Balta (footballer)

Baltasar Sánchez Martín (born 9 May 1962), commonly known as Balta, is a Spanish former footballer who played as a central defender, and a current manager.

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Sánchez and the second or maternal family name is Martín.
Balta
Personal information
Full name Baltasar Sánchez Martín
Date of birth (1962-05-09) 9 May 1962
Place of birth Santander, Spain
Height 1.77 m (5 ft 9+1⁄2 in)
Position(s) Centre back
Youth career
Salamanca
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
?–1984 Salmantino
1984–1995 Salamanca 274 (22)
Managerial career
1995–2000 Salamanca (assistant)
1997 Salamanca (interim)
1999 Salamanca (interim)
2000 Salamanca
2001–2002 Salamanca
2003–2005 Zamora
2006–2007 Logroñés
2011 Salamanca
2015–2016 Zamora
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Playing career

Born in Santander, Cantabria, Balta was a UD Salamanca youth graduate. After being promoted to the first team in 1984, he represented them in both Segunda División and Segunda División B over 11 seasons, playing 274 league matches and scoring 22 goals.[1]

Balta was part of the squad that competed in La Liga in 1983–84, but failed to appear in any games. He retired in 1995 at the age of 33, after helping to promotion to the top flight.

Coaching career

Shortly after his retirement, Balta started working as an assistant manager at his only club, acting as an occasional interim coach. In March 2001 he was appointed at the main squad, but was dismissed in October of the following year.[2]

In November 2003, Balta was named Zamora CF manager,[3] and led the side to the play-offs final in 2004, losing to CD Castellón. He was relieved of his duties in November 2005, and was appointed at the helm of Logroñés CF in the summer of 2006.[4]

Balta was fired on 19 November 2007, after failing to win a single match in the campaign.[5] In August 2009 he returned to Salamanca, now as a director of football.[6]

On 12 April 2011, Balta was appointed manager of the Charros after replacing José Murcia.[7] He eventually suffered relegation from the second level and left his post on 14 November, returning to his previous staff role.[8]

Balta returned to Zamora on 30 April 2015, tasked with saving the team from relegation in the last three games of the third-tier campaign.[9] They descended to Tercera División, and won their group the next season, but he was sacked on 5 June 2016 after a 3–1 loss to UD Mutilvera in the first leg of the second round of the play-offs.[10]

See also

References
  1. "35 gigantes de la U.D. Salamanca" [35 giants of U.D. Salamanca] (PDF) (in Spanish). Unionistas Salamanca. p. 28. Retrieved 11 March 2015.
  2. "El Salamanca acepta la dimisión de Balta" [Salamanca accept resignation of Balta]. El Mundo (in Spanish). 13 October 2002. Retrieved 11 March 2015.
  3. "El Zamora pone a Balta en lugar de Fabri, cesado tras perder en Burgos" [Zamora put Balta in Fabri's place, sacked after losing in Burgos]. Diario de León (in Spanish). 25 November 2003. Retrieved 11 March 2015.
  4. García Íñiguez, José Luis (11 July 2006). "Balta ya tiene once" [Balta already has a starting XI] (in Spanish). La Rioja. Retrieved 11 March 2015.
  5. "El Logroñés CF destituye a Balta" [Logroñés CF dismiss Balta] (in Spanish). La Rioja. 19 November 2007. Retrieved 11 March 2015.
  6. López-Sueiras, Manuel (10 August 2009). "Balta Sánchez rehace la plantilla de la Unión" [Balta Sánchez remakes the squad of Unión]. La Opinión de Zamora (in Spanish). Retrieved 11 March 2015.
  7. "El Salamanca destituye a Pepe Murcia y encomienda su salvación a Balta" [Salamanca dismiss Pepe Murcia and entrust salvation to Balta]. El Mundo (in Spanish). 12 April 2011. Retrieved 11 March 2015.
  8. "El Salamanca destituye a Balta como técnico" [Salamanca dismiss Balta as manager]. Marca (in Spanish). 14 November 2011. Retrieved 11 March 2015.
  9. "Balta, nuevo técnico del Zamora, esconde sus cartas" [Balta, Zamora's new manager, keeps his cards to his chest]. La Nueva España (in Spanish). 30 April 2015. Retrieved 24 February 2020.
  10. Asensio, Fran (5 June 2016). "¡El Zamora destituye a Balta en pleno playoff!" [Zamora dismiss Balta in the middle of the playoffs!] (in Spanish). RTV Castilla y León. Retrieved 24 February 2020.
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