Ricardo Serna

Ricardo Jesús Serna Orozco (born 21 January 1964) is a Spanish retired footballer who played mostly as a central defender.

In 12 La Liga seasons, he appeared in 281 matches for three clubs, scoring six goals and winning six major titles, including the 1992 European Cup with Barcelona.

Club career

Born in Seville, Andalusia, Serna started his professional career at Sevilla FC in 1982 at the age of 18, immediately breaking into the starting lineups. After six years with his local club, he was signed by La Liga giants FC Barcelona for 200 million pesetas.

Serna appeared in 143 competitive games during his spell at the Camp Nou, his only two goals coming on his debut on 2 October 1988 in a 4–0 home win over Sporting de Gijón. He won two national championships, two Copa del Rey, one UEFA Cup Winners' Cup and the 1991–92 European Cup, featuring regularly in the latter tournament but missing the final against UC Sampdoria due to injury. He played sparingly in his final season, where he already had the company of his former Sevilla defensive teammate Nando.

A part of Deportivo de La Coruña's Super Depor emergent sides, Serna totalled just two minutes in two years, retiring in 1997 after one year with RCD Mallorca in the Segunda División another two in the lower leagues.

International career

Serna received his first Spain national team callup on 15 December 1988, for a 1990 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Northern Ireland. Six days later, he came on as a 65th-minute substitute for Txiki Begiristain in the 4–0 victory at the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán Stadium; he earned a further five caps in a two-year span.