Urbano_Ortega
Urbano Ortega
Spanish footballer and manager
Urbano Ortega Cuadros (born 22 December 1961), known simply as Urbano, is a Spanish former footballer who played as a midfielder.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Urbano Ortega Cuadros | ||
| Date of birth | (1961-12-22) 22 December 1961 (age 62) | ||
| Place of birth | Beas de Segura, Spain | ||
| Height | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Jaén | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1979–1980 | Jaén | 15 | (1) |
| 1980–1982 | Español | 54 | (5) |
| 1982–1991 | Barcelona | 123 | (7) |
| 1991–1993 | Español | 59 | (3) |
| 1993–1994 | Lleida | 36 | (1) |
| 1994–1996 | Mérida | 59 | (3) |
| 1996–1997 | Málaga | 25 | (0) |
| Total | 371 | (20) | |
| International career | |||
| 1979–1980 | Spain U18 | 11 | (3) |
| 1980–1983 | Spain U21 | 13 | (2) |
| 1982–1988 | Spain U23 | 6 | (0) |
| 1980 | Spain amateur | 3 | (0) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2003–2004 | Xerez (assistant) | ||
| 2004–2005 | Córdoba (assistant) | ||
| 2005–2006 | Dinamo București (assistant) | ||
| 2007 | Lleida (assistant) | ||
| 2007–2008 | Baza | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Over the course of 16 La Liga seasons (18 for his career), he amassed totals of 301 games and 16 goals, mainly for Espanyol and Barcelona.
Urbano was born in Beas de Segura, Province of Jaén. After starting out at Real Jaén and RCD Español,[1] he signed with Catalonia neighbours FC Barcelona in 1982. He only started in two of his nine seasons during his Camp Nou spell, being mainly used as a backup.
Subsequently, Urbano returned to Español for two more seasons, with top-flight relegation in 1992–93.[1] He closed out his professional career in 1996, after playing with modest UE Lleida (one year) and CP Mérida (two), with two additional campaigns in the top division, one with each team.
Urbano began coaching in 2003, assisting former Barça teammate Esteban Vigo at numerous clubs, including Romania's FC Dinamo București.[2] His first head coach experience arrived in 2007–08 in Segunda División B, with CD Baza. He resigned in June 2008, as the side dropped down a tier.[3]
After working as a scout for Barcelona and Villarreal CF, Urbano returned to another former club, Espanyol (as they were now known), in July 2009, as a sporting director.[4]
Urbano never earned a senior cap for Spain, but was a regular for its under-21 team, also competing at the 1980 Summer Olympics.[5][6]
Barcelona
- "URBANO Ortega" (in Spanish). Hall of Fame Perico. 20 April 2009. Retrieved 12 October 2009.
- "Esteban, to Dinamo Bucharest" [Esteban, to Dinamo Bucharest] (PDF). Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). 24 December 2005. Retrieved 26 May 2017.
- "Y el primer candidato es... Urbano Ortega" [And the first candidate is... Urbano Ortega]. Granada Hoy (in Spanish). 15 April 2009. Retrieved 27 February 2021.
- "El ex jugador y entrenador jienense Urbano Ortega 'ficha' por el Español de Barcelona" [Jaén-born former footballer and manager Urbano Ortega 'signs' for Barcelona's Español]. Ideal (in Spanish). 8 July 2009. Retrieved 27 February 2021.
- García Candau, Julian (26 July 1980). "El fútbol, una vergüenza olímpica" [Football, olympic shame]. El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 24 May 2023.
- Braña, Mario D. (28 April 2008). "El fútbol también es así" [Football is also like this]. La Nueva España (in Spanish). Retrieved 24 May 2023.