Full name Sergi Barjuan Esclusa Weight 68 kg Name Sergi Barjuan Spouse Auxi Navarro | Role Footballer Years Team Height 1.72 m Manages UD Almeria | |
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Date of birth (1971-12-28) 28 December 1971 (age 43) | ||
Sergi Barjuán Esclusa ([ˈsɛrʒi βərʒuˈan j əsˈkɫuzə], [ˈserʝi βarˈxwan j esˈklusa]; born 28 December 1971), known simply as Sergi, is a Spanish retired footballer who played as a left back, and a current coach.
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Best known for his Barcelona stint, he played for the first team for nine seasons and made a major contribution to the winning of nine major titles. Having reached the Spanish national team shortly after making his professional club debut, he appeared in two World Cups and as many European Championships.
Club career
Born in Les Franqueses del Vallès, Barcelona, Catalonia, Sergi was a youth product of giants FC Barcelona. He had not yet appeared in La Liga when he was summoned by first-team manager Johan Cruyff to a UEFA Champions League group stage game away against Galatasaray S.K. (0–0, on 24 November 1993), and from then on became the side's undisputed first-choice, never playing less than 31 matches until 1999; with Barça he won three leagues, two cups and two supercups, adding the 1997 edition of the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup and the subsequent UEFA Super Cup, partnered in the other defensive wing by another youth graduate, Albert Ferrer.
After being deemed surplus to requirements by coach Louis van Gaal, Sergi moved to Atlético Madrid, where he still posted three respectable seasons although he collected 33 yellow cards combined.
In July 2009, after several years working in marketing and running soccer camps for youngsters, Sergi returned to Barcelona, being named its Juvenil B coach. On 22 May 2012 he was handed his first job in the professionals, signing for three years with Recreativo de Huelva in the second division.
On 6 April 2015, Sergi was appointed manager of UD Almería, replacing fired Juan Ignacio Martínez. His first game in charge occurred two days later, a 0–4 loss at former club Barcelona.
On 3 October 2015, with the Andalusians back in the second level, Sergi was sacked after a 2–2 home draw against CD Tenerife.
International career
Shortly after having been promoted into Barcelona's main squad, Sergi made his debut for Spain on 9 February 1994, in a friendly game with Poland in Santa Cruz de Tenerife in which he scored his only goal for the national team.
He went on to represent the nation at the 1994 FIFA World Cup, UEFA Euro 1996, the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000, for a total of 56 caps.