Trashorras · Biography

On 8 August 2001 Roberto Trashorras Gayoso played his first official match for FC Barcelona’s first team. It was a Champions League qualifier against Wisła Kraków, and Carles Rexach sent him on in the 86th minute for Luis Enrique. He was born on 28 February 1981 in Rábade, in the province of Lugo, and played in midfield. His career lasted almost two decades. He played for Barcelona’s reserve side, Real Madrid Castilla, Numancia, Las Palmas and Celta, and finished at Rayo Vallecano, where he spent seven seasons and was captain.

From Villalba to Barcelona’s academy

He came through the ranks at Racing Club Villalbés and moved to Barcelona’s youth system in the mid-1990s. He started out as a centre-forward, but Quique Costas turned him into an attacking midfielder, the role from which he would later run games. In 1999 he played for Barcelona C, scoring four goals in nine matches, and moved up to Barcelona B the same year. He spent four seasons with the reserves, playing 107 league games and scoring 29 goals. There he picked up the nickname “the little wizard of the Mini”, after the Miniestadi, the reserve team’s ground. In the same years he played for Spain’s youth teams: the under-16s in 1997, the under-17s between 1998 and 1999, the under-18s between 1999 and 2000 and the under-20s in 2001.

A La Liga debut with Barcelona

He reached the first team in the 2001-02 season. After his European debut against Wisła, he made his first appearance in the Spanish top flight in October 2001 at Riazor, against Deportivo de La Coruña. He replaced Alfonso Pérez in the second half and Barcelona lost 2-1. It was his only league game for the first team. He stayed with the reserves until 2003. At the end of August that year he obtained his release and signed for Real Madrid.

Castilla, Numancia and Las Palmas

At Real Madrid he only played for the reserve side, Real Madrid Castilla. Between 2003 and 2005 he made 65 league appearances and scored 10 goals. In October 2005 he joined Numancia in the Spanish second division, where he played little: 12 matches and one goal in 2005-06. In 2006 he signed for UD Las Palmas, and that move established him in professional football. In two seasons with the Canary Islands club he played 62 league games and scored 11 goals.

Three seasons at Celta

In July 2008 he signed for Celta Vigo, then in the Spanish second division. He spent three seasons in Vigo, with 107 league appearances and 17 goals. His best year was 2009-10, with 9 goals in 38 matches. That season Celta reached the quarter-finals of the Copa del Rey. Trashorras scored in the 1-1 first leg in Madrid against Atlético, who went through 2-1 on aggregate. On 11 August 2011 he agreed to end his contract with the Galician club.

Captain of Rayo Vallecano

Later that month, in August 2011, he joined Rayo Vallecano, who had just been promoted to La Liga. He played 29 league games in his first season at Vallecas. He became a regular starter and later captain. Under Paco Jémez, Rayo finished eighth in 2012-13. In 2016 the team finished 18th on 38 points and went down to the second division. He stayed on as captain. On 31 January 2018, after seven seasons, he left by terminating his contract. On 21 February the club held a farewell event for him, attended by president Raúl Martín Presa. After several months without a club, he announced his retirement on Twitter on 29 August 2018. Across all his clubs, reserve sides included, he played 574 league games and scored 80 goals.

From the pitch to the dugout

His coaching career began in the province of Lugo. On 27 July 2021 he joined CD Lugo’s academy, where he coached the Juvenil B side. In June 2022 he took over Polvorín, the club’s reserve team. He left on 28 June 2023 and returned to the same job in December that year. On 19 February 2024, after Paulo Alves was sacked, he was appointed head coach of Lugo’s first team in Primera Federación. He took charge of 14 matches, with four wins, four draws and six defeats. The team missed the promotion play-offs, and on 3 June 2024 he left the club by mutual consent.