Ramón de Quintana
Encyclopedia
Ramón de Quintana Dalmau (born 6 February 1972 in Girona
, Catalonia
) is a retired Spanish
footballer who played as a central defender.
in his native Catalonia
, playing in two Segunda División
seasons. In his second year, he suffered the first of a national record eight relegations
. In 1993–94, he made his La Liga
debuts with CA Osasuna
, but appeared rarely as the Navarre
se also dropped down a division.
Subsequently, de Quintana moved to Madrid
's Rayo Vallecano
in level two, earning promotion in his first season, but being relegated in his third. With his following club, CP Mérida
, he would suffer two relegations in three seasons, although the last one was due to financial irregularities, as the Extremadura
side had finished in sixth position in the second division.
In 2000, de Quintana returned to Rayo, helping the club reach the quarterfinals of the UEFA Cup in his first season - after the team had been granted a spot in the European competition via the Fair Play ranking
- but suffered another relegation in 2002–03, after which he left the side at the age of 31.
De Quintana's last team was Cádiz CF
, where he played for five seasons, winning the second division in 2005 but being immediately relegated back. After only appearing in nine league games in 2007–08, with the Andalusia
ns dropping to Segunda División B
, he retired from football at the age of 36, with 458 games and 14 goals in 17 professional seasons (204/6 in the topflight alone).
at the 1991 FIFA World Youth Championship in Portugal
, playing all the matches and minutes in an eventual quarterfinal exit.
Girona
Girona is a city in the northeast of Catalonia, Spain at the confluence of the rivers Ter, Onyar, Galligants and Güell, with an official population of 96,236 in January 2009. It is the capital of the province of the same name and of the comarca of the Gironès...
, 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...
) 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 central defender.
Club career
De Quintana made his professional debuts with UE FigueresUE 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...
in his native 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...
, playing in two 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:...
seasons. In his second year, he suffered the first of a national record eight relegations
Promotion and relegation
In many sports leagues around the world, promotion and relegation is a process that takes place at the end of each season. Through it, teams are transferred between divisions based on their performance that season...
. In 1993–94, he made his 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...
debuts with CA Osasuna
CA Osasuna
Club 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...
, but appeared rarely as the Navarre
Navarre
Navarre , officially the Chartered Community of Navarre is an autonomous community in northern Spain, bordering the Basque Country, La Rioja, and Aragon in Spain and Aquitaine in France...
se also dropped down a division.
Subsequently, de Quintana moved to 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...
in level two, earning promotion in his first season, but being relegated in his third. With his following club, CP Mérida
CP Mérida
Club Polideportivo Mérida was a Spanish football team based in Mérida, in the autonomous community of Extremadura.Having played twice in La Liga , the club disappeared in 2000, due to serious economic debts...
, he would suffer two relegations in three seasons, although the last one was due to financial irregularities, as the Extremadura
Extremadura
Extremadura is an autonomous community of western Spain whose capital city is Mérida. Its component provinces are Cáceres and Badajoz. It is bordered by Portugal to the west...
side had finished in sixth position in the second division.
In 2000, de Quintana returned to Rayo, helping the club reach the quarterfinals of the UEFA Cup in his first season - after the team had been granted a spot in the European competition via the Fair Play ranking
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:...
- but suffered another relegation in 2002–03, after which he left the side at the age of 31.
De Quintana's last team was Cádiz CF
Cádiz CF
Cádiz Club de Fútbol, S.A.D. is a Spanish football team based in Cádiz, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. Founded in 1910, it currently plays in Segunda División B - Group 4, holding home games at Estadio Ramón de Carranza, with a 22,000-seat capacity.Salvadoran legend Mágico González, who...
, where he played for five seasons, winning the second division in 2005 but being immediately relegated back. After only appearing in nine league games in 2007–08, with 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 dropping to Segunda División B
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...
, he retired from football at the age of 36, with 458 games and 14 goals in 17 professional seasons (204/6 in the topflight alone).
International career
De Quintana represented SpainSpain national under-20 football team
The Spain national under-20 football team represents Spain in international football at this age level and is controlled by Royal Spanish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Spain.-FIFA World Youth Championship Record:...
at the 1991 FIFA World Youth Championship in Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , 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...
, playing all the matches and minutes in an eventual quarterfinal exit.