Former Real Madrid Footballer Javier Dorado Dies at 48

Javier Dorado, the former Real Madrid footballer, passed away on Thursday at the age of 48 in Palma de Mallorca, succumbing to cancer he had been battling for some time. Born in Talavera de la Reina in 1977, the defender began his career in the youth ranks of Real Madrid, making his debut in June 1999 during a Copa del Rey semi-final against Valencia.

With the white team, he won the Champions League in the 1999-00 season, before being loaned consecutively to Salamanca and Sporting, both in the Second Division, in search of playing time he lacked at Chamartín. Transferred in the summer of 2002 to Rayo Vallecano, Dorado established himself as a key central defender in the second tier during three seasons at Sporting, between 2003 and 2006, which propelled him to the top flight with Mallorca, where he retired in 2009 before a brief return at Baleares in the 2011-12 season.