Cristóbal Parralo · Biography

Cristóbal Parralo Aguilera was born on 21 August 1967 in Priego de Córdoba and learned the game in Catalonia, first in the youth system of CF Damm and then at FC Barcelona. A defender, he played for Barcelona, Real Oviedo, CD Logroñés, RCD Espanyol and Paris Saint-Germain. He won six caps for Spain and, after retiring in 2003, worked as a sporting director and as a coach.

Youth football and first steps at Barcelona

He moved from Damm to Barcelona and by the 1986-87 season was in the reserve side, playing 41 league games for them. He made his first-team debut in 1987-88, the season in which the club won the Copa del Rey. Looking for playing time, he went on loan to Real Oviedo in 1988-89. He then joined CD Logroñés, where he spent two seasons, from 1989 to 1991, and established himself in La Liga with 72 league appearances and five goals.

Back at Barcelona, then Oviedo

In the summer of 1991 he returned to Johan Cruyff’s Barcelona. He played eleven league games in a season in which the team won the title and its first European Cup, at Wembley in May 1992. When that campaign ended he went back to Real Oviedo, this time on a permanent deal. He stayed three seasons, from 1992 to 1995, making 109 league appearances and scoring twice.

Six seasons at Espanyol

In 1995 he signed for RCD Espanyol, the club where he spent the longest part of his professional career. Between 1995 and 2001 he played 214 league games and scored two goals. In 1999-2000 he won the Copa del Rey with the Barcelona side. During the same period he played twice for the Catalonia team, in 1998 and 1999.

The last chapter in Paris

In 2001 he moved to France to join Paris Saint-Germain. In his first summer there he won the UEFA Intertoto Cup of 2001, and in 2002-03 the team reached the Coupe de France final, which it lost. He played 63 league games over two seasons and retired in 2003. Including his time with Barcelona’s reserves, he finished his career with 558 league appearances and 14 goals.

Spain international

Before reaching the senior side he played five games for the under-18s and eight for the under-21s. He made his debut for the Spain national team on 4 September 1991 in a friendly against Uruguay in Oviedo. His only goal came on 24 February 1993 at the Benito Villamarín in Seville, where he opened the scoring in a 5-0 win over Lithuania in qualifying for the 1994 World Cup. He won six caps between 1991 and 1993.

Sporting director and first coaching jobs

After hanging up his boots he returned to Espanyol in November 2003 as assistant to Luis Fernández. A month later he became sporting director, a role he held until 2006. His first job as a head coach came in 2009 at Peña Deportiva of Santa Eulària, who were relegated to the Tercera División. Later that year he took charge of Girona, but was dismissed in October 2009 after a single win in the first nine matchdays. From 2012 to 2016 he coached the Damm under-19 A team, at the club where he had started out.

From Fabril to Gimnàstic

In June 2016 he took over Deportivo Fabril, the reserve side of Deportivo de La Coruña, and in 2017 led them to promotion to the Segunda División B. In October 2017 he replaced Pepe Mel in charge of the first team in La Liga, and was sacked in February 2018 after winning three of his fifteen matches. He went on to coach AD Alcorcón, from June 2018 to July 2019, and Racing de Santander, from November 2019 to February 2020.

In February 2021 he arrived at Racing Club de Ferrol. He took them to a promotion play-off, lost to Gimnàstic de Tarragona, and in 2023 won promotion to the Spanish second division as group winners in the Primera Federación. He was dismissed in January 2025 after a 6-0 defeat to Racing de Santander. In November 2025 he took charge of Gimnàstic de Tarragona in the Primera Federación, and the club sacked him in March 2026, a day after a 4-1 loss to Eldense.