Carlos Aguilera (Spanish footballer)

Juan Carlos Aguilera Martín (born 22 May 1969) is a Spanish retired professional footballer. Having started his career as a right winger, he finished it at his first club, Atlético Madrid, as a right-back. During a professional career which spanned almost two decades he appeared in more than 500 games, 375 in La Liga.

Not to be confused with Carlos Aguilera (disambiguation).
In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Aguilera and the second or maternal family name is Martín.

Carlos Aguilera
Personal information
Full name Juan Carlos Aguilera Martín
Date of birth (1969-05-22) 22 May 1969
Place of birth Madrid, Spain
Height 1.74 m (5 ft 9 in)
Position(s) Right-back
Youth career
San Cristóbal
Atlético Madrid
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1987–1988 Atlético Madrid B 29 (11)
1988–1993 Atlético Madrid 96 (7)
1993–1996 Tenerife 88 (6)
1996–2005 Atlético Madrid 269 (22)
Total 482 (46)
International career
1989–1990 Spain U21 5 (0)
1997–1998 Spain 7 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Aguilera represented Spain at the 1998 World Cup.

Career

Born in Madrid, Aguilera began his career at Atlético Madrid, and his debut for the first team came on 26 March 1988 against Sporting de Gijón, after having started the season at the reserve side. He played for the Colchoneros until 1993, helping them to two consecutive Copa del Rey trophies (1991 and 1992).

Aguilera then signed with CD Tenerife, staying at the Estadio Heliodoro Rodríguez López a further three years. Incidentally, his best season in La Liga, 1995–96 – with five goals in 39 matches as the islanders qualified for the UEFA Cup – came as Atlético reached an historical double.

In 1996, Aguilera returned to his first team, staying with them even after a 2000 relegation and again putting up strong numbers in two seasons in Segunda División, featuring in 78 games and scoring 14 goals combined. In 2003–04, he even accepted to take a pay cut to remain with the club.[1] His form during his return led to a selection for the Spain national team, his debut coming on 24 September 1997 against Slovakia in a 1998 FIFA World Cup qualifier.

Aguilera was included in the squad for the final stages in France, starting against Paraguay (0–0) and Bulgaria (6–1 win)[2] and totalling seven caps during a one-year span. He retired from the game in 2005, and returned to Atlético in directorial capacities six years later.[3]

Honours

Atlético Madrid

References
  1. Aguilera stays loyal to Atlético; UEFA, 30 June 2003
  2. "Spain beats Bulgaria 6–1 but fails to qualify". Sports Illustrated. 24 June 1998. Retrieved 22 December 2014.
  3. Caminero y Aguilera serán presentados el lunes 30 de mayo en la Sala VIP (Caminero and Aguilera will be presented Monday 30 May in VIP room) Archived 18 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine; Atlético Madrid, 27 May 2011 (in Spanish)
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