Famous Spanish sportspeople

Rafael Nadal

Nadal is a Spanish professional tennis player. He started playing tennis at age 3. He is considered the best tennis player in the world. He won the record 11 Open French titles and the Olympic gold medal.

Pau Gasol

He is a Spanish professional basketball player who has won the NBA championship with the Lakers and two silver medals in the summer Olympics. He is currently playing for the Chicago Bulls.

Fernando Alonso

Fernando is a professional Formula One driver, the youngest ever to win Formula 1 World Champion when he was just 24 years old. He started with the Minardi team in 2001, and since then has been part of the Renault, McLaren and Ferrari team.

Iker Casillas

He is the best football goalkeeper in Spain and his talent has made him one of the best in the world. He began his football career in Real Madrid and has won the World Cup in 2010 and the European Championship twice.

Andres Iniesta

Iniesta is a Spanish professional football player who helped the national team win the European Championship in 2008 and 2012 and the World Championship in 2010, those three consecutively.

Mireia Belmonte

Mireia is a Spanish Olympic swimmer who has won two Olympic silver medals, making her the only professional swimmer in Spain to have done so. She has broken five world records in short course swimming and many other national records.

Miguel Induráin

Miguel is a former Spanish professional racing cyclist who has won five consecutive Tours de France, the only cyclist to have done so. He has also won other important races, such as the Giro d'Italia and La Vuelta a España.

Ángel Nieto

He was a professional Grand Prix motorcycle racer who was born in Zamora, Spain. His 23-year career has earned him 90 Grand Prix victories and 13 World Championships. Only racers like Valentino Rossi and Giacomo Agostini have managed to beat this record.

Gemma Mengual

She is a synchronised Spanish swimmer who has competed at three summer Olympics. She decided to retire in 2012 to focus on training the Spanish national synchronized swimming team, only to compete again three years later.

Seve Ballesteros

Ballesteros was a Spanish professional golfer who managed to be number one in the world and a relevant figure in the world of golf during the 80s and 90s. He managed to win a total of 90 tournaments throughout his career.

Pep Guardiola

He is a professional football coach and former Barcelona football team player, current manager of Manchester City club. Many consider him the best football manager in the world, and the most successful as he holds the record for the most wins in La Liga.

Marc Márquez

Marc is one of the most successful road racers in history, having won seven Grand Prix world championships. He has been part of the Repsol Honda team since he started his racing career.