Cani (Spanish footballer)

Rubén Gracia Calmache (born 3 August 1981), known as Cani, is a Spanish former professional footballer. Usually a right midfielder, he also played on the left.

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Gracia and the second or maternal family name is Calmache.

Cani
Cani training with Villarreal in 2011
Personal information
Full name Rubén Gracia Calmache[1]
Date of birth (1981-08-03) 3 August 1981[1]
Place of birth Zaragoza, Spain[1]
Height 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)[1]
Position(s) Right midfielder
Youth career
Stadium Venecia
Zaragoza
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2000–2002 Zaragoza B 32 (6)
2000–2001 → Utebo (loan) 15 (1)
2002–2006 Zaragoza 122 (13)
2006–2015 Villarreal 259 (23)
2015 → Atlético Madrid (loan) 4 (0)
2015–2016 Deportivo La Coruña 18 (0)
2016–2017 Zaragoza 32 (1)
Total 482 (44)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

During his career, he played almost exclusively with Zaragoza and Villarreal, winning two major titles with the former club and appearing in 327 competitive matches with the latter.[2]

Club career

Zaragoza

Cani was born in Zaragoza. A youth graduate of his hometown's Real Zaragoza, he was shining in the B team who were playing in the Segunda División B after a loan stint with lowly Utebo FC of Tercera División[3] and, as the main squad's fate was already decided in the 2001–02 season (relegation, ranking last) he received his first-team debut, playing 30 minutes in a 1–1 home draw against FC Barcelona.[4]

After helping the Aragonese club regain its top-flight status by appearing in 24 games and scoring five goals, his first coming on 23 March 2003 in a 2–0 win at Real Oviedo,[5][3] Cani went on to become a vital midfield element. In the 2003–04 campaign, he helped Zaragoza win the Copa del Rey in a 3–2 extra time win over Real Madrid – he was also sent off during the match.[6]

Villarreal

During 2005–06, Cani was one of La Liga's best passers, and at the season's end he signed with Villarreal CF for €11 million.[7] He played 32 matches for the 2007–08 runners-up, but did not score.

Cani observes in the forefront as his teammate competes Real Madrid midfielder Mesut Özil for the ball in January 2011.

In the 2008–09 campaign, after a shaky start, which included not being called to some matches by coach Manuel Pellegrini in spite of being healthy,[8] Cani finished strongly, scoring five times in the last nine appearances, including the final three: Real Madrid (3–2),[9] Valencia CF (3–1)[10] and RCD Mallorca (3–2),[11] as Villarreal finished fifth; after the Chilean manager's departure to Real Madrid, he again appeared in the starting XI regularly.

Cani continued to be an undisputed starter in 2010–11 – Robert Pires had also left the club. On 9 January 2011, he netted the opener at Real Madrid, with a subtle finish inside the box; already on the bench, he threw a water bottle at opposing manager José Mourinho after the coach celebrated Cristiano Ronaldo's hat-trick (which put the score at 3–2 for the hosts, eventually 4–2) in front of his team's bench, being immediately sent off.[12] The one-match suspension was later lifted, and he found the net in the next game, a 3–3 home draw against Sevilla FC in the quarter-finals of the domestic cup,[13] and in the following, scoring from more than 50 metres in a 4–2 home defeat of CA Osasuna,[14] with the Valencians eventually finishing the league in fourth place; he added three goals in a semi-final run in the UEFA Europa League, including one in each leg of the last-four clash against FC Porto in an eventual 7–4 aggregate loss.[15][16]

On 7 January 2015, Cani joined Atlético Madrid on loan for the remainder of the season, after successfully passing a medical.[17] He made his first appearance three weeks later, coming on as a substitute for Arda Turan for the last 27 minutes of a 3–2 home loss to Barcelona in the Spanish Cup quarter-finals (4–2 loss on aggregate).[18]

Later career

On 23 July 2015, Cani terminated his contract with Villarreal[19] and signed a one-year deal with Deportivo de La Coruña the following day.[20] He left at the end of the campaign, contributing 888 minutes to a 15th-place finish.

Cani returned to his first club Zaragoza on 6 July 2016, after agreeing to a two-year deal.[21] Roughly one year later, despite featuring regularly during the second division season, the 36-year-old announced his retirement.[22]

International career

In the run up to the 2006 FIFA World Cup, Spain national team manager Luis Aragonés called up Cani to a senior team get-together, however he was ultimately not part of the squad at the finals and never won a cap.[23]

Personal life

Cani's nickname was passed down from his father and grandfather who were both footballers, as was his brother.[24] His father Jesús held the record for most appearances for Andorra CF.[25]

Career statistics
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition[26][27]
Club Season League Cup Europe Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Zaragoza B 2001–02 Segunda División B 316–––316
2002–03 Segunda División B 10–––10
Total 326000000326
Zaragoza 2001–02 La Liga 1000––10
2002–03 Segunda División 24511––256
2003–04 La Liga 32460––384
2004–05 La Liga 35200902[lower-alpha 1]0462
2005–06 La Liga 30281––383
Total 12213152902014815
Villarreal 2006–07 La Liga 35430–2[lower-alpha 2]0404
2007–08 La Liga 3204051–411
2008–09 La Liga 2262070–316
2009–10 La Liga 3523091–473
2010–11 La Liga 34561144–5410
2011–12 La Liga 2901051–351
2012–13 Segunda División 37310––383
2013–14 La Liga 26310––273
2014–15 La Liga 900052–142
Total 259232114592032733
Atlético Madrid (loan) 2014–15 La Liga 401010–60
Deportivo La Coruña 2015–16 La Liga 18010––190
Zaragoza 2016–17 Segunda División 32100––321
Career total 467433835594056455
  1. Appearances in Supercopa de España
  2. Appearances in UEFA Intertoto Cup

Honours

Zaragoza

References
  1. "Rubén García Calmache, CANI". El Mundo (in Spanish). Retrieved 6 July 2022.
  2. "El Villarreal celebra los trescientos partidos de Mario Gaspar" [Villarreal celebrate Mario Gaspar's three hundred matches]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). 22 March 2018. Retrieved 6 July 2022.
  3. Martín, Ignacio (26 March 2018). "Cani: «Ni un segundo me arrepentí de volver al Real Zaragoza»" [Cani: "Not for one second did I regret returning to Real Zaragoza"]. El Periódico de Aragón (in Spanish). Retrieved 6 July 2022.
  4. Ortega, Ignacio (11 May 2002). "El Barcelona se salva del siniestro total" [Barcelona avoid complete wreck]. El Mundo (in Spanish). Retrieved 18 March 2014.
  5. Álvarez, Dani (30 September 2017). "Oviedo, una visita históricamente complicada para el Real Zaragoza" [Oviedo, historically tough trip for Real Zaragoza]. Heraldo de Aragón (in Spanish). Retrieved 6 July 2022.
  6. "Beckham misses out on Cup". BBC Sport. 17 March 2004. Retrieved 4 June 2010.
  7. "Villarreal make Cani move". UEFA. 26 May 2006. Retrieved 18 March 2014.
  8. Beltrán, J. (23 September 2008). "Pellegrini vuelve a dejar a Cani fuera de una convocatoria en la que Rossi es la gran novedad" [Pellegrini again leaves Cani out of a squad in which Rossi is the biggest novelty]. Las Provincias (in Spanish). Retrieved 6 July 2022.
  9. Melero, Delfín (17 May 2009). "Un equipo caduco y otro campeón" [One expiring team and another champion]. Marca (in Spanish). Retrieved 18 March 2014.
  10. Melero, Delfín (23 May 2009). "El Villarreal ejecuta al Valencia" [Villarreal execute Valencia]. Marca (in Spanish). Retrieved 18 March 2014.
  11. Egea, Pablo (30 May 2009). "Victoria sin historia del Villarreal" [Hapless win for Villarreal]. Marca (in Spanish). Retrieved 18 March 2014.
  12. Lowe, Sid (10 January 2011). "Lucky Real Madrid win – and Cani throws water bottle at José Mourinho". The Guardian. Retrieved 12 January 2011.
  13. "Negredo frena en seco al Villarreal" [Negredo stops Villarreal in their tracks]. El País (in Spanish). 12 January 2011. Retrieved 6 July 2022.
  14. "Cani inspires Villarreal". ESPN Soccernet. 15 January 2011. Retrieved 3 April 2011.
  15. Atkin, John (28 April 2011). "Porto triumph as four-goal Falcao stuns Villarreal". UEFA. Retrieved 6 July 2022.
  16. Hunter, Graham (5 May 2011). "Porto hold off valiant Villarreal to reach final". UEFA. Retrieved 6 July 2022.
  17. "Acuerdo con el Villarreal para la cesión de Cani" [Agreement with Villarreal for Cani loan] (in Spanish). Atlético Madrid. 7 January 2015. Archived from the original on 8 January 2015. Retrieved 8 January 2015.
  18. Reddy, Luke (28 January 2015). "Atl Madrid 2–3 Barcelona". BBC Sport. Retrieved 1 February 2015.
  19. "Cani se desvincula del Villarreal CF" [Cani cuts ties with Villarreal CF] (in Spanish). Villarreal CF. 23 July 2015. Archived from the original on 24 July 2015. Retrieved 24 July 2015.
  20. "Cani, nuevo jugador del Deportivo" [Cani, new player of Deportivo] (in Spanish). Deportivo La Coruña. 24 July 2015. Retrieved 24 July 2015.
  21. "Cani vuelve al Real Zaragoza" [Cani returns to Real Zaragoza] (in Spanish). Real Zaragoza. 6 July 2016. Retrieved 9 July 2016.
  22. "Rubén Gracia, 'Cani', pone fin a su trayectoria como futbolista profesional" [Rubén Gracia, 'Cani', ends his career as professional footballer] (in Spanish). Real Zaragoza. 4 July 2017. Retrieved 4 July 2017.
  23. "Five new faces for Spain". Special Broadcasting Service. 8 April 2006. Retrieved 6 October 2017.
  24. Gimenez, Ángel A. (13 April 2003). "Futbolista por aburrimiento" [Footballer because of boredom]. El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 13 December 2021.
  25. "XVIII Gala del Deporte de Zaragoza" [18th Zaragoza Sports Gala] (PDF) (in Spanish). Zaragoza Deporte. p. 29. Retrieved 13 December 2021.
  26. Cani at BDFutbol
  27. Cani at Soccerway
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