Full name Juan Eduardo Esnaider Name Juan Esnaider Date joined 1991 Position Forward | Years Team Height 1.80 m Playing position Role Footballer | |
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Date of birth (1973-03-05) 5 March 1973 (age 42) Children Juan Esnaider Ruiz, Fernando Esnaider Ruiz | ||
Juan Eduardo Esnáider (born 5 March 1973) is an Argentine retired footballer who played as a striker, and the current manager of Japanese club JEF United Chiba.
Contents
- Entrevista a juan esnaider jugador del cd toledo cdttv 15 16
- Club career
- International career
- Temperament
- Personal life
- Managerial statistics
- References
Having spent most of his professional career in Spain, he was known as a powerful player with an excellent aerial game. In that country, he started at Real Madrid, having almost no impact with its first team, going on to represent another four teams (mostly Real Zaragoza) and amass La Liga totals of 197 games and 74 goals.
Entrevista a juan esnaider jugador del cd toledo cdttv 15 16
Club career
Born in Mar del Plata, Buenos Aires, Esnáider began his footballing career with Ferro Carril Oeste, and made his professional debut in a game against Club Atlético Vélez Sarsfield on 2 September 1990. After only six games, he was bought by Real Madrid, and still managed two first-team appearances during the 1990–91 season, also going on to score nearly 20 goals for the reserves in Segunda División.
However, Esnáider never really settled in the main squad, and moved on loan to Real Zaragoza for 1993–94 (with the latter having the option to buy at the end of the campaign). He quickly developed into one of European football's most in-form strikers and, already property of the Aragonese side, helped it to the 1994–95 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, scoring in the final against Arsenal and being the tournament's best scorer (he also added 16 in La Liga).
Real Madrid paid Zaragoza more than double it had received in July 1995, but Esnáider only netted once during another disappointing season. Signed by Atlético Madrid for 1996–97 – immediately after an historical double – he again displayed his best football, with 16 league goals.
After being released by Atlético, Esnáider joined RCD Espanyol in Barcelona and produced another good individual season, with 13 successful strikes in the league. In January 1999, he was signed by Juventus F.C. which had just lost Alessandro del Piero to a serious knee injury, for an estimated fee of £4,5 million, but could not settle at the club. In late December 2000 he returned to Zaragoza and, with 11 goals in just 17 contests, helped the side barely avoid relegation (that included two on 14 April 2001 in a 4–4 tie at FC Barcelona), adding his second Copa del Rey in the process.
Subsequently, Esnáider's career went pretty much unnoticed, with spells at FC Porto (arriving the season after countryman Juan Antonio Pizzi, who also left unsettled after a few months), Cadetes de San Martín, Club Atlético River Plate, AC Ajaccio and Real Murcia, before retiring at Newell's Old Boys in Argentina. He obtained his coaching degree in 2008 and, in April of the following year, became Getafe CF's assistant to former Real Madrid teammate Míchel, who was replacing Víctor Muñoz after a string of bad results; he occupied the position until December 2010.
On 8 April 2013, after one full season in Segunda División B with Zaragoza's B-team, Esnáider was appointed at Córdoba CF until June after the sacking of Rafael Berges. He won only two of nine games during his spell, as the team went on rank 14th in the second level.
Esnáider returned to Getafe on 12 April 2016 following the dismissal of Fran Escribá, but now as head coach. His first game in the Spanish top flight – as a manager – took place four days later, in a 1–5 home loss to former club Real Madrid.
International career
Esnáider represented Argentina on three occasions, his debut coming in 1995. Previously, he appeared with the under-20's at the 1991 FIFA World Youth Championship held in Portugal.
Temperament
During his first spell at Zaragoza and while at Atlético Madrid, Esnáider was considered by many as one of the most promising strikers in European football. However, this was however often overshadowed by his misconduct and foul play in many matches:
1 – After missing a penalty kick in Atlético's match against Ajax Amsterdam, in the 1996–97 UEFA Champions League, he made a ferocious two-footed tackle at Ajax's Richard Witschge, but was lucky to receive only a yellow card. Minutes later, he was enraged when he was substituted by coach Radomir Antić, shouting out profanities. The next day, he was transferlisted by illusive Atlético chairman Jesús Gil.
2 – In 2000–01's dying stages, as Zaragoza fought to maintain its top level status, Esnáider brutally assaulted a Celta de Vigo player with his elbow (with the consequent dismissal), allegedly after being told by Zaragoza he would be deemed surplus to requirements for the following season. The player denied, however, this as the main reason for the incident.
Personal life
Esnáider's son, also named Juan, is also a footballer a forward. He too represented Zaragoza.
On Christmas Day 2012, Esnáider lost a 17-year-old son to illness. His surname is a Spanish spelling of the German Schneider, which means "tailor", and he is of Volga German and Spanish descent.