Ramon Vega

Ramon Vega (born 14 June 1971) is a Swiss retired footballer, who played as a central defender.

Not to be confused with Ramón Vega.

Ramon Vega
Personal information
Full name Ramon Vega[1]
Date of birth (1971-06-14) 14 June 1971
Place of birth Olten, Switzerland
Height 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in)
Position(s) Centre back
Youth career
FC Olten
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1990–1996 Grasshoppers 169 (13)
1996–1997 Cagliari 14 (0)
1997–2001 Tottenham Hotspur 64 (7)
2000–2001 → Celtic (loan) 18 (2)
2001–2002 Watford 27 (1)
2002–2003 Créteil 23 (4)
Total 315 (27)
National team
1993–2001 Switzerland 23 (1)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

During his 13-year professional career he played for Grasshoppers, Cagliari, Tottenham Hotspur, Celtic, Watford and Créteil. Vega also played 23 times for Switzerland, appearing in the UEFA Euro 1996 tournament.

Early life

Vega was one of five children to Spanish immigrants. He was born in Olten near Zürich, with the remaining siblings already born in his parents' native city of Madrid.

Vega attended school in Trimbach and went on to study for a degree in banking and financing, at the Zürich Business School.[2]

Club career

Vega began his professional career in with local Grasshopper Club Zürich in 1989, being a defensive mainstay from his second season onwards. He was essential in two of the three leagues he actually conquered, playing in 67 games combined and scoring seven goals.

In the 1996 summer Vega moved to Italy with Cagliari Calcio, in the Serie A. However, after only seven months, he signed with England's Tottenham Hotspur, for a transfer fee of £3.75 million. He was used mostly as a backup with his new side, helping it win the Football League Cup in 1999; in the final, a 1–0 win over Leicester City, he broke his ankle, and could never regain his previous form with Spurs.[3]

In mid-December 2000, Vega moved on loan to Celtic – in the previous off-season, he rejected a move to the club[4]– where he played a significant part in the winning of three trophies, in a short six-month spell. In his debut, on the 17th, he netted twice in the home demolition of Aberdeen (6–0);[5] he also scored a brace against Dunfermline in the Scottish Cup.[6]

Released by Tottenham in June 2001, after also having refused the Scottish club's offer of an additional year,[7] Vega moved back to England with Watford, penning a three-year deal with the Championship outfit. One of the side's best-paid players under manager Gianluca Vialli, he was released after just one season, as the club underachieved for a final 14th position;[8] for the Hornets he netted three times, once in the league against Norwich City[9] and twice in the League Cup, against Bristol City[10] and Bradford City.[11]

Vega retired in 2004 aged 33, after one season with lowly US Créteil-Lusitanos in France.

International career

Vega first played for Switzerland in 1993, but was overlooked for the 1994 FIFA World Cup in the United States.

Two years later, he was picked – and started – for the squad at UEFA Euro 1996 in England, helping them to a 1–1 draw against the hosts. His career brought him a total of 23 caps, and he also captained the side on occasion, scoring in the 1–1 friendly match with England – who were preparing for the 1998 World Cup – in Bern.[12]

Personal life

After his retirement, in 2012 he became a founding member of the Duet Group, a financial group specializing in asset management and private equity. In 2006 Vega also founded the Matterhorn Capital Rosalp, a Swiss real estate company focusing on the development of luxury hotels worldwide, opening the first facilities in Verbier, Switzerland. He also opened "Ramon Vega's Soccer School" in Marbella, Spain.

Vega owned a stake in a Romford jewellery shop, Ministry of Gold.

In February 2009, Vega unsuccessfully bid to purchase Premier League team and FA Cup holders Portsmouth from its owner Alexandre Gaydamak; however, he was consistently not able to demonstrate an ability to secure financing for his proposal.[13][14]

In October 2015 he announced that he was considering standing as a candidate in the FIFA presidential election.[15]

Honours
Grasshoppers
Tottenham
Celtic

Career statistics
As of January 2004
Club Season League League Cup¹ League Cup² Total
Apps.GoalsApps.GoalsApps.GoalsApps.Goals
Cagliari 1996–97 Serie A 140000000000014000
Tottenham 1996–97 Premier League 8111000000008111
1997–98 253613010200030371
1998–99 162204000511025330
1999-2000 5100201010008110
2000–01 100300000300013030
Celtic (loan) 2000–01 Scottish Premier League 182006210200026410
Watford 2001–02 First Division 271411000521033351
Créteil 2002–03 Ligue 2 234000000000023400
Career total 14614163162301832018019213

¹ include Coppa Italia, FA Cup, Scottish Cup,and Coupe de France .

² include Football League Cup, Scottish League Cup,and Coupe de la Ligue.

References
  1. "Ramon Vega". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 12 March 2017.
  2. "Were you there ...?". BBC Sport. 15 February 2007.
  3. "Graham blocks transfer plunge". BBC Sport. 21 September 2000.
  4. "Vega rejects Celtic's overtures". BBC Sport. 23 August 2000.
  5. "Celtic hit Dons for six". BBC Sport. 17 December 2000.
  6. "Celtic sweep Dunfermline aside". BBC Sport. 7 March 2001.
  7. "Vega set to quit Celtic". BBC Sport. 19 June 2001.
  8. "Watford release Vega". BBC Sport. 18 June 2002.
  9. "Norwich 3-1 Watford". BBC Sport. 18 September 2001.
  10. "Bristol City 2-3 Watford". BBC Sport. 12 September 2001.
  11. "Watford sting Bantams". BBC Sport. 9 October 2001.
  12. "England's track record". BBC Sport. 27 May 2004.
  13. "Portsmouth reject buy-out approach from former Spurs defender Vega". The Guardian. London. 26 February 2009. Retrieved 22 May 2010.
  14. Wilson, Jeremy (27 February 2009). "Portsmouth turn down Ramon Vega's takeover bid". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 22 May 2010.
  15. "Ramon Vega: Ex-Spurs defender may stand for Fifa presidency". BBC Sport. 19 October 2015. Retrieved 19 October 2015.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.