Luis Cembranos
Encyclopedia
Luis Cembranos Martínez (born 6 June 1972 in Lucerne
, Switzerland
) is a retired Spanish
footballer who played as a right midfielder
.
immigrants in Switzerland
, and returned to his country in his teens, moving to Catalonia
. His professional career began at age 20, with second division
's UE Figueres
; after a good handful of games, he was bought by powerhouse FC Barcelona
, being relocated to its B side
.
After having appeared in three first team matches in La Liga
with Barça (his debut came against Racing de Santander
on 10 September 1994, and he added his first and only UEFA Champions League
appearance, against Manchester United
, the following month) - courtesy of manager Johan Cruyff
, during 1994–95 - he also played with the B's - Cembranos moved in early 1995 to another side in the league and the region, RCD Espanyol
, where he first began to appear regularly in the top level.
In another January transfer window move (January 1999), he joined Madrid
's Rayo Vallecano
, being an essential member as it returned to the first division, in his first months at the club, scoring six times during the (half)season. Both player and team continued to consolidate, and Rayo obtained its best-ever classification in 1999–2000, qualifying to the UEFA Cup via fair play
- where the club eventually reached the last-eight.
In his final three seasons, Cembranos appeared very irregularly, troubled with constant injuries that had already made him miss a good number of matches at Barcelona and Espanyol (mainly in the right knee
). He was forced to retire in 2004, aged 32. A couple of years after, he had his first coaching spell, with amateurs CD Huracán Z
, in Castile and León
.
with Spain
: on 26 January 2000, in Cartagena
, he replaced Juan Carlos Valerón
in the 76th minute of a 3–0 friendly win with Poland
.
Lucerne
Lucerne is a city in north-central Switzerland, in the German-speaking portion of that country. Lucerne is the capital of the Canton of Lucerne and the capital of the district of the same name. With a population of about 76,200 people, Lucerne is the most populous city in Central Switzerland, and...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
) is a retired Spanish
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 as a right midfielder
Midfielder
A 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...
.
Club career
Cembranos was the son of SpanishSpain
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...
immigrants in Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, and returned to his country in his teens, moving to Catalonia
Catalonia
Catalonia is an autonomous community in northeastern Spain, with the official status of a "nationality" of Spain. Catalonia comprises four provinces: Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, and Tarragona. Its capital and largest city is Barcelona. Catalonia covers an area of 32,114 km² and has an...
. His professional career began at age 20, with 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:...
's UE Figueres
UE Figueres
Unió Esportiva Figueres is a Spanish football team based in Figueres, in the autonomous community of Catalonia. Founded in 1919 and refounded in 2007, it plays in Primera Catalana, holding home matches at Estadio Municipal de Vilatenim, with a seating capacity of 9,472.-History:Figueres was first...
; after a good handful of games, he was bought by powerhouse FC Barcelona
FC Barcelona
Futbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....
, being relocated to its B side
FC Barcelona B
Futbol Club Barcelona B is a Spanish football team. They are the reserve team of FC Barcelona. Reserve teams in the Spanish football league system play in the same football pyramid as their senior team rather than a separate league. However reserve teams cannot play in the same division as their...
.
After having appeared in three first team matches 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...
with Barça (his debut came against Racing de Santander
Racing de Santander
Real Racing Club de Santander, S.A.D. is a Spanish football club based in Santander, in the autonomous community of Cantabria. Founded in 1913, it currently plays in La Liga, holding home games at Estadio El Sardinero, with a capacity for 22,400 spectators....
on 10 September 1994, and he added his first and only UEFA Champions League
UEFA Champions League
The 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...
appearance, against Manchester United
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
, the following month) - courtesy of manager Johan Cruyff
Johan Cruyff
Hendrik Johannes Cruijff OON , known as Johan Cruyff, is a retired Dutch footballer and is currently the manager of the Catalan national team as well as a member of the AFC Ajax board of directors. He won the Ballon d'Or three times, in 1971, 1973 and 1974, which is a record jointly held with...
, during 1994–95 - he also played with the B's - Cembranos moved in early 1995 to another side in the league and the region, RCD Espanyol
RCD Espanyol
Reial 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...
, where he first began to appear regularly in the top level.
In another January transfer window move (January 1999), he joined Madrid
Madrid
Madrid 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...
's Rayo Vallecano
Rayo Vallecano
Rayo Vallecano de Madrid, S.A.D., often abbreviated to Rayo, is a Spanish football team based in Madrid, in the neighbourhood of Vallecas...
, being an essential member as it returned to the first division, in his first months at the club, scoring six times during the (half)season. Both player and team continued to consolidate, and Rayo obtained its best-ever classification in 1999–2000, qualifying to the UEFA Cup via fair play
UEFA Fair Play ranking
The UEFA Fair Play ranking has been used by UEFA since 1995 to grant three berths for the first qualifying round of the UEFA Europa League.-Current club qualification system:...
- where the club eventually reached the last-eight.
In his final three seasons, Cembranos appeared very irregularly, troubled with constant injuries that had already made him miss a good number of matches at Barcelona and Espanyol (mainly in the right knee
Knee
The knee joint joins the thigh with the leg and consists of two articulations: one between the fibula and tibia, and one between the femur and patella. It is the largest joint in the human body and is very complicated. The knee is a mobile trocho-ginglymus , which permits flexion and extension as...
). He was forced to retire in 2004, aged 32. A couple of years after, he had his first coaching spell, with amateurs CD Huracán Z
CD Huracán Z
Club Deportivo Huracán Z is a Spanish football team based in Trobajo del Camino, in the autonomous community of Castile and León. Founded in 1954, it plays in Tercera División - Group 8, holding home games at Estadio Las Eras, with a capacity of 4,000 seats.-Season to season:----*6 seasons in...
, in Castile and León
Castile and León
Castile and León is an autonomous community in north-western Spain. It was so constituted in 1983 and it comprises the historical regions of León and Old Castile...
.
International career
Courtesy of the best season of his career, with Rayo (36 matches, four goals), Cembranos earned his sole capCap (sport)
In 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 Spain
Spain national football team
The 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...
: on 26 January 2000, in Cartagena
Cartagena, Spain
Cartagena is a Spanish city and a major naval station located in the Region of Murcia, by the Mediterranean coast, south-eastern Spain. As of January 2011, it has a population of 218,210 inhabitants being the Region’s second largest municipality and the country’s 6th non-Province capital...
, he replaced Juan Carlos Valerón
Juan Carlos Valerón
Juan Carlos Valerón Santana is a Spanish footballer who plays for Deportivo de La Coruña as an attacking midfielder.Valerón is known for his technical abilities, especially passing skills and ball control...
in the 76th minute of a 3–0 friendly win with Poland
Poland national football team
The Poland national football team represents Poland in association football and is controlled by the Polish Football Association, the governing body for football in Poland...
.