Pepe Portoles: A global football journey ends at 69

Spanish media was swept with very sad news. At the age of 69, Pepe Portoles has died. In recent days, his health has deteriorated.

One could list the clubs where Pepe Portoles worked for a long time. It's the best proof that he was a respected expert. He travelled a large part of the world thanks to football and could easily choose from offers.

Unfortunately, Portoles recently had a stroke. In recent days, he started to feel even worse. He was admitted to the hospital, where he, unfortunately, passed away. The sad news reached the Spanish media on Saturday, May 4th. The coach died at the age of 69.

Pepe Portoles previously worked at Real Madrid. In the '90s, he was a member of Benito Floro's coaching staff and responsible for the players' physical conditioning. "The Royals" mourned their former employee.

"Real Madrid, the president, and the entire board mourn the death of Pepe Portoles, the physical conditioning coach at our club from 1992-1994. During his time at Real, he won the Copa del Rey and the Supercopa de España. Real extends its condolences and sympathies to his family, colleagues, and all loved ones. May he rest in peace" - reads a statement on the Madrid club's website.

As a physical conditioning coach, Portoles also worked at teams like Albacete, Villarreal, Real Mallorca, and Sporting Gijon. Over time, he changed professions and became a sports director, which allowed him to travel extensively.

The Spaniard's CV includes clubs such as Millonarios (Colombia), Vissel Kobe (Japan), Palm Beach Premier (USA), Ludogorets Razgrad, and Lokomotiv Moscow (Russia). He also worked with the Costa Rica national team and was the director of a sports school in Valencia.