Rub�n
Baraja (born July 11, 1975 in Valladolid) is a Spanish
professional football (soccer) player, who currently plays for
Valencia CF in the Spanish La Liga. He is one of Europe's most
complete midfielders with his good tackling in his defensive
position on the pitch, as well as offensive qualities as a
proven goalscorer, and Ruben Baraja has been a consistent part
of the Spanish national team since his debut in 2000.
Baraja started his career at local club Real Valladolid before
moving to Atletico Madrid. When Atletico was relegated at the
end of the 1999/2000 Baraja left the club in a �8 million
transfer to 1999/2000 UEFA Champions League finalists Valencia
CF who were looking to strengthen their midfield following the
sale of first team players Claudio L�pez, Gerard, and Francisco
Javier Farin�s. In his first season at Valencia, Ruben Baraja
made his debut for the Spanish national team on October 7, 2000
in the 2002 World Cup qualification 2-0 win over Israel. For
Valencia, Ruben Baraja took part in a new challenge for the
2000/01 UEFA Champions League, but the club was beaten in the
final once again, this time losing on penalty shootouts to
Bayern Munich despite Baraja scoring on his penalty shot.
The 2001/02 season would see Baraja's first trophy win, when he
helped Valencia to their first La Liga championship in 31 years.
On the international stage, Baraja played for the national team
in the 2002 World Cup where the team reached the quarter-finals
before being sent out by South Korea on penalties, though Baraja
once again scored on his attempt. The 2003/04 season was another
big year, winning both the domestic La Liga championship as well
as the European 2003/04 UEFA Cup tournament, beating Olympique
Marseille 2-0 in the final. Baraja also took part in the
disappointing 2004 European Championship (Euro 2004) where Spain
was eliminated in the group stage by later finalists Portugal
and Greece. |
