1. Overview
Carlos Aguilera Martín, born on May 22, 1969, is a Spanish retired professional footballer who played primarily as a right-winger and later as a right-back. His career spanned almost two decades, during which he became a prominent figure at Atlético Madrid, his first and last club. Over the course of his career, Aguilera appeared in 375 La Liga matches, scoring 21 goals, and totaled over 500 professional appearances, including 456 for Atlético Madrid, making him the club's fourth all-time appearance leader. He represented the Spain national team at the 1998 FIFA World Cup and achieved significant club honors, including two Copa del Rey titles and a Segunda División championship with Atlético Madrid. After retiring as a player, he returned to Atlético Madrid in various directorial and youth system coordination roles.
2. Life and Career
Carlos Aguilera's professional journey began in his hometown of Madrid, leading to a long and distinguished career primarily with Atlético Madrid, interspersed with a successful spell at CD Tenerife.
2.1. Early Life and Debut
Carlos Aguilera Martín, whose full name is Juan Carlos Aguilera MartínSpanish, was born on May 22, 1969, in Madrid, Spain. He stands 69 in (174 cm) tall and weighed 168 lb (76 kg) during his playing career. He began his youth career at San Cristóbal before joining the youth academy of Atlético Madrid. Aguilera made his professional debut with the club's reserve side, Atlético Madrid B, during the 1987-88 season, making 29 appearances and scoring 11 goals. His first-team debut for Atlético Madrid occurred on March 26, 1988, in a match against Sporting de Gijón.
2.2. Club Career
Carlos Aguilera's extensive club career saw him play for two prominent Spanish clubs, with two distinct spells at Atlético Madrid.
2.2.1. Atlético Madrid (First Spell)
Aguilera's initial period at Atlético Madrid spanned from 1988 to 1993. During this time, he primarily played as a right-winger. He contributed to the club's success by winning consecutive Copa del Rey trophies in the 1990-91 and 1991-92 seasons. In this first spell, he made 96 appearances for the club, scoring 7 goals.
2.2.2. CD Tenerife
In 1993, Aguilera signed with CD Tenerife, where he spent three years playing at the Estadio Heliodoro Rodríguez López. His tenure at Tenerife was notably successful, with his best season in La Liga coming in 1995-96. During this season, he scored five goals in 39 matches, helping the island club qualify for the UEFA Cup. Incidentally, this was the same season that his former club, Atlético Madrid, achieved a historic domestic double. Aguilera also scored his first UEFA Cup goal on December 8, 1993, in a 2-1 home victory for Tenerife against Juventus FC in the third round of the competition, though Tenerife was ultimately eliminated on aggregate. Overall, he made 88 appearances and scored 6 goals during his time at Tenerife.
2.2.3. Atlético Madrid (Second Spell)
In the summer of 1996, Aguilera returned to Atlético Madrid, where he remained for the rest of his playing career until 2005. During this second spell, he transitioned from a right-winger to a right-back. He demonstrated strong commitment to the club, even staying with them after their relegation to the Segunda División in 2000. Aguilera continued to deliver robust performances during the two seasons in the Segunda División, featuring in 78 games and scoring 14 goals. Before the 2003-04 season, he extended his contract for another 12 months, accepting a pay cut to remain loyal to the club. Aguilera retired from professional football in 2005 at the age of 36. Throughout his entire career with Atlético Madrid, he amassed 456 appearances, a record that places him fourth all-time in the club's history, behind only Adelardo Rodríguez, Enrique Collar, and Tomás Reñones. He also served as captain for the club.
2.3. International Career
Prior to his senior international career, Aguilera represented the Spain U-21 national team from 1989 to 1990, making 5 appearances. His strong performances during his return to Atlético Madrid led to his call-up to the senior Spain national team. He made his international debut on September 24, 1997, in a 2-1 away victory over Slovakia during the 1998 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
He was subsequently included in the Spanish squad for the final stages of the 1998 FIFA World Cup held in France. Aguilera started in two group stage matches: the 0-0 draw against Paraguay and the 6-1 victory over Bulgaria. Despite their dominant win against Bulgaria, Spain was eliminated in the group stage. In total, Aguilera earned seven caps for the national team between 1997 and 1998.
2.4. Post-Playing Career
After retiring from professional football in 2005, Carlos Aguilera returned to Atlético Madrid six years later, in 2011, taking on directorial capacities within the club. He later served as a youth system coordinator. However, in October 2017, his services in this role were no longer required by the club.
3. Honours
Atlético Madrid
- Copa del Rey: 1990-91, 1991-92
- Runner-up: 1998-99, 1999-2000
- Segunda División: 2001-02