Antonio Joaquín Parra Fernández (born 17 June 1961) is a Spanish football manager and former player. A midfielder, he played 283 matches and scored 30 goals over 11 seasons in La Liga, mainly playing for Betis (seven years). He also spent two years with Real Madrid.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Antonio Joaquín Parra Fernández | ||
| Date of birth | (1961-06-17) 17 June 1961 (age 61) | ||
| Place of birth | Seville, Spain | ||
| Height | 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1973–1980 | Betis | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1979–1987 | Betis | 221 | (24) |
| 1987–1989 | Atlético Madrid | 47 | (5) |
| 1989–1991 | Real Madrid | 15 | (1) |
| 1992–1993 | Écija | 8 | (0) |
| Total | 291 | (30) | |
| National team | |||
| 1981–1982 | Spain U21 | 11 | (0) |
| 1988 | Spain U23 | 1 | (0) |
| Teams managed | |||
| 2000–2001 | Coria (assistant) | ||
| 2001 | Coria | ||
| 2004 | Betis B | ||
| 2004–2005 | Betis C | ||
| 2005–2006 | Betis B | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Born in Seville, Parra made his professional debut with his hometown club Real Betis at age 18, [1] and played there until 1986–87, appearing in a career-best La Liga 44 games – all as a starter – that season, which had a second stage. He left the Andalusians with 283 competitive matches to his credit, including four in the UEFA Cup and 19 in the Copa de la Liga;[2] he reached the final of the latter tournament in 1986, losing it to FC Barcelona 1–2 on aggregate.[3]
Subsequently, Parra transferred to Atlético Madrid,[4] where, after a first year in which he played 33 games and scored five goals, he featured sparingly, which also occurred the following two seasons, now with Real Madrid (only 20 competitive appearances).[2]
After an unsuccessful trial in Hungary with Budapest Honvéd FC, Parra signed with Écija Balompié in 1992, after which he retired. In the 2000s he took up coaching, with Betis' C and B teams[5][6][7] as well as Coria CF,[8][2] subsequently working in directorial capacities for the former club.[9][10]
In October 2006, Parra joined Andalusia's coaching staff, led by José Enrique Díaz.[11]