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Santi
	Santi as Spain U19 manager
Personal information
Full name	Santiago Denia Sánchez
Date of birth	9 March 1974 (age 50)
Place of birth	Albacete, Spain
Height	1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)
Position(s)	Centre-back
Team information
Current team	Spain U21 (manager)
Youth career
	Albacete
Senior career*
Years	Team
1992–1995	Albacete
1995–2005	Atlético Madrid
2005	→ Albacete (loan)
2005–2007	Albacete
Total
International career
1991	Spain U18
1992–1996	Spain U21
1996	Spain U23
1997–1998	Spain
Managerial career
2009	Atlético Madrid (assistant)
2009	Atlético Madrid (caretaker)
2010–2018	Spain U17
2018–2022	Spain U19
2022–	Spain U21
2024	Spain Olympic
Medal record
Men's football
Representing Spain (as manager)
Olympic Games
UEFA European Under-17 Championship
FIFA U-17 World Cup
UEFA European Under-19 Championship
UEFA European Under-21 Championship
	*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Santiago Denia Sánchez (born 9 March 1974), commonly known as Santi, is a Spanish retired footballer who played as a central defender, currently manager of the Spain under-21 national team.

He appeared in 297 La Liga matches over 11 seasons (eight goals scored), with Albacete and Atlético Madrid. He won the 1996 league championship with the latter club.

Club career

Born in Albacete, Castilla–La Mancha, Santi began playing professionally with his hometown side Albacete Balompié. He made his La Liga debut at age 18, and immediately became an undisputed starter as they constantly managed to retain their top-flight status.^[1]^[2]

Santi signed for Atlético Madrid in the summer of 1995, being crowned league and Copa del Rey champion in his first season as part of a defensive line which also included youth graduates Juan Manuel López and Roberto Solozábal. He appeared in 37 league matches during the campaign.^[3]^[4]

Following Atlético's 2000 relegation (he collected a career-worst 17 yellow cards),^[5] Santi gradually lost his importance in the team's plans. In 2004–05, after the signing of Pablo Ibáñez – who also came from Albacete – he featured in no games at all in the first half of the season, and was subsequently allowed to leave on loan in January 2005 to his first club.^[6] The move was made permanent in June and he retired after two more years, with Albacete now in the Segunda División.^[7]

Santi eventually returned to Atlético Madrid in early February 2009, as assistant to newly-appointed Abel Resino who had replaced Javier Aguirre.^[8]^[9] He was a caretaker manager for the fixture against RCD Mallorca on 24 October, before the appointment of Quique Sánchez Flores.^[10]

International career

Santi was capped twice for Spain, his debut coming on 11 October 1997 in a 1998 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Faroe Islands (3–1 in Gijón, playing the entire match).^[11] He still featured in a friendly win over Sweden in March 1998,^[12] but did not make the cut for the finals in France.

Previously, Santi appeared for the nation at the 1996 Summer Olympics.^[13]^[14] After retiring, he acted as head coach to Spain under-17s^[15]^[16] and under-19s,^[17] leading the second age group to the UEFA European Championship in 2019.^[18]

In December 2022, after Luis de la Fuente was promoted to the full side following Luis Enrique's resignation, Santi was named the former's replacement at the helm of the under-21s.^[19]

Career statistics

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition^[20]
Club	Season	League			National cup		Europe		Other		Total
Club	Season	Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Albacete	1992–93	La Liga	31	0	7	0	—		—		38	0
	1993–94	La Liga	34	0	0	0	—		—		34	0
	1994–95	La Liga	33	2	8	0	—		—		41	2
	Total		98	2	15	0	—		—		113	2
Atlético Madrid	1995–96	La Liga	37	0	11	0	—		—		48	0
	1996–97	La Liga	37	2	3	0	7^[a]	0	—		47	2
	1997–98	La Liga	33	3	2	0	8^[b]	1	—		43	4
	1998–99	La Liga	30	0	6	0	8^[b]	1	—		44	1
	1999–2000	La Liga	28	0	7	0	5^[b]	0	—		40	0
	2000–01	Segunda División	23	0	4	0	—		—		27	0
	2001–02	Segunda División	15	1	0	0	—		—		15	1
	2002–03	La Liga	8	1	3	0	—		—		11	1
	2003–04	La Liga	14	0	4	0	—		—		18	0
	2004–05	La Liga	0	0	2	0	—		1^[c]	0	3	0
	Total		225	7	42	0	28	2	1	0	296	9
Albacete (loan)	2004–05	La Liga	12	0	0	0	—		—		12	0
Albacete	2005–06	Segunda División	21	0	1	0	—		—		22	0
	2006–07	Segunda División	5	1	—		—		—		5	1
	Total		38	1	—		—		—		39	1
Career total			361	10	58	0	28	3	1	0	448	13

^ Appearances in UEFA Champions League
^ ^a ^b ^c Appearances in UEFA Cup
^ Appearance in UEFA Intertoto Cup

Managerial statistics

As of match played 21 March 2024^[21]

Managerial record by team and tenure
Team	From	To	Record
Team	From	To	G	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Win %
Atlético Madrid (caretaker)	24 October 2009	25 October 2009	1	0	1	0	1	1	+0	000.00
Spain U17	1 July 2010	24 July 2018	82	42	24	16	141	73	+68	051.22
Spain U19	24 July 2018	11 December 2022	37	20	14	3	73	27	+46	054.05
Spain U21	12 December 2022	present	17	9	6	2	31	11	+20	052.94
Total			137	71	45	21	246	112	+134	051.82

Honours

Player

Atlético Madrid

Spain U21

UEFA European Under-21 Championship runner-up: 1996^[22]

Manager

Spain U17

UEFA European Under-17 Championship: 2017;^[23] runner-up: 2016^[24]
FIFA U-17 World Cup runner-up: 2017^[25]

Spain U19

UEFA European Under-19 Championship: 2019^[18]

Spain U21

UEFA European Under-21 Championship runner-up: 2023^[26]

Spain Olympic

Summer Olympics gold medal: 2024^[27]

References

^ Carrizo, Juan; Guzmán, Cristóbal (26 November 2020). "El día que Maradona se cruzó con el Albacete" [The day Maradona crossed paths with Albacete]. La Tribuna de Albacete (in Spanish). Retrieved 28 December 2022.
^ Fernández, Xurxo (1 September 2021). "Santi Denia: "Al jugador que esté preparado hay que adelantarle los procesos"" [Santi Denia: "Whenever a footballer is ready the stages must be accelerated"]. La Voz de Galicia (in Spanish). Retrieved 28 December 2022.
^ Gato, Juan (23 May 2006). ""López me decía: 'disfrútalo'"" ["López used to say: 'enjoy'"]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). Retrieved 30 August 2019.
^ ^a ^b ^c Moñino, Ladislao Javier (30 November 2012). "Una pareja de centrales crecida" [Growing stopper duo]. El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 9 December 2015.
^ "¿Qué once tenía el Atleti el año del descenso?" [Who started for Atleti the year they got relegated?]. Diario AS (in Spanish). 7 September 2021. Retrieved 10 August 2024.
^ "Atlético farewell for Santi". UEFA. 13 January 2005. Retrieved 28 December 2022.
^ "Hasta siempre capitán" [Farewell captain]. La Verdad (in Spanish). 17 June 2007. Retrieved 13 June 2013.
^ "El Atlético de Madrid rescinde el contrato de Aguirre y ficha a Abel Resino" [Atlético de Madrid terminate Aguirre's contract and sign Abel Resino] (in Spanish). Europa Press. 3 February 2009. Retrieved 28 December 2022.
^ G. Gómara, Javier (3 February 2009). "Santi será el segundo de Abel y Peiró el preparador físico" [Santi will be Abel's assistant and Peiró the physio]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). Retrieved 30 August 2019.
^ "El 'sueño' de Santi Denia" [Santi Denia's 'dream']. El Mundo (in Spanish). 23 October 2009. Retrieved 13 June 2013.
^ Román, Rogelio (12 October 1997). "Luis Enrique ¡aclamado!" [Luis Enrique cheered!]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). Retrieved 20 May 2014.
^ Galindo, Jesús (26 March 1998). "La selección va que chuta" [National team are a real craze]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). Retrieved 28 December 2022.
^ Cubero, Cristina (21 July 1996). "Mágico gol de Óscar" [Óscar wonder goal]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). Retrieved 28 December 2022.
^ Cubero, Cristina (23 July 1996). "Óscar, otra vez vital" [Óscar, crucial again]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). Retrieved 28 December 2022.
^ "Santi Denia cita a seis representantes del fútbol valenciano con la Selección Española Sub-17" [Santi Denia calls six members of Valencian football to Spain's Under-17 national team] (in Spanish). Valencian Community Football Federation. 23 February 2016. Retrieved 28 December 2022.
^ Vázquez, Antonio (8 July 2023). "Quién es Santi Denia, nuevo seleccionador de España Sub-21 y sustituto de Luis de la Fuente: a qué equipos ha entrenado y dónde jugó como jugador" [Who is Santi Denia, new Spain Under-21 national team manager and Luis de la Fuente replacement: what teams has he managed and where did he play as player] (in Spanish). Goal. Retrieved 16 October 2023.
^ "Santi Denia da la lista de convocados para dos amistosos con México" [Santi Denia names squad for two friendlies with Mexico]. Diario AS (in Spanish). 24 August 2021. Retrieved 28 December 2022.
^ ^a ^b Caballero, Nacho (27 July 2019). "España conquista su octavo europeo sub-19" [Spain conquer their eighth under-19 European Championship]. La Verdad (in Spanish). Retrieved 28 December 2022.
^ "Ya hay recambio para Luis de la Fuente al frente de la Sub-21" [We already have a replacement for Luis de la Fuente at the helm of the Under-21s]. La Razón (in Spanish). 9 December 2022. Retrieved 28 December 2022.
^ Santi Denia at BDFutbol
^ Santi Denia coach profile at Soccerway
^ "Italia ya ganó un Europeo a España en el 1996" [Italy have already won European Championships against Spain in 1996] (in Spanish). Orgullo Bianconero. 18 June 2013. Archived from the original on 13 November 2013. Retrieved 13 November 2013.
^ "España, campeona de Europa sub'17" [Spain, under'17 European champions]. Sport (in Spanish). 19 May 2017. Retrieved 16 October 2023.
^ "España pierde la final ante Portugal en la tanda de penaltis (1–1 /5–4)" [Spain lose final against Portugal in penalty shootout (1–1 /5–4)] (in Spanish). Eurosport. 21 May 2016. Retrieved 16 October 2023.
^ Furones, Oscar (28 October 2017). "Mundial Sub'17 (final), Inglaterra-España: La remontada más cruel (5–2)" [Under'17 World Cup (final), England-Spain: The cruellest comeback (5–2)] (in Spanish). Eurosport. Retrieved 16 October 2023.
^ Barco, Jon (8 July 2023). "Un sólo gol de Inglaterra arrebata la sexta Eurocopa sub 21 a España" [Lone England goal snatches sixth under 21 Eurocup from Spain] (in Spanish). Cadena SER. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
^ Ronay, Barney (9 August 2024). "Camello's extra-time double clinches football gold for Spain against France". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 August 2024.