Manuel Pablo facts for kids
Pablo playing for Deportivo in 2008
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Manuel Pablo García Díaz | ||
| Date of birth | 25 January 1976 | ||
| Place of birth | Arucas, Spain | ||
| Height | 1.76 m | ||
| Playing position | Right-back | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Deportivo La Coruña (youth) | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Las Palmas | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1994–1996 | Las Palmas B | 6 | (2) |
| 1994–1998 | Las Palmas | 57 | (1) |
| 1998–2016 | Deportivo La Coruña | 383 | (1) |
| Total | 446 | (4) | |
| National team | |||
| 1997 | Spain U21 | 1 | (0) |
| 1997 | Spain U23 | 2 | (0) |
| 2000–2004 | Spain | 13 | (0) |
| Teams managed | |||
| 2018–2021 | Deportivo B (assistant) | ||
| 2021– | Deportivo La Coruña (youth) | ||
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Manuel Pablo García Díaz (born January 25, 1976), known simply as Manuel Pablo, is a Spanish former professional footballer. He mostly played as a right-back, which means he was a defender on the right side of the field.
Manuel Pablo spent almost his entire career with Deportivo. He played in 482 official matches for the club. He was a key player when Deportivo won their only La Liga title in 2000. He also played for the Spanish national team 13 times.
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Playing for Deportivo La Coruña
Manuel Pablo was born in Arucas, Las Palmas, in the Canary Islands. He joined Deportivo de La Coruña in the summer of 1998 when he was 22 years old. Before that, he played for his hometown club, UD Las Palmas.
He played his first game in La Liga (Spain's top football league) on November 15, 1998. It was a 2–2 draw against Deportivo Alavés. In his first season, he played in 14 league matches.
Winning the La Liga Title
Manuel Pablo was a very important part of Deportivo's defense. The team, from Galicia, won the national championship in 2000. This was the only time in their history they won the league title! Manuel Pablo played in 37 league games that season, and 45 games in total.
Overcoming an Injury
On September 30, 2001, Manuel Pablo had a serious tibia injury. This happened during a televised match against RC Celta de Vigo. Because of this injury, he missed the rest of the season.
Manuel Pablo returned to play one year later. He played a full 90 minutes in a Copa del Rey (Spanish Cup) game. On October 6, 2002, he played in a league game again. He came on as a substitute in a match against Racing de Santander.
Strong Comeback and Later Years
By 2003–04, Manuel Pablo showed he was fully recovered. He played excellently on April 7, 2004, in a 4–0 win against AC Milan. This was in the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League, a big European club competition. Deportivo won 5–4 overall!
From the 2004–05 season onwards, he was the main right-back for Deportivo at their home stadium, Estadio Riazor. He continued to be a first-choice player for many years. In May 2009, he signed a new contract with Deportivo.
From 2009 to 2015, Manuel Pablo still played in 126 league games. During this time, Deportivo was relegated (moved down to a lower league) twice, but they also got promoted (moved back up) twice! On June 16, 2015, he extended his contract for another year.
Manuel Pablo retired from playing football on July 7, 2016, when he was 40 years old. He had played only five matches during his final season. After retiring, he continued to work with Deportivo. He became an assistant coach for the B team and later a youth head coach.
Playing for Spain
Manuel Pablo's great performances for Deportivo helped him get called up to the Spanish national team. He made his debut on August 16, 2000, in a friendly game against Germany. Spain lost that game 4–1. He played for his country 12 more times, making a total of 13 appearances.
Honours
Manuel Pablo won several important titles during his career, mostly with Deportivo:
- Deportivo
- La Liga: 1999–2000
- Supercopa de España: 2000
- Segunda División: 2011–12
- UEFA Intertoto Cup: 2008
See also
In Spanish: Manuel Pablo para niños
