Manuel_Lucena
Manuel Lucena
Spanish footballer
Manuel 'Manolo' Lucena Medina (born 18 November 1982) is a Spanish retired footballer who played as a central defender.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Manuel Lucena Medina | ||
| Date of birth | (1982-11-18) 18 November 1982 (age 41) | ||
| Place of birth | Granada, Spain | ||
| Height | 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Centre-back | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2000–2001 | Imperio Albolote | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2001–2002 | Arenas | ||
| 2002–2005 | Granada | 64 | (4) |
| 2004–2005 | → Marino (loan) | 32 | (6) |
| 2005 | Sporting Gijón | 3 | (0) |
| 2006–2013 | Granada | 181 | (15) |
| 2013–2014 | Mirandés | 11 | (0) |
| Total | 291 | (25) | |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
His professional career was mainly associated with Granada, with which he competed in all four major levels of Spanish football.[1]
Lucena was born in Granada, Andalusia. In 2002 he signed for his hometown's Granada CF, at the time in the Tercera División. After two years as a starter he was loaned to Marino de Luanco of Segunda División B, being first-choice in his only season as the Asturias club narrowly avoided relegation.[2]
In the summer of 2005, Lucena joined Sporting de Gijón in the Segunda División. In January 2006, with only three league appearances to his credit – seven minutes in total – he returned to Granada, scoring five goals as the team promoted from the fourth division.[2]
Lucena remained a key player in the following three third-tier campaigns, never appearing in less than 32 league games and occasionally pitching in at defensive midfielder.[3] In 2009–10, already as team captain, he contributed 26 matches and one goal en route to a return to division two after 22 years.[1]
In late June 2011, after a second consecutive promotion for Granada, with him as the club's only player from the region of Granada, Lucena renewed his contract for a further two seasons.[4][5] He made his La Liga debut on 27 August in a 0–1 home loss against Real Betis (90 minutes played),[6][1] but totalled only nine official games over two seasons, being released subsequently.
Lucena retired at the end of the 2013–14 campaign at the age of 31, following a spell with CD Mirandés in the second tier.[7] In February 2015, he returned to Granada as match delegate.[8]
- Lucena hace historia (Lucena makes history); Granada Hoy, 9 February 2011 (in Spanish)
- Manolo Lucena, el 'controller' rojiblanco (Manolo Lucena, red-and-black controller); Tablón Deportivo, 29 September 2010 (in Spanish)
- Rubén Castro hace justicia (Rubén Castro does justice); El País, 27 August 2011 (in Spanish)
- El Mirandés confirma el fichaje del defensa Lucena (Mirandés confirm signing of defender Lucena); Marca, 30 July 2013 (in Spanish)
- El Granada ficha de nuevo a Lucena (Granada sign Lucena again); Ideal, 10 February 2015 (in Spanish)
- Manuel Lucena at BDFutbol
- Manuel Lucena at Soccerway