Guillermo Amor

Guillermo Amor

Personal information
Full name	Guillermo Amor Martínez
Date of birth	4 December 1967 (1967-12-04)
Place of birth	Benidorm, Spain
Height	1.74 m (5 ft 8 1⁄2 in)
Playing position	Midfielder
Youth career
1979–1980	Benidorm
1980–1986	Barcelona
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1985–1988	Barcelona B	49	(10)
1988–1998	Barcelona	311	(47)
1998–2000	Fiorentina	24	(0)
2000–2002	Villarreal	64	(1)
2003	Livingston	3	(0)
Total		451	(58)
National team
1986	Spain U18	1	(0)
1989–1990	Spain U21	6	(0)
1990–1998	Spain	37	(4)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

This name uses Spanish naming customs; the first or paternal family name is Amor and the second or maternal family name is Martínez.

Guillermo Amor Martínez (born 4 December 1967) is a retired Spanish footballer who played as a versatile midfielder.

After playing most of his professional career with FC Barcelona, winning several accolades in 10 seasons, he ended it in Scotland, with Livingston. Over the course of 12 seasons, he amassed La Liga totals of 375 games and 48 goals.

Amor won nearly 40 caps with Spain during the 1990s, representing the nation in one World Cup and one European Championship.

Club career

Born in Benidorm, Province of Alicante, Valencian Community, Amor was a product of FC Barcelona's youth ranks, and made his first team debuts in 1988–89, under Johan Cruyff, going on to quickly become one of the Catalan side's most influential players, as it achieved four consecutive La Liga titles and the 1991–92 European Cup (he did not play in the final against U.C. Sampdoria, however). In 1993–94, as the club conquered the last of a successive four leagues, he appeared in all matches safe one, scoring a career-best eight goals.

Amor left Barça at the end of the 1997–98 season, with another national championship won, deemed surplus to requirements by new boss Louis van Gaal as longtime teammate Albert Ferrer, having played 421 matches overall for Barça, only behind club greats Xavi, Migueli and Carles Rexach. He subsequently had his first abroad experience, appearing sparingly for Serie A outfit ACF Fiorentina from 1998–2000, and then returning to Spain with Villarreal CF, as the side had just returned to the top level.

Amor retired from football after a short spell with Scotland's Livingston FC, for which he signed in January 2003, making his debut on the 28th, in a 3–1 triumph at Partick Thistle, as the Livi Lions narrowly avoided relegation from the Scottish Premier League.

After retiring, Amor served a four-year spell at former club Barcelona, being responsible for the youth categories after Joan Laporta was named president in 2003. He left after the board of directors decided not to renew his contract. In July 2010 he returned to the club, as technical director of football training.

International career

Amor represented Spain on 37 occasions, scoring four goals. His debut came in an UEFA Euro 1992 qualifier 2–3 loss in Czechoslovakia, on 14 November 1990, and he went on to represent the nation at both the Euro 1996 and the 1998 FIFA World Cup. In the former competition, in 18 June, he scored against Romania in a 2–1 win, netting in the 84th minute and helping the national side to the quarterfinals in England.

His last cap was a sour one, as Spain were downed by lowly Cyprus on 5 September 1998, in an Euro 2000 qualifier (2–3).

International goals

#	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1.	19 December 1990	Sánchez Pizjuán, Seville, Spain	Albania	1–0	9–0	Euro 1992 qualifying
2.	18 June 1996	Elland Road, Leeds, England	Romania	1–2	1–2	UEFA Euro 1996
3.	13 November 1996	Heliodoro Rodríguez, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain	Slovakia	2–1	4–1	1998 World Cup qualification
4.	24 September 1997	Tehelné pole, Bratislava, Slovakia	Slovakia	1–2	1–2	1998 World Cup qualification

Honours

Barcelona

• European Cup: 1991–92
• UEFA Cup Winners' Cup: 1988–89, 1996–97
• UEFA Super Cup: 1992, 1997
• Spanish League: 1990–91, 1991–92, 1992–93, 1993–94, 1997–98
• Spanish Cup: 1989–90, 1996–97, 1997–98
• Spanish Supercup: 1991, 1992, 1994, 1996

Club statistics

Club performance			League		Cup		Continental		Total
Season	Club	League	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Spain			League		Copa del Rey		Europe		Total
1988–89	Barcelona	Spanish League	27	8	6	3	5	2	38	13
1989–90			33	6	6	1	3	1	42	8
1990–91			34	4	3	1	8	2	45	7
1991–92			36	6	4	1	3	1	43	8
1992–93			33	5	7	0	7	1	47	6
1993–94			37	8	4	1	12	2	53	11
1994–95			34	4	3	1	6	1	43	6
1995–96			28	6	6	2	6	1	40	9
1996–97			26	0	5	0	5	0	36	0
1997–98			23	0	6	0	5	0	34	0
Italy			League		Coppa Italia		Europe		Total
1998–99	Fiorentina	Italian League	16	0	?	?	3	0	?	?
1999–00			8	0	?	?	2	0	?	?
Spain			League		Copa del Rey		Europe		Total
2000–01	Villarreal	Spanish League	35	0	0	0	-	-	35	0
2001–02			29	1	5	0	-	-	34	1
Scotland			League		Scottish Cup		Europe		Total
2002–03	Livingston	Scottish League	3	0	0	0	0	0	3	0
Total	Spain		375	48	55	10	60	11	490	69
Total	Italy		24	0	?	?	5	0	?	?
Total	Scotland		3	0	0	0	0	0	3	0
Career total			402	48

Car accident

On 16 December 2007, at 2:20, Amor was involved in a serious traffic accident while travelling from Valencia. Released from hospital after only a week, he later fully recovered.

External links

• BDFutbol profile
• National team data (Spanish)
• Guillermo Amor at National-Football-Teams.com
• Guillermo Amor – FIFA competition record
• International appearances; at RSSSF
• FC Barcelona archives (Spanish)
• FC Barcelona profile