Marcos Vales

Not to be confused with Marc Vales.

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

Marcos Vales

Personal information
Full name	Marcos Vales Illanes
Date of birth	(1975-04-05) 5 April 1975 (age 49)
Place of birth	A Coruña, Spain
Height	1.81 m (5 ft 11+1⁄2 in)
Position(s)	Midfielder
Youth career
	Deportivo La Coruña
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1993–1994	Deportivo La Coruña	19	(1)
1994–1997	Sporting Gijón	60	(3)
1997–2002	Zaragoza	103	(11)
2002–2004	Sevilla	40	(3)
2004–2005	Mallorca	6	(0)
Total		228	(18)
International career
1993	Spain U18	4	(2)
1993–1998	Spain U21	15	(1)
1998	Spain	1	(0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Marcos Vales Illanes (born 5 April 1975) is a Spanish former footballer who played as a midfielder.

Club career

Born in A Coruña, Vales made his professional debut with local Deportivo de La Coruña. As Super Depor came to fruition, he was sparingly used during his two-year spell with the Galicians, leaving at the age of 19.^[1] Only linked to the club with an amateur contract, he moved to Asturias and signed for Sporting de Gijón, with Deportivo president Augusto César Lendoiro proceeding to engage in a lengthy court battle, which was eventually resolved in the footballer's favour.^[2]

After three seasons with Sporting, only starting in the latter as the team finished 15th in La Liga, Vales joined Real Zaragoza in the same league for 200 million pesetas. He started regularly in his first years, but was already a fringe player in the 2000–01 campaign when the Aragonese side won the Copa del Rey.^[3]

In the summer of 2002, following Zaragoza's relegation, Vales moved to Sevilla FC also of the top flight.^[4] In his first season he was first choice, notably scoring the game's only goal in a local derby against Real Betis on 2 March 2003.^[5]

Vales missed the vast majority of 2003–04, due to a foot injury.^[6][7][3] He then signed with RCD Mallorca,^[8] but suffered a relapse in his condition and eventually decided to retire at age 30, with Spanish top tier totals of 228 matches and 18 goals.^[9]

International career

On 14 October 1998, Vales earned his first – and only – cap for Spain: it consisted of one minute in a 2–1 win in Israel for the UEFA Euro 2000 qualifiers after coming on as a substitute for Real Madrid's Raúl.^[10]

Previously, he helped the under-21 side win the 1998 European Championship in Romania.^[1]

Personal life

Vales' father, José Pedro (born 1950), was also a footballer. He represented Deportivo for two decades.^[11]

After retiring, Vales worked in a law firm in his hometown alongside his father.^[1][11]

Honours

Spain U21

• UEFA European Under-21 Championship: 1998^[1]

References

1. Marcos Vales se pone la toga (Marcos Vales puts his court dress on); La Voz de Galicia, 18 November 2011 (in Spanish)
2. El Deportivo no sale del juzgado (Deportivo can't leave the courtroom); La Voz de Galicia, 6 October 2009 (in Spanish)
3. Marcos Vales: "Nunca entendí a los técnicos ni lo que pasaba por sus cabezas" (Marcos Vales: "I never understood managers or what went through their heads"); El Periódico de Aragón, 14 April 2014 (in Spanish)
4. Marcos Vales, cuarto fichaje del Sevilla para la próxima campaña (Marcos Vales, fourth Sevilla signing for the following campaign); Diario AS, 20 June 2002 (in Spanish)
5. El Sevilla reflota en el coto del Betis (Sevilla stay afloat in Betis territory); El Mundo, 2 March 2003 (in Spanish)
6. El sevillista Marcos Vales estará dos meses de baja tras ser operado en Barcelona de su lesión en un pie (Sevilla's Marcos Vales to miss two months after undergoing foot surgery in Barcelona)^{[permanent dead link‍]}; Sport Lider, 4 March 2004 (in Spanish)
7. Marcos Vales estará dos meses de baja (Marcos Vales to miss two months); Diario Córdoba, 5 March 2004 (in Spanish)
8. El Mallorca ficha y presenta al jugador gallego Marcos Vales (Mallorca sign and present Galician player Marcos Vales); Última Hora, 22 July 2004 (in Spanish)
9. Mallorca set Vales free; UEFA, 28 January 2005
10. España reacciona al tratamiento de choque (Spain react to shock treatment); El País, 15 October 1998 (in Spanish)
11. «El dinero no tiene color. Sí, de Galicia se van patrimonios» ("Money has no colour. Indeed, estates are leaving Galicia"); La Voz de Galicia, 24 March 2018 (in Spanish)

External links

• Marcos Vales at BDFutbol
• Marcos Vales at National-Football-Teams.com