José Antonio Camacho

José Antonio Camacho Alfaro ( born June 8, 1955 in Cieza, Murcia ) is a former Spanish footballer and football coach.

Career

Player

He graduated from 1973-1989 as a defender 415 appearances for Real Madrid. During this time he won the championship nine times, three times the Copa del Rey, the Spanish Super Cup once and the UEFA Cup twice.

Camacho played 81 internationals. He was present at the disastrous for the Spanish 1982 World Cup as well as here in Mexico in 1986 and the final of the European Football Championship in 1984 in France, which was his greatest success as a national player.

Achievements

• World Cup participants 1982, 1986
• European Football Cup in 1984, 1988
• 10 × Spanish Champion (1974, 1975, 1976, 1978-1980, 1986-1989)
• 5 × Spanish Cup winner (1974, 1975, 1980, 1982, 1989)
• UEFA Cup Winner 1985, 1986
• Spanish Supercup final 1988
• Spanish League Cup Winners 1985

Coach

His coaching career, he has played more with mixed success. After he had led in the Primera División in his first year Rayo Vallecano, he went to Barcelona and Espanyol also helped the rise. There Camacho then experienced a good year with attacking football in the best Spanish tradition. Wages of labor was a fourth place, thus qualifying for the UEFA Cup. What followed was a short spell at Sevilla before Camacho's dream of returning ended his beloved Real Madrid under the most adverse circumstances: After only 22 days in office and even before they had ever played one game, Camacho took his hat - differences were cited as a reason with the management. Camacho returned to Espanyol, but failed to match the success of previous days there. The team landed in the middle of the table.

In 1998 he took over the Spanish national team, which he led in both the European Championship finals in 2000 and two years later at the World Cup in Japan / South Korea reached the quarter- finals. Although the great success failed again, and yet retain the Spanish fans, the attractive play of his time to the present day in good memory.

In 2002, he took over during the season the coaching job at Benfica, and led the traditional club still from seventh to second place and thus in the Champions League. In Benfica was again runner-up and also won the cup competition in the final against FC Porto.

From 1 July 2004 to 19 September 2004, he was again coach at Real Madrid after 1998. This time, ended his flying visit on the bench of the " Royal " to resign after the fourth round of the " La Liga ". His successor was his former teammate, the former Real Madrid goalkeeper Mariano Garcia Remon, which in turn was able to maintain his position only until the end of the preliminary round.

Since 20 August 2007, he was the coach at Benfica again after Fernando Santos was dismissed after only one game day. On March 9, 2008, he resigned from his coaching job at Benfica, after the residue had grown to the league leaders FC Porto on 14 points.

On 13 October 2008 he signed a contract until the end of the 2008/09 season at Spanish side Osasuna. With the team he should reach the league. After this is also managed on the final day with a 2-1 victory over Real Madrid, the Treaty of Camacho was extended for another year. On February 14, 2010 Camacho was dismissed after a 0-1 defeat against Real Sociedad and the fall into the relegation zone.

In August 2011, he received the appointment as head coach of the Chinese national team. On June 24, 2013 following the early missed World Cup qualifiers, and a 1:5 defeat against Thailand, he was released by the Chinese Association.