Santiago Cañizares
Valencia's decade-long guardian: 416 matches, two league titles, and the 2004 UEFA Cup.
José Santiago Cañizares Ruiz is a Spanish former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper for Valencia CF from 1998 until his retirement in May 2008. Arriving to replace the retired Andoni Zubizarreta, he became a cornerstone of the club, appearing in 416 official matches over the next decade. His tenure included two La Liga championships (2001–02 and 2003–04), the Copa del Rey in 1998–99, and the 2004 UEFA Cup. He also reached consecutive UEFA Champions League finals in 2000 and 2001, notably saving a penalty from Bayern Munich's Mehmet Scholl in normal time of the latter match before an eventual shootout defeat.
Quick Facts
- Full name
- José Santiago Cañizares Ruiz
- Born
- 18 December 1969
- Birthplace
- Madrid, Spain
- Height
- 1.81 m / 5 ft 11 in
- Position
- Goalkeeper
- Total caps
- 500
Lore & Background
Cañizares' path to Valencia was paved with resilience. After starting his career at Real Madrid in 1988 and playing professionally for Elche, Mérida, and Celta de Vigo, he returned to Madrid but could not cement a starting place, losing out to Bodo Illgner in the final part of the 1997–98 season. Moving to Valencia in 1998 proved pivotal. Despite being axed by manager Ronald Koeman in December 2007 alongside teammates Miguel Ángel Angulo and David Albelda, he was reinstated in late April 2008 by new coach Voro after injuries to Timo Hildebrand and Juan Luis Mora threatened the squad's relegation hopes. He returned on 27 April 2008 for a 3–0 win against Osasuna. Two days after ending his contract on 16 May 2008, he played his final game against Atlético Madrid, retiring at almost 39 years of age.
Reader's Guide
Cañizares was not known as a spectacular goalkeeper but for his consistency, composure, and outstanding positional sense. He possessed good reflexes and penalty-stopping abilities, capable of producing difficult saves when necessary. His primary strength lay in organizing the back-line, serving as a vocal presence in goal. At Valencia, he won the Ricardo Zamora Trophy four times (1992–93 shared, 2000–01, 2001–02, 2003–04) and was named to the UEFA Team of the Year in 2001. His career spanned exactly two decades with exactly 500 league matches across all major levels combined. Beyond football, he competed in the Spanish Rally Championship starting in October 2010, earning a victory at the Rally de la Cerámica on 17 June 2017 driving a Porsche 997.
Did You Know?
- He missed the 2002 World Cup due to a severed tendon caused by an accident with an aftershave bottle.
- Despite being a squad member at Euro 1996, the 1998 World Cup, and Euro 2004, he did not play in any of those tournaments.
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