José Ramón Alexanko
Encyclopedia
José Ramón Alexanko Ventosa (born 19 May 1956), also referred to as Alesanco or Alexanco, is a retired Spanish
footballer and manager.
During his career, the central defender played with success for both Athletic Bilbao
and FC Barcelona
, winning several accolades for the latter (16 in total).
A Spanish international
on more than 30 occasions, Alexanko represented the nation in one World Cup
and one European Championship
.
, Biscay
, Alexanko joined Athletic Bilbao
's youth system in 1972, then served an unassuming loan with Basque
neighbours Deportivo Alavés
– second division
– and returned subsequently; he made his first division
debut on 12 December 1976, in a 5–2 home win against RCD Español
.
An undisputed starter from his second season onwards, Alexanko's highlights at Athletic were winning two runners-up medals; one in the Spanish Cup
and one in the UEFA Cup, both in 1977. Among his teammates were veterans José Ángel Iribar
and Javier Irureta
.
, paving the way for a number of fellow Basque
players including Andoni Zubizarreta
, Txiki Begiristain, Julio Salinas
, Ion Andoni Goikoetxea and José Mari Bakero
. With Alexanko as captain, they formed the backbone of the legendary Dream Team, which won four consecutive league championships.
Among his personal highlights during his 13 seasons at the Catalan
side, Alexanko scored the winning goal as Barcelona beat Real Sociedad
1–0 in the 1988 King's Cup, also playing about ten minutes in the 1992 European Cup final
; six years earlier, he had his penalty shootout attempt saved by FC Steaua Bucureşti's Helmuth Duckadam
, as Barça lost the 1986 edition
in Seville
.
After retiring as a player in 1993, Alexanko started a coaching career, in Romania
, as he managed FC Universitatea Craiova
and FC Naţional Bucureşti
. In 2000, he returned to Barcelona, assisting head coach Carles Rexach (his teammate in the striker
's last season).
In July 2005, Alexanko was named the club's youth system coordinator.
a maid
in a hotel
at Papendal, the Netherlands, in 1988; eventually all of the charges were dropped, however.
on November 15, 1978, playing in the 1–0 home win against Romania
, for the 1980 European Championship qualifiers.
He represented the nation at both UEFA Euro 1980 and the 1982 FIFA World Cup
, retiring from international play at only 26, after the second group stage draw against England
, with a total of 34 caps
; he also played one game for the Euskadi XI
, in 1979.
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 and manager.
During his career, the central defender played with success for both Athletic Bilbao
Athletic Bilbao
Athletic Club, also known as Athletic Bilbao, is an association football club from Bilbao in Biscay, Spain. The club has played in the Primera División of La Liga since its start in 1928. They have won La Liga on eight occasions...
and 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 for the latter (16 in total).
A Spanish international
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...
on more than 30 occasions, Alexanko represented 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...
.
Athletic Bilbao
Born in BarakaldoBarakaldo
Barakaldo , is a municipality in the Basque Country in Spain. It is located in the Biscay province, administratively included in the "Basque Autonomous Community", on the left bank of the Estuary of Bilbao.Barakaldo is part of Bilbao's metropolitan area , and its official population...
, Biscay
Biscay
Biscay is a province of Spain and a historical territory of the Basque Country, heir of the ancient Lord of Biscay. Its capital city is Bilbao...
, Alexanko joined Athletic Bilbao
Athletic Bilbao
Athletic Club, also known as Athletic Bilbao, is an association football club from Bilbao in Biscay, Spain. The club has played in the Primera División of La Liga since its start in 1928. They have won La Liga on eight occasions...
's youth system in 1972, then served an unassuming loan with Basque
Basque Country (autonomous community)
The Basque Country is an autonomous community of northern Spain. It includes the Basque provinces of Álava, Biscay and Gipuzkoa, also called Historical Territories....
neighbours Deportivo Alavés
Deportivo Alavés
Deportivo Alavés, S.A.D., usually abbreviated to Alavés, is a Spanish football club based in Vitoria-Gasteiz, in the Basque Country. Founded in 1921, it plays in Segunda División B, holding home matches at the 19,500-seater Estadio Mendizorrotza....
– second division
Segunda División
The Segunda División is the lower tier of the two professional football leagues in Spain. From the season 2008-09 onwards, the name of the league is Liga Adelante.-History:...
– and returned subsequently; he made his first division
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...
debut on 12 December 1976, in a 5–2 home win against RCD Español
RCD Espanyol
Reial Club Deportiu Espanyol de Barcelona is a sports club based in Barcelona, Spain. It is best known for its football team. Espanyol currently play in the Estadi Cornellà-El Prat with seats for 40,500 spectators. It was inaugurated on 2 August 2009...
.
An undisputed starter from his second season onwards, Alexanko's highlights at Athletic were winning two runners-up medals; one in the Spanish Cup
Copa del Rey
The 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 ....
and one in the UEFA Cup, both in 1977. Among his teammates were veterans José Ángel Iribar
José Ángel Iribar
José Ángel Iribar Cortajarena, nicknamed El Chopo , is a retired Spanish football goalkeeper and manager....
and Javier Irureta
Javier Irureta
Javier Iruretagoyena Amiano , Irureta for short, is a retired Spanish footballer who played as a forward, and a current manager....
.
FC Barcelona
In 1980, Alexanko signed for FC BarcelonaFC Barcelona
Futbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....
, paving the way for a number of fellow Basque
Basque people
The Basques as an ethnic group, primarily inhabit an area traditionally known as the Basque Country , a region that is located around the western end of the Pyrenees on the coast of the Bay of Biscay and straddles parts of north-central Spain and south-western France.The Basques are known in the...
players including Andoni Zubizarreta
Andoni Zubizarreta
Andoni Zubizarreta Urreta is a retired Spanish footballer who played as a goalkeeper.The all-time most capped player for the Spanish national team for several years, he played with individual and team success for Athletic Bilbao and FC Barcelona , appearing in more than 950...
, Txiki Begiristain, Julio Salinas
Julio Salinas
Julio Salinas Fernández is a retired Spanish footballer who played during the 1980s and 1990s....
, Ion Andoni Goikoetxea and José Mari Bakero
José Mari Bakero
José María Bakero Escudero is a retired Spanish footballer, and the current coach of Lech Poznań in Poland.Having played mainly for Real Sociedad and FC Barcelona, he began his career as a forward but was converted into an attacking midfielder, who possessed passing and netting ability José María...
. With Alexanko as captain, they formed the backbone of the legendary Dream Team, which won four consecutive league championships.
Among his personal highlights during his 13 seasons at 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, Alexanko scored the winning goal as Barcelona beat Real Sociedad
Real Sociedad
Real Sociedad de Fútbol, S.A.D. is a Spanish football club based in the city of San Sebastián, Basque Country, founded on 7 September 1909...
1–0 in the 1988 King's Cup, also playing about ten minutes in the 1992 European Cup 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...
; six years earlier, he had his penalty shootout attempt saved by FC Steaua Bucureşti's Helmuth Duckadam
Helmuth Duckadam
Helmuth Robert Duckadam is a retired Romanian footballer who played as a goalkeeper.He was dubbed "the hero of Seville" due to his heroics in the 1986 European Cup Final, won by his main club, Steaua Bucureşti...
, as Barça lost the 1986 edition
1986 European Cup Final
The 1986 European Cup Final was a football match held at the Estadio Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán, Seville, on 7 May 1986, that saw Steaua Bucureşti of Romania defeat Barcelona of Spain in an extraordinary penalty shoot out, after 120 minutes of play could not separate the two sides...
in 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...
.
After retiring as a player in 1993, Alexanko started a coaching career, in Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
, as he managed FC Universitatea Craiova
FC Universitatea Craiova
Fotbal Club Universitatea Craiova is a Romanian professional football club from Craiova. They became the first Romanian football team to reach the semi-finals of a European tournament, during the UEFA Cup in 1982–83...
and FC Naţional Bucureşti
FC National Bucuresti
Fotbal Club Progresul Bucureşti is a Romanian football club from Bucharest, founded in 1944...
. In 2000, he returned to Barcelona, assisting head coach Carles Rexach (his teammate in the striker
Striker
Forwards, also known as strikers, are the players on a team in association football who play nearest to the opposing team's goal, and are therefore principally responsible for scoring goals...
's last season).
In July 2005, Alexanko was named the club's youth system coordinator.
Controversy
Alexanko was accused of rapingRape
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The...
a maid
Maid
A maidservant or in current usage housemaid or maid is a female employed in domestic service.-Description:Once part of an elaborate hierarchy in great houses, today a single maid may be the only domestic worker that upper and even middle-income households can afford, as was historically the case...
in a hotel
Hotel
A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. The provision of basic accommodation, in times past, consisting only of a room with a bed, a cupboard, a small table and a washstand has largely been replaced by rooms with modern facilities, including en-suite bathrooms...
at Papendal, the Netherlands, in 1988; eventually all of the charges were dropped, however.
International career
Alexanko made his debut for 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 November 15, 1978, playing in the 1–0 home win 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...
, for the 1980 European Championship qualifiers.
He represented the nation at both UEFA Euro 1980 and the 1982 FIFA World Cup
1982 FIFA World Cup
The 1982 FIFA World Cup, the 12th FIFA World Cup, was held in Spain from 13 June to 11 July. The tournament was won by Italy, after defeating West Germany 3–1 in the final.-Host selection:...
, retiring from international play at only 26, after the second group stage draw against England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
, with a total of 34 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...
; he also played one game for the Euskadi XI
Basque Country national football team
The Basque Country football team is considered the national team of the Basque Country greater region as selected players from the Basque Country Autonomous Community, the nearby Navarre and the Northern Basque Country in France play for it...
, in 1979.
Player
- Athletic BilbaoAthletic BilbaoAthletic Club, also known as Athletic Bilbao, is an association football club from Bilbao in Biscay, Spain. The club has played in the Primera División of La Liga since its start in 1928. They have won La Liga on eight occasions...
:- UEFA CupUEFA CupThe UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
: Runner-up 1976–77 - 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 ....
: Runner-up 1976–77
- UEFA Cup
- BarcelonaFC BarcelonaFutbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....
:- European Cup: 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...
: 1981–82, 1988–89 - UEFA Super Cup: 1992
- 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...
: 1984–85, 1990–91, 1991–92, 1992–93 - 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 ....
: 1980–81, 1982–1983, 1987–88, 1989–90 - Spanish SupercupSupercopa de EspañaThe Supercopa de España is a Spanish football championship contested by the winners of La Liga and the Copa del Rey...
: 1983, 1991, 1992 - Spanish League CupCopa de la LigaThe Copa de la Liga was a Spanish football tournament created in 1982.Due to time constraints, saturation and club pressure, the competition only lasted four years, being cancelled in 1986...
: 1982–83, 1985–86
Manager
- Universitatea CraiovaFC Universitatea CraiovaFotbal Club Universitatea Craiova is a Romanian professional football club from Craiova. They became the first Romanian football team to reach the semi-finals of a European tournament, during the UEFA Cup in 1982–83...
:- Romanian Cup: Runner-up 1997–98