1. Overview
Eloy José Olaya Prendes (born 10 July 1964), known simply as Eloy, is a Spanish retired professional footballer who primarily played as a forward. His career spanned from a remarkably early professional debut at age 15 in 1979 to his retirement in 1998. Olaya was a key player for Sporting de Gijón and Valencia CF, achieving significant club successes such as two fourth-place finishes in La Liga with Sporting and a runner-up spot with Valencia. He also represented the Spain national team in major tournaments, including the 1986 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 1988. After his playing career, he transitioned into football management, notably serving as director of football for Sporting de Gijón.
2. Career
Eloy Olaya's professional journey began at a very young age and progressed through several prominent Spanish clubs before he contributed to the national team. Following his retirement as a player, he continued to contribute to football in an administrative capacity.
2.1. Early Life and Youth Career
Eloy José Olaya Prendes was born on 10 July 1964, in Gijón, Asturias, Spain. His youth career included spells at Colegio de la Inmaculada and the youth academy of Sporting de Gijón. At the exceptionally young age of 15, Olaya made his professional debut on 28 November 1979 for Sporting de Gijón. This occurred in a Copa del Rey match against CD Turón, an unusual occurrence as the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) typically did not allow clubs to field players from their reserve teams in the main competition, though it was permissible during that specific period for reserves to compete separately.
2.2. Club Career
Olaya spent the majority of his playing career with Sporting de Gijón and Valencia CF. He made his first division debut in 1982. During his initial spell at Sporting de Gijón from 1982 to 1988, he played 191 games and scored 36 goals. He was part of a strong Sporting team in the 1980s that achieved two fourth-place finishes in La Liga, in the 1984-85 and 1986-87 seasons. In the latter season, he notably scored 11 goals in 43 appearances.
In 1988, Olaya moved to Valencia CF, where he played until 1995. For the Che, he accumulated 203 appearances and scored 37 goals. He helped Valencia achieve a runner-up spot in the 1989-90 season, recording similar individual statistics to his time at Sporting.
He returned to Sporting de Gijón for a second spell from 1995 to 1996, adding 36 appearances and 3 goals to his record with the club. His final professional club was CD Badajoz, where he played from 1996 to 1998, appearing in 28 matches and scoring 4 goals during an unassuming spell in the Segunda División.
Olaya retired from professional football in 1998 at the age of 34. Throughout his career, he amassed 429 appearances and 76 goals in Spain's top-tier league, La Liga. Across all clubs, he played a total of 458 matches and scored 80 goals. His height was 66 in (167 cm).
2.3. International Career
Eloy Olaya earned 15 caps and scored four goals for the Spain national team over a period of five years. His debut for the senior national team came on 20 November 1985 in a 0-0 friendly match against Austria, held in Zaragoza.
He was a participant in the 1986 FIFA World Cup held in Mexico. During the tournament, he scored a goal against Algeria in a 3-0 group stage victory. However, in the quarter-finals against Belgium, Spain lost in a penalty shootout, with Olaya missing his attempt. He was also selected for the squad for UEFA Euro 1988, but he did not make any appearances in the tournament.
Prior to his senior international career, Olaya also represented Spain at various youth levels. He played 2 matches for the Spain U-16 team without scoring, 13 matches for the Spain U-18 team, scoring 5 goals, and 10 matches for the Spain U-21 team, netting 4 goals.
2.3.1. International Goals
Eloy Olaya scored four goals for the Spain national team:
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 22 January 1986 | Insular, Las Palmas, Spain | Soviet Union | 2-0 | 2-0 | Friendly |
| 2. | 12 June 1986 | Tecnológico, Monterrey, Mexico | Algeria | 0-3 | 0-3 | 1986 FIFA World Cup |
| 3. | 1 April 1987 | Prater, Vienna, Austria | Austria | 0-1 | 2-3 | Euro 1988 qualifying |
| 4. | 1 April 1987 | Prater, Vienna, Austria | Austria | 1-2 | 2-3 | Euro 1988 qualifying |
2.4. Post-retirement Career
After retiring as a professional footballer in 1998, Eloy Olaya remained involved in the sport. He took on the role of director of football for his former club, Sporting de Gijón, serving in this capacity from 2001 to 2006.
3. Honours
Eloy Olaya achieved several distinctions during his playing career, both at the club level and with the Spanish national youth teams.
- Valencia
- Copa del Rey runner-up: 1994-95
- Spain U21
- UEFA European Under-21 Championship: 1986