Jordi Lardín

Jordi Lardín Cruz (born 4 June 1973) is a Spanish retired footballer who played mostly as a winger.

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Lardín and the second or maternal family name is Cruz.

Jordi Lardín
Personal information
Full name Jordi Lardín Cruz
Date of birth (1973-06-04) 4 June 1973
Place of birth Manresa, Spain
Height 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Position(s) Winger
Youth career
Manresa
1991–1992 Espanyol
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1990–1991 Manresa
1992–1997 Espanyol 163 (47)
1992 → Hospitalet (loan) 2 (1)
1997–2002 Atlético Madrid 69 (6)
2001 → Espanyol (loan) 8 (0)
2001–2002 → Xerez (loan) 17 (0)
2004–2005 Leganés 28 (0)
Total 287 (54)
National team
1994–1996 Spain U21 15 (1)
1996 Spain U23 4 (0)
1997–1998 Spain 3 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Over the course of eight seasons, he amassed La Liga totals of 200 games and 44 goals with Espanyol and Atlético Madrid.

Football career

Born in Manresa, Barcelona, Catalonia, Lardín was a skilled and pacy attacking player with netting ability. He started playing football with local CE Manresa, making his professional debuts with RCD Espanyol also in his native region in 1992–93; the team would be relegated from La Liga, and he went on to become an essential offensive figure in the following years.

From 1994 to 1996, as the Pericos reached the UEFA Cup in one season, narrowly missing on qualification in another, Lardín scored 29 goals in 76 league games under the guidance of José Antonio Camacho.[1] In the latter campaign, he found the net in both games against Real Madrid for 3–1 and 2–1 wins.[2]

For the 1997–98 season, Lardín signed with Atlético Madrid for 1.500 million pesetas, but would only appear significantly throughout his first year. A serious car accident in October 1997[3] would not prevent his Spanish national team debut one month later, a 1–1 friendly match against Romania in Palma, Majorca.[4]

After unassuming loan stints with former club Espanyol[5] and Xerez CD in Segunda División, Lardín retired from football at age 29 claiming to be "fed up" with the sport.[2] He made a tentative comeback two years later, with modest CD Leganés; internationally, he also appeared for Spain at the 1996 Summer Olympics, playing in all the matches as the national side reached the quarter-finals in Atlanta.[6]

On 28 November 2016, Lardín left his post as Espanyol's youth football coordinator and was appointed its director of football.[7]

Honours

Club
Espanyol

International
Spain U21

References
  1. Jordi LARDÍN; Hall of Fame Perico, 17 May 2009 (in Spanish)
  2. Lardín: "Estoy asqueado del fútbol" (Lardín: "I've had it up to here with football"); El Mundo, 9 September 2002 (in Spanish)
  3. Lardín, herido de pronóstico reservado en un accidente de coche (Lardín, in serious condition after car accident); El País, 8 October 1997 (in Spanish)
  4. España quiere ganar por primera vez en Palma (Spain want to win in Palma for the first time); Terra, 9 February 2003 (in Spanish)
  5. Lardín regresa al Espanyol cedido por el Atlético (Lardín returns to Espanyol loaned by Atlético); El País, 23 January 2001 (in Spanish)
  6. Jordi Lardín – FIFA competition record
  7. Lardín: “Quiero hacer el mejor Espanyol de la historia” (Lardín: “I want to make the best Espanyol in history”); Mundo Deportivo, 28 November 2016 (in Spanish)
  8. Italia ya ganó un Europeo a España en el 1996 (Italy have already won European Championships against Spain in 1996) Archived 13 November 2013 at the Wayback Machine; Orgullo Bianconero, 18 June 2013 (in Spanish)
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