Jordi Lardín Cruz (born 4 June 1973) is a Spanish former professional footballer who played mostly as a winger.
Over the course of eight seasons, he amassed La Liga totals of 200 games and 44 goals with Espanyol and Atlético Madrid.
Lardín earned three caps for Spain in the late 1990s.
Club career Born in Manresa, Province of Barcelona, Catalonia, Lardín was a skilled and pacy attacking player with scoring ability. He started playing football with local CE Manresa, making his professional debut with RCD Espanyol also in his native region in 1992–93; the team would be relegated from La Liga, and he went on to become an essential squad member in the following years.Qué fue de... Lardín (What happened to... Lardín); Cadena SER, 18 September 2009 (in Spanish)
Lardín scored 29 goals in 76 league games from 1994 to 1996, as the Pericos reached the UEFA Cup in one season and narrowly missed on qualification in another under the guidance of José Antonio Camacho.Jordi LARDÍN; Hall of Fame Perico, 17 May 2009 (in Spanish) In the latter campaign, he found the net in both matches against Real Madrid for 3–1 and 2–1 wins;Lardín: "Estoy asqueado del fútbol" (Lardín: "I've had it up to here with football"); El Mundo, 9 September 2002 (in Spanish)18 años en blanco (18 blank years); Diario Córdoba, 10 January 2015 (in Spanish)Así le ha ido al Madrid contra el Espanyol (This is how Madrid fared against Espanyol); Sport, 9 March 2023 (in Spanish) additionally, he helped his side to dispose of that opposition in the Copa del Rey with four goals in the 5–3 aggregate victory.Saben lo que es echar al Real (They know what ousting Real is); Mundo Deportivo, 20 January 2014 (in Spanish)
For 1997–98, Lardín signed with Atlético Madrid for 1.500 million pesetas, but would only appear significantly that season. A serious car accident in October 1997Lardín, herido de pronóstico reservado en un accidente de coche (Lardín, in serious condition after car accident); El País, 8 October 1997 (in Spanish) would not prevent his Spanish national team debut one month later, in a 1–1 friendly against Romania in Palma de Mallorca.España quiere ganar por primera vez en Palma (Spain want to win in Palma for the first time); Terra, 9 February 2003 (in Spanish)
After unassuming loan stints with his former club EspanyolLardín regresa al Espanyol cedido por el Atlético (Lardín returns to Espanyol loaned by Atlético); El País, 23 January 2001 (in Spanish) and Xerez CD in the Segunda División, Lardín retired from football at age 29 claiming to be "fed up" with the sport. He made a tentative comeback two years later, with modest CD Leganés.Arribas o Lardín, leyendas del Leganés con pasado perico (Arribas or Lardín, Leganés legends with a budgie past); Diario AS, 25 November 2016 (in Spanish)
On 28 November 2016, Lardín left his post as Espanyol's youth football coordinator and was appointed its director of football.Lardín: “Quiero hacer el mejor Espanyol de la historia” (Lardín: "I want to make the best Espanyol in history"); Mundo Deportivo, 28 November 2016 (in Spanish)
International career Lardín was part of the Spain squad at the 1996 Summer Olympics, playing all the matches as the national side reached the quarter-finals in Atlanta.Mágico gol de Óscar (Óscar wonder goal); Mundo Deportivo, 21 July 1996 (in Spanish)Óscar, otra vez vital (Óscar, crucial again); Mundo Deportivo, 23 July 1996 (in Spanish)Argentina, en el camino (Argentina, in the way); Mundo Deportivo, 26 July 1996 (in Spanish)Cuartos gafes (Jinxed last-eight); Mundo Deportivo, 29 July 1996 (in Spanish)
Honours Espanyol Segunda División: 1993–94El Espanyol, a por el cinco de cinco (Espanyol, out to make five in five); El Periódico, 7 May 2021 (in Spanish)
Spain U21 UEFA European Under-21 Championship runner-up: 1996Italia ya ganó un Europeo a España en el 1996 (Italy have already won European Championships against Spain in 1996) ; Orgullo Bianconero, 18 June 2013 (in Spanish)
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