Manolo Jiménez (footballer, born 1964) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Manolo Jiménez

Jiménez as manager of Sevilla in 2010
Personal information
Full name	Manuel Jiménez Jiménez
Date of birth	(1964-01-26) 26 January 1964 (age 61)
Place of birth	Arahal, Spain
Height	1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Position(s)	Left-back
Youth career
	Sevilla
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1981–1984	Sevilla B
1984–1997	Sevilla	354	(1)
1997–1998	Jaén	9	(0)
Total		363	(1)
International career
1986	Spain U21	1	(0)
1988	Spain U23	1	(0)
1988–1990	Spain	15	(0)
Managerial career
2000–2007	Sevilla B
2007–2010	Sevilla
2010–2011	AEK Athens
2011–2013	Zaragoza
2013–2015	Al-Rayyan
2017–2018	AEK Athens
2018	Las Palmas
2019	AEK Athens
2019–2020	Al Wahda
2020–2021	AEK Athens
2022–2023	Al Wahda
2024	Cerro Porteño
2024–2025	APOEL
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Manuel "Manolo" Jiménez Jiménez, born on January 26, 1964, is a Spanish former professional footballer. He played as a left-back, which is a defensive position on the left side of the field. After his playing career, he became a football manager.

Manolo Jiménez is well-known for his strong connection with Sevilla FC, a famous football club in Spain. He spent most of his playing career there and later returned to manage the team. He also played for the Spain national football team and represented his country at the 1990 FIFA World Cup.

As a coach, Jiménez has managed several teams, including four different times at AEK Athens F.C. in Greece. He also worked with clubs in Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.

Manolo Jiménez: A Football Journey

Playing Days: A Sevilla Legend

Early Career and Club Loyalty

Manolo Jiménez was born in Arahal, a town in the Province of Seville, Spain. He started his professional football journey with Sevilla FC. His first game in La Liga, Spain's top football league, was in the 1983–84 season.

He played for Sevilla for 14 seasons, showing great loyalty to his hometown club. During this time, he appeared in 413 official matches. He retired from playing in June 1998 when he was 34 years old. Before retiring, he spent one year playing for Real Jaén in the Segunda División, which is Spain's second-tier league.

Playing for Spain

Jiménez also had the honor of playing for the Spain national football team. He earned 15 "caps," which means he played in 15 international matches for his country. His first game for Spain was on October 12, 1988, in a friendly match against Argentina in Seville.

He was chosen to be part of Spain's squad for the 1990 FIFA World Cup. In this major tournament, he played in two matches: one against Uruguay in the group stage and another against Yugoslavia in the round of 16.

Coaching Career: Leading Teams

Coaching Sevilla

After retiring as a player, Manolo Jiménez began his coaching career. For seven seasons, he coached Sevilla Atlético, which is Sevilla's reserve team. He helped them get promoted to the second tier of Spanish football in the 2006–07 season.

On October 27, 2007, he became the manager of the main Sevilla FC team. He led the team to a fifth-place finish in his first season. In the 2008–09 season, they finished third, which meant they qualified for the UEFA Champions League, a very important European club competition.

In 2010, Jiménez guided Sevilla to the final of the Copa del Rey, a major Spanish cup competition. They even managed to beat Pep Guardiola's strong Barcelona team in the earlier stages. However, he was dismissed on March 24, 2010, after a series of draws and losses in league matches.

Coaching AEK Athens

On October 7, 2010, Jiménez moved to Greece to coach AEK Athens F.C.. His first game was a big 4–0 win against Aris Thessaloniki F.C.. His team finished third in the Greek Super League that season.

He won his second trophy as a manager on April 30, 2011, when AEK Athens defeated Atromitos F.C. 3–0 in the final of the Greek Football Cup. He left the club by mutual agreement on October 5, 2011.

Coaching Zaragoza and Al-Rayyan

Jiménez returned to Spain on December 31, 2011, to coach Real Zaragoza. He stayed with them until the end of the 2012–13 season. Unfortunately, the team was relegated to the second division that year.

On November 4, 2013, he signed with Al-Rayyan SC in Qatar. His team was relegated from the Qatar Stars League in his first season. However, they managed to get promoted back to the top league the following year. His contract with Al-Rayyan ended on May 20, 2015.

More Time at AEK Athens

Jiménez with AEK Athens in 2017

Jiménez returned to AEK Athens for a second time on January 19, 2017. He helped the team qualify for the group stage of a European competition after a six-year absence. This happened on August 24, 2017, after a 3–0 home win against Club Brugge KV in the UEFA Europa League play-off round.

At the end of the 2017–18 season, his team won the Greek national championship. This was a huge achievement, as it was the club's first league title in 24 years! Despite this success, he left the club on May 25, 2018, because they couldn't agree on a new contract.

Coaching Las Palmas and Beyond

On the same day he left AEK, Jiménez agreed to return to Spain to manage UD Las Palmas. This team had just been relegated from the top flight. However, he was dismissed from this role on November 16, 2018.

He returned to AEK Athens for a third time on February 5, 2019. Later that year, in October, he moved to the UAE Pro League to coach Al Wahda FC.

Jiménez had his fourth spell as manager of AEK Athens starting on December 27, 2020. He signed an 18-month deal but left at the end of the 2020–21 season.

In October 2022, Jiménez went back to Al Wahda. A year later, he became an advisor at Cerro Porteño, a club in Paraguay. Five months after joining as an advisor, he was appointed as the head coach of Cerro Porteño in March 2024. As of July 2025, he is managing APOEL FC in Cyprus.

Managerial Records

Manolo Jiménez's coaching record for different teams is shown in the table below:

Trophies and Awards

Managerial Honours

Manolo Jiménez has won several trophies as a manager:

• Sevilla B
  • Segunda División B: 2006–07
• AEK Athens
  • Super League Greece: 2017–18
  • Greek Football Cup: 2010–11
• Al-Rayyan
  • Qatari Second Division: 2014–15

Individual Awards

• Super League Greece Manager of the Season: 2017–18

See also

In Spanish: Manolo Jiménez Jiménez para niños