Guillermo Amor
Encyclopedia
Guillermo Amor Martínez (born 4 December 1967) is a retired Spanish
footballer who played as a versatile midfielder
.
After playing most of his professional career with FC Barcelona
, winning several accolades in 10 seasons, he ended it in Scotland
, with Livingston
. Over the course of 12 seasons, he amassed La Liga
totals of 375 games and 48 goals.
Amor won nearly 40 caps
with Spain
during the 1990s, representing the nation in one World Cup
and one European Championship
.
, Province of Alicante, Valencian Community
, Amor was a product of FC Barcelona
's youth ranks, and made his first team debuts in 1988–89, under Johan Cruyff
, going on to quickly become one of the Catalan
side's most influential players, as it achieved four consecutive La Liga
titles and the 1991–92 European Cup (he did not play in the final
against U.C. Sampdoria
, however). In 1993–94, as the club conquered the last of a successive four leagues, he appeared in all matches safe one, scoring a career-best eight goals.
Amor left Barça at the end of the 1997–98 season, with another national championship won, deemed surplus to requirements by new boss Louis van Gaal
as longtime teammate Albert Ferrer, having played 421 matches overall for Barça, only behind club greats Xavi
, Migueli
and Carles Rexach. He subsequently had his first abroad experience, appearing sparingly for Serie A
outfit ACF Fiorentina
from 1998–2000, and then returning to Spain with Villarreal CF
, as the side had just returned to the top level.
Amor retired from football after a short spell with Scotland
's Livingston FC
, for which he signed in January 2003, making his debut on the 28th, in a 3–1 triumph at Partick Thistle
, as the Livi Lions narrowly avoided relegation from the Scottish Premier League
.
After retiring, Amor served a four-year spell at former club Barcelona, being responsible for the youth categories after Joan Laporta
was named president in 2003. He left after the board of directors decided not to renew his contract. In July 2010 he returned to the club, as technical director of football training.
on 37 occasions, scoring four goals. His debut came in an UEFA Euro 1992 qualifier 2–3 loss in Czechoslovakia
, on 14 November 1990, and he went on to represent the nation at both the Euro 1996 and the 1998 FIFA World Cup
. In the former competition, in 18 June, he scored against Romania
in a 2–1 win, netting in the 84th minute and helping the national side to the quarterfinals in England
.
His last cap
was a sour one, as Spain were downed by lowly Cyprus
on 5 September 1998, in an Euro 2000 qualifier (2–3).
|1988–89||rowspan="10"|Barcelona
||rowspan="10"|Spanish League
||27||8||6||3||5||2||38||13
|-
|1989–90||33||6||6||1||3||1||42||8
|-
|1990–91||34||4||3||1||8||2||45||7
|-
|1991–92||36||6||4||1||3||1||43||8
|-
|1992–93||33||5||7||0||7||1||47||6
|-
|1993–94||37||8||4||1||12||2||53||11
|-
|1994–95||34||4||3||1||6||1||43||6
|-
|1995–96||28||6||6||2||6||1||40||9
|-
|1996–97||26||0||5||0||5||0||36||0
|-
|1997–98||23||0||6||0||5||0||34||0
|-
|1998–99||rowspan="2"|Fiorentina
||rowspan="2"|Italian League
||16||0||?||?||3||0||?||?
|-
|1999–00||8||0||?||?||2||0||?||?
|-
|2000–01||rowspan="2"|Villarreal
||rowspan="2"|Spanish League
||35||0||0||0||-||-||35||0
|-
|2001–02||29||1||5||0||-||-||34||1
|-
|2002–03||rowspan="1"|Livingston
||rowspan="1"|Scottish League
||3||0||0||0||0||0||3||0
375||48||55||10||60||11||490||69
24||0||?||?||5||0||?||?
3||0||0||0||0||0||3||0
402||48||||||||||||
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
footballer who played as a versatile midfielder
Midfielder
A midfielder is an association football position. Some midfielders play a more defensive role, while others blur the boundaries between midfielders and forwards. The number of midfielders a team uses during a match may vary, depending on the team's formation and each individual player's role...
.
After playing most of his professional career with FC Barcelona
FC Barcelona
Futbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....
, winning several accolades in 10 seasons, he ended it in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, with Livingston
Livingston F.C.
Livingston Football Club is a Scottish association football club based in Livingston, West Lothian. The club currently plays in the Scottish Football League First Division.The club was founded in 1943 as Ferranti Thistle, a works team...
. Over the course of 12 seasons, he amassed La Liga
La Liga
The Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...
totals of 375 games and 48 goals.
Amor won nearly 40 caps
Cap (sport)
In sports, a cap is a metaphorical term for a player's appearance on a select team, such as a national team. The term dates from the practice in the United Kingdom of awarding a cap to every player in an international match of association football...
with Spain
Spain national football team
The Spain national football team represents Spain in international association football and is controlled by the Royal Spanish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Spain. The current head coach is Vicente del Bosque...
during the 1990s, representing the nation in one World Cup
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
and one European Championship
UEFA European Football Championship
The UEFA European Football Championship is the main football competition of the men's national football teams governed by UEFA . Held every four years since 1960, in the even-numbered year between World Cup tournaments, it was originally called the UEFA European Nations Cup, changing to the current...
.
Club career
Born in BenidormBenidorm
Benidorm is a coastal town and municipality located in the comarca of Marina Baixa, in the province of Alicante, Valencian community, Spain, by the Western Mediterranean....
, Province of Alicante, Valencian Community
Valencian Community
The Valencian Community is an autonomous community of Spain located in central and south-eastern Iberian Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Valencia...
, Amor was a product of FC Barcelona
FC Barcelona
Futbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....
's youth ranks, and made his first team debuts in 1988–89, under Johan Cruyff
Johan Cruyff
Hendrik Johannes Cruijff OON , known as Johan Cruyff, is a retired Dutch footballer and is currently the manager of the Catalan national team as well as a member of the AFC Ajax board of directors. He won the Ballon d'Or three times, in 1971, 1973 and 1974, which is a record jointly held with...
, going on to quickly become one of the Catalan
Catalonia
Catalonia is an autonomous community in northeastern Spain, with the official status of a "nationality" of Spain. Catalonia comprises four provinces: Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, and Tarragona. Its capital and largest city is Barcelona. Catalonia covers an area of 32,114 km² and has an...
side's most influential players, as it achieved four consecutive La Liga
La Liga
The Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...
titles and the 1991–92 European Cup (he did not play in the final
1992 European Cup Final
The 1992 European Cup Final was a football match held on 20 May 1992 at Wembley Stadium, London, between FC Barcelona of Spain and U.C. Sampdoria of Italy. Barcelona won the game 1–0, thanks to a Ronald Koeman free-kick, to record their first triumph in the competition. This was the last tournament...
against U.C. Sampdoria
U.C. Sampdoria
Unione Calcio Sampdoria is an Italian association football club based in Genoa. The club was formed in 1946 from the merger of two existing sports clubs whose roots can be traced back to the 1890s, Sampierdarenese and Andrea Doria...
, however). In 1993–94, as the club conquered the last of a successive four leagues, he appeared in all matches safe one, scoring a career-best eight goals.
Amor left Barça at the end of the 1997–98 season, with another national championship won, deemed surplus to requirements by new boss Louis van Gaal
Louis van Gaal
Aloysius Paulus Maria "Louis" van Gaal OON is a Dutch football manager formerly in charge of Ajax, Netherlands, Barcelona, AZ and Bayern Munich...
as longtime teammate Albert Ferrer, having played 421 matches overall for Barça, only behind club greats Xavi
Xavi
Xavier Hernández i Creus , commonly known as Xavi Hernández or simply Xavi , is a Spanish footballer who plays as a central midfielder for La Liga club FC Barcelona, where he has spent his entire 14-year career....
, Migueli
Migueli
Miguel Bernardo Bianquetti , aka Migueli, is a retired Spanish footballer who played as a central defender....
and Carles Rexach. He subsequently had his first abroad experience, appearing sparingly for Serie A
Serie A
Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
outfit ACF Fiorentina
ACF Fiorentina
ACF Fiorentina, commonly referred to as simply Fiorentina, is a professional Italian football club from Florence, Tuscany. Founded by a merger in 1926, Fiorentina have played at the top level of Italian football for the majority of their existence; only four clubs have played in more Serie A...
from 1998–2000, and then returning to Spain with Villarreal CF
Villarreal CF
Villarreal Club de Fútbol, S.A.D. , usually abbreviated to Villarreal CF or just Villarreal, is a Spanish Primera División football club based in Vila-real, a city in the province of Castellón within the Valencian Community...
, as the side had just returned to the top level.
Amor retired from football after a short spell with Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
's Livingston FC
Livingston F.C.
Livingston Football Club is a Scottish association football club based in Livingston, West Lothian. The club currently plays in the Scottish Football League First Division.The club was founded in 1943 as Ferranti Thistle, a works team...
, for which he signed in January 2003, making his debut on the 28th, in a 3–1 triumph at Partick Thistle
Partick Thistle F.C.
Partick Thistle Football Club are a professional association football club from Glasgow. Despite their name, the club are based in the Maryhill area of the city, and have not played in Partick since 1908...
, as the Livi Lions narrowly avoided relegation from the Scottish Premier League
Scottish Premier League
The Scottish Premier League , also known as the SPL , is a professional league competition for association football clubs in Scotland...
.
After retiring, Amor served a four-year spell at former club Barcelona, being responsible for the youth categories after Joan Laporta
Joan Laporta
Joan Laporta i Estruch is a Spanish politician and former president of Futbol Club Barcelona between 2003 and 2010.Laporta is a lawyer with his own firm, Laporta & Arbós, which has important firms as clients. Laporta was married to Constanza Echevarría and has three sons, Pol, Guillem and Jan...
was named president in 2003. He left after the board of directors decided not to renew his contract. In July 2010 he returned to the club, as technical director of football training.
International career
Amor represented SpainSpain national football team
The Spain national football team represents Spain in international association football and is controlled by the Royal Spanish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Spain. The current head coach is Vicente del Bosque...
on 37 occasions, scoring four goals. His debut came in an UEFA Euro 1992 qualifier 2–3 loss in Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia national football team
The Czechoslovakia national football team was the national association football team of Czechoslovakia from 1922 to 1993. At the dissolution of Czechoslovakia at the end of 1992, the team was participating in UEFA qualifying Group 4 for the 1994 World Cup; it completed this campaign under the name...
, on 14 November 1990, and he went on to represent the nation at both the Euro 1996 and the 1998 FIFA World Cup
1998 FIFA World Cup
The 1998 FIFA World Cup, the 16th FIFA World Cup, was held in France from 10 June to 12 July 1998. France was chosen as host nation by FIFA on 2 July 1992. The tournament was won by France, who beat Brazil 3-0 in the final...
. In the former competition, in 18 June, he scored against Romania
Romania national football team
The Romania national football team is the national football team of Romania and is controlled by the Romanian Football Federation.Romania is one of only four national teams, the other three being Brazil, France, and Belgium, that took part in the first three World Cups.However, after that...
in a 2–1 win, netting in the 84th minute and helping the national side to the quarterfinals in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
His last cap
Cap (sport)
In sports, a cap is a metaphorical term for a player's appearance on a select team, such as a national team. The term dates from the practice in the United Kingdom of awarding a cap to every player in an international match of association football...
was a sour one, as Spain were downed by lowly Cyprus
Cyprus national football team
The Cyprus national football team represents Cyprus in association football and is controlled by the Cyprus Football Association, the governing body for football in Cyprus. Cyprus' home ground is the GSP Stadium in Nicosia and the current coach is Nikos Nioplias...
on 5 September 1998, in an Euro 2000 qualifier (2–3).
International goals
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 19 December 1990 | Sánchez Pizjuán Estadio Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán Estadio Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán is a stadium in Seville, Spain. It is the home stadium of Sevilla Fútbol Club. It was the venue for the 1986 European Cup Final between Steaua Bucureşti and Barcelona and the 1982 World Cup semi-final game between Germany and France.This stadium contains a singular... , Seville Seville Seville is the artistic, historic, cultural, and financial capital of southern Spain. It is the capital of the autonomous community of Andalusia and of the province of Seville. It is situated on the plain of the River Guadalquivir, with an average elevation of above sea level... , Spain Spain Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula... |
1–0 | 9–0 | Euro 1992 qualifying UEFA Euro 1992 qualifying Group 1 Standings and results for Group 1 of the UEFA Euro 1992 qualifying tournament.Group 1 consisted of Albania, Czechoslovakia, France, Iceland and Spain. Group winners were France, who won every match in the qualifying games while scoring a hefty 20 goals. Spain's home defeat against France was the... |
|
| 2. | 18 June 1996 | Elland Road Elland Road Elland Road is an all-seater football stadium in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It has been the permanent residence of Leeds United A.F.C... , Leeds Leeds Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial... , England England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental... |
1–2 | 1–2 | UEFA Euro 1996 | |
| 3. | 13 November 1996 | Heliodoro Rodríguez Estadio Heliodoro Rodríguez López Estadio Heliodoro Rodriguez Lopez also Estadio de Tenerife is a multi-purpose stadium in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain. It is currently used mostly for football matches and is the home ground of CD Tenerife. The stadium holds about 22,000... , Santa Cruz de Tenerife Santa Cruz de Tenerife Santa Cruz de Tenerife is the capital , second-most populous city of the Autonomous Community of the Canary Islands and the 21st largest city in Spain, with a population of 222,417 in 2009... , Spain Spain Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula... |
2–1 | 4–1 | 1998 World Cup qualification | |
| 4. | 24 September 1997 | Tehelné pole Tehelné pole -External links:*... , Bratislava Bratislava Bratislava is the capital of Slovakia and, with a population of about 431,000, also the country's largest city. Bratislava is in southwestern Slovakia on both banks of the Danube River. Bordering Austria and Hungary, it is the only national capital that borders two independent countries.Bratislava... , Slovakia Slovakia The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south... |
1–2 | 1–2 | 1998 World Cup qualification |
Honours
Barcelona- European CupUEFA Champions LeagueThe UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
: 1991–92 - UEFA Cup Winners' CupUEFA Cup Winners' CupThe UEFA Cup Winners' Cup was a football club competition contested annually by the most recent winners of all European domestic cup competitions. The cup is one of the many inter-European club competitions that have been organised by UEFA. The first competition was held in the 1960–61 season—but...
: 1988–89, 1996–97 - UEFA Super Cup: 1992, 19971997 UEFA Super CupThe 1997 UEFA Super Cup was a football match played on 8 January 1998 and 11 March 1998 between Borussia Dortmund of Germany, winner of the 1996-97 UEFA Champions League and Barcelona of Spain, winner of the 1996-97 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup...
- Spanish LeagueLa LigaThe Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...
: 1990–91, 1991–92, 1992–93, 1993–94, 1997–98 - Spanish CupCopa del ReyThe Copa del Rey is an annual football cup competition for Spanish football teams. Its full name is Campeonato de España – Copa de Su Majestad el Rey de Fútbol ....
: 1989–90, 1996–971996–97 Copa del Rey-External links:*...
, 1997–981997–98 Copa del ReyThe Copa del Rey 1997–98 is the 94th staging of the Copa del Rey.The competition started on September 3, 1997 and concluded on April 29, 1998 with the Final, held at the Estadio Mestalla in Valencia.-1st Round:... - Spanish SupercupSupercopa de EspañaThe Supercopa de España is a Spanish football championship contested by the winners of La Liga and the Copa del Rey...
: 19911991 Supercopa de EspañaThe 1991 Supercopa de España was two-leg Spanish football matches played on 28 October and 11 November 1991. It contested by Atlético Madrid, who were Spanish Cup winners in 1990–91, and FC Barcelona, who won the 1990–91 Spanish League. FC Barcelona won 2–1 on aggregate.-First leg:-Second...
, 19921992 Supercopa de EspañaThe 1992 Supercopa de España was two-leg Spanish football matches played on 28 October and 11 November 1992. It contested by Atlético Madrid, who were Spanish Cup winners in 1991–92, and FC Barcelona, who won the 1991–92 Spanish League. FC Barcelona won 5–2 on aggregate.-First leg:-Second...
, 19941994 Supercopa de EspañaThe 1994 Supercopa de España was a two-legged Spanish football match played on 27 August and 30 August 1994. It was contested by Barcelona, who won the 1993–94 Spanish League, and Real Zaragoza, who were Spanish Cup winners in 1993–94. Barcelona won 6–5 on aggregate.-First leg:-Second...
, 19961996 Supercopa de EspañaThe 1996 Supercopa de España was two-leg Spanish football matches played on 25 August and 28 August 1996. It contested by FC Barcelona, who were Spanish Cup runners-up in 1995–96, and Atlético Madrid, who won the 1995–96 Spanish League and the 1995–96 Spanish Cup. FC Barcelona won 6–5 on...
Club statistics
|-|1988–89||rowspan="10"|Barcelona
FC Barcelona
Futbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....
||rowspan="10"|Spanish League
La Liga
The Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...
||27||8||6||3||5||2||38||13
|-
|1989–90||33||6||6||1||3||1||42||8
|-
|1990–91||34||4||3||1||8||2||45||7
|-
|1991–92||36||6||4||1||3||1||43||8
|-
|1992–93||33||5||7||0||7||1||47||6
|-
|1993–94||37||8||4||1||12||2||53||11
|-
|1994–95||34||4||3||1||6||1||43||6
|-
|1995–96||28||6||6||2||6||1||40||9
|-
|1996–97||26||0||5||0||5||0||36||0
|-
|1997–98||23||0||6||0||5||0||34||0
|-
|1998–99||rowspan="2"|Fiorentina
ACF Fiorentina
ACF Fiorentina, commonly referred to as simply Fiorentina, is a professional Italian football club from Florence, Tuscany. Founded by a merger in 1926, Fiorentina have played at the top level of Italian football for the majority of their existence; only four clubs have played in more Serie A...
||rowspan="2"|Italian League
Serie A
Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
||16||0||?||?||3||0||?||?
|-
|1999–00||8||0||?||?||2||0||?||?
|-
|2000–01||rowspan="2"|Villarreal
Villarreal CF
Villarreal Club de Fútbol, S.A.D. , usually abbreviated to Villarreal CF or just Villarreal, is a Spanish Primera División football club based in Vila-real, a city in the province of Castellón within the Valencian Community...
||rowspan="2"|Spanish League
La Liga
The Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...
||35||0||0||0||-||-||35||0
|-
|2001–02||29||1||5||0||-||-||34||1
|-
|2002–03||rowspan="1"|Livingston
Livingston F.C.
Livingston Football Club is a Scottish association football club based in Livingston, West Lothian. The club currently plays in the Scottish Football League First Division.The club was founded in 1943 as Ferranti Thistle, a works team...
||rowspan="1"|Scottish League
Scottish Premier League
The Scottish Premier League , also known as the SPL , is a professional league competition for association football clubs in Scotland...
||3||0||0||0||0||0||3||0
375||48||55||10||60||11||490||69
24||0||?||?||5||0||?||?
3||0||0||0||0||0||3||0
402||48||||||||||||
Car accident
On 16 December 2007, at 2:20, Amor was involved in a serious traffic accident while travelling from Valencia. Released from hospital after only a week, he later fully recovered.External links
- BDFutbol profile
- National team data
- International appearances; at RSSSFRec.Sport.Soccer Statistics FoundationThe Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation is an international amateur organization dedicated to collecting statistics about association football...
- FC Barcelona archives
- FC Barcelona profile