Manu del Moral facts for kids
Manu in action for Sevilla in 2011
|
|||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Manuel del Moral Fernández | ||
| Date of birth | 25 February 1984 | ||
| Place of birth | Jaén, Spain | ||
| Height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Forward | ||
| Team information | |||
|
Current team
|
Getafe B (manager) | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Jaén | |||
| 2001–2002 | Atlético Madrid | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2002–2006 | Atlético Madrid B | 71 | (11) |
| 2004–2006 | Atlético Madrid | 5 | (0) |
| 2004–2005 | → Recreativo (loan) | 33 | (4) |
| 2006–2011 | Getafe | 159 | (37) |
| 2011–2015 | Sevilla | 56 | (11) |
| 2013–2014 | → Elche (loan) | 24 | (2) |
| 2014–2015 | → Eibar (loan) | 28 | (3) |
| 2015–2016 | Valladolid | 25 | (3) |
| 2016–2018 | Numancia | 52 | (18) |
| 2018–2019 | Gimnàstic | 15 | (2) |
| 2019 | Rayo Majadahonda | 14 | (3) |
| Total | 482 | (94) | |
| International career | |||
| 2002–2003 | Spain U19 | 4 | (3) |
| 2002–2003 | Spain U20 | 9 | (0) |
| 2005 | Spain U23 | 5 | (2) |
| 2011 | Spain | 1 | (0) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2021–2022 | Cultural Asako Motril | ||
| 2024–2025 | Motril (assistant) | ||
| 2025 | Motril | ||
| 2025– | Getafe B | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Manuel "Manu" del Moral Fernández (born on February 25, 1984) is a Spanish former professional footballer. He played as a forward or winger. Today, he is the manager of Getafe CF B.
Manu played in 272 games and scored 53 goals in La Liga, which is Spain's top football league. He played for famous teams like Atlético Madrid, Getafe, Sevilla, Elche, and Eibar. He also played in the Segunda División (second division) for five other teams, appearing in 138 matches and scoring 29 goals.
He even played one game for the Spanish national team.
Contents
Manu's Football Journey
Starting at Atlético Madrid
Manu was born in Jaén, a city in Andalusia, Spain. He started playing football in his hometown with Real Jaén as a young player. Later, he joined the youth team of Atlético Madrid, a big club in Spain.
While at Atlético, he spent a year and a half on loan at Recreativo de Huelva in the second division. He played five games during his first year there. Even though he mostly played for Atlético Madrid's reserve team, Atlético Madrid B, he did play five games for the main Atlético Madrid team in the 2005–06 season. He usually came on as a substitute towards the end of games.
Time at Getafe CF
In 2006, Manu moved to Getafe CF, another team near Madrid. He scored his first goal in the top league on October 22, 2006, helping Getafe win 2–1 against his old loan team, Recreativo. He ended that season with eight goals, which was the second-highest for his team.
In the next season, he scored seven goals. This made him one of Getafe's top scorers. He also helped Getafe reach the quarter-finals of the UEFA Cup, which is a big European competition.
Even when another player, Roberto Soldado, joined the team, Manu still played in 29 league games in 2008–09. He often played as a winger, running down the sides of the field. On January 24, 2010, he scored the only goal in a game where Getafe beat his former club, Atlético Madrid, at home for the very first time. On November 7, after scoring against FC Barcelona, he became Getafe's all-time top scorer in the top division.
On March 14, 2011, Manu scored three goals against Athletic Bilbao in just 25 minutes. One of these goals was accidentally in his own net, but the game ended in a 2–2 draw. He finished the season with nine goals, helping Getafe avoid being moved down to a lower league.
Playing for Sevilla FC
On May 23, 2011, Manu signed a four-year contract with Sevilla FC for €4 million. He quickly became a regular player in Sevilla's starting team. On October 25, he scored a header in injury time to help his team get a 2–2 draw against Racing de Santander. He had also scored the first goal in that game.
In March 2012, Manu scored two goals in two different games, both of which Sevilla won 3–0 away from home. First, against Santander, and then in a local derby against Granada CF. After scoring only three goals in the 2012–13 season, he was loaned to Elche CF and SD Eibar. He scored a total of five goals for both clubs combined in the top league.
Later Years and Retirement
On August 27, 2015, Manu signed a one-year contract with Real Valladolid. He continued to play in the second division for the next few seasons. He played for teams like CD Numancia, Gimnàstic de Tarragona, and CF Rayo Majadahonda.
Manu del Moral announced that he was retiring from playing football on September 26, 2019, when he was 35 years old.
Playing for Spain
On June 7, 2011, after his best season with Getafe, Manu del Moral played his first game for the Spanish national team. He came on as a substitute for David Villa at half-time in a friendly game against Venezuela, which Spain won 3–0.
Manu's Coaching Career
After retiring as a player, Manu del Moral started his coaching career. On October 1, 2021, he became the manager of CD Cultural Asako Motril. He then moved to CF Motril in 2023. He first worked as a match delegate, then became an assistant coach in 2024, and was named the main manager of the club in January 2025.
On June 9, 2025, Manu del Moral agreed to return to Getafe CF on a one-year contract. He became the manager of their reserve team, Getafe CF B, which plays in the Segunda Federación league.
Awards and Achievements
Club Honours
Getafe
- Copa del Rey runner-up: Manu's team reached the final of the Spanish Cup twice, in 2006–07 and 2007–08, but didn't win the trophy.
International Honours
Spain U20 (Under 20 team)
- FIFA U-20 World Cup runner-up: Manu was part of the Spanish team that reached the final of the FIFA Under-20 World Cup in 2003.
Spain U23 (Under 23 team)
- Mediterranean Games: He won a gold medal with the Spanish Under-23 team at the 2005 Mediterranean Games.
See also
In Spanish: Manu del Moral para niños
