Eduardo Belza

Eduardo Belza
Personal information
Full name Eduardo Belza Franco
Date of birth (1956-09-05) 5 September 1956 (age 68)
Place of birth Montevideo, Uruguay
Height 1.84 m (6 ft 0 in)
Position(s) Goalkeeper
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1980–1981 Atlético Madrid 3 (0)
1981–1984 Atlético B 52 (0)
1984–1985 Cerro Porteño
1985–1986 Nacional
1986–1987 Rayo Vallecano 31 (0)
1987–1988 Mallorca 6 (0)
1988–1990 Tenerife 62 (0)
1990–1992 Las Palmas 62 (0)
Total 217 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Eduardo Belza Franco (born 5 September 1956) is a Uruguayan retired footballer who played as a goalkeeper.

Football career

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Born in Montevideo, Belza began his professional career with Spain's Atlético Madrid, playing three La Liga matches in the 1980–81 season.[1][2][3] He spent the next three years appearing with their reserves in the Segunda División and, after that, he played the next two campaigns back in South America, for Paraguay's Cerro Porteño and Club Nacional de Football in his homeland.

In 1986, Belza returned to Spain, starting the season at second-tier club Rayo Vallecano[4] and concluding it in the service of RCD Mallorca in the top flight.[5] He was mostly back-up to the Moroccan Zaki in the following campaign, which ended with relegation, and concluded his career with CD Tenerife – playing regularly as they gained promotion to the top division in his first season[6]– and UD Las Palmas,[7] subsequently retiring at the age of 35.

Whilst at the service of Las Palmas, Belza was sent off for the first and only time in his professional career on 5 April 1992, early into an eventual 0–3 second level away loss against Racing de Santander.[8]

Post-retirement

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On 3 February 2007, Belza was named as sporting director of the Uruguayan Football Association.[9]

References

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  1. ^ "1–1: El Atlético defendió su "chance"" [1–1: Atlético stood their ground]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). 13 April 1981. Retrieved 22 April 2015.
  2. ^ "2–0: Bastó un Madrid sin alardes para un apocado Atlético" [2–0: Easy-does-it Madrid was enough for too-little Atlético]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). 20 April 1981. Retrieved 22 April 2015.
  3. ^ "0–0: El sopor ganó en Albacete" [0–0: Dullness won in Albacete]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). 27 April 1981. Retrieved 22 April 2015.
  4. ^ "El Rayo no repara en fichajes" [Rayo keeps piling them up]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). 19 July 1986. Retrieved 23 April 2015.
  5. ^ "Belza, sustituto de Zaki en el Mallorca" [Belza, Zaki's replacement at Mallorca]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). 12 May 1987. Retrieved 23 April 2015.
  6. ^ "No hubo milagro en Sevilla" [No miracle in Seville]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). 3 July 1989. Retrieved 23 April 2015.
  7. ^ "Las Palmas, hoy a escena" [Curtains up for Las Palmas today]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). 23 July 1990. Retrieved 23 April 2015.
  8. ^ "Recital cántabro tras el descanso" [Cantabrian festival after half-time]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). 6 April 1992. Retrieved 23 April 2015.
  9. ^ "Eduardo Belza fue nominado como nuevo gerente deportivo de la AUF" [Eduardo Belza was named as the AUF's new sporting director] (in Spanish). La Red 21. 3 February 2007. Retrieved 22 April 2015.
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