Manuel Preciado

Manuel Preciado
Preciado with Sporting Gijón
Personal information
Full name Manuel Preciado Rebolledo
Date of birth (1957-08-28)28 August 1957
Place of birth El Astillero, Spain
Date of death 6 June 2012(2012-06-06) (aged 54)
Place of death El Perelló, Spain
Height 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Position(s) Defender
Youth career
1974–1977 Racing Santander
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1977–1982 Racing Santander 115 (2)
1982–1984 Linares 68 (0)
1984–1985 Mallorca 13 (0)
1985–1986 Alavés 37 (1)
1986–1990 Ourense 132 (1)
1990–1992 Gimnástica 64 (3)
Total 429 (7)
Managerial career
1995–1996 Gimnástica
1996–1997 Racing B
2000 Gimnástica
2001–2002 Racing B
2002–2003 Racing Santander
2003–2004 Levante
2004 Murcia
2005–2006 Racing Santander
2006–2012 Sporting Gijón
2012 Villarreal
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Manuel "Manolo" Preciado Rebolledo (28 August 1957 – 6 June 2012) was a Spanish football defender and manager.

His 15-year career was mainly associated with Racing de Santander, and he also represented five other teams, mostly in the lower leagues. As a manager, he also coached with his main club but worked mostly with Sporting de Gijón, promoting to La Liga in 2008.

Preciado died in June 2012 at the age of 54, from a heart attack.[1]

Playing career

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Born in El Astillero, Cantabria, Preciado appeared in 59 La Liga matches for local Racing de Santander, split between three of his five-year spell with the club. His best-ever in the top flight was 32 games in the 1978–79 season, which ended in relegation.

After three years in Segunda División (two of them with Linares CF), Preciado resumed his career in the lower leagues, eventually retiring in 1992 with lowly Gimnástica de Torrelavega also in his native region, at nearly 35. He scored his only goal in the top tier on 18 April 1982, but in a 4–1 away loss against Athletic Bilbao.[2]

Coaching career

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Preciado took up coaching in the mid-90s precisely with his last team, leading it to the Tercera División championship.[3] Being then recalled by Racing to be in charge of the reserves, two other promotions to Segunda División B befell, in 1997 and 2002.[4]

Preciado was called for first-team coaching duties in 2002–03's top division, helping them to eventually retain their status in his 18 games in charge but submitting his resignation after the purchase of the club by Dmitry Piterman,[5] given the intention of the businessman to act as coach.[6][7] After second-tier spells with Levante UDwith promotion[8] – and Real Murcia,[9] he returned to Santander. Although the side finished just one point above the relegation zone, they managed a 2–1 away win over Real Madrid on 21 December 2005.[10]

In the summer of 2006, Preciado switched to Sporting de Gijón.[11] In his second season he managed to lead the Asturians to the top flight after ten years.[12] Subsequently, he avoided relegation with the lowest budget of all 20 teams[13] after a 2–1 home defeat of Recreativo de Huelva in the last round on 31 May 2009,[14] renewing his contract later that year.[15]

Preciado again led Sporting into safety in the 2009–10 campaign (15th place). In November 2010, after resting almost his entire starting XI for a fixture against FC Barcelona two months earlier, eventually losing 1–0 away, he was accused by Real Madrid manager José Mourinho of throwing the match, and responded by calling the Portuguese a "bad colleague" and a "scumbag". After the war of words, they met at the El Molinón on the 14th, with the visitors winning 1–0.[16] On 2 April 2011, at the Santiago Bernabéu, Sporting won by the same scoreline, becoming the first side in nine years to defeat Mourinho in a league match at home,[17] with Preciado later commenting that "Mourinho entered our dressing room and congratulated us".[18]

On 31 January 2012, after nearly six years in charge, Preciado was dismissed following a 5–1 away loss to Real Sociedad and with Sporting ranking 19th in the league.[19]

Personal life

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Preciado's wife died from cancer in 2002. Two years later, his 15-year-old son (one of two the couple had) was killed in a car crash. He later claimed about the incidents: "I could have shot myself or I could have carried on".[16]

On 20 April 2011, Preciado's father, also named Manuel, died after being run over in Santander.[20]

Death and reaction

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Statue of Preciado, near El Molinón.

On 6 June 2012, Preciado was appointed at Villarreal CF who, as Sporting had, suffered relegation at the season's end.[21] Later in that day, he was found dead in an hotel in the Valencian Community from a heart attack.[1][22][23] He was reportedly a chain-smoker, consuming 40 cigarettes a day.[24]

According to the Associated Press, "Preciado's sudden death led to an outpouring of emotional responses from Spanish clubs, coaches and players."[1] Spain national team manager Vicente del Bosque, in Poland to prepare for UEFA Euro 2012, told Spanish sports daily Marca "We are all shocked. We were having breakfast and we were all taken back by the news. He was a caring person and a great sportsman. He was a man of football that was an honor to coaching."[1] Team member Juan Mata said, "The truth is that this is difficult to digest. I always remember him smiling, as a happy person that transmitted his passion, joy and character to all his teams. Talking about him in the past tense is tough for me."[1] Mourinho issued an open letter on Real Madrid's official website, saying in part that "He had everything I like in people and sportsmen: character, honesty and the courage to fight on."[1] Joaquín Caparrós, manager at RCD Mallorca, said "I was so happy for him joining Villarreal. I am sure he would have taken it back to the first division. He should be a reference in the world of coaching."[1]

In Gijón, many people met at Estadio El Molinón, the home ground of Sporting, in order to pay their respects.[25] The same day, the city Mayor announced she would make a proposal to name a street close to the stadium "Alameda de Manuel Preciado".[26]

On 7 June 2013, one year after Preciado's death, a bronze statue was inaugurated near El Molinón, with the funds being arranged through popular donations.[27]

Managerial statistics

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Managerial record by team and tenure
Team Nat From To Record Ref
G W D L GF GA GD Win %
Gimnástica Spain 30 June 1995 1 July 1996 44 29 11 4 94 20 +74 065.91 [28]
Racing B Spain 1 July 1996 30 June 1997 44 23 14 7 89 40 +49 052.27 [29]
Gimnástica Spain 1 July 2000 1 August 2000 0 0 0 0 0 0 +0 !
Racing B Spain 5 February 2001 30 June 2002 58 32 12 14 112 42 +70 055.17 [30]
Racing Santander Spain 1 July 2002 20 January 2003 19 6 2 11 22 27 −5 031.58 [31]
Levante Spain 11 July 2003 30 June 2004 46 25 13 8 64 36 +28 054.35 [32]
Murcia Spain 1 July 2004 23 November 2004 14 2 3 9 9 24 −15 014.29 [33]
Racing Santander Spain 1 July 2005 23 April 2006 35 7 13 15 29 42 −13 020.00 [34]
Sporting Gijón Spain 1 July 2006 31 January 2012 232 79 55 98 267 321 −54 034.05 [35]
Villarreal Spain 6 June 2012 6 June 2012 0 0 0 0 0 0 +0 ! [36]
Total 492 203 123 166 686 552 +134 041.26

Honours

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Manager

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Levante

Individual

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g "Manuel Preciado dies suddenly at 54". ESPN. 7 June 2012. Archived from the original on 8 June 2012. Retrieved 7 June 2012.
  2. ^ 4–1: Plácida exhibición del Athletic (4–1: Placid Athletic display); Mundo Deportivo, 19 April 1982 (in Spanish)
  3. ^ La Gimnástica, el mejor equipo (Gimnástica, the best team); El Diario Montañés, 5 July 2006 (in Spanish)
  4. ^ Manolo Preciado, el hombre que eligió seguir adelante (Manolo Preciado, the man who chose to move forward); Diario AS, 7 June 2012 (in Spanish)
  5. ^ El empresario Dimitri Piterman formaliza la compra de las acciones del Racing de Santander (Businessman Dmitry Piterman confirms purchase of Racing de Santander's shares); Libertad Digital, 17 January 2003 (in Spanish)
  6. ^ Piterman acuerda con Preciado y Setién su salida del club (Piterman agrees with Preciado and Setién for them to leave the club); Diario AS, 24 January 2003 (in Spanish)
  7. ^ Preciado: "Mi trabajo con Piterman duró cinco horas" (Preciado: "My work with Piterman lasted five hours"); Diario AS, 21 November 2006 (in Spanish)
  8. ^ Preciado se confirma como un especialista en ascensos (Preciado confirmed as specialist in promotions); El Mundo, 5 June 2004 (in Spanish)
  9. ^ Manolo Preciado, destituido como entrenador (Manolo Preciado, dismissed as manager); Diario AS, 23 November 2004 (in Spanish)
  10. ^ El Racing también supera al Madrid para cerrar el año (Racing also overcome Madrid to close out the year); El Mundo, 22 December 2005 (in Spanish)
  11. ^ Preciado cumple cinco años (Preciado turns five); El Comercio, 21 June 2011 (in Spanish)
  12. ^ El Sporting le brindó el ascenso a Quini diez años después (Sporting dedicated promotion to Quini ten years later); Marca, 15 June 2008 (in Spanish)
  13. ^ «Me sentí moral y mentalmente obligado a seguir en el Sporting» ("I felt morally and mentally obliged to remain in Sporting"); El Comercio, 6 June 2009 (in Spanish)
  14. ^ El Sporting prolonga el sueño (Sporting extend dream); Marca, 31 May 2009 (in Spanish)
  15. ^ Preciado renueva con el Sporting por dos temporadas más (Preciado renews with Sporting a further two seasons); Marca, 26 November 2009 (in Spanish)
  16. ^ a b Manolo Preciado earns the plaudits, but Real Madrid take the points; The Guardian, 15 November 2010
  17. ^ Mourinho home record ended; ESPN Soccernet, 2 April 2011
  18. ^ Preciado: "Mourinho entró en el vestuario y nos felicitó" (Preciado: "Mourinho entered the locker room and congratulated us"); Marca, 2 April 2011 (in Spanish)
  19. ^ "Lamento si hice algo mal, seré de este equipo siempre" ("I'm sorry if I did something wrong, this will be my team for always"); Diario AS, 31 January 2012 (in Spanish)
  20. ^ Fallece el padre de Preciado por un atropello (Preciado's father dies after being run over); Marca, 20 April 2011 (in Spanish)
  21. ^ Preciado ya es el nuevo técnico del Villarreal (Preciado is the new coach of Villarreal); Marca, 6 June 2012 (in Spanish)
  22. ^ Fallece de un infarto Manuel Preciado (Manuel Preciado dies from heart attack) Archived 9 June 2012 at the Wayback Machine; El Comercio, 7 June 2012 (in Spanish)
  23. ^ Fallece Manolo Preciado (Manolo Preciado dies); Marca, 7 June 2012 (in Spanish)
  24. ^ Manuel Preciado – a tribute; Balls Out in Public, 7 June 2012
  25. ^ Multitudinario homenaje a Preciado en El Molinón (Massive homage to Preciado at El Molinón); El Comercio, 7 June 2012 (in Spanish)
  26. ^ Manuel Preciado dará nombre a una calle (Street to be named after Manuel Preciado); El Comercio, 7 June 2012 (in Spanish)
  27. ^ Preciado verá salir el sol todos los días desde El Molinón (Preciado will see the sun come up every day from El Molinón); Fútbol Asturiano, 7 June 2013 (in Spanish)
  28. ^ "Tercera División (Grupo 3) 1995–96" [Tercera División (Group 3) 1995–96] (in Spanish). Futbolme. Retrieved 3 July 2017.
    "Fase de ascenso a Segunda División B 1995–96 (Grupo B1)" [Promotion phase to Segunda División B 1995–96 (Group B1)] (in Spanish). Futbolme. Retrieved 3 July 2017.
  29. ^ "Tercera División (Grupo 3) 1996–97" [Tercera División (Group 3) 1995–96] (in Spanish). Futbolme. Retrieved 3 July 2017.
    "Fase de ascenso a Segunda División B 1996–97 (Grupo B3)" [Promotion phase to Segunda División B 1996–97 (Group B3)] (in Spanish). Futbolme. Retrieved 3 July 2017.
  30. ^ "Preciado: Manuel Preciado Rebolledo". BDFutbol. Retrieved 3 July 2017.
    "Tercera División (Grupo 3) 2001–02" [Tercera División (Group 3) 2001–02] (in Spanish). Futbolme. Retrieved 3 July 2017.
    "Fase de ascenso a Segunda División B 2001–02 (Grupo B2)" [Promotion phase to Segunda División B 2001–02 (Group B2)] (in Spanish). Futbolme. Retrieved 3 July 2017.
  31. ^ "Preciado: Manuel Preciado Rebolledo". BDFutbol. Retrieved 3 July 2017.
  32. ^ "Preciado: Manuel Preciado Rebolledo". BDFutbol. Retrieved 3 July 2017.
  33. ^ "Preciado: Manuel Preciado Rebolledo". BDFutbol. Retrieved 3 July 2017.
  34. ^ "Preciado: Manuel Preciado Rebolledo". BDFutbol. Retrieved 3 July 2017.
  35. ^ "Preciado: Manuel Preciado Rebolledo". BDFutbol. Retrieved 3 July 2017.
    "Preciado: Manuel Preciado Rebolledo". BDFutbol. Retrieved 3 July 2017.
    "Preciado: Manuel Preciado Rebolledo". BDFutbol. Retrieved 3 July 2017.
    "Preciado: Manuel Preciado Rebolledo". BDFutbol. Retrieved 3 July 2017.
    "Preciado: Manuel Preciado Rebolledo". BDFutbol. Retrieved 3 July 2017.
    "Preciado: Manuel Preciado Rebolledo". BDFutbol. Retrieved 3 July 2017.
  36. ^ "Preciado: Manuel Preciado Rebolledo". BDFutbol. Retrieved 3 July 2017.
  37. ^ "El Levante festejó el título con un homenaje al equipo que subió en 2004" [Levante celebrated title by honouring team that promoted in 2004] (in Spanish). EFE. 11 June 2017. Retrieved 8 August 2019.
  38. ^ "Preciado: "La goleada del Barça al Atleti no va a ser la última de esta Liga"" [Preciado: "Barça's rout of Atleti is not going to be the last in this League"] (in Spanish). Diario AS. 6 October 2008. Retrieved 21 November 2023.
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