Manu del Moral facts for kids
Manu in action for Sevilla in 2011
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| 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 | ||
| 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) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Manuel "Manu" del Moral Fernández (born 25 February 1984) is a Spanish former professional footballer. He played mainly as a forward, which means he was a goal scorer. Sometimes, he also played as a winger, helping his team attack from the sides of the field.
Manu played in 272 games in La Liga, which is Spain's top football league. He scored 53 goals for teams like Atlético Madrid, Getafe, Sevilla, Elche, and Eibar. He also played in the Segunda División, Spain's second league, for five other teams. There, he appeared in 138 matches and scored 29 goals. Manu even played one game for the Spanish national team.
Contents
Manu's Early Football Journey
Manu was born in Jaén, a city in Andalusia, Spain. He started playing football when he was young with his local team, Real Jaén. Later, he joined the youth team of Atlético Madrid, a very famous club. At Atlético, he played alongside another talented player named Braulio.
While at Atlético, Manu also spent some time playing on loan for Recreativo de Huelva in the second division. A "loan" means a player temporarily plays for another team. He played five games for Atlético Madrid's main team in the 2005–06 season, usually coming in as a substitute late in the game.
Playing for Getafe CF
In 2006, Manu moved to Getafe CF, another team near Madrid. He scored his first top-league goal on 22 October 2006 against his old loan team, Recreativo. He ended that season with eight goals, which was the second-highest for Getafe.
The next season, 2007–08, Manu scored seven goals. He was Getafe's top scorer along with Juan Ángel Albín. He also helped Getafe reach the quarter-finals of the UEFA Cup, a big European competition.
When Roberto Soldado joined Getafe, Manu played a bit less in 2008–09. However, he still played in 29 league games, often as a winger. On 24 January 2010, Manu scored the only goal in a game where Getafe beat Atlético Madrid for the first time at home. Later, on 7 November, he scored against FC Barcelona, becoming Getafe's all-time top scorer in the top division.
On 14 March 2011, Manu had an exciting game against Athletic Bilbao. He scored three goals in just 25 minutes! One of those was an own goal, meaning he accidentally scored for the other team. The game ended in a 2–2 draw. He finished that season with nine goals, helping Getafe avoid being moved down to a lower league.
Time with Sevilla FC
On 23 May 2011, Manu signed a four-year contract with Sevilla FC for €4 million. He quickly became a key player for Sevilla. On 25 October, 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, helping Sevilla win 3–0 both times. 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 five goals combined for these two clubs.
Later Career and Retirement
On 27 August 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 football on 26 September 2019. He was 35 years old when he stopped playing professionally.
Playing for Spain
On 7 June 2011, after a great season with Getafe, Manu del Moral played his first game for the Spanish national team. He came on as a substitute for famous player David Villa during half-time in a friendly match against Venezuela. Spain won that game 3–0.
Football Achievements
Manu achieved some notable things during his career:
Club Honours
Getafe
- Copa del Rey runner-up: 2006–07, 2007–08 (This means Getafe reached the final of the Spanish Cup twice but didn't win.)
International Honours
Spain U20
- FIFA U-20 World Cup runner-up: 2003 (Manu's team reached the final of the Under-20 World Cup.)
Spain U23
- Mediterranean Games: 2005 (He won a gold medal with the Spanish Under-23 team at the Mediterranean Games.)
See also
In Spanish: Manu del Moral para niños
