Guillermo Amor
Guillermo Amor | |
|---|---|
| Born | Guillermo Amor Martínez December 4, 1967 Benidorm, Valencian Community, Spain |
| Occupation(s) | Professional footballer (retired), Football manager |
| Years active | 1984–2003 (player), 2015–2017 (manager) |
| Known for | Midfielder for FC Barcelona, Spain national team; Manager of Adelaide United |
Guillermo Amor Martínez (; born 4 December 1967) is a retired Spanish professional football player known for his adaptability as a midfielder.
Spending ten years at Barcelona, where he collected numerous trophies, Amor concluded his playing days in Scotland with Livingston. Throughout 12 seasons in La Liga, he appeared in 374 matches and netted 48 goals.
During the 1990s, Amor represented Spain almost 40 times, featuring in one World Cup and one European Championship. After retiring from playing, he took up management with Adelaide United in the A-League, achieving a double in his debut campaign.
Club
Originating from Benidorm, Valencian Community,[1] Amor progressed through the youth ranks of FC Barcelona, making his first-team debut during the 1988–89 season under coach Johan Cruyff. He played a pivotal role as Barcelona secured four straight La Liga championships and lifted the 1991–92 European Cup, although he was suspended for the final match. In the 1993–94 season, Amor featured in every league fixture except one, achieving a personal record of eight goals. A highlight includes scoring the opening goal in the 1990 Copa del Rey final against Real Madrid, helping secure a 2–0 victory.
Following the conclusion of the 1997–98 season, Amor departed Barcelona after adding another league title to his accolades but was considered surplus by incoming manager Louis van Gaal. With 421 appearances, he ranks fourth in all-time matches played for the club, trailing only icons such as Xavi and Migueli. Subsequently, he transferred abroad to Italy's Serie A with ACF Fiorentina, where his involvement was limited over two seasons before returning to Spain to join Villarreal CF as they re-established themselves in the top tier.
Amor wrapped up his playing career with a short spell at Scotland's Livingston FC beginning January 2003,[2] making his debut in a 3–1 triumph over Partick Thistle.[3] That season, Livingston narrowly escaped relegation.
International
Amor represented Spain in 37 international matches, contributing four goals. His first appearance came on 14 November 1990 during a UEFA Euro 1992 qualifying match against Czechoslovakia. He participated in both the Euro 1996 tournament and the 1998 FIFA World Cup. A highlight of his international career was scoring in Spain’s 2–1 victory over Romania at Euro 1996, which helped the team advance to the quarter-finals. His last game for the national team occurred on 5 September 1998, a 3–2 defeat to Cyprus in a Euro 2000 qualifier.
Coaching career
Following his playing days, Amor dedicated four years to coaching Barcelona’s youth teams after Joan Laporta assumed club presidency in 2003. He departed when his contract was not extended but returned in July 2010 to take on the role of technical director for football development.
In August 2014, Amor accepted the position of technical director at Adelaide United in Australia, recruited by former Barcelona associate Josep Gombau. After Gombau resigned in July 2015, Amor was elevated to head coach for the 2015–16 A-League campaign. He achieved his inaugural victory on matchday nine and guided Adelaide United to a club record of 13 clean sheets, including an unbeaten run of ten consecutive home matches and four straight away wins.
Under Amor’s guidance, Adelaide United secured the double by defeating Western Sydney Wanderers 3–1 in the 2016 A-League Grand Final. He left the club in May 2017 to resume duties at Barcelona as head of youth football alongside former teammate José Mari Bakero.
Personal life
On 16 December 2007, Amor was involved in a severe car accident near Valencia. He spent a week hospitalized before being discharged and eventually made a full recovery.
His son, also named Guillermo (born in 2001), developed his football skills within the youth ranks of Leeds United in England.
Club
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Continental | Total | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||||||||||||||
| Barcelona B | 1984–85 | Segunda División | 1 | 0 | – | – | – | 1 | 0 | |||||||||||||||
| 1986–87 | 3 | 0 | – | – | – | 3 | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
| 1987–88 | 38 | 8 | 5 | 4 | – | – | 43 | 12 | ||||||||||||||||
| 1988–89 | 7 | 2 | – | – | – | 7 | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| Total | 49 | 10 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 54 | 14 | ||||||||||||||
| Barcelona C | 1985–86 | Segunda División B | 8 | 0 | – | – | – | 8 | 0 | |||||||||||||||
| Barcelona | 1988–89 | La Liga | 27 | 8 | 6 | 3 | 5 | 2 | – | 38 | 13 | |||||||||||||
| 1989–90 | 33 | 6 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 42 | 8 | ||||||||||||||
| 1990–91 | 34 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 45 | 7 | ||||||||||||||
| 1991–92 | 36 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 43 | 8 | ||||||||||||||
| 1992–93 | 33 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 47 | 6 | ||||||||||||||
| 1993–94 | 37 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 12 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 53 | 11 | ||||||||||||||
| 1994–95 | 34 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 43 | 6 | ||||||||||||||
| 1995–96 | 28 | 6 | 6 | 2 | 6 | 1 | colspan="2"|– | 40 | 9 | |||||||||||||||
| 1996–97 | 26 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 37 | 0 | ||||||||||||||
| 1997–98 | 22 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 33 | 0 | ||||||||||||||
| Total | 310 | 47 | 36 | 8 | 56 | 10 | 19 | 3 | 421 | 68 | ||||||||||||||
| Fiorentina | 1998–99 | Serie A | 16 | 0 | 3 | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1999-2000 | 8 | 0 | 2 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Total | 24 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 29 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Villarreal | 2000-01 | La Liga | 35 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 35 | 0 | - | 2001-02 | 29 | 1 | 5 | 0 | – | – | 34 | 1 | ||||
| Total | 64 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 69 | 1 | ||||||||||||||
| Livingston | 2002-03 | Scottish Premier League | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 3 | 0 | |||||||||||||
| Career total | 458 | 58 | 46 | 12 | 61 | 10 | 19 | 3 | 584 | 83 | ||||||||||||||
International
- The scorelines show Spain's goals first, with the score column reflecting the match status immediately following each goal by Amor.
| No. | Date | Location | Opponent | Score after goal | Final result | Tournament |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 19 December 1990 | Sánchez Pizjuán, Seville, Spain | ALB | 1–0 | 9–0 | UEFA Euro 1992 qualifying |
| 2 | 18 June 1996 | Elland Road, Leeds, England | ROU | 2–1 | 2–1 | UEFA Euro 1996 |
| 3 | 13 November 1996 | Heliodoro Rodríguez, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain | SVK | 2–1 | 4–1 | 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 4 | 24 September 1997 | Tehelné pole, Bratislava, Slovakia | SVK | 2–1 | 2–1 | 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification |
As a Player
Barcelona
- La Liga titles: 1990–91, 1991–92, 1992–93, 1993–94, 1997–98
- Copa del Rey victories: 1989–90, 1996–97, 1997–98
- Supercopa de España wins: 1991, 1992, 1994, 1996
- European Cup triumph: 1991–92
- UEFA Cup Winners' Cup titles: 1988–89, 1996–97
- UEFA Super Cup achievements: 1992, 1997
As a Manager
Adelaide United
Individual Awards
- A-League Coach of the Year recipient: 2015–16
- PFA Manager of the Year for season: 2015–16
Managerial statistics
| Club | Start Date | End Date | Performance Record | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | D | L | Win % | |||
| Adelaide United | 24 July 2015 | 10 May 2017 | |||||
| Overall Total | |||||||
- ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).