Ramon Vega

This article is about the Swiss footballer. For the sprinter, see Ramón Vega.

Ramon Vega
Personal information
Full name Ramon Vega[1]
Date of birth (1971-06-14) 14 June 1971 (age 53)
Place of birth Olten, Switzerland
Height 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in)
Position(s) Centre back
Youth career
FC Olten
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1990–1996 Grasshoppers 169 (13)
1996–1997 Cagliari 14 (0)
1997–2001 Tottenham Hotspur 64 (7)
2000–2001 → Celtic (loan) 18 (2)
2001–2002 Watford 27 (1)
2002–2003 Créteil 23 (4)
Total 315 (27)
International career
1993–2001 Switzerland 23 (1)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Ramon Vega (Spanish pronunciation: [raˈmon ˈβeɣa]; Swiss Standard German pronunciation: [ˈraː.mon ˈveː.ga]; born 14 June 1971) is a Swiss retired footballer, who played as a central defender.

During his 13-year professional career he played for Grasshoppers, Cagliari, Tottenham Hotspur, Celtic, Watford and Créteil. Vega also played 23 times for Switzerland, appearing in the UEFA Euro 1996 tournament.

Early life

Vega was one of five children to Spanish immigrants. He was born in Olten near Zürich, with the remaining siblings already born in his parents' native city of Madrid.

Vega attended school in Trimbach and went on to study for a degree in banking and financing, at the Zürich Business School.[2]

Club career

Vega began his professional career in with local Grasshopper Club Zürich in 1989, being a defensive mainstay from his second season onwards. He was essential in two of the three leagues he actually conquered, playing in 67 games combined and scoring seven goals.

In the 1996 summer Vega moved to Italy with Cagliari Calcio, in the Serie A. However, after only seven months, he signed with England's Tottenham Hotspur, for a transfer fee of £3.75 million. He was used mostly as a backup with his new side, helping it win the Football League Cup in 1999; in the final, a 1–0 win over Leicester City, he broke his ankle, and could never regain his previous form with Spurs.[3]

In mid-December 2000, Vega moved on loan to Celtic – in the previous off-season, he rejected a move to the club[4]– where he played a significant part in the winning of three trophies, in a short six-month spell. In his debut, on the 17th, he netted twice in the home demolition of Aberdeen (6–0);[5] he also scored a brace against Dunfermline in the Scottish Cup.[6]

Released by Tottenham in June 2001, after also having refused the Scottish club's offer of an additional year,[7] Vega moved back to England with Watford, penning a three-year deal with the Championship outfit. One of the side's best-paid players under manager Gianluca Vialli, he was released after just one season, as the club underachieved for a final 14th position;[8] for the Hornets he netted three times, once in the league against Norwich City[9] and twice in the League Cup, against Bristol City[10] and Bradford City.[11]

Vega retired in 2004 aged 33, after one season with lowly US Créteil-Lusitanos in France.

International career

Vega first played for Switzerland in 1993, but was overlooked for the 1994 FIFA World Cup in the United States.

Two years later, he was picked – and started – for the squad at UEFA Euro 1996 in England, helping them to a 1–1 draw against the hosts. His career brought him a total of 23 caps, and he also captained the side on occasion, scoring in the 1–1 friendly match with England – who were preparing for the 1998 World Cup – in Bern.[12]

Personal life

After his retirement, in 2012 he became a founding member of the Duet Group, a financial group specializing in asset management and private equity.[citation needed] In 2006 Vega also founded the Matterhorn Capital Rosalp, a Swiss real estate company focusing on the development of luxury hotels worldwide, opening the first facilities in Verbier, Switzerland. He also opened "Ramon Vega's Soccer School" in Marbella, Spain.

Vega owned a stake in a Romford jewellery shop, Ministry of Gold.

In February 2009, Vega unsuccessfully bid to purchase Premier League team and FA Cup holders Portsmouth from its owner Alexandre Gaydamak; however, he was consistently not able to demonstrate an ability to secure financing for his proposal.[13][14]

In October 2015 he announced that he was considering standing as a candidate in the FIFA presidential election.[15]

Career statistics

As of January 2004
Club Season League League Cup¹ League Cup² Total
Apps. Goals Apps. Goals Apps. Goals Apps. Goals
Cagliari 1996–97 Serie A 14 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 14 0 0 0
Tottenham Hotspur 1996–97 Premier League 8 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 8 1 1 1
1997–98 Premier League 25 3 6 1 3 0 1 0 2 0 0 0 30 3 7 1
1998–99 Premier League 16 2 2 0 4 0 0 0 5 1 1 0 25 3 3 0
1999-2000 Premier League 5 1 0 0 2 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 8 1 1 0
2000–01 Premier League 10 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 13 0 3 0
Celtic (loan) 2000–01 Scottish Premier League 18 2 0 0 6 2 1 0 2 0 0 0 26 4 1 0
Watford 2001–02 First Division 27 1 4 1 1 0 0 0 5 2 1 0 33 3 5 1
Créteil 2002–03 Ligue 2 23 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 23 4 0 0
Career total 146 14 16 3 16 2 3 0 18 3 2 0 180 19 21 3

¹ include Coppa Italia, FA Cup, Scottish Cup, and Coupe de France .

² include Football League Cup, Scottish League Cup, and Coupe de la Ligue.

Honours

Grasshoppers

Tottenham Hotspur

Celtic

References

  1. ^ "Ramon Vega". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 12 March 2017.
  2. ^ "Were you there ...?". BBC Sport. 15 February 2007.
  3. ^ "Graham blocks transfer plunge". BBC Sport. 21 September 2000.
  4. ^ "Vega rejects Celtic's overtures". BBC Sport. 23 August 2000.
  5. ^ "Celtic hit Dons for six". BBC Sport. 17 December 2000.
  6. ^ "Celtic sweep Dunfermline aside". BBC Sport. 7 March 2001.
  7. ^ "Vega set to quit Celtic". BBC Sport. 19 June 2001.
  8. ^ "Watford release Vega". BBC Sport. 18 June 2002.
  9. ^ "Norwich 3-1 Watford". BBC Sport. 18 September 2001.
  10. ^ "Bristol City 2-3 Watford". BBC Sport. 12 September 2001.
  11. ^ "Watford sting Bantams". BBC Sport. 9 October 2001.
  12. ^ "England's track record". BBC Sport. 27 May 2004.
  13. ^ "Portsmouth reject buy-out approach from former Spurs defender Vega". The Guardian. London. 26 February 2009. Retrieved 22 May 2010.
  14. ^ Wilson, Jeremy (27 February 2009). "Portsmouth turn down Ramon Vega's takeover bid". The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 2 March 2009. Retrieved 22 May 2010.
  15. ^ "Ramon Vega: Ex-Spurs defender may stand for Fifa presidency". BBC Sport. 19 October 2015. Retrieved 19 October 2015.
  16. ^ "Nielsen nicks it for Spurs". BBC Sport. 22 March 1999. Retrieved 30 March 2024.