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Salva Ballesta
Salva Ballesta 29abr2007.jpg
Salva playing for Levante in 2007
Personal information
Date of birth (1975-05-22) 22 May 1975 (age 49)
Place of birth Zaragoza, Spain
Height 1.84 m
Playing position Striker
Club information
Current club Estepona (manager)
Youth career
Sevilla
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1994–1996 Sevilla B 36 (10)
1995–1998 Sevilla 49 (15)
1996 Écija (loan) 17 (6)
1998–2000 Racing Santander 52 (29)
2000–2001 Atlético Madrid 33 (21)
2001–2005 Valencia 24 (5)
2003 Bolton Wanderers (loan) 6 (0)
2003–2004 Málaga (loan) 34 (18)
2004–2005 Atlético Madrid (loan) 28 (7)
2005–2009 Málaga 87 (28)
2007 Levante (loan) 14 (4)
2009–2010 Albacete 23 (5)
Total 403 (148)
National team
1996–1998 Spain U21 9 (2)
1997 Spain U23 4 (2)
2000–2004 Spain 4 (0)
Teams managed
2013−2015 Málaga B
2017−2018 Jaén
2018−2019 Móstoles
2020−2021 Algeciras
2021–2022 UCAM Murcia
2022 San Fernando
2024– Estepona
  • Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.
† Appearances (Goals).

Salvador Ballesta Vialcho (born 22 May 1975), commonly known as Salva, is a Spanish former professional footballer who played as a striker, currently the manager of CD Estepona FS.

A goalscorer noted for his flair and workrate, he played for seven top-division clubs, most notably Atlético Madrid, Valencia – with whom he won his sole team trophy – and Málaga. He amassed totals of 235 games and 86 goals over 11 La Liga seasons, adding 126 matches and 52 goals in Segunda División.

Off the field, Salva was known for his nationalistic and militarist viewpoints.

Playing career

Club

Salva was born in Zaragoza, Aragon. After making his professional debut with Sevilla FC, he won the Pichichi Trophy in the 1999–2000 season, scoring 27 goals to lead La Liga's scoring charts for Racing de Santander. He then moved to Segunda División with Atlético Madrid (recently relegated) and proceeded to lead the side with 21 goals, although the Colchoneros did not return to the top flight.

Salva joined Valencia CF in summer 2001, netting five goals to help the club become league champions after a 31-year drought. He was rarely used the following season, and was subsequently briefly part of the Bolton Wanderers squad that avoided Premier League relegation in 2003. He had another two loan stints from 2003 to 2005, with Málaga CF for which he scored 21 competitive goals, including a hat-trick in a 5–1 league home crushing of FC Barcelona on 3 December 2003, and Atlético Madrid, being subsequently released and signing with the former.

In late January 2007, Salva joined top-tier strugglers Levante UD on loan from Málaga, now in the second division. On 4 February, he played his first league match for them in an away win against Real Madrid, scoring the game's only goal. After the season's end, with the Valencians managing to retain their status, he returned to Málaga, and netted seven times to help to promotion.

As he spent most of 2008–09 hampered by recurrent injuries, Salva was still able to contribute, notably coming from the bench against neighbours UD Almería and helping turn the score from 0–2 to a 3–2 home win with two goals, on 8 February 2009. On 15 March, he added another brace against another neighbouring club, in a 2–2 home draw with former side Sevilla. He was released after his contract expired.

In the dying hours of the 2009 August transfer window, Salva signed a 1+1 deal with Albacete Balompié, aged 34. At the end of his first season, where he appeared almost exclusively as a backup, he was one of 14 players who were not offered an extension, being released and retiring shortly after.

International

Salva played four matches with Spain, the first being a friendly against Poland on 26 January 2000, coming in for Ismael Urzaiz in the 70th minute of an eventual 3–0 win in Cartagena.

Coaching career

Shortly after retiring, Salva re-joined former team Málaga as a youth coach, alongside former teammate Francesc Arnau. On 11 July 2013, he was appointed as the new manager of Málaga's reserves Atlético Malagueño, in Tercera División. He left two years later, as his contract was not renewed.

Salva continued working in the lower leagues the following seasons, with Real Jaén, CD Móstoles URJC, Algeciras CF, UCAM Murcia CF and San Fernando CD.

Personal life

Off the pitch, Salva was notorious for his outspoken personality and his political beliefs, far to the right of most of his peers'. .....

Although his footballing idol was Real Madrid's Hugo Sánchez, Salva's other heroes included Francoist fighter pilot Joaquín García Morato, Luftwaffe aviator Hans-Ulrich Rudel and Antonio Tejero, leader of the failed "23-F" right-wing coup. A self-declared Christian, he considered himself apolitical.

Born to a family with a military background, Salva stated that he would be the first to serve in the Iraq War if conscripted by prime minister José María Aznar. He was a patron of his hometown's military helicopter school.

In February 2013, Salva learnt that he was being turned down for the assistant coach job at RC Celta de Vigo over his political views.

Managerial statistics

Managerial record by team and tenure
Team Nat From To Record Ref
G W D L GF GA GD Win %
Málaga B Spain 12 July 2013 1 June 2015 &&&&&&&&&&&&&082.&&&&&082 &&&&&&&&&&&&&050.&&&&&050 &&&&&&&&&&&&&015.&&&&&015 &&&&&&&&&&&&&017.&&&&&017 &&&&&&&&&&&&0149.&&&&&0149 &&&&&&&&&&&&&077.&&&&&077 +72 &&&&&&&&&&&&&060.98000060.98
Jaén Spain 26 September 2017 22 February 2018 &&&&&&&&&&&&&022.&&&&&022 &&&&&&&&&&&&&013.&&&&&013 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&03.&&&&&03 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&06.&&&&&06 &&&&&&&&&&&&&034.&&&&&034 &&&&&&&&&&&&&017.&&&&&017 +17 &&&&&&&&&&&&&059.&9000059.09
Móstoles Spain 19 June 2018 26 June 2019 &&&&&&&&&&&&&042.&&&&&042 &&&&&&&&&&&&&023.&&&&&023 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&08.&&&&&08 &&&&&&&&&&&&&011.&&&&&011 &&&&&&&&&&&&&043.&&&&&043 &&&&&&&&&&&&&028.&&&&&028 +15 &&&&&&&&&&&&&054.76000054.76
Algeciras Spain 20 January 2020 17 June 2021 &&&&&&&&&&&&&033.&&&&&033 &&&&&&&&&&&&&014.&&&&&014 &&&&&&&&&&&&&010.&&&&&010 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&09.&&&&&09 &&&&&&&&&&&&&037.&&&&&037 &&&&&&&&&&&&&036.&&&&&036 +1 &&&&&&&&&&&&&042.42000042.42
UCAM Murcia Spain 9 November 2021 20 March 2022 &&&&&&&&&&&&&017.&&&&&017 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&04.&&&&&04 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&04.&&&&&04 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&09.&&&&&09 &&&&&&&&&&&&&024.&&&&&024 &&&&&&&&&&&&&028.&&&&&028 −4 &&&&&&&&&&&&&023.53000023.53
San Fernando Spain 21 September 2022 11 December 2022 &&&&&&&&&&&&&012.&&&&&012 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&03.&&&&&03 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&03.&&&&&03 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&06.&&&&&06 &&&&&&&&&&&&&011.&&&&&011 &&&&&&&&&&&&&015.&&&&&015 −4 &&&&&&&&&&&&&025.&&&&&025.00
Estepona Spain 9 April 2024 Present &&&&&&&&&&&&&&01.&&&&&01 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&01.&&&&&01 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&00.&&&&&00 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&00.&&&&&00 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&01.&&&&&01 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&00.&&&&&00 +1 &&&&&&&&&&&&0100.&&&&&0100.000
Total &&&&&&&&&&&&0209.&&&&&0209 &&&&&&&&&&&&0108.&&&&&0108 &&&&&&&&&&&&&043.&&&&&043 &&&&&&&&&&&&&058.&&&&&058 &&&&&&&&&&&&0299.&&&&&0299 &&&&&&&&&&&&0201.&&&&&0201 +98 &&&&&&&&&&&&&051.67000051.67

Honours

Valencia

Spain U21

Individual

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Salva Ballesta para niños Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Salva Ballesta para niños

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