Julián Rubio Sánchez (born 28 January 1952) is a Spanish former

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in t ...

and

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of organizations, whether businesses, nonprofit organizations, or a government bodies through business administration, nonprofit management, or the political science sub-field of public administra ...

. He appeared in 134

La Liga The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Primera División, commonly known as the Primera División or La Liga, and officially known as LaLiga EA Sports for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Spain and the highest ...

matches over six seasons (14 goals), mainly in representation of

Sevilla Seville ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Spanish autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the River Guadalquivir, in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula. Seville ...

. His professional career was closely associated to

Albacete Balompié Albacete Balompié is a List of football clubs in Spain, Spanish football team based in Albacete, in the autonomous community of Castile–La Mancha. Founded on 5 July 1939, it currently plays in Segunda División, the second tier of Spanish foo ...

, with which he played and worked in several capacities.

Playing career

Born in Montealegre del Castillo,

Province of Albacete Albacete () is a province of central Spain, in the southern part of the autonomous community of Castile–La Mancha. As of 2012, Albacete had a population of 402,837 people. Its capital city, also called Albacete, is by road southeast of Madri ...

, Rubio started playing for local club

. He made his senior debut with

Ontinyent CF Ontinyent Club de Fútbol was a List of football clubs in Spain, Spanish football team based in Ontinyent, in the autonomous community of Valencian Community, Valencia. Founded in 1947 it held home games at ''Estadio El Clariano'', with a capacity ...

, spending two of his three seasons in the

Segunda División The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Segunda División, commonly known as Segunda División or La Liga 2, and officially known as LaLiga HyperMotion for sponsorship reasons, is the men's second professional association football division of the Spa ...

, then switched to

Sevilla FC Sevilla Fútbol Club () is a Spanish professional association football, football club based in Seville, Andalusia, that competes in La Liga, the Spanish football league system, top flight of Spanish football. The club was formed on 25 January ...

in the same league, promoting to

1975 It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe. Events January * January 1 – Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...

.Julián Rubio: “En el fútbol eliminaría el poder tan grande que tienen los árbitros” (Julián Rubio: "What I would take out of football is that immense power that referees have")
Diario de Huelva, 14 December 2021 Rubio made his debut in the top flight on 6 September 1975, playing the full 90 minutes in a 3–0 home win against

UD Las Palmas Unión Deportiva Las Palmas S.A.D. is a professional association football, football club based in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Canary Islands, Spain. The club will compete in Segunda División, the 2nd division in the Spanish football league syst ...

, and finished his

first year A freshman, fresher, first year, or colloquially frosh, is a person in the first year at an educational institution, usually a secondary school or at the college and university level, but also in other forms of post-secondary educational in ...

with 26 games (all starts) and three goals as the

Andalusia Andalusia ( , ; , ) is the southernmost autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in Peninsular Spain, located in the south of the Iberian Peninsula, in southwestern Europe. It is the most populous and the second-largest autonomou ...

ns ranked in 11th position. After three more seasons, always as first choice, he signed with

FC Barcelona Futbol Club Barcelona (), commonly known as FC Barcelona and colloquially as Barça (), is a professional Football club (association football), football club based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, that competes in La Liga, the top flight of ...

. At the

Camp Nou Camp Nou (), meaning ''New Field'' and often referred to in English as the Nou Camp, is a stadium in Barcelona and the home of La Liga club FC Barcelona since its opening in 1957. It is currently undergoing renovation, and with a planned increa ...

, having to compete with the likes of

Juan Manuel Asensi Juan Manuel Asensi Ripoll (born 23 September 1949) is a Spanish retired footballer who played as an attacking midfielder. Club career Born in Alicante, Valencian Community, Asensi began his career at local Elche – at the time in La Liga – b ...

and

Jesús Landáburu Jesús 'Chus' Landáburu Sagüillo (born 24 January 1955) is a Spanish former footballer who played as a central midfielder. Club career Born in Guardo, Province of Palencia, Landáburu made his professional debut at only 17 with Real Valladoli ...

– and later

Bernd Schuster Bernd Schuster (born 22 December 1959) is a German former professional footballer of the late 1970s through early 1990s, who won club titles playing for the Spanish sides Barcelona (1980–1988) and Real Madrid (1988–1990). He played as a midf ...

– Rubio was nothing but a fringe player due to a serious

knee In humans and other primates, the knee joins the thigh with the leg and consists of two joints: one between the femur and tibia (tibiofemoral joint), and one between the femur and patella (patellofemoral joint). It is the largest joint in the hu ...

injury, all of his league appearances coming in the 1979–80 campaign. He returned to Albacete in the summer of 1981, promoting to

Segunda División B Segunda División B (English: second division B) was the third tier of the Spanish football league system containing 102 teams divided into five groups, until it was replaced by the new structure in 2021. It was administered by the Royal Spanish ...

in his first season and eventually retiring at the age of 32.

Coaching career

Immediately after retiring, Rubio began coaching precisely with his last club, achieving promotiong to the third division in his first season but being immediately relegated. In 1987 he joined amateurs

CD Maspalomas Club Deportivo Maspalomas is a Spanish football team based in Maspalomas, San Bartolomé de Tirajana, Gran Canaria, in the autonomous community of the Canary Islands. Founded in 1969, it plays in , holding home matches at '' Estadio Municipal ...

, returning to his previous employer after one season. In 1991, after one-year spells with

Recreativo de Huelva Real Club Recreativo de Huelva, S.A.D. () is a List of football clubs in Spain, Spanish football club based in Huelva, Andalucia, Spain. Founded on 23 December 1889, they are the oldest football club in Spain, and currently play in , holding home ...

( second tier, relegation) and SD Ibiza (regional leagues), Rubio returned to Albacete once again, now as

director of football A sporting director, or director of sport, is an senior management, executive management position in a sports club. The role is well known as a manager role for European football clubs, which are sometime also "sports clubs", offering many typ ...

. As

Benito Floro Benito Floro Sanz (born 2 June 1952) is a Spanish football manager. Football career Floro was born in Gijón, Asturias. During his professional career he managed Albacete (two spells, starting off in 1989 in Segunda División B and leading the ...

joined

Real Madrid Real Madrid Club de Fútbol (), commonly referred to as Real Madrid, is a Spanish professional Football club (association football), football club based in Madrid. The club competes in La Liga, th ...

in the summer of 1992 following Albacete's top-flight overachiements, he was named his successor, being dismissed at the 15th round and replaced by former Sevilla teammate Víctor Espárrago. In late April 1999, following spells with three teams, including

in which he was one of three managers in 1996–97 and four the following season, Rubio returned for the fourth time as Albacete coach, replacing

Luigi Maifredi Luigi Maifredi (born 20 April 1947), commonly known as Gigi Maifredi, is an Italian association football, football manager. Career Born in Lograto (Province of Brescia), started out playing in Brescia Calcio, his hometown club's youth system, ...

late into the third-tier campaign and leading the

Castilla–La Mancha Castilla–La Mancha (, ; ) is an Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Spain. Comprising the provinces of Province of Albacete, Albacete, Province of Ciudad Real, Ciudad Real, Province of Cuenca, Cuenca, Province of Guadalajar ...

side to the 15th position out of 22 teams.Julián Rubio nuevo entrenador del Albacete Balompié (Julián Rubio new Albacete Balompié manager)
Queso Mecánico, 1 December 2009 In the following seven years he worked in the same league, with Albacete,

Elche CF Elche Club de Fútbol, S.A.D. () is a Spanish professional football club based in Elche, Province of Alicante, in the Valencian Community, Spain. Founded in 1923, the club will compete in La Liga for the 2025–26 season, holding home matches at ...

(two spells),

Polideportivo Ejido Poli Ejido 2012 Sociedad Deportiva was a Spanish football team based in El Ejido, Province of Almería, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. Founded in 1969 and dissolved in 2012, it held home matches at '' Estadio Municipal Santo Domingo'' ...

Ciudad de Murcia Club de Fútbol Ciudad de Murcia, usually abbreviated to Ciudad de Murcia, was a Spanish football club based in Murcia, in the namesake autonomous community. They played at the 16,000-seater ''Estadio de La Condomina''. Ciudad Murcia was reloc ...

and

Cádiz CF Cádiz Club de Fútbol, S.A.D. is a Spanish professional football club based in Cádiz, Andalusia. Founded in 1910, the club competes in Segunda División, holding home games at Nuevo Mirandilla, with a seating capacity of 20,724. Salvadoran ...

; additionally, late into 1999–2000 with Albacete, he had to take a forced one-month break from coaching to undergo surgery due to a serious illness. Rubio started the 2009–10 season at the helm of CF Atlético Ciudad in the third division, leaving the club – who would be eventually relegated due to financial irregularities– in late November. He was appointed at Albacete the following month in substitution of José Murcia, and both coaches and a third one,

David Vidal David Vidal Tomé (born 2 August 1950) is a Spanish football manager and former player who played as a centre-back. Football career Vidal was born in Porto do Son, A Coruña, Galicia. After an unassuming career (the central defender never pl ...

, were in charge for 14 matches as they eventually retained their status. On 21 June 2011, Rubio became the first Spaniard to coach in the

Albanian Superliga Kategoria Superiore (), also known as Abissnet Superiore for sponsorship reasons with internet service provider, Abissnet, is a professional league for men's association football clubs in Albania. At the top of the Albanian football league syste ...

, joining

KF Tirana Klubi i Futbollit Tirana is an Albanian professional football club based in the country's capital city, Tirana, that competes in the Kategoria Superiore, the top tier of Albanian football. The men's football club is part of the multi-discipli ...

on a one-year contract. He helped the team to that season's

Albanian Supercup The Albanian Supercup is a single match usually at the beginning of the season between the winners of the Kategoria Superiore and Albanian Cup. Prior to 2000, Supercup final was not played when the champion team won the Double. However, after the ...

, a 1–0 win over

KF Skënderbeu Korçë Klubi i Futbollit Skënderbeu Korçë is an Albanian professional association football, football club based in Korçë, southeastern Albania. The club competes in the Kategoria e Parë, the second tier of Football in Albania, Albanian football. ...

, adding the

Albanian Cup The Albanian Cup () is the main "knockout" competition in Albanian football. The competition started in 1939 as Kupa e Mbretit ( English:"The King's Cup"). The cup was suspended for the next eight years as the Second World War started. It start ...

the following year against those rivals and defeating the same opposition in the 2012 Supercup. On 7 June 2012, Rubio was due to extend his link with Tirana. Both parties failed to reach an agreement, however, and he eventually left for another club in the country,

Flamurtari FC Flamurtari Football Club is an Albanian professional football club based in Vlorë, Albania. The club plays in the Kategoria Superiore, which is the first tier of football in the country. Founded in 1923, the club is one of the oldest in Alba ...

. Rubio was relieved of his duties after only three months in charge, due to poor results.Flamurtari shkarkon Rubion. “Furtunë” në Vlorë, projektohen edhe 4 largime lojtarësh (Flamurtari sack Rubio. A "storm" in Vlora, 4 players expected to leave as well)

Panorama Sport Panorama Sport is a newspaper published in Albania Albania ( ; or ), officially the Republic of Albania (), is a country in Southeast Europe. It is located in the Balkans, on the Adriatic Sea, Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterra ...

, 11 December 2012

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Rubio, Julian 1952 births Living people 20th-century Spanish sportsmen Spanish men's footballers Footballers from the Province of Albacete Men's association football midfielders La Liga players Segunda División players Segunda División B players Tercera División players Albacete Balompié players Ontinyent CF players Sevilla FC players FC Barcelona players Spain men's youth international footballers Spanish football managers La Liga managers Segunda División managers Segunda División B managers Albacete Balompié managers Recreativo de Huelva managers Elche CF managers Sevilla Atlético managers Sevilla FC managers Polideportivo Ejido managers Ciudad de Murcia managers Cádiz CF managers Kategoria Superiore managers KF Tirana managers Flamurtari FC managers Spanish expatriate football managers Expatriate football managers in Albania Spanish expatriate sportspeople in Albania