Fernando Redondo
Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Full name | Fernando Carlos Redondo Neri | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Date of birth | 6 June 1969 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Place of birth | Adrogué, Argentina[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Height | 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Position(s) | Defensive midfielder | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Youth career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Talleres RE | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1979–1985 | Argentinos Juniors | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1985–1990 | Argentinos Juniors | 65 | (1) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1990–1994 | Tenerife | 103 | (8) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1994–2000 | Real Madrid | 165 | (4) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2000–2004 |
AC Milan | 16 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Total | 349 | (13) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
International career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1992–1999 | Argentina | 29 | (1) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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*Club domestic league appearances and goals |
Fernando Carlos Redondo Neri (Spanish pronunciation: [feɾˈnando reˈðondo]; born 6 June 1969) is an Argentine former professional footballer who played as a defensive midfielder. He most notably played for Real Madrid and AC Milan.
A
Redondo was a member of the Argentina national team in the 1990s, representing the nation in the 1994 World Cup, and also winning the 1992 FIFA Confederations Cup and the 1993 Copa América.
Club career
Early years / Tenerife
Born in Adrogué, Buenos Aires Province, Redondo played his first game in the Primera División at only 16 for Argentinos Juniors, and remained five years with the team before moving abroad to Spain.
Redondo made his debut in La Liga with CD Tenerife, under the management of countryman Jorge Solari. During this period, Real Madrid twice lost the league title to arch-rivals FC Barcelona on the final day of the season, in matches against Tenerife who were managed by Jorge Valdano[4] and, when the coach was appointed at Real Madrid in the summer of 1994, the player also made the move for a fee of US$5 million.[5]
Real Madrid
The key years of Redondo's career were spent at Real Madrid, where he won two league championships and the
During his time in Madrid, Redondo earned the nickname El Principe ("The Prince").[8] In April 2013 he was named by daily newspaper Marca as a member of the "Best foreign eleven in Real Madrid's history",[9] and four years later was selected by its readers to the club's all-time XI;[10] during one full decade, he amassed Spanish top division totals of 268 games and 12 goals.
AC Milan
In 2000, Redondo transferred to
Redondo did manage to contribute (albeit in a peripheral role) to Milan's successes in the
International career
Redondo earned 29
Redondo turned down a call-up to the national team just before the
In the 1994 World Cup, Redondo started in all of Argentina's matches, but was unable to prevent the country from falling 2–3 to Romania in the round of 16. Following the tournament in the United States he refused to play under Daniel Passarella who had banned long hair, earrings and homosexuals in his squad, leading to disputes with several players.[16] The former refused the latter's demand to cut his hair, and was left out of the national team as even Diego Maradona and president Carlos Menem went on to take sides in the situation.[17]
Passarella excluded Redondo from his 1998 World Cup squad, stating: "Twice he was asked to play for the national team and twice he refused and gave a different reason each time. Then he announced publicly he did not want to play for the national team and I do not pick any player who does not want to play for Argentina."[18] The player later explained: "I was in great form. But he had particular ideas about discipline and wanted me to have my hair cut. I didn't see what that had to do with playing football so I said no again."[15]
In 1999, when Argentina was managed by Marcelo Bielsa, Redondo was recalled to the national side for two exhibition matches with Brazil. Although he was chosen Player of the match in the 2–0 victory in Buenos Aires he refused any subsequent call-ups, preferring to focus on club football; in 2015, he was included in an all-time team by the Argentine Football Association.[19]
Style of play
An elegant deep-lying playmaker who played in front of the defence,[20] Redondo's main attributes were his creative passing, vision, technique and close control with his left foot, his ability to control the tempo of his team's play in midfield making him a key member of the Real Madrid side of the 90s.[21][22][23] Despite not having a great deal of pace, he possessed good acceleration and was an efficient and aggressive tackler, who contributed defensively just as much as he did offensively.[24][25][26][27] As such, his role has also been likened to that of a metodista ("centre-half," in Italian football jargon), due to his ability to dictate play in midfield as well as assist his team defensively.[28][29][30]
Although he was regarded as one of the greatest midfielders of his generation,[31][32][33] Redondo's career was also largely marked by injuries, in particular during the final years of his career.[24][23]
Personal life
Redondo was born into an industrialist family and enjoyed a wealthy upbringing, later studying law at university in the early years of his playing career.
An avid reader, Redondo counted Jorge Luis Borges and Gabriel García Márquez as his two favourite authors.[37]
Career statistics
Club
Club | Season | League | Cup | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
Argentinos Juniors | 1985–86 | Argentine Primera División | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | |
1986–87 | Argentine Primera División | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
1987–88 | Argentine Primera División | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 14 | 0 | |||
1988–89 | Argentine Primera División | 36 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 36 | 0 | |
1989–90 | Argentine Primera División | 14 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 1 | |
Total | 65 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 65 | 1 | ||
Tenerife | 1990–91 | La Liga | 23 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 23 | 1 |
1991–92 | La Liga | 32 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 32 | 2 | |
1992–93 | La Liga | 20 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 4 | |
1993–94 | La Liga | 28 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 32 | 1 | |
Total | 103 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 107 | 8 | ||
Real Madrid | 1994–95 | La Liga | 23 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 26 | 2 |
1995–96 | La Liga | 23 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 30 | 2 | |
1996–97 | La Liga | 33 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 39 | 1 | |
1997–98 | La Liga | 33 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 46 | 0 | |
1998–99 | La Liga | 23 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 34 | 0 | |
1999–2000 | La Liga | 30 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 15 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 53 | 0 | |
Total | 165 | 4 | 17 | 0 | 37 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 225 | 5 | ||
Milan
|
2000–01
|
Serie A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
2001–02
|
Serie A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
2002–03
|
Serie A | 8 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 0 | |
2003–04
|
Serie A | 8 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 0 | |
Total | 16 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 33 | 0 | ||
Career total | 349 | 13 | 28 | 0 | 47 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 430 | 14 |
Honours
Real Madrid[40]
- La Liga: 1994–95, 1996–97
- Supercopa de España: 1997
- UEFA Champions League: 1997–98, 1999–2000
- Intercontinental Cup: 1998
Milan[40]
Argentina U17[40]
- 1985
Argentina[40]
Individual
- FIFA Confederations Cup: Golden Ball 1992[41]
- FIFA XI: 1996[42]
- Tenerife Player of The Year: 1992–93, 1993–94[40]
- Real Madrid Player of The Year: 1996–97, 1999–2000[40]
- ESM Team of the Year: 1997–98[40]
- Trofeo EFE: Player of The Decade 1990–99[43]
- UEFA Club Footballer of the Year: 1999–2000[7]
- AFA Team of All Time (published 2015)[44]
- IFFHS Argentina All Times Dream Team: 2021[45]
References
- ^ a b "Fernando Carlos Redondo" (in Spanish). BDFA. Retrieved 7 November 2019.
- ^ "Il regista di centrocampo: da Redondo a Verratti passando per Pirlo e Xavi" [Midfield playmakers: from Redondo to Verratti through Pirlo and Xavi] (in Italian). Fanta Gazzetta. 31 March 2013. Retrieved 3 December 2014.
- ^ "Fernando Carlos Redondo Neri "Il Principe"" [Fernando Carlos Redondo Neri "The Prince"] (in Italian). Maglia Rossonera. Retrieved 3 December 2014.
- ^ Del Río, Joel; Whelan, Padraig (10 July 2017). "Fernando Redondo: The man with magnets in his boots who stole two titles from Real Madrid". Marca. Retrieved 23 December 2017.
- ^ Galaz, Mábel; Segurola, Santiago (20 April 1994). "Acuerdo entre el Madrid y el Tenerife para el traspaso de Redondo" [Acuerdo between Madrid and Tenerife for transfer of Redondo]. El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 3 September 2018.
- ^ a b Kuper, Simon (21 May 2000). "One-touch perfectionist". The Guardian. Retrieved 18 January 2010.
- ^ a b "Euro coaches name Redondo the best". BBC Sport. 18 August 2000. Retrieved 23 December 2017.
- ^ a b c Gardner, Paul (30 November 2004). "A prince retires". The New York Sun. Retrieved 29 July 2013.
- ^ "The best foreign eleven in Real Madrid's history". Marca. 11 April 2013. Retrieved 12 April 2013.
- ^ García, Sergio (22 December 2017). "Readers pick their all-time Real Madrid XI". Marca. Retrieved 23 December 2017.
- ^ "Furious Redondo joins Milan for £11m". The Guardian. 28 July 2000. Retrieved 28 July 2013.
- ^ "Madrid lose Redondo to Milan". BBC Sport. 27 July 2000. Retrieved 28 July 2013.
- ^ Aikman, Richard; Ronay, Barney; Bandini, Nicky (13 February 2008). "Football knowledge: Players who fell short of a century of caps". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 May 2008.
- ^ Almanacco illustrato del Milan, 2ª ed., Panini, Marzo 2005, p. 612
- ^ a b Radnedge, Keir (13 January 2003). "Two-year agony over as Milan ace roars back". The Free Library. Retrieved 8 November 2010.
- ^ "Daniel Passarella – Argentinian manager". BBC. 2 May 1998. Retrieved 28 July 2013.
- ^ "Spain/Argentina: Argentina's major controversy of the moment-the length of midfielder Fernando Redondo's hair". ITN Source. 6 September 1995. Archived from the original on 13 May 2014. Retrieved 29 July 2013.
- ^ George, Bill (22 April 1998). "Ace Batistuta keen to play for Liverpool". Irish Examiner. Archived from the original on 29 June 2011. Retrieved 2 May 2010.
- ^ Gonzalez, Roger (4 January 2016). "Best ever Argentina starting lineup includes Messi and Maradona". CBS Sports. Retrieved 23 December 2017.
- ^ Newman, Blair (24 April 2015). "The relationship between a player's age and their position on a football pitch". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 September 2015.
- ^ "Real Madrid's key players". BBC Sport. 23 May 2000. Retrieved 24 September 2015.
- ^ "Ivan Zamorano: Perfect XI". FourFourTwo. 1 August 2010. Retrieved 24 September 2015.
- ^ a b "A prince at the Bernabéu". Real Madrid CF. Retrieved 24 September 2015.
- ^ a b Zizzo, Mike (15 June 1994). "Baggio takes great strides toward soccer greatness". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved 24 September 2015.
- ^ Hughes, Sam (11 February 2012). "When El Rey Fernando ruled Madrid". El Centrocampista. Retrieved 16 May 2015.
- ^ Ondra, Paul (9 May 2017). "Fernando Redondo: The pure essence of elegance". SB Nation. Retrieved 23 December 2017.
- ^ "Redondo, a lord of football". A.C. Milan. 6 June 2017. Retrieved 23 December 2017.
- ^ Carriero, Cristiano; Tossani, Michele (24 February 2017). "Il 5 è il nuovo 10" [The 5 is the new 10] (in Italian). Rivista Undici. Retrieved 15 February 2024.
- ^ "Che fine hanno fatto i nostri "Preferiti"" (in Italian). L'Ultimo Uomo. 19 October 2023. Retrieved 15 February 2024.
- ^ a b Perrone, Roberto (14 November 2013). "Redondo, "el taconazo" che leggeva Borges" [Redondo, "el taconazo" who read Borges]. Corriere della Sera (in Italian). Retrieved 7 November 2016.
- ^ Clarey, Christopher (30 June 1998). "World Cup '98; Argentina's coach knows way to ultimate prize". The New York Times. Retrieved 24 September 2015.
- ^ Penner, Mike (13 June 1998). "For a world of reasons, many standouts are sitting this out". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 24 September 2015.
- ^ Carminati, Nadia. "Spurs keep tabs on Redondo". Sky Sports. Retrieved 24 September 2015.
- ^ Romero, Enrique (30 October 1999). "Que hoy nos dejen muy bien parados" [May our name be held very high today]. Olé (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 7 November 2016. Retrieved 7 November 2016.
- ^ Brunati, Verónica (5 February 2016). "El hijo de Fernando Redondo debuta mañana en Tigre" [Son of Fernando Redondo makes debut with Tigre tomorrow]. Diario AS (in Spanish). Retrieved 2 November 2017.
- ^ "Federico Redondo, hijo de Fernando, comienza a entrenar con la Selección Sub 15" [Federico Redondo, son of Fernando, starts training with the Under-15 national team] (in Spanish). Minuto Uno. 24 September 2017. Retrieved 2 November 2017.
- ^ Bolognini, Luigi (10 January 2002). "Il mistero Redondo alla prova del campo – Rientro nel Milan dopo due anni di stop" [The Redondo mystery tests the pitch – Return to Milan after two years of inactivity]. La Repubblica (in Italian). Retrieved 7 November 2016.
- ^ Fernando Redondo at BDFutbol
- ^ "Fernando Redondo". Footballdatabase. Retrieved 5 May 2015.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Craque imortal Redondo" [Immortal star – Redondo] (in Portuguese). Imortais do Futebol. 26 May 2013. Retrieved 3 September 2018.
- Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 24 July 2010.
- ^ Leme de Arruda, Marcelo. "FIFA XI´s Matches – Full Info". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Archived from the original on 17 November 2015. Retrieved 25 October 2015.
- ^ "Libreta de apuntes" [Notebook]. Clarín (in Spanish). 20 January 2001. Retrieved 5 March 2018.
- ^ "La Selección de Todos los Tiempos" [The Team of All Time] (in Spanish). Argentine Football Association. 4 January 2016. Archived from the original on 14 August 2018. Retrieved 29 January 2018.
- ^ "IFFHS ALL TIME ARGENTINA MEN'S DREAM TEAM". 26 August 2021.
External links
- Fernando Redondo at BDFutbol
- Fernando Redondo at National-Football-Teams.com
- Fernando Redondo – FIFA competition record (archived)
- SuperFutbol biography (in Spanish)
- Futbol Factory biography (in Spanish)
- Fernando Redondo at L'Équipe Football (in French)