Full name Jose Aurelio Gay Lopez Playing position 1984–1988 Castilla Role Footballer Position Midfielder | Place of birth Madrid, Spain Years Team Name Jose Gay Height 1.74 m | |
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Date of birth (1965-12-10) 10 December 1965 (age 50) | ||
Entrevista J.A. Gay (3 de 3).mp4
Jose Aurelio Gay Lopez (born 10 December 1965) is a Spanish retired footballer who played as a midfielder, and a current coach.
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Gay was associated with Zaragoza throughout his career, serving the club as both a player and manager. Over the course of eight seasons he amassed La Liga totals of 180 games and 27 goals, starting playing football with Real Madrid Castilla.
Playing career
Born in Madrid, Gay began his playing career with Real Madrid and progressed to the team's reserve team, Castilla CF. While at the club he was a member of the Spain U-20 side that finished runners-up at the 1985 FIFA World Youth Championship, starting five of the team's six games and appearing as a substitute in the other.
After two seasons in the second division, Gay moved up to La Liga with RCD Espanol in the summer of 1988. He scored twice in 17 matches during his debut season, in which the Catalans were relegated, but eventually established himself in the club's starting XI, spending one season in the second level and another in the first; in 1990–91, his last year, he was the team's second-highest league goalscorer with five goals – only behind German Wolfram Wuttke – as he helped the team maintain its top flight status.
Gay moved to Real Zaragoza in the summer of 1991. In consecutive seasons he helped the Aragonese to the 1994 domestic cup and the following year's UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, although he was seriously injured during the latter campaign. He only appeared sparingly afterwards and left the club in June 1996.
Gay's final three seasons were spent at Real Oviedo and CD Toledo, with whom he spent two years in the second division, only amassing 43 league appearances combined, and retiring in 1999 at the age of 33. In total he played in nearly 350 games both major levels of Spanish football combined.
Managerial career
After his retirement Gay managed numerous teams in both the second and third divisions, starting at his last club Toledo immediately after hanging up his boots.
Real Madrid C, Pontevedra CF, Real Jaen, Lorca Deportiva CF, CF Fuenlabrada and Real Zaragoza B followed. He took the reins of the latter's first team following the dismissal of Marcelino Garcia Toral on 12 December 2009.
Gay's first game in charge of Zaragoza saw his side lose 0–6 away against Real Madrid, a result that led to rumours that he would be replaced by Victor Munoz. The reports, however, proved to be unfounded and he was offered the job until the summer of 2010. After bringing in several new players in the January transfer window, the team's fortunes began to turn as he led the side out of the relegation zone by mid-February, eventually finishing in 14th position.
In mid-November 2010, with Zaragoza ranking last in the league (eventually managing to avoid relegation), Gay was sacked by the club. On 12 December 2012, after more than two years out of work, he replaced fired Fabri at the helm of Racing de Santander.