Ezequiel Loza

Ezequiel Antonio Loza Fernández (born 1 October 1976) is a Spanish retired footballer who played as a central defender, and currently the manager of Rayo Cantabria.

Ezequiel Loza
Personal information
Full nameEzequiel Antonio Loza Fernández
Date of birth (1976-10-01) 1 October 1976 (age 47)
Place of birthSantoña, Spain
Height1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Position(s)Centre back
Team information
Current team
Racing B (manager)
Youth career
1994–1995Racing Santander
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
1995–1998Racing B6+(0)
1998–1999Noja32(0)
1999–2000Logroñés B
2000Logroñés3(0)
2000–2001Ourense14(0)
2001–2002Ponferradina32(0)
2002–2008Gimnástica Torrelavega122+(2)
Total209+(2)
Managerial career
2009–2011Gimnástica Torrelavega (youth)
2011–2013Gimnástica Torrelavega B
2013–2014Gimnástica Torrelavega
2014–2015Portugalete
2018–2021Portugalete
2021–Racing B
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Playing career

Born in Santoña, Cantabria, Loza was a Racing de Santander youth graduate, and made his senior debut with the reserves in 1994. After helping the B's to promote to Segunda División B in 1996, being also an unused substitute in the first team on three occasions.

In 1999, after a one-year spell with SD Noja, Loza signed for CD Logroñés; initially assigned to the B-team in Tercera División, he made his professional debut on 30 April 2000, starting in a 2–2 Segunda División away draw against Albacete Balompié.

After another two first team appearances for Logroñés, Loza moved to third division side CD Ourense in 2000. He continued to appear in the category in the following years, representing SD Ponferradina and Gimnástica de Torrelavega.

In 2008, after two relegations and one promotion with Torrelavega, Loza retired at the age of 31.

Managerial career

After retiring, Loza worked as a manager of the youth and reserve sides of his last club Gimnástica, before being named first team manager in 2013. Despite winning the group, his side missed out promotion in the play-offs.

On 11 June 2014, Loza took over fellow fourth tier side Club Portugalete,[1] After achieving promotion in his first season, he was sacked on 23 November 2015, with the club in the last position in their group.[2]

On 17 June 2016, Loza returned to his first club Racing, as a coordinator of the youth categories.[3] He returned to managerial duties on 28 June 2018, after being again named manager of Portugalete.[4]

Loza led Portu back to the third tier after a five-year absence, but was dismissed on 18 January 2021.[5] On 17 May, he again returned to Racing, now as manager of the B-team for the 2021–22 campaign.[6]

After guiding Rayo Cantabria to the play-offs (where they lost to Real Murcia), Loza renewed his contract with the club until 2023 on 17 June 2022.[7] Exactly one year later, he agreed to a new one-year deal.[8]

Managerial statistics

As of 18 May 2024
Managerial record by team and tenure
TeamNatFromToRecordRef
GWDLGFGAGDWin %
Gimnástica Torrelavega B 1 July 201130 June 20136831152211582+33045.59[9]
Gimnástica Torrelavega 1 July 201311 June 201442271058526+59064.29[10]
Portugalete 11 June 201423 November 2015592324128752+35038.98[11]
Portugalete 28 June 201818 January 20218949221813267+65055.06[12]
Rayo Cantabria 17 May 2021Present105423033135115+20040.00[13]
Total36317210190554342+212047.38

Honours

Manager

Gimnástica

Club Portugalete

References