Santiago Palanca

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Palanca and the second or maternal family name is Molina.
Santi Palanca
Personal information
Full name Santiago Palanca Molina
Date of birth (1957-03-23) 23 March 1957 (age 67)
Place of birth Lucena, Spain
Height 1.69 m (5 ft 7 in)
Position(s) Winger
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1975–1976 Torreforta
1976–1982 Gimnàstic
1982–1985 Espanyol 14 (0)
1985–1987 Sabadell 16 (1)
1987–1988 Gimnàstic 24 (10)
1988–1989 Tortosa
Total 54 (11)
Managerial career
1990–1993 Torreforta
1993–1996 Torredembarra
1996–1999 Valls
1999–2001 Reus
2005–2009 Vilanova
2010–2011 Rapitenca
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Santiago "Santi" Palanca Molina (born 23 March 1957) is a Spanish footballer and manager, who is currently Gimnàstic de Tarragona's director of youth football.

Palanca played as a right winger, with his career being mainly associated to Gimnàstic, where he holds the record of most goals at the Nou Estadi with 48.[1]

Playing career

Born in Lucena, Córdoba, Andalusia, Palanca made his debut as a senior with CDC Torreforta in the 1975–76 season, in the regional leagues. In 1976 he joined Tercera División side Gimnàstic de Tarragona, being a regular starter in the club's two consecutive promotions.

Palanca made his professional debut on 2 September 1979, starting in a 0–3 away loss against Recreativo de Huelva for the second level championship. He scored his first goals in the category fourteen days later, contributing with a brace in a 3–2 home win against Deportivo de La Coruña; it would be his only two goals of the campaign, which ended in relegation to Segunda División B.

Palanca signed for RCD Espanyol in the summer of 1982, moving straight to La Liga. He only made his debut in the category on 3 September 1983, playing the last seven minutes in a 1–4 home defeat to Atlético Madrid.

Palanca moved to second division club CE Sabadell FC in 1985, contributing rarely with the club in his first season (which ended in top tier promotion), but failing to feature a single minute in his second. He subsequently returned to Nàstic in the third division, scoring ten goals during his one-year spell.

Palanca finished his spell for Gimnàstic with 62 goals in 225 matches overall.[2] He subsequently represented fourth division side CD Tortosa[3] before retiring in 1989 at the age of 32.

Managerial career

Palanca began his managerial career with his first club Torreforta in 1990.[4] In 1996, after a three-year spell at UD Torredembarra, he was appointed UE Valls manager, taking the club to Primera Catalana in his first season.[5]

In 1999, Palanca was named manager of CF Reus Deportiu in the fourth division, being in charge for two seasons[6] before moving to the role of director of football. In 2005 he was appointed at the helm of fellow fourth tier side CF Vilanova,[7] taking the club to their best-ever position in 2005–06; he left the club in 2009.[8]

On 21 May 2010, Palanca was appointed manager of UE Rapitenca.[9] The following March he resigned, but later decided to take back on the decision and remained in charge of the club until the end of the season.[10]

On 28 June 2018, Palanca returned to his main club Gimnàstic as the director of youth football.[11]

Personal life

Palanca's son, Miguel, also a winger, represented Gimnàstic during the 2015–16 season.[2]

References

  1. ^ "Santi Palanca: "Aquest dissabte hem d'anar al camp com si ens juguéssim l'ascens a Primera"" [Santi Palanca: "This Saturday they have to enter the field as if they are playing the promotion to Primera"] (in Catalan). Tarragona 21. 17 May 2018. Retrieved 19 October 2018.
  2. ^ a b "Palanca: "Per mi és especial jugar al Nàstic"" [Palanca: "For it is special to play at Nàstic] (in Catalan). Ràdio Ciutat Tarragona. 9 July 2015. Retrieved 19 October 2018.
  3. ^ "CLUB DEPORTIVO TORTOSA" (PDF) (in Spanish). Mundo Deportivo. 17 September 1988. Retrieved 19 October 2018.
  4. ^ "Se presentó el Torreforta" [Torreforta is presented] (PDF) (in Spanish). Mundo Deportivo. 11 August 1990. Retrieved 19 October 2018.
  5. ^ "Palanca forma tota una nissaga de futbolistes" [Palanca forms a whole lot of footballers] (PDF) (in Catalan). Mundo Deportivo. 16 January 1998. Retrieved 19 October 2018.
  6. ^ "CF REUS DEPORTIVO" (PDF) (in Spanish). Mundo Deportivo. 10 July 2000. Retrieved 19 October 2018.
  7. ^ "Vilanova: renueva Santi Palanca" [Vilanova: Santi Palanca renews] (in Spanish). esFutbol. 3 April 2007. Retrieved 19 October 2018.
  8. ^ "Palanca se'n va" [Palanca leaves] (PDF) (in Catalan). Diari de Vilanova. 30 April 2009. Retrieved 19 October 2018.
  9. ^ "Palanca, nou tècnic de la Rapitenca" [Palanca, new manager of Rapitenca] (in Spanish). El Punt. 21 May 2010. Retrieved 19 October 2018.
  10. ^ "Rapitenca: Palanca reconsidera su renuncia" [Rapitenca: Palanca reconsiders his resignation] (in Spanish). esFutbol. 30 March 2011. Retrieved 19 October 2018.
  11. ^ "Santi Palanca s'incorpora a l'organigrama directiu del futbol base" [Santi Palanca joins the management chart of the youth setup] (in Catalan). Gimnàstic de Tarragona. 28 June 2018. Retrieved 19 October 2018.