Jesús Seba
Encyclopedia
Jesús Seba Hernández is a retired Spanish
professional footballer who played mostly as a forward.
Mostly associated to Real Zaragoza
, he is also known as one of the 'Three Amigos', the collective name given to the first three Spanish footballers to play in the English Football League
, as he had signed with Wigan Athletic
.
, Aragon
. He made his professional - and top-level
- début at the age of 18 for local Real Zaragoza
, in a 1–1 draw against Real Sociedad
; he would garner praise for his early performances, ultimately leading to a call-up for the Spain under-21 team
- notably scoring twice against Boldklubben Frem
for the 1992–93 UEFA Cup (eventually 6–1 aggregate win).
However, in March 1993, Seba suffered a serious ankle
tear when attempting a turn in a Copa del Rey
match. The injury would stunt his development and later prove a turning point in his career, as he would figure sparingly in topflight football during the following seasons.
After a loan in the second division
with Villarreal CF
, Seba was released by Zaragoza and snapped on a free transfer by England
's Wigan Athletic
, for the start of the 1995–96 season.
- also his teammate at Zaragoza - and Isidro Díaz
, drafted in by new Chairman Dave Whelan in the summer of 1995. The signings were a real coup for an English Third Division
club, especially considering Football League teams rarely searched for talent abroad in the mid-90s, and that Seba was also an under-21 international. 'Jesus is a Wiganer' was an early joke at the club, and Spanish flags adorned Springfield Park
on matchdays, as Spanish fever gripped the town's football supporters.
Seba would score for his new club with his first touch, in a pre-season friendly, and made his début in the opening match of the league campaign against Gillingham
, before grabbing his first goal in his first game at home (also league), a 2–1 defeat of Scunthorpe United
.
Following a series of good results, aided by a string of impressive performances from Seba, Wigan were made early favourites for the Third Division Championship. Mid-season, however, the player found himself on the fringes of the first team, and with the club's league position only 'satisfactory', manager Graham Barrow
was sacked following a 6–2 loss to Mansfield Town
. Caretaker manager Frank Lord
reinstated Seba to the first team and oversaw a 4–0 win over Exeter City
, in which the player scored two goals.
Seba was immediately dropped by new manager John Deehan
, however, and would later see his appearances limited to mainly substitute roles, as he struggled to find form in the latter half of the season. He made just two appearances, both from the bench, in the first couple of months of the 1996–97 season, and played his final game for Wigan on 7 September 1996, 30 minutes against Scunthorpe.
Seba then had trials at Burnley
and Bristol Rovers
, before being allowed to leave the club by Deehan in October 1996, having started 11 games and appearing as a substitute on sixteen further occasions for Wigan. Of the three Spaniards, he found it most difficult to settle, and his struggle to grasp the English language was another contributory factor in his departure.
, only playing once for the first squad, during the 1–3 home loss to SD Compostela
, on the final day of the 1996–97 season. He then had a four-year spell in Portugal
, playing for G.D. Chaves and C.F. Os Belenenses, where a heart condition whilst with the latter put his career on hold.
He eventually recovered, but spent his later years in Segunda División B
(Orihuela CF
, CF Palencia
) or lower - during his four-year stint at amateur Andorra CF
, he served as club captain and was a highly popular figure.
After considering retirement at the end of the 2008–09 season, Seba decided to return to CD Oliver, the club that gave him his professional break. Upon joining, he expressed his desire to finish his career at the club at which he began more than twenty years earlier.
, against Castile and León
in 2002 and Chile
in December 2006.
The latter, a 1–0 victory, was Aragon's first fixture against a FIFA
-accredited international team.
ranking amongst his closest friends.
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
professional footballer who played mostly as a forward.
Mostly associated to Real Zaragoza
Real Zaragoza
Real Zaragoza, S.A.D. is a Spanish association football team from Zaragoza in Spain. Founded on 18 March 1932, Real Zaragoza have spent the majority of their 78 year history in the Spanish top-flight. Real Zaragoza are Spain's 9th highest ranked team in overall league points...
, he is also known as one of the 'Three Amigos', the collective name given to the first three Spanish footballers to play in the English Football League
The Football League
The Football League, also known as the npower Football League for sponsorship reasons, is a league competition featuring professional association football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest such competition in world football...
, as he had signed with Wigan Athletic
Wigan Athletic F.C.
Wigan Athletic Football Club is an English Premier League Association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, having been promoted from the Championship in 2005. Wigan's current spell in the Premier League is the only top flight run in the club's history.They have played at the DW...
.
Real Zaragoza
Seba was born in ZaragozaZaragoza
Zaragoza , also called Saragossa in English, is the capital city of the Zaragoza Province and of the autonomous community of Aragon, Spain...
, Aragon
Aragon
Aragon is a modern autonomous community in Spain, coextensive with the medieval Kingdom of Aragon. Located in northeastern Spain, the Aragonese autonomous community comprises three provinces : Huesca, Zaragoza, and Teruel. Its capital is Zaragoza...
. He made his professional - and top-level
La Liga
The Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...
- début at the age of 18 for local Real Zaragoza
Real Zaragoza
Real Zaragoza, S.A.D. is a Spanish association football team from Zaragoza in Spain. Founded on 18 March 1932, Real Zaragoza have spent the majority of their 78 year history in the Spanish top-flight. Real Zaragoza are Spain's 9th highest ranked team in overall league points...
, in a 1–1 draw against Real Sociedad
Real Sociedad
Real Sociedad de Fútbol, S.A.D. is a Spanish football club based in the city of San Sebastián, Basque Country, founded on 7 September 1909...
; he would garner praise for his early performances, ultimately leading to a call-up for the Spain under-21 team
Spain national under-21 football team
The Spain national under-21 football team, is the national under-21 football team of Spain and is controlled by the Royal Spanish Football Federation. The team, nicknamed La Rojita , competes in the biannual European Under-21 Football Championship.Following the realignment of UEFA's youth...
- notably scoring twice against Boldklubben Frem
Boldklubben Frem
Boldklubben Frem is a Danish sports club based in the Valby-Sydhavnen area of Copenhagen. It is best known for its semi-professional football team. Since its foundation in 1886, Frem has won the Danish Championships six times and the Danish Cup twice...
for the 1992–93 UEFA Cup (eventually 6–1 aggregate win).
However, in March 1993, Seba suffered a serious ankle
Ankle
The ankle joint is formed where the foot and the leg meet. The ankle, or talocrural joint, is a synovial hinge joint that connects the distal ends of the tibia and fibula in the lower limb with the proximal end of the talus bone in the foot...
tear when attempting a turn in a Copa del Rey
Copa del Rey
The Copa del Rey is an annual football cup competition for Spanish football teams. Its full name is Campeonato de España – Copa de Su Majestad el Rey de Fútbol ....
match. The injury would stunt his development and later prove a turning point in his career, as he would figure sparingly in topflight football during the following seasons.
After a loan in the second division
Segunda División
The Segunda División is the lower tier of the two professional football leagues in Spain. From the season 2008-09 onwards, the name of the league is Liga Adelante.-History:...
with Villarreal CF
Villarreal CF
Villarreal Club de Fútbol, S.A.D. , usually abbreviated to Villarreal CF or just Villarreal, is a Spanish Primera División football club based in Vila-real, a city in the province of Castellón within the Valencian Community...
, Seba was released by Zaragoza and snapped on a free transfer by England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
's Wigan Athletic
Wigan Athletic F.C.
Wigan Athletic Football Club is an English Premier League Association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, having been promoted from the Championship in 2005. Wigan's current spell in the Premier League is the only top flight run in the club's history.They have played at the DW...
, for the start of the 1995–96 season.
Wigan Athletic
Seba came to Wigan as one of the 'Three Amigos', alongside Roberto MartínezRoberto Martínez
Roberto Martínez Montoliú is a Spanish former professional footballer and is currently manager of Wigan Athletic.Martínez played as a midfielder and began his career at lower league Spanish side CF Balaguer. Two years later he went to English Division Three side Wigan Athletic...
- also his teammate at Zaragoza - and Isidro Díaz
Isidro Díaz
Isidro Díaz Bernabé is a retired Spanish footballer who played as a right midfielder.-Football career:Born in Valencia, Díaz spent his first years as a senior in the Tercera División, with the exception of the 1992–93 season, which ended in relegation from Segunda División B with Real Zaragoza's...
, drafted in by new Chairman Dave Whelan in the summer of 1995. The signings were a real coup for an English Third Division
Football League Two
Football League Two is the third-highest division of The Football League and fourth-highest division overall in the English football league system....
club, especially considering Football League teams rarely searched for talent abroad in the mid-90s, and that Seba was also an under-21 international. 'Jesus is a Wiganer' was an early joke at the club, and Spanish flags adorned Springfield Park
Springfield Park (Wigan)
Springfield Park was a multi-purpose stadium in Wigan, England. It was the home ground of Wigan Athletic F.C. until the club moved to the new JJB Stadium after the 1999 season. At its largest, the stadium held 40,000...
on matchdays, as Spanish fever gripped the town's football supporters.
Seba would score for his new club with his first touch, in a pre-season friendly, and made his début in the opening match of the league campaign against Gillingham
Gillingham F.C.
Gillingham Football Club is an English professional football club based in the town of Gillingham, Kent. The only Kent-based club in the Football League, they play their home matches at the Priestfield Stadium...
, before grabbing his first goal in his first game at home (also league), a 2–1 defeat of Scunthorpe United
Scunthorpe United F.C.
Scunthorpe United Football Club is an English association football team based in the town of Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire, who play in the Football League One....
.
Following a series of good results, aided by a string of impressive performances from Seba, Wigan were made early favourites for the Third Division Championship. Mid-season, however, the player found himself on the fringes of the first team, and with the club's league position only 'satisfactory', manager Graham Barrow
Graham Barrow
Graham Barrow is an English former footballer who has since become a lower division manager. He is currently part of the coaching staff at Premier League side Wigan Athletic, where he has previously been both a player and manager.-Barrow the Player:Barrow first entered the Football League at the...
was sacked following a 6–2 loss to Mansfield Town
Mansfield Town F.C.
Mansfield Town Football Club is an English football club from the former mining town of Mansfield, Nottinghamshire. The club was formed in 1897 as Mansfield Wesleyans and changed its name to Mansfield Wesley in 1906 before settling on Mansfield Town in 1910...
. Caretaker manager Frank Lord
Frank Lord
Frank Lord was an English footballer and manager. He played as a centre-forward, with a goalscoring ratio of nearly 1 goal in every 2 league matches...
reinstated Seba to the first team and oversaw a 4–0 win over Exeter City
Exeter City F.C.
Exeter City Football Club is an English football club, based in Exeter, which is owned by its fans through the Exeter City Supporters Trust.The club was a member of the Football League from 1920 to 2003...
, in which the player scored two goals.
Seba was immediately dropped by new manager John Deehan
John Deehan
John Matthew Deehan is an English former footballer who in recent years has had several spells in coaching and management. He is currently unemployed having previously held the position of Director of football at Grimsby Town....
, however, and would later see his appearances limited to mainly substitute roles, as he struggled to find form in the latter half of the season. He made just two appearances, both from the bench, in the first couple of months of the 1996–97 season, and played his final game for Wigan on 7 September 1996, 30 minutes against Scunthorpe.
Seba then had trials at Burnley
Burnley F.C.
Burnley Football Club are a professional English Football League club based in Burnley, Lancashire. Nicknamed the Clarets, due to the dominant colour of their home shirts, they were founder members of the Football League in 1888...
and Bristol Rovers
Bristol Rovers F.C.
Bristol Rovers Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Bristol, that competes in Football League Two. The team plays its home matches at the Memorial Stadium, in the Horfield area of the city....
, before being allowed to leave the club by Deehan in October 1996, having started 11 games and appearing as a substitute on sixteen further occasions for Wigan. Of the three Spaniards, he found it most difficult to settle, and his struggle to grasp the English language was another contributory factor in his departure.
Spain and Portugal
In the 1996, Seba returned to his country and Zaragoza, but spent almost two years appearing for the reserve teamReal Zaragoza B
Real Zaragoza B is a Spanish football club based in Zaragoza, in the autonomous community of Aragon. Founded in 1962, it is the reserve team of Real Zaragoza, and currently plays in Segunda División B – Group 3, holding home matches at Ciudad Deportiva Real Zaragoza, with a capacity of 2,500...
, only playing once for the first squad, during the 1–3 home loss to SD Compostela
SD Compostela
Sociedade Deportiva Compostela also known as Compostela is a Spanish football team based in Santiago de Compostela, in the autonomous community of Galicia. Founded on 26 June 1962, it currently plays in Preferente Autonómica.-History:...
, on the final day of the 1996–97 season. He then had a four-year spell in Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
, playing for G.D. Chaves and C.F. Os Belenenses, where a heart condition whilst with the latter put his career on hold.
He eventually recovered, but spent his later years in Segunda División B
Segunda División B
Segunda División B is the third level of the Spanish football league system. It is administered by the RFEF. The top two levels are La Liga, also referred to as the Primera División, and the Segunda División. Immediately below Segunda División B is the Tercera Division...
(Orihuela CF
Orihuela CF
Orihuela Club de Fútbol is a Spanish football team based in Orihuela, in the Valencian Community. Founded in 1993, it plays in Segunda División B – Group 3, holding home games at Municipal Los Arcos, with a capacity of 5,000 seats.-History:...
, CF Palencia
CF Palencia
Club de Fútbol Palencia is a Spanish football team based in Palencia, in the autonomous community of Castile and León. Founded in 1975, it plays in Segunda División B - Group 2, holding home games at Estadio La Nueva Balastera, with a capacity of 12,500 spectators.-History:Palencia has had many...
) or lower - during his four-year stint at amateur Andorra CF
Andorra CF
Andorra Club de Fútbol is a Spanish football team based in Andorra, Teruel, in the autonomous community of Aragon. Founded in 1957, it plays in Segunda División B – Group 3, holding home games at Estadio Juan Antonio Endeiza, with a capacity of 3,000 seats....
, he served as club captain and was a highly popular figure.
After considering retirement at the end of the 2008–09 season, Seba decided to return to CD Oliver, the club that gave him his professional break. Upon joining, he expressed his desire to finish his career at the club at which he began more than twenty years earlier.
International career
As well as playing three games for the Spanish Under-21 side, Seba appeared twice for the non-affiliated Aragonese football teamAragon national football team
The Aragon official football team is the official football team for Aragon, Spain. They are not affiliated with FIFA, UEFA or the NF-Board. Therefore, they do not participate in international tournaments, but only play friendly games...
, against Castile and León
Castile and León autonomous football team
The Castile and León autonomous football team is the regional football team for Castile and León, Spain. They are not affiliated with FIFA or UEFA, because it is represented internationally by the Spanish National Football Team...
in 2002 and Chile
Chile national football team
The Chilean national football team represents Chile in all major international football competitions. The team is controlled by the Federación de Fútbol de Chile which was established in 1895. They have appeared in eight World Cup tournaments and were hosts of the 1962 FIFA World Cup finishing in...
in December 2006.
The latter, a 1–0 victory, was Aragon's first fixture against a FIFA
FIFA
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association , commonly known by the acronym FIFA , is the international governing body of :association football, futsal and beach football. Its headquarters are located in Zurich, Switzerland, and its president is Sepp Blatter, who is in his fourth...
-accredited international team.
Personal life
Seba is married with two daughters, his former teammates Roberto Martínez and Xavier AguadoXavier Aguado
Xavier 'Xavi' Companys Aguado is a retired Spanish footballer who played as a central defender....
ranking amongst his closest friends.