The Albacete Balompié coach is present at GOAL at the Carlos Belmonte to take stock of his career as a coach.
Rubén Albés, born in Vigo in 1985, stands out as a rising voice in the Spanish Second Division. In this interview segment, the Albacete manager reflects on his coaching journey to date, sharing insights with a warm, approachable style that makes him feel like a person who truly loves football and enjoys discussing it. The conversation opens with his beginnings and his experiences abroad before turning to broader perspectives on football itself.
How does a 25-year-old from Vigo become the youngest coach in a national league far from his home country?
He recalls playing in amateur tiers and even in Segunda B, mostly on the fringes of squads while pursuing a degree in physical activity and sports. He started asking questions about the game, thinking deeply about tactics and structure. A turning point came when a contact offered him the chance to train at Valencia, leading to roles with the Alevín and Benjamin teams. Being part of a club like Valencia carried immense significance for him, even though he had already coached in other senior categories.
“We did solid work, and Burjassot was left without a coach for the following season. They proposed the role to me. With limited experience but abundant audacity, I embarked on that challenge. At the same time, I worked with the University of Valencia team, which competed in the Second Regional, and that remains the only title I have won.”
Then came an opportunity to travel to Morocco with Benito Floro. How did that connection evolve?
Albés explains that he met Floro through Floro’s son, Vicente. A cordial dinner at Floro’s home sparked a lively, often challenging exchange about football philosophies. The chance to move to Morocco arose suddenly when Floro asked him to join, presenting a bold chance to step outside his comfort zone and pursue new challenges, even if not all would yield sporting success. Those ventures, he notes, are important for personal growth.
Morocco proved to be a demanding but transformative experience. It was a place where football carried a distinctly passionate, culturally rich atmosphere. Albés speaks of the difficulties of adapting to different traditions and a new language, and of how a Spanish player and a Moroccan player respond differently to coaching. This period taught him the importance of tailoring approaches to diverse groups while maintaining clear standards.
“Benito Floro taught me to analyze until I found the solution”
Observers describe Floro as methodical and exacting in his early days, traits Albés attributes to a lasting influence. Late in Floro’s career, the approach became even more intense. Albés recalls long analysis sessions for each game, documenting positions and sequences, sometimes by hand and sometimes in spreadsheets. Floro’s insistence on deep analysis, even when it felt excessive, shaped Albés’ belief in protracted problem-solving and disciplined preparation.
After stints with Novelda and Eldense, opportunities arose to coach two subsidiaries in Valladolid and Vigo. What differences exist between guiding a reserve team and the first squad?
For Albés, reserve coaching offers a different rhythm: high-quality training facilities, talented players, and limited media pressure. The objective is more incremental, with less immediate emphasis on results. Players are younger and more open to new concepts, making it possible to instill ideas before ego and experience become entrenched.
In Vigo, the dynamics shifted. The team moved from a promotion push to a relegation fight within a year, a change driven by turnover and performance volatility. Players depart for the first team or other destinations, and a refreshed squad emerges with different expectations and pressure. This volatility, he notes, is part of football’s reality at a high level.
The emotional toll of coaching a club from one’s childhood dreams stands out. Albés describes the year in Vigo as emotionally demanding: the sense of responsibility toward a team that felt like a personal favorite adds weight to every decision. Yet the experience ended on a positive note, underscoring the complexity of leadership in moments of pressure and expectation.
Next came a move to Romania, a stint that carried its own set of dramatic twists. The club faced relegation danger, yet the team fought back with resilience, turning a bleak start into a sequence of wins and draws that generated a buzz around the young coach’s potential. He notes the challenges of garnering information and navigating a dressing room in a different football culture, where expectations and communication style differ markedly from Spain’s.
A second season brought stability and then a change in sports management that disrupted plans. Management shifts can constrain a coach, but Albés describes negotiating with the club president to reach an agreement and move on, highlighting the balance between ambition and organizational constraints in a coaching career.
When asked about his strongest virtue and his greatest flaw as a coach, Albés emphasizes energy and the ability to create a positive environment. He believes it is crucial to foster self-esteem and daily enjoyment of the profession, which helps players perform better. On the flip side, he admits to sometimes overcomplicating tactics, which can dampen the emotional bite that often drives success in matches. A coach’s instincts, he argues, should include emotion as a vital element of the game.
Connection with the locker room is another priority. Albés contends that genuine conviction among players, a bit of luck, and confidence are essential for top-tier performance. Without trust and a healthy climate, even the best plans can stall. He argues that every club strives to create a productive work environment, and in football, where emotions run high, that atmosphere can be the decisive factor in achieving results.
The story reflects a career built on curiosity, persistent learning, and a willingness to step into unfamiliar zones to grow. It is a narrative of a coach who values energy, dialogue, and the human side of football as much as tactical rigor. The account offers a window into how a young coach from Galicia navigated the sport across leagues and countries, shaping a perspective that blends technique with a deeply personal passion for the game.