What became of… Eloy Olaya

Previously… Eloy José Olaya (Asturias, 1964) was a Spanish player who spent the majority of his career with Real Sporting de Gijón, the club he made his name with. His playing days also saw him lead the attacking lines for Valencia CF and CD Badajoz.

Achievements… Eloy Olaya won the Under-21 European Championships in 1986, a year in which he also played in the FIFA World Cup in Mexico. He missed a penalty against Belgium in the quarter-finals of the tournament, a match in which the Spaniards were sent out of the competition.

After hanging up his boots… After calling an end to his playing days with Badajoz, in 1998, the former Spanish international remained involved with the sport as a coach and occasionally as a commentator. He was part of Sporting’s technical committee for three years and was the selector for the Asturias Under-16 and Under-18 sides.

Did you know?… Eloy Olaya played a Copa del Rey game against CD Turón at just 15 years and 141 days of age. He made a dream debut for his childhood club, scoring the first of the team’s four goals. Eloy became the youngest player to ever play for the Asturian club in a competitive fixture that day.