Rubén Baraja

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Born in Valladolid, Castile and León, Baraja started his career at local Real Valladolid before moving to Atlético Madrid, where he would spend two and a half seasons with the reserves, first appearing with the first team on 7 February 1999. In 1998–99, with the B's in the Segunda División, he scored a career-best eleven goals. When Atlético was relegated at the end of 1999–2000, Baraja left the club in a 2,000 million pesetas transfer to Valencia. In his first season, he was a key element in the Champions League run, as they were beaten in the final by Bayern Munich on penalties, with the player scoring on his attempt. 2001–02 saw Baraja's first trophy win, where his goals late in the campaign helped Valencia to their first La Liga title in 31 years – he finished as team top scorer in the league, netting seven in only 17 league games after recovering from a knee injury. 2003–04 was another big year, winning both the domestic championship (with eight league goals from him) as well as the UEFA Cup. In 2006–07, Baraja only made 14 league appearances, as Valencia finished fourth, and continued to be constantly bothered by physical problems in the following years. After two respectable seasons, often partnering longtime central midfield partner David Albelda, he was again greatly troubled by injuries in the 2009–10 campaign, featuring in only 18 matches (two complete). Baraja closed his chapter at the Mestalla Stadium after one full decade on 16 May 2010, receiving homages before and after the 1–0 home win over Tenerife and being replaced to a standing ovation in the 89th minute. The 35-year-old announced his retirement shortly after, having appeared in 338 top-flight games over 15 seasons and scored 47 goals. Baraja made his debut for Spain on 7 October 2000, in the 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification 2–0 defeat of Israel. Consequently, he was picked for the final stages, where the team reached the quarter-finals before being sent out by co-hosts South Korea on penalties, though the player, as the year before with Valencia, once again scored on his attempt; he scored from a header during regulation time, but saw his goal disallowed for alleged shirt pulling and pushing in the Korean penalty area. Baraja also took part in the disappointing UEFA Euro 2004 tournament, where Spain was eliminated in the group stage by eventual finalists Portugal and Greece. He was lef

In Their Own Story

Baraja made his Spain debut on 7 October 2000 in a 2–0 World Cup qualifier win over Israel. He was picked for the 2002 World Cup, where Spain reached the quarter-finals before being eliminated by co-hosts South Korea on penalties; Baraja scored on his attempt and also had a header disallowed for alleged shirt pulling and pushing in the Korean area. He also took part in Euro 2004, where Spain was eliminated in the group stage by eventual finalists Portugal and Greece. Baraja was left out of the 2006 World Cup squad as his club presence was diminished due to recurrent injuries. After retiring, he returned to Atlético Madrid in June 2011 as part of Gregorio Manzano's staff, then in summer 2013 he returned to Valencia to coach the youths. He took interim charge of the reserves on 22 December 2013, achieving a 2–1 win at Sant Andreu. Baraja then managed Elche, Rayo Vallecano, Sporting de Gijón, Tenerife and Real Zaragoza in the Segunda División before returning to Valencia as head coach on 14 February 2023. His first top-flight game as a manager was a 1–0 loss at Getafe, and a 1–1 draw at Real Betis secured survival by a two-point margin on the final day. He renewed his contract for two more years but was sacked on 23 December 2024 after achieving only two wins during the season.

Reader's Guide

In June 2011, Baraja returned to former team Atlético Madrid as part of newly appointed manager Gregorio Manzano's staff. In the summer of 2013, he returned to main club Valencia, first coaching the youths. On 22 December 2013, Baraja took interim charge of the reserves in the Segunda División B, as Nico Estévez was doing the same for the first team, and achieved a 2–1 win at Sant Andreu. Baraja was appointed manager of Elche, newly relegated to the second tier, on 12 July 2015. On 6 June of the following year, he resigned after failing to agree new terms. On 8 November 2016, Baraja took the reins at fellow second-division Rayo Vallecano. After only three wins from 13 games, he was sacked on 20 February 2017, as they sat a point above the relegation places. Baraja was appointed at Sporting de Gijón on 12 December 2017. Towards the end of the season, he received a four-match ban and a €3,005 fine for preventing Barcelona B's Sergi Palencia from taking a throw-in; this included the first game of the play-offs, in which eventual champions Valladolid eliminated the Asturians 5–2 on aggregate in the semi-finals. On 18 November 2018, Baraja was dismissed after losing the Asturian derby against Real Oviedo, leaving the team in 14th position with a streak of only one win from 11 matches. In December of the following year, he became coach of Tenerife in the same league, managing to avoid relegation, but still left on 20 July 2020. Baraja replaced Víctor Fernández at the helm of Real Zaragoza on 20 August 2020. He was relieved of his duties on 9 November, after a poor start to the season. On 14 February 2023, Baraja returned to his former club Valencia as head coach, taking over a team that had slipped from 14th to 18th since the dismissal of Gennaro Gattuso; long-time teammate Carlos Marchena was part of his coaching team. His first top-flight game as a manager came six days later, in a 1–0 loss at Getafe, and a 1–1 draw at Real Betis secured survival by a two-point margin on the final day. He then renewed his contract for two more years. On 23 December 2024, having achieved only two wins during the season, Baraja was sacked.

Did You Know?

• Baraja scored a career-best eleven goals in 1998–99 while playing for Atlético Madrid B in the Segunda División.
• He scored on his penalty attempt in the 2001 Champions League final shootout against Bayern Munich.
• Baraja's younger brother, Javier, was also a professional footballer, a defender who spent most of his senior career at Valladolid.
• He received a four-match ban and a €3,005 fine as Sporting de Gijón manager for preventing a Barcelona B player from taking a throw-in.