Juan Merino
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Juan Merino Ruiz | ||
| Date of birth | 24 August 1970 | ||
| Place of birth | La Línea, Spain | ||
| Height | 1.76 m (5 ft 9 1⁄2 in) | ||
| Playing position | Centre back | ||
| Club information | |||
|
Current team
|
Gimnàstic (coach) | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Betis | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1989–1990 | Betis B | 11 | (0) |
| 1990–2002 | Betis | 315 | (3) |
| 2002–2007 | Recreativo | 137 | (1) |
| Total | 463 | (4) | |
| National team | |||
| 1991 | Spain U21 | 1 | (0) |
| 1991–1992 | Spain U23 | 6 | (1) |
| Teams managed | |||
| 2010–2011 | Recreativo (assistant) | ||
| 2011 | Xerez | ||
| 2014–2016 | Betis B | ||
| 2014 | Betis (caretaker) | ||
| 2016 | Betis | ||
| 2016– | Gimnàstic | ||
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. |
|||
Juan Merino Ruiz (born 24 August 1970) is a Spanish retired footballer who played mainly as a central defender, and the current manager of Gimnàstic de Tarragona.
During his 17-year professional career he played solely in Andalusia, with Betis and Recreativo, appearing in more than 200 matches in both the first and second divisions of Spanish football.
Subsequently, Merino went on to work extensively as a manager with the former club (although his first head coach experience arrived with precisely the latter).
Born in La Línea de la Concepción, Province of Cádiz, Merino joined Real Betis's first team in 1990, becoming their captain in later years. Out of his twelve years at the club eight were in La Liga, and he appeared in 203 games in that division, scoring two goals and surpassing overall 300 appearances; in the 1996–97 season, he contributed with 36 matches to help to a fourth-place finish.
In 2002–03, staying in Andalusia, Merino joined Recreativo de Huelva. In his first season the side was relegated, regaining top flight status in 2006. After featuring in 23 games in the 2006–07 campaign he retired from football, with more than 500 official matches played – both major levels combined.
Immediately after retiring, Merino rejoined Betis as director of football. He was named assistant coach in 2009, going on to work with two different managers.
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