arrive at the club. He was relatively important during his debut campaign, also helping the Che to win the Copa del Rey. However, after having appeared very rarely in the first part of the following season, Helguera's contract was cancelled on 12 December 2008, and both FC Dinamo București and Los Angeles Galaxy declared interest in signing the player, but nothing came of it and he retired from football later that year. International career Helguera was capped 47 times for Spain, the first coming on 18 November 1998 in an away friendly with Italy (2–2). He played for his country at UEFA Euro 2000, the 2002 FIFA World Cup and Euro 2004, missing the 2006 World Cup after being omitted from the squad in the months before the tournament by national team coach Luis Aragonés. Personal life Helguera's younger brother, Luis, was also a professional footballer. A midfielder, he played in the first division for Real Zaragoza and Deportivo Alavés, and also in Italy. He married his longtime girlfriend Lorena, and welcomed his first baby, a boy named Luca, on 30 November 2005. Career statistics Club International Scores and results list Spain's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Helguera goal. Honours Real Madrid La Liga: 2000–01, 2002–03, 2006–07 Supercopa de España: 2003 UEFA Champions League: 1999–2000, 2001–02 Intercontinental Cup: 2002 UEFA Super Cup: 2002 Valencia Copa del Rey: 2007–08 References External links 1975 births Living people Spanish footballers Footballers from Santander, Spain Association football defenders Association football midfielders La Liga players Segunda División players Segunda División B players Tercera División players Rayo Cantabria players Albacete Balompié players RCD Espanyol footballers Real Madrid CF players Valencia CF players Serie A players A.S. Roma players UEFA Champions League winning players Spain international footballers UEFA Euro 2000 players 2002 FIFA World Cup players UEFA Euro 2004 players Spanish expatriate footballers Expatriate footballers in Italy Spanish expatriate sportspeople in Italy Spanish football managers Segunda División B managers