Juan Merino Ruiz
Encyclopedia
Juan Merino Ruiz is a retired Spanish
footballer who played mainly as a central defender.
During his 17-year professional career, he played solely in Andalusia
, with Betis
and Recreativo
, appearing in more than 200 matches in both the first
and second divisions of Spanish football
. Subsequently, he went on to work extensively as a manager with the former club (although his first head coach experience arrived with precisely the latter).
, Province of Cádiz, Merino joined Real Betis
's first team in 1990, becoming club captain in later years. Out of his twelve years at the club, eight were in La Liga
. He appeared in 203 games in that division, scoring two goals, and surpassing overall 300 appearances. In the 1996–97 season, he contributed with 36 matches, as Betis finished fourth.
In 2002–03, staying in Andalusia
, Merino joined Recreativo de Huelva
. In his first season the club was relegated, regaining top flight status in 2006
. After 23 appearances in 2006–07, he retired from football, with more than 500 official matches played - both major divisions combined.
Immediately after retiring, Merino rejoined Betis, as director of football
. In 2009, he was named assistant coach, working with two different coaches.
In the 2010–11 season
, Merino cut ties with Betis and returned to Recre as assistant manager to Pablo Alfaro
- a former Sevilla FC
defender - with the club in the second division
. In mid-October, after only eight games (four draws and four losses), Alfaro was sacked but he stayed with his successor Carlos Ríos, in the same predicament.
Spain
Spain , 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 mainly as a central defender.
During his 17-year professional career, he played solely in Andalusia
Andalusia
Andalusia is the most populous and the second largest in area of the autonomous communities of Spain. The Andalusian autonomous community is officially recognised as a nationality of Spain. The territory is divided into eight provinces: Huelva, Seville, Cádiz, Córdoba, Málaga, Jaén, Granada and...
, with Betis
Real Betis
Real Betis Balompié S.A.D. is a Spanish football club based in Seville, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. Founded on 12 September 1907, it currently plays in La Liga, holding home games at Estadio Benito Villamarín....
and Recreativo
Recreativo de Huelva
Real Club Recreativo de Huelva, S.A.D. is a Spanish football club based in Huelva, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. Founded on 23 December 1889, it is the oldest football team in Spain, and currently plays in the second division, holding home games at Estadio Nuevo Colombino, which has a...
, appearing in more than 200 matches in both the first
La Liga
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...
and second divisions of Spanish football
Segunda División
The Segunda División is the lower tier of the two professional football leagues in Spain. From the season 2008-09 onwards, the name of the league is Liga Adelante.-History:...
. Subsequently, he went on to work extensively as a manager with the former club (although his first head coach experience arrived with precisely the latter).
Football career
Born in La Línea de la ConcepciónLa Línea de la Concepción
La Línea de la Concepción is a town in Spain, in the province of Cádiz in Andalucia. It lies on the eastern isthmus of the Bay of Gibraltar on the border with the British overseas territory of Gibraltar, with which it has close economic and social links...
, Province of Cádiz, Merino joined Real Betis
Real Betis
Real Betis Balompié S.A.D. is a Spanish football club based in Seville, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. Founded on 12 September 1907, it currently plays in La Liga, holding home games at Estadio Benito Villamarín....
's first team in 1990, becoming club captain in later years. Out of his twelve years at the club, eight were in La Liga
La Liga
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...
. He appeared in 203 games in that division, scoring two goals, and surpassing overall 300 appearances. In the 1996–97 season, he contributed with 36 matches, as Betis finished fourth.
In 2002–03, staying in Andalusia
Andalusia
Andalusia is the most populous and the second largest in area of the autonomous communities of Spain. The Andalusian autonomous community is officially recognised as a nationality of Spain. The territory is divided into eight provinces: Huelva, Seville, Cádiz, Córdoba, Málaga, Jaén, Granada and...
, Merino joined Recreativo de Huelva
Recreativo de Huelva
Real Club Recreativo de Huelva, S.A.D. is a Spanish football club based in Huelva, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. Founded on 23 December 1889, it is the oldest football team in Spain, and currently plays in the second division, holding home games at Estadio Nuevo Colombino, which has a...
. In his first season the club was relegated, regaining top flight status in 2006
2005–06 Segunda División
-Classification 2005–06:-Relegated to Segunda División B:* UE Lleida -- Relegated to Segunda División B - Group 3* Ferrol -- Relegated to Segunda División B - Group 1* Eibar -- Relegated to Segunda División B - Group 4...
. After 23 appearances in 2006–07, he retired from football, with more than 500 official matches played - both major divisions combined.
Immediately after retiring, Merino rejoined Betis, as director of football
Director of football
"Director of football" is a term describing a senior management figure at a football club, most commonly used in Europe. The exact nature of the role is often unclear and extremely variable and causes much debate in the sports media...
. In 2009, he was named assistant coach, working with two different coaches.
In the 2010–11 season
2010–11 Segunda División
-Personnel and sponsorship:-Managerial changes:-League table:||style="background-color:#F9F9F9;"|||rowspan=11 style="background-color:#F9F9F9;"|-Positions by round:Source: -Results:...
, Merino cut ties with Betis and returned to Recre as assistant manager to Pablo Alfaro
Pablo Alfaro Armengot
Pablo Alfaro Armengot is a retired Spanish footballer who played as a central defender.In his career, in which he represented six teams - namely Sevilla - he amassed La Liga totals of 418 games and seven goals over the course of 15 seasons, receiving a total of 18 red cards and being sent off...
- a former Sevilla FC
Sevilla FC
Sevilla Fútbol Club S.A.D. is a Spanish professional football club based in Seville, Spain that plays in the Spanish La Liga championship.They are one of the most successful clubs in Spanish football having won a 1 La Liga title, 5 Spanish "Copa del Rey" Cups, 1 Spanish Super Cup and 2 UEFA...
defender - with the club in the second division
Segunda División
The Segunda División is the lower tier of the two professional football leagues in Spain. From the season 2008-09 onwards, the name of the league is Liga Adelante.-History:...
. In mid-October, after only eight games (four draws and four losses), Alfaro was sacked but he stayed with his successor Carlos Ríos, in the same predicament.