About Santi Denia
Santiago Denia Sánchez (born 9 March 1974), commonly known as Santi as a player, is a Spanish former professional footballer who played as a central defender. He is currently manager of the Czech Republic national team. He appeared in 297 La Liga matches over 11 seasons (eight goals scored), with Albacete and Atlético Madrid. He won the 1996 league championship with the latter club. Denia started working as a head coach in 2010, being in charge of several Spain youth teams and winning the gold medal at the 2024 Summer Olympics. == Club career == Born in Albacete, Castilla–La Mancha, Santi began playing professionally with his hometown side. He made his La Liga debut at age 18, and immediately became an undisputed starter as they constantly managed to retain their top-flight status. Santi signed for Atlético Madrid in the summer of 1995, being crowned league and Copa del Rey champion in his first season as part of a defensive line which also included youth graduates Juan Manuel López and Roberto Solozábal. He appeared in 37 league matches during the campaign. Following Atlético's 2000 relegation (he collected a career-worst 17 yellow cards), Santi gradually lost his importance in the team's plans.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.