Óscar Serrano (footballer)

Óscar Serrano Rodríguez (born 30 September 1981) is a Spanish former footballer who played as a left winger.

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Serrano and the second or maternal family name is Rodríguez.
Óscar Serrano
Serrano training with Racing Santander in 2009
Personal information
Full name Óscar Serrano Rodríguez
Date of birth (1981-09-30) 30 September 1981
Place of birth Blanes, Spain
Height 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Position(s) Winger
Youth career
Blanes
1997–1999 Barcelona
1999–2000 Vilobí
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2000–2001 Vilobí 23 (8)
2001–2002 Guixols 33 (22)
2002–2004 Figueres 58 (5)
2004–2005 Espanyol 30 (2)
2005–2012 Racing Santander 177 (13)
2012–2013 Levante 6 (0)
2013–2014 Alavés 16 (1)
Total 343 (51)
National team
2004–2010 Catalonia 7 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

He spent most of his professional career with Racing de Santander, appearing in 206 competitive matches over six and a half seasons and scoring 16 goals. In La Liga, he also played for Espanyol and Levante.

Club career

Born in Blanes, Girona, Catalonia, Serrano was still playing amateur football already in his 20s but, in July 2004, he went straight out of third division's UE Figueres to La Liga with neighbouring RCD Espanyol, for only €180.000,[1] being an important attacking element in his only season (22 starts, 1.933 minutes of action) to help the latter finish fifth and qualify to the UEFA Cup.

For the 2005–06 campaign, Serrano moved to Racing de Santander, appearing in 34 matches with three goals in his third year[2][3][4] as the Cantabrian club achieved a first ever UEFA Cup qualification.[5] A skilled player with a volatile temperament, he was booked an average of ten times during his first four years, also being sent off in four games overall.[6][7][8][9]

Serrano played in 33 matches in 2009–10, scoring three times as Racing again maintained its division status. On 25 April 2010, during a home loss against Villarreal CF, he sustained a serious anterior cruciate ligament injury which would sideline him until December;[10] he celebrated his comeback by netting the only goal in a win at RCD Mallorca – in the 90th minute – having taken the pitch two minutes before,[11] but relapsed shortly after,[12] being limited to only four league appearances as his team again managed to stay afloat.

Upon recovering full fitness, Serrano never again regained his starter status. On 24 January 2012, he terminated his contract with Racing and joined fellow league side Levante UD,[13] being sent off in his first game, a 0–3 home loss against Valencia CF in the quarter-finals of the Copa del Rey (1–7 on aggregate).[14]

References
  1. "Me he comido mucha tierra" ("I've swallowed a lot of dirt"); El País, 16 October 2004 (in Spanish)
  2. El Zaragoza también se estrella ante el Racing (Zaragoza also crush against Racing); Sport, 2 September 2007 (in Spanish)
  3. Serrano y Jorge López hunden al Getafe (Serrano and Jorge López sink Getafe); La Voz de Galicia, 28 October 2007 (in Spanish)
  4. Efervescente Racing (Effervescing Racing); El País, 31 March 2008 (in Spanish)
  5. El Racing se mete por primera vez en la UEFA al ganar a Osasuna (1–0) (Racing reach UEFA for the first time after beating Osasuna (1–0)); 20 minutos, 18 May 2008 (in Spanish)
  6. El Racing canta su particular alirón (Racing sing their own alirón); El Mundo, 7 May 2006 (in Spanish)
  7. El Racing remonta al Mallorca y se mete en la UEFA (Racing come from behind against Mallorca and reach UEFA positions); Diario AS, 9 December 2007 (in Spanish)
  8. El Getafe elimina al Racing en un partido muy polémico y repetirá final en la Copa (Getafe oust Racing in highly controversial match and will repeat Cup final); Las Provincias, 20 March 2008 (in Spanish)
  9. El Racing consigue la proeza tras jugar en inferioridad numérica una hora (0–2) (Racing pull stunt after playing one hour undermanned (0–2)); 20 minutos, 25 January 2009 (in Spanish)
  10. Serrano estará ocho meses de baja al romperse el ligamento cruzado (Serrano will be eight months out after tearing cruciate ligament); El Diario Montañés, 26 April 2010 (in Spanish)
  11. Mallorca 0–1 Racing Santander; ESPN Soccernet, 12 December 2010
  12. Óscar Serrano es operado de la rodilla izquierda (Óscar Serrano undergoes surgery to left knee); Marca, 18 January 2011 (in Spanish)
  13. Serrano se marcha del Racing entre lágrimas y "dolido" (Serrano leaves Racing in tears and "hurt"); El Diario Montañés, 24 January 2012 (in Spanish)
  14. Para Piatti no fue un trámite (Not just another game for Piatti); Marca, 26 January 2012 (in Spanish)
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