Manuel Alfaro
Encyclopedia
Manuel "Manolo" Alfaro de la Torre (born 19 January 1971 in Alcalá de Henares
, Community of Madrid) is a retired Spanish
footballer who played as a striker, and a current manager.
His 12-year professional career was mainly associated with Hércules
, for which he scored more than 60 official goals whilst competing in all three major levels of Spanish football
.
during his link with the Spanish capital
team.
In 1994, Alfaro signed for Hércules CF
, scoring 20 Segunda División
goals in his first two seasons combined, including 12 in 1995–96 en route to a La Liga
return after a ten-year absence for the Alicante
outfit. In the following campaign, he netted a career-best 15 goals, but his team was immediately relegated back.
In 1998–99, Alfaro produced another solid season in the top flight, now with Villarreal CF
(35 games and 12 goals), but suffered another relegation. After years battling with chronic tendinitis, he decided to retire from football in December 2002, aged only 31; his last club was Hércules, now in Segunda División B
.
at hometown's RSD Alcalá
, acting as director of football
, youth coordinator and first-team assistant manager for the third division club; in the following year, he returned to his main team Hércules as a scout
.
After two seasons in Tercera División
with as many teams, Alfaro again worked with Hércules, as director of football. In 2009–10
, he returned to coaching duties in the category where he left off, with Talavera CF
, but the team folded soon after. In November 2010, he was appointed at another fourth level club, CD Toledo
.
Alcalá de Henares
Alcalá de Henares , meaning Citadel on the river Henares, is a Spanish city, whose historical centre is one of UNESCO's World Heritage Sites, and one of the first bishoprics founded in Spain...
, Community of Madrid) is a retired Spanish
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...
footballer who played as a striker, and a current manager.
His 12-year professional career was mainly associated with Hércules
Hércules CF
Hércules Club de Fútbol, S.A.D. is a Spanish football team based in Alicante, in the autonomous community of Valencia. Founded in 1922, it currently plays in the Spanish second division, and holds home games at the Estadio José Rico Pérez, which seats 30,000 spectators.-History:After first...
, for which he scored more than 60 official goals whilst competing in all three major levels of Spanish football
Spanish football league system
The Spanish football league system refers to the system in Spanish club football that consists of several football leagues bound together hierarchically by promotion and relegation.-Primera División:...
.
Playing career
Alfaro made his professional debuts with the team at which he finished his football formation, Atlético Madrid. He appeared rarely for the Colchoneros first team, with 19 of his 25 appearances coming in the 1992–93 season, and was also loaned to Real ValladolidReal Valladolid
Real Valladolid Club de Fútbol, S.A.D. is a Spanish football club based in Valladolid, in the autonomous community of Castile and León, from where the nickname Pucela is derived....
during his link with the Spanish capital
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
team.
In 1994, Alfaro signed for Hércules CF
Hércules CF
Hércules Club de Fútbol, S.A.D. is a Spanish football team based in Alicante, in the autonomous community of Valencia. Founded in 1922, it currently plays in the Spanish second division, and holds home games at the Estadio José Rico Pérez, which seats 30,000 spectators.-History:After first...
, scoring 20 Segunda División
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:...
goals in his first two seasons combined, including 12 in 1995–96 en route to a La Liga
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...
return after a ten-year absence for the Alicante
Alicante
Alicante or Alacant is a city in Spain, the capital of the province of Alicante and of the comarca of Alacantí, in the south of the Valencian Community. It is also a historic Mediterranean port. The population of the city of Alicante proper was 334,418, estimated , ranking as the second-largest...
outfit. In the following campaign, he netted a career-best 15 goals, but his team was immediately relegated back.
In 1998–99, Alfaro produced another solid season in the top flight, now 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...
(35 games and 12 goals), but suffered another relegation. After years battling with chronic tendinitis, he decided to retire from football in December 2002, aged only 31; his last club was Hércules, now 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...
.
Manager career
After his retirement, Alfaro coached mainly in amateur football. In 2004–05, he worked alongside former Hércules teammate Josip VišnjićJosip Višnjić
Josip "Vinko" Višnjić is a retired Serbian footballer who played as a defensive midfielder, and a current coach.-Playing career:...
at hometown's RSD Alcalá
RSD Alcalá
Real Sociedad Deportiva Alcalá is a Spanish football team based in Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, in the Community of Madrid. Founded in 1929, it plays in Segunda División B - Group 1, holding home matches at Estadio Municipal del Val, with a capacity of 7,000.-Season to season:----*19 seasons in...
, acting as director of football
Director of football
"Director of football" is a term describing a senior management figure at a football club, most commonly used in Europe. The exact nature of the role is often unclear and extremely variable and causes much debate in the sports media...
, youth coordinator and first-team assistant manager for the third division club; in the following year, he returned to his main team Hércules as a scout
Scout (sport)
In professional sports, scouts are trained talent evaluators who travel extensively for the purposes of watching athletes play their chosen sports and determining whether their set of skills and talents represent what is needed by the scout's organization...
.
After two seasons in Tercera División
Tercera División
Tercera División is the fourth level of the Spanish football league system. The top three are the Primera División, often referred to as "La Liga" in English, the Segunda División, and Segunda División B.-Current Format:...
with as many teams, Alfaro again worked with Hércules, as director of football. In 2009–10
2009–10 Tercera División
The Spanish 2009–10 Tercera División started on 29 August 2009 and ended on 20 June 2010 with the promotion play-off finals.-League table:-Group I:-Group II:-Group III:-Group IV:-Group V:-Group VI:-Group VII:-Group VIII:-Group IX:...
, he returned to coaching duties in the category where he left off, with Talavera CF
Talavera CF
Talavera Club de Fútbol was a Spanish football team based in Talavera de la Reina, in the autonomous community of Castile-La Mancha. Founded in 1948, it played its last season in Tercera División - Group 18, holding home matches at Estadio El Prado, with a 6,000-seat capacity.-History:Talavera CF...
, but the team folded soon after. In November 2010, he was appointed at another fourth level club, CD Toledo
CD Toledo
Club Deportivo Toledo, S.A.D. is a Spanish football team based in Toledo, in the autonomous community of Castile-La Mancha. Founded in 1928, it plays in Segunda División B – Group 1, holding home games at Estadio Salto del Caballo, with a seating capacity of 5,300.Home uniforms consist of green...
.
Player
- Atlético Madrid:
- Copa del ReyCopa del ReyThe 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 ....
: 1990–91, 1991–92
- Copa del Rey
- Hércules:
- Segunda DivisiónSegunda DivisiónThe 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:...
: 1995–96
- Segunda División