Fernando Carlos Redondo Neri (born July 6, 1969 in Adrogué, Buenos Aires) is a former Argentine professional football player. He was a defensive midfielder of outstanding skill and culture. He was a member of the Argentina national football team and played for the clubs Argentinos Juniors (1985-90), CD Tenerife (1990-94), Real Madrid (1994-2000), and AC Milan (2000-2003). is the 187th day of the year (188th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Also: 1969 (Stargate SG-1) episode. ... Location of Almirante Brown in Greater Buenos Aires Adrogué (pronounced []) is a city in Greater Buenos Aires, Argentina, located 23 km south of Buenos Aires. ... For other uses, see Buenos Aires (disambiguation). ... A player (wearing the red kit) has penetrated the defence (in the white kit) and is taking a shot at goal. ... In football (soccer) a midfielder is a player whose position of play is midway between the attacking strikers and the defenders. ... First international  Uruguay 2 - 3 Argentina  (Montevideo, Uruguay; 16 May 1901) Biggest win  Argentina 12 - 0 Ecuador  (Montevideo, Uruguay; 22 January 1942) Biggest defeat  Czechoslovakia 6 - 1 Argentina  (Helsingborg, Sweden; 15 June 1958)  Uruguay 5 - 0 Argentina  (Guayaquil, Ecuador; 16 December 1959)  Argentina 0 - 5  Colombia (Buenos Aires, Argentina; 5... Argentinos Juniors is an Argentine football team, founded in La Paternal, Buenos Aires, on August 15, 1904. ... Club Deportivo Tenerife is a Spanish football team, based in Tenerife, in the Canary Islands. ... Real Madrid Club de Fútbol is a Spanish sports club most widely known for its professional football team based in Madrid. ... Associazione Calcio Milan is an Italian football club based in Milan, Lombardy. ...

Club career

Redondo made his debut in Spanish football playing for CD Tenerife under the management of former Real Madrid player Jorge Valdano. Twice during this period Real Madrid lost the La Liga title to arch-rivals FC Barcelona on the final day of the season in matches against Tenerife. When Valdano was subsequently appointed manager of Real Madrid, Redondo made the move along with him. (Professional Football League), commonly known as La Liga, is the professional football league in Spain. ... Club Deportivo Tenerife is a Spanish football team, based in Tenerife, in the Canary Islands. ... Real Madrid Club de Fútbol is a Spanish sports club most widely known for its professional football team based in Madrid. ... Jorge Alberto Valdano (born October 4, 1955 in Las Parejas, Santa Fe Province) is an Argentine former football player. ... (Professional Football League), commonly known as La Liga, is the professional football league in Spain. ... Futbol Club Barcelona, known familiarly as Barça (IPA: baɾ.sə), is a sports club based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. ... Real Madrid Club de Fútbol is a Spanish sports club most widely known for its professional football team based in Madrid. ...

The key years of his career were spent at Real Madrid where he was twice a champion of La Liga (1995 and 1997) and twice a European Champion (1997-1998 and 1999-2000), amongst other titles won during this period. It was during the 1999-2000 UEFA Champions League that he turned in his finest performances. His contribution to a 3-2 quarterfinals victory over Manchester United at Old Trafford will live long in the memory of Madrid and United fans alike. He was the best player of the game, and was the author of a spectacular play (the backheel of Old Trafford), in which Redondo backheeled the ball through the legs of defender Henning Berg before recovering it and assisting Raúl for Real Madrid's third goal. The performance is also of note because of the way another great midfielder of the 1990s, Roy Keane, was completely overshadowed by Redondo's display. After winning the final against Valencia CF, he was named the 1999-2000 UEFA Champions League Most Valuable Player. In 2000, Redondo transferred to Italian club AC Milan in a highly controversial move, which led to riots in Madrid. However, his stay at Milan was marred by injuries. Redondo was consistently injured, most notably knee problems, during his first two seasons there and refused to accept the wages paid to him by the AC Milan board, showing great ethics and principles rarely seen in professional sports today. Real Madrid Club de Fútbol is a Spanish sports club most widely known for its professional football team based in Madrid. ... The UEFA Champions League (also known as the European Cup, UCL, CE1, C1[1] or CL) is a seasonal club football competition organized by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) since 1955 for the most successful football clubs in Europe. ... The season 1997-98 of the European UEFA Champions League football club tournament was won by Real Madrid in a 1-0 final victory against Juventus, who were playing in a third consecutive final. ... The 1999-2000 season of the UEFA Champions League was won by Real Madrid, who had clinched an historic 8th title win, against fellow La Liga side, Valencia. ... The 1999-2000 season of the UEFA Champions League was won by Real Madrid, who had clinched an historic 8th title win, against fellow La Liga side, Valencia. ... Manchester United Football Club are a world-famous English football club, based at the Old Trafford stadium in Trafford, Greater Manchester, and are one of the most popular sports clubs in the world, with over 50 million supporters worldwide. ... Old Trafford (given the nickname The Theatre of Dreams by Sir Bobby Charlton) is a football stadium in the Greater Manchester borough of Trafford, and is the home of Manchester United F.C.. The ground has been Uniteds permanent home since 1910, bar an eight year absence from 1941... Raúl González Blanco, usually referred to simply as Raúl (born June 27, 1977 in Madrid) is a Spanish football forward. ... Valencia Club de Fútbol (also known as Valencia CF or Valencia) are a Spanish professional football club based in Valencia. ... The UEFA Champions League MVP (Most Valuable Player) is an award given in the run up to the European Super Cup, and draw for the group stage of the UEFA Champions League. ... AC Milan is an Italian football club. ...

International career

Redondo played for Argentina 29 times, the bulk of his appearances coming during the years 1992-1994, while Alfio Basile coached the Argentina side. Redondo was rumored to have refused a call-up to the national team just before the 1990 FIFA World Cup, when it was coached by Carlos Salvador Bilardo. Redondo allegedly excused himself on account of not wanting to interrupt his university studies, but some say that he refused to play for Bilardo because he did not agree with his ultra-defensive strategy. Redondo was regarded as Argentina's best performer in their disappointing World Cup campaign in 1994, while Basile as coach. Alfio Rubén Basile (born November 1, 1943 in Bahía Blanca), known as Coco, is an Argentine football (soccer) coach and former player. ... Qualifying countries The 1990 FIFA World Cup, the 14th staging of the World Cup, was held in Italy from June 8 to July 8. ... Carlos Salvador Bilardo (born March 16, 1939) is an Argentine football (soccer) player and coach (and a physician by training) who achieved worldwide renown as a player with Estudiantes de La Plata and as coach of the 1986 World Cup champion team. ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... Qualifying countries The 1994 FIFA World Cup, the 15th staging of the FIFA World Cup, was held in the United States from June 17 to July 17, 1994. ...

Argentina's subsequent coach, Daniel Passarella excluded him from the squad. Newspapers reported that Redondo was excluded because he refused to cut his long hair. Passarella stated that he was excluded because Redondo insisted on only playing in central midfield, refusing to do it on the left side of the field. Subsequently, in 1999, when Argentina was coached by Marcelo Bielsa, Redondo was called up to the national side for two friendlies against arch-rivals Brazil. Although Redondo was the man-of-the match in the 2-0 victory over the Brazilians in Buenos Aires, marking Brazilian star Rivaldo out of the game, Redondo refused any subsequent call-ups from Bielsa, preferring to focus his energies on Real Madrid. To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Marcelo Bielsa (nicknamed El Loco Bielsa, Crazy Bielsa) is a football coach and former defender, born in Rosario, province of Santa Fe, Argentina. ... For other uses, see Buenos Aires (disambiguation). ... Vítor Borba Ferreira (born April 19, 1972 in Paulista, Pernambuco), commonly known as Rivaldo, is a Brazilian professional football (soccer) player, currently playing for AEK Athens in the Super League Greece. ... Real Madrid Club de Fútbol is a Spanish sports club most widely known for its professional football team based in Madrid. ...

His scant appearances due to the disagreements or refusals to play for Bilardo, Passarella, and Bielsa in World Cup finals (especially in the 1998 FIFA World Cup) are a probable explanation of his little recognition when compared with other, arguably lesser, defensive midfielders of his era. The FIFA World Cup, sometimes called the Football World Cup or the Soccer World Cup, but usually referred to simply as the World Cup, is an international football competition contested by the mens national football teams of the member nations of Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA... Qualifying countries The 1998 FIFA World Cup, the 16th staging of the World Cup, was held in France from June 10 to July 12 after 60 years to celebrate the third edition scheduled in 1938. ...

In 2003, at the age of 34, Redondo retired from professional football following yet another knee injury.

Despite his achievements, such as winning the European Cup with Real Madrid, Redondo did not even reach 30 caps for his country - which is ironic since his style of play was so distinctively Argentine. Redondo was perhaps the last of the classic number fives of Argentine football. It is not a shirt that belongs to a centre-back but to the central midfielder, who sits in front of his defence using sound postioning and sharp tackling to break up the opposing attacks, then sets his own side's moves in motion with short, crisp passes. Nestor Rossi, Antonio Rattin, Sergio Batista - Redondo was a worthy heir to the tradition and many argue he was simply the best. He had physical presence, a wonderful left foot and the intelligence to dictate the rhythm of the game. Real Madrid Club de Fútbol is a Spanish sports club most widely known for its professional football team based in Madrid. ... Néstor Rossi (Buenos Aires, May 10, 1925 – June 13, 2007) was an Argentine football defender. ... Antonio Ubaldo Rattín (born May 16, 1937 in Tigre, Buenos Aires Province) is a former Argentine football player, best known as a Boca Juniors midfielder, and because of an incident in a match at the 1966 World Cup. ... Sergio Daniel Baptista (born 1963-11-09 in Buenos Aires) is a former football (soccer) defender from Argentina. ...

Redondo was a good friend of Diego Maradona who acted as a mentor to the young Redondo early in his career. Diego Armando Maradona (born October 30, 1960) is an Argentine former football superstar. ...

Legacy

Though relatively short compared to the tenures of other great footballers to have played for Real Madrid, his years at the club are fondly recalled by Madrid supporters worldwide. Leading by both skill and personality, Redondo could control the pace of a game and his combativeness combined with his exquisite technique allowed him to effectively function as both the destructive and creative fulcrum of the side. Redondo, arguably, is the key influence to several Argentine holding midfielders such as Javier Mascherano or Fernando Gago. Javier Alejandro Mascherano (pronounced as IPA: ) (born June 8, 1984 in San Lorenzo, Santa Fe) is an Argentine football player. ... Fernando Rubén Gago (born April 10, 1986 in Ciudadela, Buenos Aires) is an Argentine football midfielder, who plays for La Liga club Real Madrid. ...

Honours

• South American U-17 Championship 1985
• Confederations Cup 1992
• Copa América 1993
• Spanish Leagues 1995, 1997
• Intercontinental Cup 1998
• UEFA Champions League (1998, 2000, 2003)
• Coppa Italia 2003

• Champions League Most Valuable Player, 2000

Year 1985 (MCMLXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link displays 1985 Gregorian calendar). ... The Confederations Cup The FIFA Confederations Cup is a football (soccer) tournament for national teams, held every four years (previously every two years) by FIFA. It is contested by the winners of each of the six FIFA confederation championships (CAF, CONMEBOL, UEFA, AFC, OFC, CONCACAF), along with the FIFA World... Year 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1992 Gregorian calendar). ... ‹ The template below (Expand) is being considered for deletion. ... Year 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1993 Gregorian calendar). ... This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Year 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full 1995 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 1997 (MCMXCVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1997 Gregorian calendar). ... Champions League Logo Copa Libertadores Logo The European/South American Cup, commonly referred to as the Intercontinental Cup or Toyota Cup, was a football competition endorsed by UEFA and CONMEBOL, contested between the winners of the European Champions League and the South American Copa Libertadores in a match played each... Year 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar). ... The UEFA Champions League (also known as the European Cup, UCL, CE1, C1[1] or CL) is a seasonal club football competition organized by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) since 1955 for the most successful football clubs in Europe. ... 2000 (MM) was a leap year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Coppa Italia Trophy - Coppa in Italian meaning Cup representing the Tournaments title. ... The UEFA Champions League MVP (Most Valuable Player) is an award given in the run up to the European Super Cup, and draw for the group stage of the UEFA Champions League. ... David Beckham David Robert Joseph Beckham OBE (born May 2, 1975) is an English footballer born in Leytonstone, London. ... The UEFA Champions League MVP (Most Valuable Player) is an award given in the run up to the European Super Cup, and draw for the group stage of the UEFA Champions League. ... Stefan Effenberg (born August 2, 1968 in Hamburg, West Germany) is a former German soccer player. ...

External links

• (Spanish) Biography by Superfutbol.com.ar
• Player statistics by L'Equipe

	Argentina squad - 1994 FIFA World Cup
1 Goycochea • 2 Vázquez • 3 Chamot • 4 Sensini • 5 Redondo • 6 Ruggeri • 7 Caniggia • 8 Basualdo • 9 Batistuta • 10 Maradona • 11 Medina Bello • 12 Islas • 13 Cáceres • 14 Simeone • 15 Borelli • 16 Díaz • 17 Ortega • 18 Pérez • 19 Balbo • 20 Rodríguez • 21 Mancuso • 22 Scoponi • Coach: Basile Image File history File links Flag_of_Argentina. ... First international  Uruguay 2 - 3 Argentina  (Montevideo, Uruguay; 16 May 1901) Biggest win  Argentina 12 - 0 Ecuador  (Montevideo, Uruguay; 22 January 1942) Biggest defeat  Czechoslovakia 6 - 1 Argentina  (Helsingborg, Sweden; 15 June 1958)  Uruguay 5 - 0 Argentina  (Guayaquil, Ecuador; 16 December 1959)  Argentina 0 - 5  Colombia (Buenos Aires, Argentina; 5... Qualifying countries The 1994 FIFA World Cup, the 15th staging of the FIFA World Cup, was held in the United States from June 17 to July 17, 1994. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Argentina. ... Sergio Javier Goycochea (born October 17, 1963 in Lima, Buenos Aires, Argentina) is a famous retired Argentinian football goalkeeper. ... Sergio Fabian Vázquez (b November 23, 1965 Buenos Aires) is a retired Argentine footballer. ... José Antonio Chamot (born May 17, 1969 in Concepción del Uruguay) is an Argentine former footballer. ... Roberto Néstor Sensini (born October 12, 1966 in Arroyo Seco, Santa Fe) is an Argentine former right full-back, defender and football manager. ... Oscar Alfredo Ruggeri (born January 26, 1962 in Corral de Bustos, Argentina) is a former football player. ... Claudio Paul Caniggia (born January 9, 1967 in Henderson, Buenos Aires) is a former Argentine football forward, who played for the Argentine national team in two World Cups, and was a member of both rival clubs River Plate and Boca Juniors. ... José Basualdo is a former football (soccer) defender from Argentina. ... Gabriel Omar Batistuta (born 1 February 1969), nicknamed Batigol, is a former professional footballer. ... Diego Armando Maradona (born October 30, 1960) is an Argentine former football superstar. ... Ramon Ismael Medina Bello El Mencho was born April 29 1966 in Gualeguay, Entre Rios, Argentina. ... Luis Alberto El Loco Islas (Born December 22, 1965 in Buenos Aires, Argentina) is a former goalkeeper for the Argentina national team and C.A. Independiente. ... Fernando Gabriel Cáceres (born February 7, 1969) is an Argentine professional football defender who has played in several clubs in the Argentine and Spanish top-division leagues during his career, and is currently playing for Argentinos Juniors. ... Diego Pablo Simeone (born April 28, 1970 in Buenos Aires) is an Argentine football midfielder, he is the most capped player ever for Argentina. ... Jorge Borelli (born 2 November 1964) was an Argentinian football player. ... Hernán Edgardo Díaz (born 26 February 1965) is a former Argentinian football player. ... Ariel Arnaldo Ortega (born March 4, 1974 in Libertador General San Martín, Jujuy) is an Argentinian footballer, who currently plays for Club Atlético River Plate as a midfielder. ... Hugo Pérez is a former Argentine football midfielder. ... Abel Eduardo Balbo (born June 1, 1966, in Empalme Villa Constitución, Santa Fe) is a former Argentine football striker, the all-time leading foreign goalscorer in Italys Serie A. On the club level, Balbo played for Newells Old Boys (1987-88), River Plate (1988-89), before moving... Leonardo Rodríguez is a former Argentine football midfielder. ... Alejandro Víctor Mancuso (born 4 September 1968) is a former Argentinian football player. ... Norberto Scoponi is a former Argentine football goalkeeper. ... Alfio Rubén Basile (born November 1, 1943 in Bahía Blanca), known as Coco, is an Argentine football (soccer) coach and former player. ...