Samuel San José facts for kids
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 1 March 1984 | ||
| Place of birth | Santander, Spain | ||
| Height | 1.78 m | ||
| Playing position | Centre-back | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Escobedo (manager) | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Rayo Cantabria | |||
| Racing Santander | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2003–2006 | Racing B | 31 | (4) |
| 2005–2008 | Racing Santander | 8 | (0) |
| 2006–2007 | → Sporting Gijón (loan) | 33 | (0) |
| 2008 | → Las Palmas (loan) | 21 | (0) |
| 2008–2011 | Las Palmas | 68 | (2) |
| 2011–2014 | Ponferradina | 90 | (1) |
| 2014–2015 | Racing Santander | 22 | (0) |
| 2015–2016 | Atlético San Luis | 16 | (0) |
| 2016–2017 | Llagostera | 34 | (1) |
| 2017–2020 | Formentera | 89 | (2) |
| 2020–2023 | Escobedo | 67 | (0) |
| Total | 479 | (10) | |
| Teams managed | |||
| 2023– | Escobedo | ||
|
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Samuel San José Fernández (born 1 March 1984), known simply as Samuel or Samu, is a Spanish former professional footballer. He played as a central defender, which means he was a key player in the defense. Today, he is the manager of UM Escobedo.
Contents
Samu's Football Journey
Samu was born in Santander, a city in Cantabria, Spain. He grew up playing football in his hometown. He joined the youth team of Racing de Santander, a well-known club.
He first played for Racing Santander's main team on 11 September 2005. This was in a game against Cádiz CF, which his team lost 0–1 at home. During the 2005–06 season, he played in seven games. His team, Racing, finished 17th in La Liga, which is the top football league in Spain. They just managed to avoid being moved down to a lower league.
Playing for Other Teams
After that season, Samu went to play for Sporting de Gijón on loan for a year. This was in the Segunda División, which is the second-highest league in Spain.
He returned to Racing Santander, but not for long. In the middle of the 2007–08 season, he was loaned out again. This time, he went to UD Las Palmas, another team in the second division. He helped Las Palmas stay in their league.
After his loan, Samu decided to stay with Las Palmas. He signed a three-year contract. For the next three seasons, he played in about 23 games each year. His team always managed to stay in the second division.
Later Career and Promotion
Samu then played for teams in both the second and third divisions of Spanish football. He played for SD Ponferradina and later returned to Racing de Santander. With Ponferradina, he helped the team get promoted to a higher league in 2012.
In 2015–16, Samu played football in Mexico. He joined Atlético San Luis in the Ascenso MX league there.
After his time in Mexico, Samu came back to Spain. He finished his playing career at 39 years old. He played for teams in lower leagues, including UD Llagostera, SD Formentera, and finally UM Escobedo.
Becoming a Manager
Right after he stopped playing football, Samu became the manager of his last club, UM Escobedo. This happened in 2023.
He quickly found success as a manager. On 19 May 2024, his team, Escobedo, won their group in the Tercera Federación league. This meant they were promoted to the Segunda Federación, a higher league. Because of this success, Samu signed a new contract to stay as manager for another year.
See also
In Spanish: Samuel San José para niños
