Roberto Santamaría (footballer, born 1962) explained

Roberto
Fullname:Roberto Santamaría Calavia
Birth Date:12 March 1962
Birth Place:Pamplona, Spain
Position:Goalkeeper
Youthclubs1:Osasuna
Years1:1981–1985
Caps1:86
Goals1:0
Years2:1985–1995
Caps2:272
Goals2:0
Years3:1985–1986
Clubs3:Lleida (loan)
Caps3:29
Goals3:0
Years4:1995–1997
Caps4:33
Goals4:0
Totalcaps:420
Totalgoals:0

Roberto Santamaría Calavia (born 12 March 1962), known simply as Roberto, is a Spanish retired footballer who played as a goalkeeper.

Club career

Born in Pamplona, Navarre, Roberto spent 12 professional years at local CA Osasuna, being the team's undisputed starter in eight of those. In the 1986–87 season he contributed 19 games, but the side barely avoided La Liga relegation.

In the 1990–91 campaign, as Osasuna finished a best-ever fourth place in the top division, Roberto played 3,191 minutes in 36 matches. Two years later he did not concede one single goal for 488 minutes, which stood in the club's record books for more than 20 years.[1]

However, the emergence of 19-year-old Javier López Vallejo, also groomed at Osasuna, prompted his exit in 1995 at the age of 33 to Segunda División B side Málaga CF, and he closed out his career after two more seasons. He then returned to his first club, acting as goalkeeper coach for both the first and second teams.[2]

Personal life

Roberto's nephews, Mikel and Roberto Santamaría Ciprián, also became footballers,[3] the latter a goalkeeper who too represented Osasuna and Málaga.[4]

Notes and References

  1. https://www.diariodenavarra.es/20090225/deportes/roberto-roberto.html Roberto, a por Roberto (Roberto, out to get Roberto)
  2. https://www.elperiodicodearagon.com/noticias/deportes/roberto-santamaria_1338445.html De Roberto a Santamaría (From Roberto to Santamaría)
  3. https://www.diariodenavarra.es/noticias/deportes/futbol/futbol-navarra/2022/10/11/el-sueno-dia-verano-hermanos-santamaria-544316-3371.html El sueño de un día de verano para los hermanos Santamaría (The dream of a summer day for the Santamaría brothers)
  4. http://archivo.marca.com/edicion/marca/futbol/2a_division/las_palmas/es/desarrollo/1181187.html Santamaría: "De verdad, lo mío con los penaltis es cuestión de suerte" (Santamaría: "Really, my thing with penalties is a matter of luck")