Jorge Valdano

Valdano fascinates me because he proved a footballer's intelligence outlives his legs. Nicknamed The Philosopher of Football, the towering Argentine forward became a thoughtful executive at Real Madrid and, later, one of the most articulate voices in the game. Winning a sports journalism award years after retiring tells you everything: he conquered the pitch, the boardroom, and the broadcast booth in turn. I find that rare arc deeply compelling. Plenty of greats can play; far fewer can explain the game with genuine insight. Valdano belongs firmly in that smaller, more interesting club, and I always stop to listen when he speaks.

Name (English)

Jorge Valdano

Name (Japanese)

ホルヘ・バルダーノ

Reading

ほるへ・ばるだーの

Born

October 4, 1955 (age 70)

Zodiac / Chinese zodiac

Libra / Goat

Origin

Las Parejas, Santa Fe Province, Argentina

Height

188 cm

Occupation

association football player / association football coach / sporting director / pundit

Awards & achievements

• 2019 Manuel Vázquez Montalbán Award for Sports Journalism

• Official sitehttps://valdano.es/
• Wikipedia (English)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jorge%20Valdano
• Wikipedia (Japanese)https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%83%9B%E3%83%AB%E3%83%98%E3%83%BB%E3%83%90%E3%83%AB%E3%83%80%E3%83%BC%E3%83%8E
• Wikidatahttps://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q298305

Tags

• Santa Fe Province
• association football player
• association football coach
• sporting director

Last updated

2026-06-21

Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.