Roberto Suárez (footballer)

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Suárez and the second or maternal family name is Álvarez.
Roberto Suárez
Personal information
Full name Roberto Suárez Álvarez
Date of birth (1974-04-07) 7 April 1974 (age 50)
Place of birth Grado, Spain
Height 1.76 m (5 ft 9 in)
Position(s) Midfielder
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1992–1993 Real Madrid C
1993–1997 Real Oviedo 106 (1)
1997–1998 Levante 17 (0)
1998–2000 Toledo 71 (0)
2000–2002 Lleida 49 (0)
2002–2006 Cádiz 127 (1)
2006–2008 Racing Portuense 61 (0)
2015–2016 Marino 16 (0)
Total 447 (2)
Managerial career
Marino (assistant)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Roberto Suárez Álvarez (born 7 April 1974) is a Spanish retired footballer who played as a midfielder,[1] and also worked as a sporting director[2] and a coach.[3] He played for a variety of different clubs in his homeland, including making 106 appearances in La Liga for Real Oviedo, scoring once. He later had a successful spell with Cádiz, playing 137 matches, including 23 in the top flight, and scoring one goal.[4]

Playing career

Suárez was born in Grado in the Principality of Asturias,[4] and after a short spell with the C team of giants Real Madrid, began his career proper with Real Oviedo in his native community.[5] He made his La Liga debut for Oviedo, aged 19, on 24 October 1993, as they visited the exalted surroundings of Camp Nou.[6] Oviedo lost 1–0 to Barcelona, and Suárez was replaced by Juan Antonio Andrades with ten minutes to play.[7] Suárez remained at Oviedo for four and a half seasons, before joining Levante in the Segunda División in December 1997.[8]

Levante were relegated at the end of that season, and Suárez departed to join erstwhile second tier rivals Toledo. Toledo met the same fate in 1999–2000, and Suárez moved on again, this time joining Lleida. In his first season, he suffered a third Segunda División relegation in four seasons, but this time did stay for one further season before leaving to sign for Cádiz in 2002. At Cádiz, his fortunes began to improve, and he helped them earn promotion from Segunda División B via the play-offs in his first season. Two seasons later, Cádiz won the Segunda División title and were promoted to La Liga after a twelve-year absence. They were relegated after just one season in the top flight, and Suárez left to join Segunda División B side Racing Portuense that summer. After two years with Portuense, he retired in 2008 at the age of 34.[4]

Retirement

Suárez returned to Cádiz as their sporting director for the 2010–11 season. His contract contained a clause allowing him to automatically stay on for a second season if Cádiz finished in the Segunda División B promotion play-off places, which they achieved by placing 4th. Nonetheless, Suárez was dismissed by incoming president Quique Pina.[2] Later, he was appointed assistant manager of Asturian club Marino.[3]

Return to playing

In 2015, the 41 year old Suárez made a shock return to playing, seven years after his retirement. He made the jump from assistant manager of Marino to one of their playing staff, and played 16 Tercera División matches before retiring for good in 2016 at the age of 42.[3][4]

Honours

Cádiz

Career statistics

As of 14 March 2021[4]
Club Season League Cup Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Real Oviedo 1993–94 La Liga 29 0 4 0 – 33 0
1994–95 30 0 1 0 – 31 0
1995–96 38 1 4 0 – 42 1
1996–97 8 0 2 0 – 10 0
1997–98 1 0 0 0 – 1 0
Total 106 1 11 0 0 0 117 1
Levante 1997–98 Segunda División 17 0 0 0 – 17 0
Toledo 1998–99 35 0 0 0 – 35 0
1999–2000 36 0 2 0 – 38 0
Total 71 0 2 0 0 0 73 0
Lleida 2000–01 Segunda División 31 0 1 0 – 32 0
2001–02 Segunda División B 18 0 0 0 – 18 0
Total 49 0 1 0 0 0 50 0
Cádiz 2002–03 Segunda División B 34 0 – 6[1] 0 40 0
2003–04 Segunda División 39 1 1 0 – 40 1
2004–05 31 0 1 0 – 32 0
2005–06 La Liga 23 0 2 0 – 25 0
Total 127 1 4 0 6 0 137 1
Racing Portuense 2006–07 Segunda División B 33 0 3 0 2[2] 0 38 0
2007–08 28 0 1 0 – 29 0
Total 61 0 4 0 2 0 67 0
Marino 2015–16 Tercera División 16 0 – – 16 0
Career total 447 2 22 0 8 0 477 2
1.^ Appearances in the 2003 Segunda División B play-offs
2.^ Appearances in the 2007 Segunda División B play-offs

References

  1. ^ "Suárez". worldfootball.net. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
  2. ^ a b "Suarez Tiene Carta Despido". lavozdigital.es. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
  3. ^ a b c ""No imaginaba tanta locura por mi vuelta"". La Nueva España. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
  4. ^ a b c d e "Suárez". BDFutbol. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
  5. ^ "El Oviedo presenta a sus nuevos refuerzos". Mundo Deportivo.
  6. ^ "Matches Suárez". BDFutbol. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
  7. ^ "Barcelona - Oviedo (1 - 0) 24/10/1993". BDFutbol. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
  8. ^ "Matches Suárez". BDFutbol. Retrieved 14 March 2021.