Biography
Who is Julio Salinas?
Early life and Athletic Bilbao
Julio Salinas Fernández was born in Bilbao, Spain. He joined the youth academy of Athletic Bilbao when he was 11. He played for the reserve team and won the Segunda División Pichichi Trophy during the 1983-84 season. This result helped the reserves finish as runners-up to Castilla.
Julio scored his debut La Liga goal on March 26, 1983, against Celta de Vigo. His team won two titles and the 1984 Copa del Rey. He played 13 games for the first team over two seasons. He later scored 12 goals during two seasons where the club finished third.
Career at Atlético Madrid and Barcelona
Julio moved to Atlético Madrid after his time at Athletic. He scored goals frequently at that club. On February 7, 1988, he scored two goals in a 7-0 win over Mallorca.
Julio Salinas joined Barcelona for the 1988-89 season. He played with other Basque players like Txiki Begiristain and José Mari Bakero. These players were part of the Dream Team. He scored 20 league goals in his first year. He scored in the 1989 Cup Winners' Cup final against Sampdoria. He also scored in the 1990 domestic cup final against Real Madrid. Barcelona won four league titles from 1990 to 1994. He also won the 1991-92 European Cup.
Later club years and Japan
Julio played for Deportivo de La Coruña for one season. He scored 12 league goals and helped the team finish as runners-up. He won the Copa del Rey in 1994-95.
He then signed with Sporting de Gijón. In the 1995-96 season, he scored 18 goals to help the team avoid relegation. He spent one year in Japan playing for Yokohama Marinos. He played there with his former teammate Jon Andoni Goikoetxea.
International career and retirement
Julio Salinas earned 56 caps for the Spain national team. He scored 22 international goals. He debuted on January 22, 1986, scoring against the Soviet Union.
He played in three World Cups in 1986, 1990, and 1994. He also appeared in the 1988 and 1996 European Championships. He scored against Northern Ireland in 1986 and Yugoslavia in 1990. In 1994, he scored against South Korea but missed a key chance against Italy in the quarter-final.
Family and personal facts
Julio has a younger brother named Patxi Salinas. Patxi was also a professional centre-back. He played for Celta and Athletic Bilbao. Both brothers debuted in the top division during the 1982-83 season.
They held a record for total top tier appearances by siblings. They played a total of 849 matches together. This was 86 more than the record held by Jesús Castro and Quini.
Birthday and age
Julio Salinas was born on September 11, 1962, which makes Julio 64 years old today. That birthday falls under the Virgo sign. Julio shares the date with 52 other famous people.
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