Sergio González (footballer, born 1976)

For other uses, see Sergio González.

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is González and the second or maternal family name is Soriano.

Sergio González Soriano (born 10 November 1976), known simply as Sergio as a player, is a Spanish football manager and former player.

Sergio González

González as Valladolid coach in 2019
Personal information
Full name	Sergio González Soriano[1]
Date of birth	(1976-11-10) 10 November 1976 (age 48)[1]
Place of birth	L'Hospitalet, Spain
Height	1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)[1]
Position(s)	Midfielder
Youth career
	Mercat Nou Magòria
1994–1995	Hospitalet
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1995	Hospitalet	6	(2)
1995–1998	Espanyol B	100	(12)
1998–2001	Espanyol	110	(5)
2001–2010	Deportivo La Coruña	294	(27)
2010–2011	Levante	14	(2)
Total		524	(48)
International career
2001–2005	Spain	11	(0)
1999–2013	Catalonia	15	(2)
Managerial career
2013–2014	Espanyol B (assistant)
2014	Espanyol B
2014–2015	Espanyol
2015–2018	Catalonia
2018–2021	Valladolid
2022–2024	Cádiz
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

A hard-working central midfielder, he was adept at both defence and playmaking, and spent nearly one decade as a professional at Deportivo de La Coruña after starting at Espanyol. Over 14 La Liga seasons, he amassed totals of 418 matches and 34 goals. He represented Spain in the 2002 World Cup.

González started working as a coach in 2014, also with Espanyol.

Playing career

Club

Born in L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Catalonia, Sergio started out at local CE L'Hospitalet, signing with neighbouring RCD Espanyol in 1995 and going on to spend nearly three years with its reserves in the Segunda División B. He made his La Liga debut on 10 April 1998 in a 2–0 home win against CD Tenerife, and was an undisputed starter the next three seasons, going on to total nearly 125 official appearances.^[2]

Looking for greater challenges, Sergio accepted a move to Deportivo de La Coruña in the summer of 2001. In his first year with the Galician team he played all 38 matches and scored four goals, as Depor finished runners-up and won the Copa del Rey – in the final, he opened the 2–1 victory over Real Madrid at their homeground as the opposing club was celebrating its 100th anniversary (the play was dubbed Centenariazo).^[3]

Sergio went on to only miss eight league matches over the following four seasons, making 383 competitive appearances during his stint.^[4] He only failed to find the net at least once in the 2009–10 campaign, in which he appeared in 24 games.

In mid-July 2010, after nearly one full decade with Deportivo, 33-year-old Sergio joined Levante UD, recently returned to the top flight.^[5] He was essential as the Valencians won in the fourth round of the season after three losses, scoring the only goal at UD Almería on 22 September.^[6] After several injury problems, he was released on 30 June 2011.^[7]

International

Sergio made his debut for Spain on 24 March 2001, coming on as a substitute for Pep Guardiola in a 5–0 win against Liechtenstein for the 2002 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.^[8] Selected for the finals in Japan and South Korea, he appeared in a 3–2 group stage defeat of South Africa, replacing David Albelda.^[9]

Since 1999, Sergio represented the Catalonia football team, making his debut on 23 December in a 1–0 friendly win with Yugoslavia and scoring his first goal nearly ten years later, in a 4–2 friendly against Argentina.^[10]

Coaching career

Sergio with Espanyol in 2015

Club

González started working as a manager in 2013, being in charge of Espanyol B. On 27 May 2014 he was named as the new coach of the first team, replacing Javier Aguirre after the latter's contract expired; sporting director Óscar Perarnau commented: "We are delighted with Sergio's personality and he knows the club perfectly. "He has little experience as a coach but everyone has to start one day and we believe he has what it takes".^[11]

On 14 December 2015, after a 1–0 away loss against RC Celta de Vigo, and even though the team was still several points clear of the relegation zone, González was relieved of his duties. In his 62 games in charge, he collected 22 wins, 14 draws and 26 losses.^[12]

On 10 April 2018, after more than two years without a club, González was appointed manager of Real Valladolid in the second tier.^[13] He managed to win eight of his first 12 matches, leading them to fifth place in the regular season and promotion in the play-offs.^[14]

In December 2019, with his contract due to expire the following summer, González signed a new deal to keep him at Pucela until 2022.^[15] After relegation in May 2021, he was dismissed by chairman Ronaldo.^[16]

On 11 January 2022, González replaced Álvaro Cervera at top-flight side Cádiz CF.^[17] In his first game four days later, the team advanced on penalties after a goalless draw away to Sporting de Gijón in the domestic cup, making the quarter-finals for the fourth time in their history and first since 2006.^[18]

González was sacked on 20 January 2024, after four months without a win and with his side third-bottom.^[19][20]

International

González also managed the Catalan national team, being appointed alongside Gerard López by the Catalan Football Federation in October 2015.^[21] On his debut on 26 December, the team lost 1–0 to their Basque counterparts in the Centenary Trophy.^[22]

Career statistics

Club

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition^[23]

Club	Season	League			Copa del Rey		Europe		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Hospitalet	1994–95	Segunda División B	6	2	0	0	–		–		6	2
Espanyol B	1995–96	Segunda División B	36	5	0	0	–		–		36	4
	1996–97		34	2	0	0	–		–		34	2
	1997–98		30	5	0	0	–		4[a]	0	34	5
	Total		100	12	0	0	0	0	4	0	104	12
Espanyol	1996–97	La Liga	0	0	1	0	0	0	–		1	0
	1997–98		6	1	0	0	0	0	–		6	1
	1998–99		34	0	4	0	2[b]	0	–		40	0
	1999–00		32	0	9	1	0	0	–		41	1
	2000–01		38	4	6	0	6[c]	0	2[d]	0	52	6
	Total		110	5	20	1	8	2	2	0	140	8
Deportivo	2001–02	La Liga	38	4	4	1	10[e]	1	–		52	6
	2002–03		37	3	6	1	10[e]	0	2[d]	0	55	4
	2003–04		37	3	3	0	14[e]	1	–		54	4
	2004–05		34	3	2	0	5[e]	0	–		41	3
	2005–06		36	3	6	1	6[b]	0	–		48	4
	2006–07		28	2	5	1	0	0	–		33	3
	2007–08		32	5	2	2	0	0	–		34	7
	2008–09		28	4	1	0	10[f]	1	–		38	5
	2009–10		24	0	3	0	0	0	–		27	0
	Total		294	27	32	6	55	3	2	0	383	36
Levante	2010–11	La Liga	14	2	2	1	0	0	–		16	3
Career total			524	48	54	8	63	5	8	0	649	61

1. Appearances in Segunda División B play-offs
2. Appearances in UEFA Intertoto Cup
3. Appearances in UEFA Cup
4. Appearances in Supercopa de España
5. Appearances in UEFA Champions League
6. One appearance in UEFA Intertoto Cup, nine appearances and one goal in UEFA Cup

International

Appearances and goals by national team and year

National team	Year	Apps	Goals
Spain[24]	2001	3	0
	2002	4	0
	2003	3	0
	2004	0	0
	2005	1	0
Total		11	0
Catalonia[25][26]	1999	1	0
	2000	1	0
	2001	1	0
	2002	1	0
	2003	1	0
	2004	2	0
	2005	1	0
	2006	1	0
	2007	1	0
	2008	2	0
	2009	1	1
	2010	1	0
	2011	0	0
	2012	0	0
	2013	1	1
Total		15	2

Scores and results list Catalonia's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Sergio goal.^[10]

List of international goals scored by Sergio

No.	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	22 December 2009	Camp Nou, Barcelona, Spain	Argentina	3–1	4–2	Friendly
2	2 January 2013	Cornellà-El Prat, Barcelona, Spain	Nigeria	1–0	1–1	Friendly

Managerial statistics

As of match played 19 January 2024^[27]

Managerial record by team and tenure

Team	Nat	From	To	Record								Ref
				G	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Win %
Espanyol B		22 January 2014	27 May 2014	17	9	6	2	26	18	+8	052.94	[28]
Espanyol		27 May 2014	14 December 2015	62	22	14	26	73	85	−12	035.48	[29]
Valladolid		10 April 2018	23 May 2021	137	38	46	53	147	177	−30	027.74	[30]
Cádiz		11 January 2022	20 January 2024	82	19	29	34	73	110	−37	023.17	[31]
Total				298	88	95	115	319	390	−71	029.53	—

Honours

Espanyol

• Copa del Rey: 1999–2000

Deportivo

• Copa del Rey: 2001–02
• Supercopa de España: 2002
• UEFA Intertoto Cup: 2008

See also

• List of La Liga players (400+ appearances)

References

1. "SERGIO González Soriano". El Mundo (in Spanish). Retrieved 14 May 2021.
2. "SERGIO González" (in Spanish). Hall of Fame Perico. 30 April 2009. Retrieved 8 February 2016.
3. Mínguez, Jesús (7 November 2010). "El Depor, en casa de Sergio" [Depor, at Sergio's]. Diario AS (in Spanish). Retrieved 21 February 2011.
4. "El Real Club Deportivo cumple hoy 114 años" [Real Club Deportivo turns 114 today] (in Spanish). Deportivo La Coruña. 8 December 2020. Retrieved 14 May 2021.
5. "Sergio González se convierte en nuevo jugador del Levante UD" [Sergio González becomes new Levante UD player] (in Spanish). Levante UD. 22 July 2010. Archived from the original on 26 July 2010. Retrieved 22 July 2010.
6. "Gonzalez strike ensures Levante get off the mark". ESPN Soccernet. 22 September 2010. Archived from the original on 28 June 2011. Retrieved 21 February 2011.
7. Carretero, Rafa (4 September 2011). "A vueltas con Sergio González" [The Sergio González conundrum] (in Spanish). Deporte Valenciano. Retrieved 25 June 2018.
8. "España golea cómodamente a la débil selección de Liechtenstein (5–0)" [Spain rout weak Liechtenstein national team easily (5–0)]. El País (in Spanish). 25 March 2001. Retrieved 14 December 2015.
9. "Heartbreak for South Africa". BBC Sport. 12 June 2002. Retrieved 21 February 2011.
10. "Cruyff's coaching return brings win over Argentina". USA Today. 22 December 2009. Retrieved 9 February 2011.
11. "Espanyol: Sergio Gonzalez is named new coach". BBC Sport. 27 May 2014. Retrieved 27 May 2014.
12. "Gracias y hasta siempre, Sergio" [Thank you and see you always, Sergio] (in Spanish). RCD Espanyol. 14 December 2015. Retrieved 14 December 2015.
13. "Sergio González, nuevo entrenador del Real Valladolid" [Sergio González, new manager of Real Valladolid] (in Spanish). Real Valladolid. 10 April 2018. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
14. Gómez, Adrián (20 June 2018). "Real Valladolid, doce partidos que valen un ascenso" [Real Valladolid, twelve matches that are worth a promotion] (in Spanish). Vavel. Retrieved 21 June 2018.
15. Rodríguez, Chus; Munday, Billy (6 December 2019). "Official: Sergio Gonzalez signs contract extension at Real Valladolid". Marca. Retrieved 27 May 2021.
16. Brennan, Feargal (23 May 2021). "Ronaldo Nazario sacks Sergio Gonzalez following Real Valladolid's La Liga relegation". Football España. Retrieved 27 May 2021.
17. "Sergio González, nuevo entrenador del Cádiz" [Sergio González, new manager of Cádiz] (in Spanish). Cádiz CF. 11 January 2022. Retrieved 11 January 2022.
18. Bejarano, Isabelo (15 January 2022). "La portería a cero le da otra ronda de Copa al Cádiz" [Clean sheet gives Cádiz another round of the Cup]. Marca (in Spanish). Retrieved 15 January 2022.
19. "Sergio González deja de ser entrenador del Cádiz" [Sergio González is no longer Cádiz manager] (in Spanish). Cádiz CF. 20 January 2024. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
20. "Cadiz fires coach Sergio González after 4-month winless streak in Spanish league". Associated Press. 20 January 2024. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
21. "Gerard Lopez and Sergio Gonzalez will coach Catalan national team". Sport. 13 October 2015. Retrieved 24 July 2018.
22. "Euskadi venç Catalunya amb un gol d'Aduriz (0–1)" [Basque Country beat Catalonia with a goal by Aduriz (0–1)] (in Catalan). Betevé. 27 December 2015. Retrieved 27 May 2021.
23. Sergio González at BDFutbol
24. "Sergio González". European Football. Retrieved 20 May 2017.
25. "Selecció Catalana" [Catalan national team] (in Catalan). Futcat. Archived from the original on 21 May 2007. Retrieved 10 February 2011.
26. "Gran Victória de Catalunya contra Colómbia (2–1)" [Great Catalonia win against Colombia (2–1)] (in Catalan). Catalan Football Federation. 28 December 2008. Archived from the original on 6 July 2011. Retrieved 10 February 2011.
27. Sergio González coach profile at Soccerway
28. "Espanyol B" (in Spanish). Resultados Fútbol. Retrieved 11 April 2018.
29. "Matches Sergio González, 2014–15 season". BDFutbol. Retrieved 11 April 2018.
    "Matches Sergio González, 2015–16 season". BDFutbol. Retrieved 11 April 2018.
30. "Matches Sergio González, 2017–18 season". BDFutbol. Retrieved 11 April 2018.
    "Matches Sergio González, 2018–19 season". BDFutbol. Retrieved 6 December 2018.
    "Matches Sergio González, 2019–20 season". BDFutbol. Retrieved 2 February 2020.
    "Matches Sergio González, 2020–21 season". BDFutbol. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
31. "Matches Sergio González, 2021–22 season". BDFutbol. Retrieved 12 January 2022.

External links

• Sergio González at BDFutbol
• Sergio González manager profile at BDFutbol
• Sergio González at National-Football-Teams.com
• Sergio González – FIFA competition record (archived)