Racing de Santander

180px
Full name	Real Racing Club de Santander, S.A.D.
Nickname(s)	Los Racinguistas Los Verdiblancos (Green and Whites) Los Montañeses (Highlanders)
Founded	1913
Ground	El Sardinero, Santander, Cantabria, Spain (Capacity: 22,400)
Chairman	Ahsan Ali Syed
League	Segunda División
2011–12	La Liga, 20th (relegated)
Website	Club home page
Home colours Away colours Third colours
Current season

Real Racing Club de Santander, S.A.D. is a Spanish football club based in Santander, in the autonomous community of Cantabria. Founded in 1913, it will play next season in Segunda División, holding home games at Estadio El Sardinero, with a capacity for 22,400 spectators.

History[link]

Racing de Santander played its first match on 23 February 1913, losing 1–2 to neighbouring Strong. It was officially founded on 14 June, as Santander Racing Club, appearing in its first tournament during that summer (Luis Redonet Trophy) and being admitted to the Northern Federation on 14 November, eventually merging with Santander Foot-ball Club.

In 1929, Racing first reached La Liga, lasting nine consecutive seasons in the category - finishing in second position in its third year - and fluctuating between the first and the second divisions (with four participations in the third) in the following 30 years. In 1949–50, the Cantabrians returned to the top flight after a 10-year absence, scoring 99 goals in only 30 games.

During the period of Francoist Spain, the club was renamed Real Santander in 1941, because of the prohibition of non-Spanish names. The name was restored in 1973 as the team returned to the first division one year after nearly relegating, under young manager José María Maguregui.

Racing de Santander was immediately relegated, going on to spend the following years again bouncing between divisions one and two, also being crowned champions in Segunda División B (the new third level, created in 1977) in 1991. Veteran Quique Setién returned to his main club the following year, helping it return to the top flight, and scoring in the 1994–95 season against FC Barcelona, in an historic 5–0 home win.

In the 2000's, Racing only played one season in the second division, winning promotion with Setién as manager. In 2007–08, under Marcelino García Toral, it finished in sixth position, thus qualifying to the UEFA Cup for the first time ever; additionally the club reached the semifinals of the Copa del Rey twice during this decade, being ousted by eventual runners-up Getafe CF and Atlético Madrid in 2008 and 2010, respectively.

On 22 January 2011, Indian business tycoon Ahsan Ali Syed, founder and chairman of Western Gulf Advisory, an investment company, purchased Racing de Santander, immediately firing coach Miguel Ángel Portugal.^[1] The 2011–12 season brought with it three different managers, and the side returned to the second level after one full decade in the top division.

Seasons[link]

Recent seasons[link]

Season		Pos.	Pl.	W	D	L	GS	GA	P	Cup	Notes
1997–98	1D	14	38	12	9	17	46	55	45	3rd round
1998–99	1D	15	38	10	12	16	41	53	42	Quarterfinals
1999–00	1D	15	38	10	16	12	52	50	46
2000–01	1D	19	38	10	9	19	48	62	39	Quarterfinals	Relegated
1 season in Segunda División
2002–03	1D	16	38	13	5	20	54	64	44	1st round
2003–04	1D	17	38	11	10	17	48	63	43	3rd round
2004–05	1D	16	38	12	8	18	41	58	44	3rd round
2005–06	1D	17	38	9	13	16	36	49	40	3rd round
2006–07	1D	10	38	12	14	12	42	48	50	2nd round
2007–08	1D	6	38	17	9	12	42	41	60	Semifinals
2008–09	1D	12	38	12	10	16	49	48	46	Round of 16
2009–10	1D	16	38	9	12	17	42	59	39	Semifinals

Season to season[link]

• 44 seasons in La Liga
• 33 seasons in Segunda División
• 1 seasons in Segunda División B
• 4 seasons in Tercera División

Current squad[link]

As of 30 January 2012

Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player 1 GK Mario Fernández 2 DF José Picón 3 DF Christian 4 DF Osmar 5 MF Papakouli Diop 6 DF Domingo Cisma 7 MF Manuel Arana 8 MF Gonzalo Colsa 9 FW Lautaro Acosta (on loan from Sevilla) 10 FW Pedro Munitis (captain) 11 FW Khouma Babacar (on loan from Fiorentina)

No. Position Player 13 GK Toño (vice-captain) 14 DF Álvaro 15 DF Francis 16 MF Kennedy Bakircioglü 17 FW Julián Luque 18 DF Bernardo (on loan from Sevilla) 19 DF Marc Torrejón 20 MF Edu Bedia 21 MF Marcos Gullón 22 FW Christian Stuani 23 MF Adrián

[edit] From Racing B

Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player 27 MF Borja Docal 28 DF Borja García 29 MF Jairo 30 FW Javi Martínez 31 GK Dani Sotres

No. Position Player 32 MF Tato 33 FW Mamadou Koné 37 GK Óscar Santiago 39 MF Quique Rivero 40 FW Jaime Isuardi

Notable former players[link]

Notable former coaches[link]

• Fred Pentland (1920–21)
• Patrick O'Connell (1922–29, 1947–49)
• Gustavo Benítez (1999−01)
• Marcos Alonso (1996–98)
• Marcelino (2007–08, 2011)
• Andoni Goikoetxea (2000–01)
• Javier Irureta (1993–94)
• Juan Muñiz (2008–09)
• Juan Carlos Mandiá (2009)
• Miguel Ángel Portugal (2006–07, 2009–11)
• Nando Yosu (1977–79, 1996, 1998–99, 2005, 2006)

see also Category:Racing de Santander managers

See also[link]

• Racing de Santander B - Racing's B team

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website (Spanish)
• Futbolme team profile (Spanish)
• El Sardinero Google view

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Racing de Santander

Gai Assulin
גיא אסולין

Personal information
Full name	Gai Yigaal Assulin[1]
Date of birth	(1991-04-09) 9 April 1991 (age 21)
Place of birth	Nahariya, Israel
Height	1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Playing position	Winger / Attacking Midfielder
Club information
Current club	Free Agent
Youth career
1997–1999	Hapoel Haifa
2000–2003	Beitar Nes Tubruk
2003–2007	Barcelona
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
2007–2010	Barcelona B	67	(13)
2009–2010	Barcelona	0	(0)
2010–2012	Manchester City	0	(0)
2012	→ Brighton & Hove Albion (loan)	7	(0)
National team‡
2008–	Israel U21	19	(0)
2008	Israel	1	(0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 16:33, 22 May 2012 (UTC). † Appearances (Goals). ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 20 June 2010

Gai Yigaal Assulin (Hebrew: גיא יגאל אסולין‎; born 9 April 1991) is an Israeli professional footballer who is currently a Free Agent Following his release from Manchester City.

Assulin has been capped 19 times by the Israel national under-21 football team and once by the Israel national football team where he currently holds the record as the youngest player to ever represent Israel in an international match at senior level. Assulin plays mainly as a winger or attacking midfielder.

Early life[link]

Born in Nahariya, Assulin started his career in the football school of Hapoel Haifa.^[2] In 1999 at the age of seven, Assulin moved to the Beitar Tubruk youth ranks. In 2003, when he was just 12, Shlomo Scharf, his team coach, proposed to Assulin's parents to consider taking their young prospect to try out for FC Barcelona, where he was accepted in to the youth ranks.

Club career[link]

Barcelona[link]

2007–08 season[link]

In August 2007, Assulin graduated to the FC Barcelona B team,^[3] and was offered a new contract, a senior contract (a contract granted only after the player turns 16) for another three years and a €20M buy-out clause. At the end of the 2007–08 season, Barcelona B won the league title with 83 points, just one ahead of Sant Andreu.^[4] The manager, Josep Guardiola, was promoted to the job of senior team manager.^[5] Gai Assulin was rumored to be one of the players that Guardiola would promote to the first team.^[6]

2008–09 season[link]

Assulin missed most of the 2008–09 season due to injury.

2009–10 season[link]

After missing most of the 2008–09 season with FC Barcelona B due to an injury, Assulin got an invitation to participate in pre-season matches with Barcelona first team.^[7] Assulin appeared in three of Barcelona's six pre-season fixtures; against Tottenham Hotspur, Al-Ahly and Manchester City. He made his debut first-team start in a competitive match of the Copa del Rey against Cultural Leonesa on 28 October 2009, before being replaced by Éric Abidal after 56 minutes.^[8] Due to the lengthy 2009–10 season many Barcelona players were given breaks towards the end of the year. This meant that the first team were going to be a few men short, so on 29 December 2009, four Barça B players were called up by Barcelona's first team by coach Josep Guardiola. Among these four were Assulin, and team-mates Víctor Vázquez, Thiago Alcântara, and Jonathan dos Santos.

On 1 July 2010, Assulin and Barcelona announced that by mutual consent Assulin's contract would not be renewed and he became a free agent.^[9] Barcelona offered him a three-year contract but as they could not offer him a guaranteed first-team squad position and instead sought to develop him at Barcelona B, he refused the offer. Assulin also had a complicated relationship with the then manager of Barcelona B, Luis Enrique.^[10]

Assulin's agent, Pini Zahavi, said: “The decision not to renew Gai’s contract was mutually taken by us and the club. At the moment we are considering his professional options.”^[11]

Manchester City[link]

2010–11 season[link]

On 8 October 2010, it was reported Assulin had inked a deal to join Premier League side Manchester City, though his contract was only a trial. For the following several months, Assulin was in and out of the City training ground as the club attempted to agree compensation with Barcelona, who were legally entitled to a development fee for raising him in their academy. His signature for City was further complicated by a repetitive injury which rendered him unable to complete his medical and therefore legally incapable of signing a contract with Manchester City. During this period, however, he did play in the Manchester City Academy team against Young Ajax, in a match slated as a test run for a future youth Champions League.

Assulin finally signed a contract with City on 13 December 2010.^[12]

The early part of 2011 saw Assulin make his City Reserve squad debut against Newcastle, coming on as a second half substitute. City went on to win the game 5–1, with John Guidetti netting a hat-trick.^[13][14]

2011–12 season[link]

On 17 November 2011, Assulin declared that he was prepared to be loaned out from Manchester City in order to receive first-team action. He had so far failed to receive a call-up from first-team manager Roberto Mancini but was too old to play in the inaugural under-19 NextGen series with the City Elite Development Squad. This meant that Assulin was restricted to playing occasionally for the Reserves. Assulin said: "I need confidence and I can only get that by playing regularly. City and I both feel that I should go out on loan so I can play every week. I could stay in England or maybe join a team in the Spanish second division".^[15]

On 23 November 2011, Championship side Barnsley announced that they had agreed a loan deal with Manchester City, enabling Assulin to play for the Reds until 3 January 2012.^[16]

Barnsley manager Keith Hill said: "I’ve always known about Gai and was very impressed when he played for the Israel Under-21s against England at Oakwell in September. He’s a little bit different to what we have already got and can unlock doors. He’s had a great up-bringing at Barcelona and Manchester City and is a talented football player who now wants to develop the next stage of his career".^[17] Assulin can unlock doors, he’s a creative player and a great addition to our squad. He’s a very clever player and has a very good football brain. He’s quick, but his pace is in his brain".^[18]

However, just as the loan deal looked to have been sealed, it was prevented due to injury and fitness concerns, with Hill saying: "On advice from the medical staff at Man City, it's just a deal that we can't do. Common sense has prevailed. It's something we wanted to do, but we're not going to force through a signing when the player's not hundred percent fit.^[19] I’m disappointed because I know what type of player he is. If the deal can be done in January [2012] it will be".^[20]

On 9 February 2012, Assulin scored for the Manchester City Elite Development Squad in their 4-2 derby win over rivals Manchester United. Assulin entered the Manchester Senior Cup tie at half-time as a substitute for Denis Suárez. Assulin's first ever City goal was their 2-2 equaliser in the 65th minute and he also assisted for the fourth goal in stoppage time.^[21] On the 17th of may Gai was in the starting line up for manchester derby in the youth Cup final at Etihad Stadium being subbed off a few minutes into the second half, shortly after on the 22nd of May 2012 Gai Assulin was released from Manchester City as a free agent.

Brighton (loan)[link]

On 17 February 2012, Assulin, along with fellow Manchester City youngster Abdul Razak, joined Championship side Brighton & Hove Albion on an initial one-month loan until 19 March, but with the option to extend this by two months. Brighton & Hove Albion manager Gus Poyet said: "Gai is technically very capable, and has great ability on the ball. He showed great potential as an outstanding young talent under Pep Guardiola at Barcelona - I hope he can realise some of that potential here at Brighton."^[22] Poyet described the loan move for Assulin as a "no-brainer" and a "unique opportunity."^[23] Assulin made his Brighton debut on 22 February 2012 against Hull City, coming on as a substitute for Abdul Razak in the 77th minute of their 0-0 draw.^[24] Assulin made his full debut for Brighton against Cardiff City on March 7, 2012 and was substituted after 59 minutes.^[25] On 19 March 2012, after one start and three substitute appearances, Brighton exercised its option to extend Assulin's loan deal until the end of the season.^[26]

International career[link]

Gai was called up by the Israeli national football team for their friendly match against Chile in 2008. He debuted for Israel as a substitute in the 78th minute of the friendly, 14 days before his 17th birthday.^[27] By playing in this match, he broke Ben Sahar's record for youngest national team debut by 195 days.^[28] He currently represents the Israeli under-21 national team in preparation for Israel hosting the 2013 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship - the first major European football tournament that Israel has ever hosted.

Club statistics[link]

As of 22 May 2012

See also[link]

• List of select Jewish football (association; soccer) players

References[link]

External links[link]

• BDFutbol profile
• 2009–10 Barcelona B squad
• Official website