Luna Eslava

Luna Eslava
Personal information
Full name Juan Luna Eslava
Date of birth (1964-09-15) 15 September 1964 (age 60)
Place of birth Fernán Núñez, Spain
Height 1.82 m (5 ft 11+12 in)
Position(s) Centre-back
Youth career
Fernán Núñez
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1983–1990 Fernán Núñez
1983–1990 Córdoba 251 (0)
1990–1993 Recreativo 103 (3)
1993–1995 Córdoba 49 (2)
1995–1996 Cádiz 30 (1)
1996–1997 Montilla
1997–2002 Écija 151 (14)
2002–2003 Pozoblanco
Total 584 (20)
Managerial career
2006–2007 Córdoba (youth coordinator)
2007–2008 Córdoba (assistant)
2008–2009 Córdoba
2010–2011 Las Palmas (assistant)
2011–2013 Córdoba (director of football)
2016 Sporting Gijón (scout)
2017 Cruz Azul (assistant)
2017–2018 Las Palmas (assistant)
2019–2020 Rayo Vallecano (assistant)
2021–2022 Ibiza (assistant)
2022–2024 Tractor (assistant)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Juan Luna Eslava (born 15 September 1964) is a Spanish retired footballer who played as a central defender, and current assistant coach.

Playing career

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Born in Fernán Núñez, Córdoba, Andalusia, Luna Eslava made his debuts as a senior with Fernán Núñez CF. He only played amateur football during his whole career, representing Córdoba CF (two stints), Recreativo de Huelva, Cádiz CF, Montilla CF, Écija Balompié and CD Pozoblanco.

Post-playing career

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After a year as a youth coordinator,[1] Luna Eslava was an assistant of Paco Jémez at his former club Córdoba, and remained in the same role with the following manager, José González. On 8 December 2008 he was appointed first team manager, after the latter was dismissed.[2]

In April 2010 Luna Eslava was named Jémez's assistant UD Las Palmas.[3] He left the club in February of the following year, and returned to his main club Córdoba in June, as a director of football. He was fired in February 2013.[4]

In 2016, Eslava worked as a scout for Sporting de Gijón.[5] In December 2016, it was confirmed that Esleva and Paco Jémez were reunited as the duo were set to take charge of the Mexican club Cruz Azul.[6] The duo left Mexico at the end of 2017 and shortly after, on December 27, 2017, they were presented in Las Palmas.[7] Here the duo stayed until the end of the season.

On March 19, 2019 Esleva and Jémez were presented in Rayo Vallecano.[8] They left the club in July 2020. At the end of 2020, they became the new coaching duo at UD Ibiza.[9]

In December 2022, Jémez became the coach of Iranian club Tractor, again with Esleva as his assistant. In April 2024, it was revealed that Jémez, along with the rest of his staff, including Esleva, had their contracts terminated and returned to Spain as the 2024 Iran-Israel conflict began to escalate, and that the coaching staff had been evacuated as a result.[10]

References

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  1. ^ Luna Eslava vuelve al «staff» técnico como coordinador, abc.es, 15 June 2006
  2. ^ "El Córdoba destituye a José González y nombra a Luna Eslava como sustituto" [Córdoba dismisses José González and names Luna Eslava as his substitute] (in Spanish). Diario AS. 8 December 2008. Retrieved 27 July 2015.
  3. ^ "Eslava ya ejerce como ayudante de Jémez" [Eslava already works as Jémez's assistant] (in Spanish). El Diario. 22 April 2010. Retrieved 27 July 2015.
  4. ^ El Córdoba despide a su secretario técnico, Luna Eslava, eldiadecordoba.es, 21 February 2013
  5. ^ El Sporting de Gijón espía a una perla del Recreativo de Huelva, elgoldigital.com, 11 January 2016
  6. ^ Luna Eslava será el segundo de Paco Jémez en el Cruz Azul, plazadeportiva.valenciaplaza.com, 1 December 2016
  7. ^ Paco Jémez, new coach at UD Las Palmas, udlaspalmas.es, 21 December 2017
  8. ^ Juan Luna Eslava será el segundo de Paco Jémez en su regreso al Rayo Vallecano, unionrayo.com, 20 March 2019
  9. ^ Paco Jémez, fútbol de autor al sol de Ibiza, diariocordoba.com, 27 December 2021
  10. ^ Paco Jémez escapa de Irán y ya está en España, as.com, 16 April 2024
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