Manolo Martínez
Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | Manuel Martínez Lara | ||
Date of birth | 15 June 1980 | ||
Place of birth | Bigastro, Spain | ||
Height | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) | ||
Position(s) | Defensive midfielder | ||
Team information | |||
Current team | Gimnàstic (assistant) | ||
Youth career | |||
Hércules | |||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
1998–2003 | Hércules | 118 | (5) |
2003–2007 | Gimnàstic | 77 | (4) |
2007–2010 | Tenerife | 111 | (1) |
2010–2013 | Recreativo | 89 | (1) |
2013–2014 | Levadiakos | 13 | (0) |
2014–2017 | Gimnàstic | 36 | (0) |
Total | 444 | (11) | |
Managerial career | |||
2023– | Gimnàstic (assistant) | ||
*Club domestic league appearances and goals |
Manuel 'Manolo' Martínez Lara (born 15 June 1980) is a Spanish football coach and former player who played mainly as a defensive midfielder but also as a central defender. He is the current assistant manager of Gimnàstic de Tarragona.
He appeared in 228 Segunda División matches over ten seasons, scoring a combined five goals for Hércules, Gimnàstic (two stints), Tenerife and Recreativo. He also competed professionally in Greece.
Club career
[edit]Born in Bigastro, Alicante, Valencian Community, Martínez started his professional career with local Hércules CF, as a central defender. After years spent almost exclusively in Segunda División B he had a brief spell in La Liga, playing three games for Gimnàstic de Tarragona and being released in the 2007 winter transfer window; his debut in the latter competition consisted of 55 minutes of a 1–2 home loss against RC Celta de Vigo, on 10 September 2006.[1]
Martínez then moved to CD Tenerife,[2] where he reconverted into a defensive midfielder, greatly helping the club return to the top division in 2009 after a seven-year hiatus. In the subsequent season he played more often than not in his secondary position – stopper – and his performances were overall poorer,[3] with the Canary Islands team being immediately relegated although it would only be certified in the last round against Valencia CF (0–1 away defeat).[4]
In July 2010, aged 30, Martínez did not renew his Tenerife contract and agreed a two-year deal with another club in Segunda División, Recreativo de Huelva.[5] On 10 July 2013 he moved abroad, joining Superleague Greece side Levadiakos FC.[6]
In February 2014, Martínez suffered a knee injury which sidelined him for the remainder of the campaign. He returned to action in July,[7] and subsequently signed a one-year contract with Gimnàstic;[8] during his second spell at the Nou Estadi de Tarragona he was severely hindered by physical problems,[9][10] and on 3 July 2017 he announced his retirement at the age of 37.[11]
References
[edit]- ^ Pagan cara su inexperiencia (Inexperience cost them dearly); Mundo Deportivo, 11 September 2006 (in Spanish)
- ^ El Tenerife confirma los fichajes de Manolo Martínez y Raúl Navas (Tenerife confirm signings of Manolo Martínez and Raúl Navas); Marca, 4 July 2007 (in Spanish)
- ^ Manolo Martínez: "Soy el Camacho del Tenerife" (Manolo Martínez: "I am Tenerife's Camacho"); Marca, 10 September 2009 (in Spanish)
- ^ El Tenerife llora en Mestalla (Tenerife cry in Mestalla); Marca, 16 May 2010 (in Spanish)
- ^ El Recreativo ficha a Manolo Martínez del Tenerife por dos temporadas (Recreativo sign Manolo Martínez from Tenerife for two seasons); Diario AS, 24 July 2010 (in Spanish)
- ^ Manolo Martínez inicia una aventura griega en el Levadiakos (Manolo Martínez starts a Greek adventure in Levadiakos) Archived 6 March 2014 at the Wayback Machine; Depor Press, 10 July 2013 (in Spanish)
- ^ Manolo Martínez ya tiene el alta (Manolo Martínez already has medical clearance); Diari de Tarragona, 16 July 2014 (in Spanish)
- ^ Manolo Martínez, oficialmente nuevo jugador del Nàstic (Manolo Martínez, officially new player of Nàstic); Gimnàstic Tarragona, 6 August 2014 (in Spanish)
- ^ Graves lesiones de Reina y Martínez en el Nástic (Serious injuries for Reina and Martínez at Nástic); El Periódico de Aragón, 15 August 2016 (in Spanish)
- ^ Manolo Martínez: “Se me está haciendo duro” (Manolo Martínez: “This is getting to be hard”); Depor Press, 1 March 2017 (in Spanish)
- ^ Gràcies, Manolo! (Thanks, Manolo!); Gimnàstic Tarragona, 3 July 2017 (in Catalan)
External links
[edit]- Manolo Martínez at BDFutbol
- Manolo Martínez at Futbolme (in Spanish)
- Manolo Martínez at Soccerway
- 1980 births
- Living people
- People from Vega Baja del Segura
- Footballers from the Province of Alicante
- Spanish men's footballers
- Men's association football defenders
- Men's association football midfielders
- Men's association football utility players
- La Liga players
- Segunda División players
- Segunda División B players
- Hércules CF players
- Gimnàstic de Tarragona footballers
- CD Tenerife players
- Recreativo de Huelva players
- Super League Greece players
- Levadiakos F.C. players
- Spanish expatriate men's footballers
- Expatriate men's footballers in Greece
- Spanish expatriate sportspeople in Greece