Julio Salinas


Julio Salinas Fernández is a Spanish former professional footballer who played during the 1980s and 1990s.
A tall and lanky centre-forward known for his technical skill, he had a prolific goalscoring career. He is best remembered for his time at Barcelona, having begun his professional career at Athletic Bilbao, and was also a consistent scorer for his national team.
Salinas earned 56 caps for Spain, and represented the nation in three World Cups and two European Championships.

Club career

Athletic and Atlético

Salinas was born in Bilbao, Biscay, joining Athletic Bilbao's youth academy at the age of 11. In 1983–84 he won the second division's Pichichi Trophy award, as he helped Athletic [Bilbao B|the reserves] to finish runners-up to Castilla CF. He also played 13 games for the first team over two seasons, scoring his first La Liga goal on 26 March 1983 in a 4–0 home win against RC Celta de Vigo as the Basques captured back-to-back league titles and added the 1984 Copa del Rey.
After two more seasons with Athletic, scoring a total of 12 goals for two-third-place finishes, Salinas moved to Atlético Madrid, where he found the net at an impressive rate.

Barcelona

Salinas signed for FC Barcelona for 1988–89, linking up with several other Basque players, including veteran José Ramón Alexanko, José Mari Bakero, Txiki Begiristain and Jon Andoni Goikoetxea – these would help form the backbone of the legendary Dream Team. He scored 20 league goals in his debut campaign as Barça finished second to Real Madrid, and he also netted in both the 1989 Cup Winners' Cup final against U.C. Sampdoria and in the following year's domestic cup 2–0 victory over Real Madrid.
In the subsequent seasons, Salinas appeared sparingly for the club due to his age and the signing of attacking players as Hristo Stoichkov, but would still manage to grab some important goals in spite of limited playing time. On 30 January 1994, after coming in as a second-half substitute against Albacete Balompié, he scored both goals in a 2–1 home win, as he only played six games more during the campaign, with Barcelona eventually achieving four league titles in a row.

Late career

Upon leaving Catalonia, Salinas joined Deportivo de La Coruña, helping to a runner-up finish in his only season; although not a regular in the starting lineups he finished with 12 league goals, only surpassed by club great Bebeto. As a late replacement at the Camp Nou on 3 December, he netted in a 1–1 draw after a header from José Luis Ribera.
After the signing of, among others, Russian Dmitry Radchenko, Salinas was deemed surplus to requirements, agreeing to a contract at Sporting de Gijón where he scored 18 times in the 1995–96 campaign, crucial in helping the Asturians to avoid relegation. He was held in high regards in the city during his one-and-a-half-year spell, with the fans often singing: "Bota de oro, Salinas bota de oro!".
Salinas then had a stint abroad with Yokohama Marinos in Japan, where he again showcased his scoring skills, rejoining his former Barcelona teammate Goikoetxea. He then returned close to home, having spent his last two seasons with Deportivo Alavés where he scored in 1999–2000's opener, a 2–1 home defeat of Málaga CF; his team finished sixth, and would go on to reach the following year's UEFA Cup final.
On 19 May 2000, Salinas played his last professional match, scoring in a 2–1 loss at his first team Athletic Bilbao. He retired at nearly 38 with 417 matches and 152 goals, in the Spanish top flight alone.

International career

Salinas represented the Spain national team over a decade, scoring 22 goals. His debut was on 22 January 1986 as he netted in a 2–0 friendly win over the Soviet Union, in Las Palmas.
Salinas went on to represent the country at three FIFA World Cups: 1986, 1990 and 1994, as well as two UEFA European Championships, 1988 and 1996.
In the 1994 World Cup quarter-final against Italy, after he had found the net in a 2–2 draw against South Korea, Salinas missed the chance to put Spain into the last-four stage. With 1–1 and less than ten minutes to go, he marred a fast-break, with only goalkeeper Gianluca Pagliuca to beat; Roberto Baggio sealed the 2–1 final result minutes later, and the Spaniard was ultimately more remembered for this miss rather than the massive number of goals scored during an 18-year professional career.

Post-retirement

Immediately after retiring, Salinas began working as a sports commentator, first for RTVE and then on laSexta.

Personal life

Salinas' younger brother, Patxi, was also a professional footballer, and played for Athletic Bilbao and Celta. Both made their top division debut in the 1982–83 season.
They held the record for combined appearances in the Spanish top tier by siblings with 849 matches, 86 more than the next pair, Quini and Jesús Castro.

Career statistics

International

No.DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
122 January 1986Estadio Gran Canaria, Las Palmas, Spain1–02–0Friendly
219 February 1986Manuel Martínez Valero, Elche, Spain2–03–0Friendly
326 March 1986Ramón de Carranza, Cádiz, Spain3–03–0Friendly
47 June 1986Tres de Marzo, Zapopan, Mexico2–02–11986 FIFA World Cup
524 September 1986El Molinón, Gijón, Spain1–03–1Friendly
624 February 1988La Rosaleda, Málaga, Spain1–01–2Friendly
711 October 1989Népstadion, Budapest, Hungary1–02–21990 FIFA [World Cup qualification – UEFA Group 6|1990 World Cup qualification]
826 June 1990Marc'Antonio Bentegodi, Verona, Italy1–11–21990 FIFA World Cup
928 April 1993Benito Villamarín, Seville, Spain1–13–11994 World Cup qualification
1028 April 1993Benito Villamarín, Seville, Spain2–13–11994 World Cup qualification
1122 September 1993Qemal Stafa, Tirana, Albania1–05–11994 World Cup qualification
1222 September 1993Qemal Stafa, Tirana, Albania3–05–11994 World Cup qualification
1322 September 1993Qemal Stafa, Tirana, Albania4–15–11994 World Cup qualification
1413 October 1993Lansdowne Road, Dublin, Republic of Ireland2–03–11994 World Cup qualification
1513 October 1993Lansdowne Road, Dublin, Republic of Ireland3–03–11994 World Cup qualification
1619 January 1994Balaídos, Vigo, Spain1–02–2Friendly
172 June 1994Ratina Stadion, Tampere, Finland2–02–1Friendly
1810 June 1994Claude-Robillard, Montreal, Canada1–02–0Friendly
1917 June 1994Cotton Bowl, Dallas, United States1–02–21994 FIFA World Cup
2012 October 1994City Stadium of Skopje, Skopje, Macedonia1–02–01996 qualifying Group 2|Euro 1996 qualifying]
2112 October 1994City Stadium of Skopje, Skopje, Macedonia2–02–0Euro 1996 qualifying
2217 December 1994Constant Vanden Stock, Brussels, Belgium3–14–1Euro 1996 qualifying

Honours

Athletic Bilbao
Barcelona
Deportivo
Spain Under-21
Individual