Rafa (footballer, born 1970)
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Rafael González Robles | ||
| Date of birth | 25 October 1970 | ||
| Place of birth | Avilés, Spain | ||
| Height | 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Goalkeeper | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Avilés | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1990–1992 | Avilés | 28 | (0) |
| 1992–1997 | Oviedo | 6 | (0) |
| 1997–2003 | Málaga | 75 | (0) |
| 2003–2004 | Cultural Leonesa | 37 | (0) |
| 2004–2005 | Sporting Gijón | 3 | (0) |
| 2005–2006 | Oviedo | 8 | (0) |
| 2006–2007 | Coventry City | 0 | (0) |
| Total | 157 | (0) | |
| International career | |||
| 1991 | Spain U23 | 3 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Rafael González Robles (born 25 October 1970), commonly known as Rafa, is a Spanish retired footballer who played as a goalkeeper.
11 of his professional seasons were spent at Oviedo and Málaga, but he only served as backup for ten of those. After retiring, he became a goalkeeper's coach, notably in England.
Football career
Born in Avilés, Asturias, Rafa started his career at Real Avilés Industrial in Segunda División. After the team's 1992 relegation, he moved to one of the biggest clubs in the region, Real Oviedo, but spent five seasons there (always in La Liga) without making more than three league appearances.
In the summer of 1997, Rafa joined Málaga CF, again meeting the same fate. However, he did appear in 31 games in his second year as the Andalusians promoted from Segunda División B to the top flight in only two years.
Rafa retired from football in 2007, after having played one season each for Cultural y Deportiva Leonesa, Sporting de Gijón, Oviedo (the club was now in Tercera División) and England's Coventry City. Previously, in the 2005 summer, he had an unsuccessful trial with Walsall,[1] before securing a four-month contract at the Football League Championship team.
Following his retirement, Robles was immediately hired by another team in the country of his last club, joining Aston Villa as its goalkeeping coach in August 2007. He remained there until 2012, working with both the first team and academy's goalkeepers.
On 11 February 2013, Rafa joined the New York Red Bulls as goalkeeper coach.[2]
Honours
- Málaga
References
- ^ Bulls saddled with behind doors game; Bulls News, 23 August 2005
- ^ Red Bulls name Rafael Gonzalez goalkeeper coach; NY Red Bulls, 11 February 2013
External links
- 1970 births
- Living people
- People from Avilés
- Spanish footballers
- Asturian footballers
- Association football goalkeepers
- La Liga players
- Segunda División players
- Segunda División B players
- Real Avilés footballers
- Real Oviedo players
- Málaga CF players
- Cultural Leonesa footballers
- Sporting de Gijón players
- Coventry City F.C. players
- Spain under-23 international footballers
- Spanish expatriate footballers
- Expatriate footballers in England
- Aston Villa F.C. non-playing staff
- New York Red Bulls non-playing staff