Santiago Cañizares

Football player infobox
playername = Santiago Cañizares


fullname = José Santiago Cañizares Ruiz
height = height|m=1.81
dateofbirth = birth date and age|1969|12|18
cityofbirth = Puertollano
countryofbirth = Spain
currentclub = Retired
position = Goalkeeper
youthyears = 1985–1988
youthclubs = Real Madrid
years = 1988–1998
1989–1990
1990–1991
1991–1992
1992–1994
1994–1998
1998–2008
clubs = Real Madrid
Castilla
→ Elche CF (loan)
→Mérida UD (loan)
→Celta Vigo (loan)
Real Madrid
Valencia CF
caps(goals) = 041 (0)
035 (0)
007 (0)
038 (0)
074 (0)
41 (0)
300 (0)
nationalyears = 1993–2006
nationalteam = Spain
nationalcaps(goals) = 045 (0)
pcupdate = 09:58, 31 October 2008 (UTC)
ntupdate = 31 October 2008

José Santiago Cañizares Ruiz (born December 18, 1969 in Puertollano, Ciudad Real) is a former Spanish football goalkeeper. Cañizares finished his career at Valencia CF, where he appeared in more than 400 official games since 1998. [cite news|url=http://www.fifa.com/worldfootball/clubfootball/news/newsid=770322.html|title=Villa gives Valencia leaving present|author=|publisher=FIFA|date=2008-05-18|accessdate=2008-07-23] [cite news|url=http://www.fifa.com/worldfootball/clubfootball/news/newsid=769184.html|title=Valencia: Cañizares can leave|author=|publisher=FIFA|date=2008-05-18|accessdate=2008-07-23]

At his prime, he was regarded as one of the best goalkeepers in the world. Prior to Euro 2004, legendary Peter Schmeichel said that he regarded Cañizares as the finest goalkeeper in world football. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/sportacademy/hi/sa/football/features/newsid_3707000/3707345.stm Peter Schmeichel for Santiago Cañizares] ]

Club career

Cañizares started his club career with Real Madrid in 1988, playing initially with Real Madrid B. He then played with Elche CF, making his professional debuts in 1990, Mérida UD and Celta de Vigo, before coming back to Real Madrid in 1994.

Unable to cement a starting place, Cañizares moved to Valencia CF in 1998 to replace the retired Andoni Zubizarreta. He helped the club to win the Spanish Cup and Supercup finals in 1999, also reaching consecutive UEFA Champions League finals (2000 and 2001) and winning "La Liga" titles in 2002 and 2004, adding the UEFA Cup and Supercup 2004 finals.

In December 2007, Cañizares, alongside teammates Miguel Ángel Angulo and David Albelda, was axed by new manager Ronald Koeman, with all three players limited to training, and unable to join another side in Spain, having already played 4 league matches. In late April, however, with Koeman's sacking, all three were reinstated by new manager Voro in a squad seriously threatened with relegation, with five remaining rounds. On April 27, 2008, Cañizares returned to action, as Timo Hildebrand and Juan Luis Mora were injured, in a 3-0 home win against CA Osasuna.

On May 16, 2008, Cañizares agreed to end his contract with Valencia and leave the club. He played his final game with the side two days later, against Atlético Madrid (3:1), and was released the next day.

International career

Cañizares has been capped 46 times for Spain, the first in 17 November 1993. Zubizarreta was sent off in the tenth minute of a decisive 1994 World Cup qualifier (Spain-Denmark, 1-0) and Cañizares debuted in heroic fashion, keeping a clean sheet and ensuring qualification at the expense of the Danes themselves.

However, he was often the second-choice keeper, and only played five matches in the major international scene: one in the 1994 World Cup (as "Zubi" served a one-match ban), three in Euro 2000 and one in the 2006 World Cup. He was also a squad member at Euro 96, the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2004 but didn't play, blocked by Zubizarreta in the 1990s and Iker Casillas in 2004. He was equally an unused player in the gold winning squad at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona.

His club form ensured himself as first-choice international in the 2002 World Cup, but he missed out on the tournament due to an accident with an aftershave bottle which resulted in a severed tendon in his foot.

Honours

Club

*flagicon|ESP Real Madrid
**Spanish League 1994-95, 1996-97
**UEFA Champions League 1997-98
**Spanish Super Cup 1997

*flagicon|ESP Valencia CF
**Spanish League 2001-02, 2003-04
**Spanish Cup 1998-99, 2007-08
**Spanish Super Cup 1999
**Spanish Super Cup runner-up 2002, 2004
**UEFA Champions League runner-up 1999-00, 2000-01
**UEFA Cup 2003-04
**European Super Cup 2004
**UEFA Intertoto Cup 1998-99

Individual

*flagicon|ESP Celta Vigo, Valencia CF
** x 4 Zamora Trophy

References

External links

* [http://www.lfp.es/historico/primera/plantillas/historial.asp?jug=5803 Stats at Liga de Fútbol Profesional] es icon
* [http://futbol.sportec.es/seleccion/ficha_jugador.asp?j=103&n=ca%C3%B1izares/jose/santiago/ca%C3%B1izares/ruiz National team data] es icon
*FIFA player|83431
* [http://www.footballdatabase.com/site/players/index.php?dumpPlayer=603 Profile and stats at Footballdatabase.com]
* [http://groups.msn.com/santicanyizares Fan page] es icon