Rafael González-Robles
Encyclopedia
Rafael González Robles, commonly known as Rafa (born 25 October 1970), is a retired Spanish
footballer who played as a goalkeeper.
11 of his professional seasons were spent at Oviedo
and Málaga
, but he only served as backup for 10 of those; after retiring, he became a goalkeeper's coach, notably in England
.
, Asturias
, Rafa started his career at Real Avilés Industrial, then in Segunda División
; after the side's 1992 relegation, he moved to one of the biggest clubs in the region, Real Oviedo
, but spent five seasons at the club (always in the top division
) without making more than three league appearances.
In 1997, Rafa joined Málaga CF
, again meeting the same fate; however, he did appear in 31 matches in his second year, as the Andalusia
ns promoted from the third level
to the first in only two years.
Rafa retired from football in 2007, after having played one season each for Cultural y Deportiva Leonesa
, Sporting de Gijón
, Oviedo (the club was now in division four
) and England
's Coventry City
; previously, in the 2005 summer, he had an unsuccessful trial with Walsall
, before securing a 4-month contract at the Football League Championship
side.
Following his retirement, Robles was immediately hired by another team in the country of his last club, joining Aston Villa
as its goalkeeping coach (August 2007).
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 goalkeeper.
11 of his professional seasons were spent at Oviedo
Real Oviedo
Real Oviedo is a Spanish football club based in Oviedo, in the autonomous community of Asturias. Founded on 26 March 1926, it currently plays in Segunda División B - Group 2....
and Málaga
Málaga CF
Málaga Club de Fútbol is a Spanish football club based in Málaga, Andalusia. The team currently plays in Spain's La Liga.Málaga CF is generally seen as the successor to CD Málaga, one of the most historical Andalusian football clubs, by being a near-identical looking football club that even shares...
, but he only served as backup for 10 of those; after retiring, he became a goalkeeper's coach, notably in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
Football career
Born in AvilésAvilés
Avilés is a city in Asturias, Spain. Avilés is with Oviedo and Gijón, one of the main towns in the Principality of Asturias.The town occupies the flattest land in the municipality, in a land that belonged to the sea, surrounded by small promontories, all of them having an altitude of less than...
, Asturias
Asturias
The Principality of Asturias is an autonomous community of the Kingdom of Spain, coextensive with the former Kingdom of Asturias in the Middle Ages...
, Rafa started his career at Real Avilés Industrial, then in Segunda División
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:...
; after the side's 1992 relegation, he moved to one of the biggest clubs in the region, Real Oviedo
Real Oviedo
Real Oviedo is a Spanish football club based in Oviedo, in the autonomous community of Asturias. Founded on 26 March 1926, it currently plays in Segunda División B - Group 2....
, but spent five seasons at the club (always in the top division
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...
) without making more than three league appearances.
In 1997, Rafa joined Málaga CF
Málaga CF
Málaga Club de Fútbol is a Spanish football club based in Málaga, Andalusia. The team currently plays in Spain's La Liga.Málaga CF is generally seen as the successor to CD Málaga, one of the most historical Andalusian football clubs, by being a near-identical looking football club that even shares...
, again meeting the same fate; however, he did appear in 31 matches in his second year, as the 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...
ns promoted from the third level
Segunda División B
Segunda División B is the third level of the Spanish football league system. It is administered by the RFEF. The top two levels are La Liga, also referred to as the Primera División, and the Segunda División. Immediately below Segunda División B is the Tercera Division...
to the first in only two years.
Rafa retired from football in 2007, after having played one season each for Cultural y Deportiva Leonesa
Cultural y Deportiva Leonesa
Cultural y Deportiva Leonesa, S.A.D. is a Spanish football team based in León, in the autonomous community of Castile and León. Founded in 1923, it currently plays in Tercera División – Group 8, holding home games at Estadio Reino de León, with a capacity of 13,451 seats.-Season to season:----*1...
, Sporting de Gijón
Sporting de Gijón
Real Sporting de Gijón, S.A.D. is a Spanish football club from Gijón, Asturias. Founded in 1 June 1905, it currently plays in Spanish first division....
, Oviedo (the club was now in division four
Tercera División
Tercera División is the fourth level of the Spanish football league system. The top three are the Primera División, often referred to as "La Liga" in English, the Segunda División, and Segunda División B.-Current Format:...
) and England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
's Coventry City
Coventry City F.C.
Coventry City Football Club, otherwise known as the Sky Blues owing to the traditional colour of their strip, are a professional English Football league club based in Coventry...
; previously, in the 2005 summer, he had an unsuccessful trial with Walsall
Walsall F.C.
Walsall Football Club are an English association football club based in Walsall, West Midlands. They currently play in League One. The club was founded in 1888 as Walsall Town Swifts, an amalgamation of Walsall Town F.C. and Walsall Swifts F.C. The club was one of the founder members of the Second...
, before securing a 4-month contract at the Football League Championship
Football League Championship
The Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League...
side.
Following his retirement, Robles was immediately hired by another team in the country of his last club, joining Aston Villa
Aston Villa F.C.
Aston Villa Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Witton, Birmingham. The club was founded in 1874 and have played at their current home ground, Villa Park, since 1897. Aston Villa were founder members of The Football League in 1888. They were also founder...
as its goalkeeping coach (August 2007).