Jesús Ángel Solana

Jesús Ángel Solana Bermejo (born 25 December 1964) is a Spanish retired footballer. A defender, he was equally at ease as a left back or a central defender.
He played in 361 La Liga games over the course of 15 seasons, representing Real Madrid (six years) and Zaragoza (nine).

Club career

Born in Arnedo, La Rioja, Solana was a product of Real Madrid's youth ranks. He was used regularly in five of his six seasons with the capital club's first team, as it won five La Liga titles in a row.

However, Solana would be most known for his spell at Real Zaragoza, where he added one Copa del Rey to his trophy cabinet as well as the memorable 1994–95 edition of the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup against Arsenal, appearing in more than 300 overall official matches for the Aragonese. Having retired in 2000 at nearly 36, he had a three-year coaching spell with the side's reserves, then returned late into the 2012–13 campaign to prevent relegation from Segunda División B, which eventually did not happen.

International career

Solana won one cap for Spain, coming on as a substitute for Quique Sánchez Flores – who would later be his teammate at Zaragoza – in the 83rd minute of a 1990 FIFA World Cup qualifier against the Republic of Ireland, on 16 November 1988.

Honours

Club

Real Madrid

• UEFA Cup: 1985–86
• La Liga: 1985–86, 1986–87, 1987–88, 1988–89, 1989–90
• Copa del Rey: 1988–89
• Supercopa de España: 1988, 1989, 1990

Zaragoza

• UEFA Cup Winners' Cup: 1994–95
• Copa del Rey: 1993–94

Country

Spain U21

• UEFA European Under-21 Championship: 1986

• ¡¡¡Campeones!!! (Champions!!!); Mundo Deportivo, 30 October 1986 (Spanish)