José Emilio Amavisca

José Amavisca

Personal information
Full name	José Emilio Amavisca Gárate
Date of birth	June 19, 1971 (1971-06-19)
Place of birth	Laredo, Spain
Height	1.82 m (5 ft 11 1⁄2 in)
Playing position	Winger / Striker
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1988–1989	Laredo
1989–1994	Valladolid	74	(15)
1991–1992	→ Lleida (loan)	37	(14)
1994–1998	Real Madrid	113	(13)
1999–2001	Racing Santander	84	(10)
2001–2004	Deportivo La Coruña	51	(3)
2004–2005	Espanyol	22	(2)
National team
1989–1990	Spain U20	3	(1)
1991–1992	Spain U21	2	(1)
1992	Spain U23	4	(1)
1994–1997	Spain	15	(1)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Olympic medal record
Competitor for Spain
Men's Football
Gold	1992 Barcelona	Team Competition

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

José Emilio Amavisca Gárate (born 19 June 1971) is a retired Spanish footballer who played mostly as a left winger.

He was best known for his Real Madrid stint, but played for five other clubs, amassing 381 games and 57 goals in both major levels of Spanish football, over the course of 16 seasons.

A Spanish international in the 90's, Amavisca represented the country at Euro 1996.

Club career

Born in Laredo, Cantabria, Amavisca made his professional debuts for Real Valladolid (achieving promotion in 1992–93 and being also loaned to UE Lleida). In the 1994 summer, he joined La Liga giants Real Madrid, initially being deemed surplus to requirements, but going on to score 10 league goals in his debut season, mostly playing second striker to Chilean Iván Zamorano (both were initially seen as third or fourth-string offensive references by manager Jorge Valdano), as the Merengues ended a four-year domestic title drought. His role would gradually diminish in the subsequent years.

In January 1999, Amavisca joined Racing de Santander, thus returning to Cantabria, and instantly became an important offensive figure with the side, although his seven league goals in 2000–01 were not enough to avoid top level relegation.

Subsequently, Amavisca moved to Deportivo de La Coruña, appearing in 28 games for the runners-up (with three goals), but sparingly in the following two years, barred by veteran Fran and new signing Albert Luque. He retired after one season with RCD Espanyol.

International career

After making his Spain debut on September 7, 1994, in an UEFA Euro 1996 qualifier against Cyprus (90 minutes, 2–1 away win), Amavisca appeared in the tournament's final stages, playing in three matches and netting the winner against Romania (2–1).

As his role at Real Madrid was gradually diminishing, he was overlooked for the squad at the 1998 FIFA World Cup. Previously, Amavisca won the gold medal at the 1992 Summer Olympics, in Barcelona.

Honours

Club

• Real Madrid:
  • Spanish League: 1994–95, 1996–97
  • UEFA Champions League: 1997–98
  • Spanish Supercup: 1994, 1996
  • Intercontinental Cup: 1998

• Deportivo:
  • Spanish Cup: 2001–02
  • Spanish Supercup: 2002
  • Spanish League: Runner-up 2001–02

• Laredo:
  • Fourth Division: 1988–89

Country

• Summer Olympics: 1992

External links

• BDFutbol profile
• National team data (Spanish)
• El Mundo profile (Spanish)
• José Emilio Amavisca – FIFA competition record