
Camacho was born in
Cieza, MurciaCieza is a town and municipality in Spain, in the autonomous community of Murcia. It is the capital of the Vega Alta comarca, an old form of provincial subdivision). Its current population is around 40,000...
. After playing youth football at
Albacete BalompiéAlbacete Balompié, S.A.D. is a Spanish football team based in Albacete, in the autonomous community of Castile-La Mancha. Founded on August 2, 1940, it currently plays in Segunda División B, holding home matches at Estadio Carlos Belmonte, with a 17,300-seat capacity.-History:The club was founded...
, he moved to
La LigaThe Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...
giants
Real MadridReal Madrid Club de Fútbol , commonly known as Real Madrid, is a professional football club based in Madrid, Spain. The club have won a record 31 La Liga titles, the Primera División of the Liga de Fútbol Profesional , 18 Copas del Rey, 8 Spanish Super Cups, 1 Copa Eva Duarte and 1 Copa de la...
at age 18, being almost immediately cast into the first team and its starting XI, his debut being handed by manager
Luis MolownyLuis Molowny Arbelo was a Spanish football striker and coach.-Early life:He was born in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Canary Islands...
.
During his spell with Real Madrid, Camacho played in nearly 600 official matches (414 in the league alone), forming a proficient left-wing partnership with
Rafael GordilloRafael Gordillo Vázquez is a retired Spanish footballer.A tremendously offensive left wingback, equally at ease as defender and midfielder and with a good effort rate, he had an unmistakable style of playing with his socks down, he represented with individual and team success Betis and Real...
, who played mainly as a
midfielderA midfielder is an association football position. Some midfielders play a more defensive role, while others blur the boundaries between midfielders and forwards. The number of midfielders a team uses during a match may vary, depending on the team's formation and each individual player's role...
then. In January 1978, he suffered a serious injury in training, which put his career on hold for nearly two years, but returned strong, being instrumental as the
capitalMadrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
side won consecutive UEFA Cups.
Camacho also played 81 games for the
Spanish national teamThe Spain national football team represents Spain in international association football and is controlled by the Royal Spanish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Spain. The current head coach is Vicente del Bosque...
, his debut coming at not yet 20, on 5 February 1975 in Valencia, in a 1–1 draw against
ScotlandThe Scotland national football team represents Scotland in international football and is controlled by the Scottish Football Association. Scotland are the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside England, whom they played in the world's first international football match in 1872...
for the UEFA Euro 1976 qualifiers.
For the following 13 years, Camacho was a defensive mainstay for the national side, being selected – and always as first-choice – for the
1982The 1982 FIFA World Cup, the 12th FIFA World Cup, was held in Spain from 13 June to 11 July. The tournament was won by Italy, after defeating West Germany 3–1 in the final.-Host selection:...
and
1986The 1986 FIFA World Cup, the 13th FIFA World Cup, was held in Mexico from 31 May to 29 June. The tournament was the second to feature a 24-team format. Colombia had been originally chosen to host the competition by FIFA but, largely due to economic reasons, was not able to do so and officially...
FIFA World CupThe FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
s, as well as Euro 1984 and 1988; after the 0–2 group stage loss against
West GermanyThe Germany national football team is the football team that has represented Germany in international competition since 1908. It is governed by the German Football Association , which was founded in 1900....
in the latter competition, he retired from the international scene, aged 33.
Beginnings
Following his retirement as a player in 1989, Camacho began coaching, first in Real Madrid's coaching staff. His first professional experiences were spent at
Rayo VallecanoRayo Vallecano de Madrid, S.A.D., often abbreviated to Rayo, is a Spanish football team based in Madrid, in the neighbourhood of Vallecas...
and
RCD EspanyolReial Club Deportiu Espanyol de Barcelona is a sports club based in Barcelona, Spain. It is best known for its football team. Espanyol currently play in the Estadi Cornellà-El Prat with seats for 40,500 spectators. It was inaugurated on 2 August 2009...
, both of which he helped promote to the first division.
In the 1998 summer, Camacho took over Real Madrid's first team, but left after only a mere 22 days over disagreements with the club's management.
Spanish national team
Camacho succeeded
Javier ClementeJavier Clemente Lázaro, is a Spanish football manager. The veteran La Liga manager has spent most of his career at two clubs: Athletic Bilbao and RCD Espanyol. Between 1992 and 1998, he managed Spain and went 31 games unbeaten. He was also the the first foreign manager of Serbia. His most recent...
as national team manager in September 1998, after a shock 2–3 loss in
CyprusThe Cyprus national football team represents Cyprus in association football and is controlled by the Cyprus Football Association, the governing body for football in Cyprus. Cyprus' home ground is the GSP Stadium in Nicosia and the current coach is Nikos Nioplias...
in a Euro 2000 qualifier.
The tide quickly turned under Camacho, who led the side to the final stages, where it bowed out to eventual champions
FranceThe France national football team represents the nation of France in international football. It is fielded by the French Football Federation , the governing body of football in France, and competes as a member of UEFA, which encompasses the countries of Europe...
2–1 in the quarterfinals. Two years later, his team lost in the same stages to South Korea, now in the
2002 World CupThe 2002 FIFA World Cup was the 17th staging of the FIFA World Cup, held in South Korea and Japan from 31 May to 30 June. It was also the first World Cup held in Asia, and the last in which the golden goal rule was implemented. Brazil won the tournament for a record fifth time, beating Germany 2–0...
. Following the controversial defeat, he announced his resignation, being replaced by
Iñaki SáezJosé Ignacio "Iñaki" Sáez Ruiz is a retired Spanish football defender and manager.The vast majority of his professional career was spent with Athletic Bilbao, which he later also coached in various levels, appearing in more than 300 official games with his main club.In addition to two other clubs...
.
Benfica/Real Madrid-Benfica return/Later years
After that, Camacho returned to club action, being appointed at
PortugalPortugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
's S.L. Benfica on 29 November 2002, in the place of sacked
Jesualdo FerreiraManuel Jesualdo Ferreira is a Portuguese football manager who currently manages Greek club Panathinaikos.-Early career:In Ferreira's early career, he managed Rio Maior and Torreense...
. Two years later, his team won the
Portuguese CupThe Taça de Portugal is the main Portuguese national football knock-out competition. The tournament has been officially known as the Taça de Portugal Millennium since 2008, due to its sponsorship by Portuguese private bank Millennium BCP. It has occurred on a yearly basis since 1938 and is...
against
José MourinhoJosé Mário dos Santos Félix Mourinho is a Portuguese football manager and the current manager of Real Madrid. He is commonly known as "The Special One".Mourinho is regarded by some players, coaches and critics as the best ever coach in football....
-led F.C. Porto in extra-time, as well as finishing second in the league. A tough tackler in his playing days, he also showed a very human side, when he deeply cried after
HungarianHungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
Miklós FehérMiklós "Miki" Fehér was a Hungarian footballer who played as a striker.On 25 January 2004, Fehér died of a cardiac arrest during a match between Vitória de Guimarães and his team Benfica in Guimarães, Portugal....
died on the pitch, shortly after entering Benfica's match at Vitória de Guimarães.
For
2004–052004–05 season was composed of the following clubs:* Albacete Balompié* Athletic Bilbao* Atlético Madrid* FC Barcelona* Real Betis* Deportivo de La Coruña* Espanyol* Getafe CF* Levante UD* Málaga CF* Real Mallorca* CD Numancia* CA Osasuna...
, Camacho returned to Real Madrid on a two-year contract, as a replacement to sacked
Carlos QueirozCarlos Manuel Brito Leal Queiroz ComIH is a Portuguese football manager. He is currently the manager of the Iran national football team. A former manager of Real Madrid, and Portugal national football team, he has also twice been Alex Ferguson's assistant manager at English club Manchester...
. However, things quickly went wrong again in his second spell, after a 0–3 defeat at Bayer 04 Leverkusen in the season's
UEFA Champions LeagueThe UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
, and a 0–1 league loss at Espanyol four days later, in September. Shortly after, he resigned and was replaced by assistant
Mariano García RemónMariano García Remón is a former Spanish football player and coach.Best known for his spell at Real Madrid, the goalkeeper helped the capital side to six leagues and three cups.-Playing career:...
.
Following Fernando Santos' mutual agreement termination of contract with Benfica, after a 1–1 away draw with Leixões S.C. in 2007–08 Portuguese League's opener, Camacho returned to Benfica. However, following a poor string of results, and claiming he was no longer able to motivate the team, Camacho announced he would leave the club, minutes after drawing a home match against bottom-placed União de Leiria on 9 March 2008.
After working as co-commentator on Spanish TV network Cuatro during Spain's victorious Euro 2008 campaign (he would also work for the channel during the
2010 World CupThe 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010...
, which also ended with the national team's triumph), on 13 October 2008, Camacho replaced
José Ángel ZigandaJosé Ángel "Cuco" Ziganda Lakuntza is a retired Spanish footballer who played as a centre forward, and a current manager....
at the helm of
CA OsasunaClub Atlético Osasuna, known as Osasuna, is a Spanish football team based in Iruñea-Pamplona, in the autonomous community of Navarre.Founded in 1920, it currently plays in the Spanish first division, holding home games at the 19,553-capacity Estadio Reyno de Navarra...
.
On 14 February 2011, following a 0–1 away loss against
Real SociedadReal Sociedad de Fútbol, S.A.D. is a Spanish football club based in the city of San Sebastián, Basque Country, founded on 7 September 1909...
that placed the Navarrese
inside the relegation zoneThe 2010–11 La Liga season was the 80th since its establishment. The campaign began on 28 August 2010 and ended on 21 May 2011. A total of 20 teams contested the league, 17 of which already contested in the 2009–10 season and three of which were promoted from the Segunda División...
, Camacho was fired.
Chinese national team
On 14 August 2011, Camacho took over the reins of the Chinese national team, for a reported annual salary of
$The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
8 million. However, the perennial Chinese national losers have already failed to qualify for the 2014 World Cup.
Club
Real Madrid
- UEFA Cup: 1984–85, 1985–86
- Spanish League
The Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...
: 1974–75, 1975–76, 1977–78, 1978–79, 1979–80, 1985–86, 1986–87, 1987–88, 1988–89
- Spanish Cup
The Copa del Rey is an annual football cup competition for Spanish football teams. Its full name is Campeonato de España – Copa de Su Majestad el Rey de Fútbol ....
: 1973–74, 1974–75, 1979–80, 1981–82, 1988–89
- Spanish League Cup
The Copa de la Liga was a Spanish football tournament created in 1982.Due to time constraints, saturation and club pressure, the competition only lasted four years, being cancelled in 1986...
: 1984–85
- Spanish Supercup
The Supercopa de España is a Spanish football championship contested by the winners of La Liga and the Copa del Rey...
: 1988The 1988 Supercopa de España was two-leg Spanish football matches played on 21 September and 29 September 1988. It contested by FC Barcelona, who were Spanish Cup winners in 1987–88, and Real Madrid who won the 1987–88 Spanish League. Real Madrid won 3–2 on aggregate.-First leg:-Second...
, 1989The Supercopa de España is a Spanish football championship contested by the winners of La Liga and the Copa del Rey...
External links