Julián Rubio Sánchez (born 28 January 1952) is a Spanish former football midfielder and manager.

Julián Rubio
Personal information
Full name Julián Rubio Sánchez
Date of birth (1952-01-28) 28 January 1952 (age 72)
Place of birth Montealegre del Castillo, Spain
Height 1.72 m (5 ft 7+12 in)
Position(s) Midfielder
Youth career
Albacete
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1968–1969 Albacete
1969–1972 Ontinyent
1972–1979 Sevilla 161 (24)
1979–1981 Barcelona 18 (1)
1981–1984 Albacete 47 (8)
Managerial career
1984–1985 Albacete
1987–1988 Maspalomas
1989 Albacete
1989 Recreativo
1990–1991 SD Ibiza
1992 Albacete
1994 Elche
1994–1995 Club Bolívar
1996–1997 Sevilla B
1997 Sevilla
1999–2001 Albacete
2001–2003 Elche
2003–2004 Poli Ejido
2004–2005 Ciudad Murcia
2006 Elche
2008 Cádiz
2009 Atlético Ciudad
2009–2010 Albacete
2011–2012 KF Tirana
2012 Flamurtari
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

He appeared in 134 La Liga matches over six seasons (14 goals), mainly in representation of Sevilla. His professional career was closely associated to Albacete Balompié, with which he played and worked in several capacities.

Playing career

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Born in Montealegre del Castillo, Province of Albacete, Rubio started playing for local club Albacete Balompié. He made his senior debut with Ontinyent CF, spending two of his three seasons in the Segunda División, then switched to Sevilla FC in the same league, promoting to La Liga in 1975.[1][2]

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,[3] and finished his first year with 26 games (all starts) and three goals as the Andalusians ranked in 11th position. After three more seasons, always as first choice, he signed with FC Barcelona.[2]

At the Camp Nou, having to compete with the likes of Juan Manuel Asensi and Jesús Landáburu – and later Bernd Schuster – Rubio was nothing but a fringe player due to a serious knee 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 in his first season and eventually retiring at the age of 32.[2]

Coaching career

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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, returning to his previous employer after one season.[2]

In 1991, after one-year spells with Recreativo de Huelva (second tier, relegation) and SD Ibiza (regional leagues), Rubio returned to Albacete once again, now as director of football. As Benito Floro joined Real Madrid in the summer of 1992 after Albacete's top-flight overachiements, he was named his successor, being dismissed after the 15th round and replaced by former Sevilla teammate Víctor Espárrago.[4][2]

In late April 1999, following spells with three teams, including Sevilla FC in which he was one of three managers in 1996–97 and four the following season,[2] and Club Bolívar in Bolivia, Rubio returned for the fourth time as Albacete coach, replacing Luigi Maifredi late into the third-tier campaign and leading the Castilla–La Mancha side to the 15th position out of 22 teams.[5][2] In the following seven years he worked in the same league, with Albacete, Elche CF (two spells),[6] Polideportivo Ejido, Ciudad de Murcia and Cádiz CF;[7] 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.[5]

Rubio started the 2009–10 season at the helm of CF Atlético Ciudad in the third division,[8] leaving the club – who would be eventually relegated due to financial irregularities[9]– in late November. He was appointed at Albacete the following month in substitution of José Murcia,[10] and both coaches and a third one, David Vidal, were in charge for 14 matches as they eventually retained their status.[11]

On 21 June 2011, Rubio became the first Spaniard to coach in the Albanian Superliga, joining KF Tirana on a one-year contract.[12][13] He helped the team to that season's Albanian Supercup, a 1–0 win over KF Skënderbeu Korçë, adding the Albanian Cup the following year against those rivals and defeating the same opposition in the 2012 Supercup.[14][15]

On 7 June 2012, following his successful first year, Rubio was due to extend his link with Tirana.[16] Both parties failed to reach an agreement, however,[17] and he eventually left for another club in the country, Flamurtari FC.[2]

Rubio was relieved of his duties after only three months in charge, due to poor results.[18]

References

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  1. ^ Julián Rubio: "La del Sevilla es la mejor afición de España... con diferencia" (Julián Rubio: "Sevilla have the best fans in Spain... by far"); Estadio Deportivo, 31 May 2020 (in Spanish)
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h 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 (in Spanish)
  3. ^ 3–0: El Sevilla barrió al Las Palmas (3–0: Sevilla swept Las Palmas); Mundo Deportivo, 7 September 1975 (in Spanish)
  4. ^ Víctor Espárrago, nuevo entrenador del Albacete (Víctor Espárrago, new manager of Albacete); El País, 18 December 1992 (in Spanish)
  5. ^ a b Julián Rubio nuevo entrenador del Albacete Balompié (Julián Rubio new Albacete Balompié manager); Queso Mecánico, 1 December 2009 (in Spanish)
  6. ^ Rubio cree la mala situación del Elche tiene solución (Rubio believes bad Elche situation can be fixed); Diario Crítico de la Comunitat Valenciana, 11 March 2003 (in Spanish)
  7. ^ Antonio Muñoz deja en manos de Julián Rubio la salvación del Cádiz (Antonio Muñoz leaves salvation of Cádiz in the hands of Julián Rubio); La Voz Digital, 27 May 2008 (in Spanish)
  8. ^ El Atlético Ciudad de Julián Rubio, rival del Sevilla en la Copa del Rey (Julián Rubio's Atlético Ciudad, Sevilla's opponents in the King's Cup); ABC, 10 October 2009 (in Spanish)
  9. ^ El Atlético Ciudad desaparece por deudas y deja un hueco en el grupo cuarto (Atlético Ciudad folds due to debts and leaves an opening in group four); Marca, 2 August 2010 (in Spanish)
  10. ^ Julián Rubio, nuevo entrenador del Albacete (Julián Rubio, new Albacete manager); Diario AS, 1 December 2009 (in Spanish)
  11. ^ Albacete sufridor: tres descensos en diez temporadas y otras tres 'salvadas' en la última jornada (Suffering Albacete: three relegations in ten seasons and a further three 'escapes' in the last matchday); Marca, 4 May 2021 (in Spanish)
  12. ^ Ish-lojtari i Barcelonës zgjidhet trajner i Tiranës (Ex-Barcelona player selected as Tirana coach) Archived 31 July 2012 at archive.today; Balkan Web, 21 June 2011 (in Albanian)
  13. ^ Julián Rubio Sánchez, nuevo entrenador del equipo albanés SK Tirana (Julián Rubio Sánchez, new coach of Albanian team SK Tirana); El Diario Montañés, 23 June 2011 (in Spanish)
  14. ^ Tirana take 15th Albanian Cup; UEFA, 17 May 2012
  15. ^ El KF Tirana de Julián Rubio gana la Supercopa de Albania (Julián Rubio's KF Tirana win the Albanian Supercup); Diario AS, 20 August 2012 (in Spanish)
  16. ^ Hulian Rubio firmos me Tiranen (Julián Rubio signs with Tirana); Albania Sport, 7 June 2012 (in Albanian)
  17. ^ Dreka e lamtumirës Rubio, drejtuesve: Do të iki të punoj te Reali i Madridit (Farewell dinner, Rubio to club officials: Will go to work for Real Madrid) Archived 11 January 2013 at archive.today; Sport Ekspres, 29 August 2012 (in Albanian)
  18. ^ 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, 11 December 2012 (in Albanian)
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