Toñito

Toñito
Personal information
Full name	Antonio Jesús García González
Date of birth	24 February 1977 (age 47)
Place of birth	La Orotava, Spain
Height	1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)
Position(s)	Attacking midfielder
Youth career
	Tenerife
Senior career*
Years	Team
1995–1997	Tenerife B
1997–1999	Vitória Setúbal
1999–2004	Sporting CP
2001–2002	→ Santa Clara (loan)
2004–2005	Boavista
2005–2006	Tenerife
2006–2007	Rijeka
2007–2008	União Leiria
2008	Ionikos
2009	AEK Larnaca
Total
	*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Antonio Jesús García González (born 24 February 1977), known as Toñito, is a Spanish former footballer who played mainly as an attacking midfielder.

He spent most of his professional career in Portugal where he represented five clubs (mainly Sporting), amassing Primeira Liga totals of 207 games and 24 goals.

Club career

Toñito was born in La Orotava, Tenerife. A player with skill and teamwork approach alike, he started playing professionally with hometown club CD Tenerife. After having made no appearances for the first team, he moved to Portugal for the 1997–98 season and joined Vitória de Setúbal, going on to represent in the country Sporting CP, C.D. Santa Clara – loaned, where he joined Mauricio Hanuch, also on loan^[1]– and Boavista FC; he played an important part in Sporting's conquest of the 2000 Primeira Liga championship, their first in 18 years, playing 28 games although 25 of those were as a substitute.^[2]

In the 2005–06 campaign, Toñito returned to Spain and Tenerife, with the club now in the second division, scoring seven league goals including two in a 3–2 away win against Racing de Ferrol on 27 May 2006, before he was stretchered off.^[3] After a quick spell in Croatia with HNK Rijeka he returned to Portugal, netting a late equaliser for U.D. Leiria at former side Sporting (1–1 in Lisbon),^[4] although his team would eventually drop down a level.

For 2008–09, Toñito moved to Greece's Ionikos FC. However, in January 2009, he switched to Cyprus and AEK Larnaca FC, reuniting with former Sporting teammate Elpídio Silva; he retired from the game at the end of the season, aged 32.

Honours

Sporting

References

^ Toñito e Hanuch impedidos de actuar (Toñito and Hanuch prevented from playing) Archived 24 September 2015 at the Wayback Machine; Record, 16 October 2001 (in Portuguese)
^ Toñito: «Esperava ser titular» (Toñito: «I expected to be a starter»); Record, 6 October 2000 (in Portuguese)
^ El Racing de Ferrol certifica su descenso tras caer con el Tenerife (Racing de Ferrol confirm relegation after being downed by Tenerife); Marca, 27 May 2006 (in Spanish)
^ Vukcevic entrou em pânico (Vukcevic panicked); Record, 4 December 2007 (in Portuguese)

External links

Toñito at BDFutbol
Toñito at ForaDeJogo (archived)
Toñito at WorldFootball.net

[1] Toñito e Hanuch impedidos de actuar (Toñito and Hanuch prevented from playing) Archived 24 September 2015 at the Wayback Machine; Record, 16 October 2001 (in Portuguese)

[2] Toñito: «Esperava ser titular» (Toñito: «I expected to be a starter»); Record, 6 October 2000 (in Portuguese)

[3] El Racing de Ferrol certifica su descenso tras caer con el Tenerife (Racing de Ferrol confirm relegation after being downed by Tenerife); Marca, 27 May 2006 (in Spanish)

[4] Vukcevic entrou em pânico (Vukcevic panicked); Record, 4 December 2007 (in Portuguese)

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