Manuel Mesa
Encyclopedia
Manuel 'Manolo' Mesa Quirós (born 26 December 1952 in San Roque, Cádiz, Andalusia
) is a retired Spanish
footballer who played as a right winger.
. In 1975, after having been discovered by renowned scout
Enrique Casas, he was bought by Sporting de Gijón
in La Liga
, making his first team debut on 28 December of that year, in a 0–1 loss at UD Salamanca
, and appearing a further ten times during that season, which ended in relegation.
From 1978 onwards, with the Asturias
side back in the top division, Mesa played an essential part in the club's domestic consolidation, helping it to a runner-up place in the 1978–79 campaign, back-to-back Copa del Rey
finals in the early 80's - both lost - and four UEFA Cup participations; due to his incredible stamina, he earned the nickname
Siete Pulmones (Seven Lung
s).
Mesa played 43 matches in 1986–87, scoring seven times (both career-highs) to help Sporting finish in fourth position. Even though the player, aged nearly 35, was still in good physical conditions, his contract was not renewed, and he moved to Real Murcia
, also in the top division, but left the club after a couple of weeks, unsettled.
Mesa then moved closer to his hometown and signed for Xerez CD
in the second division
, producing three respectable seasons, but being relegated in his last. Six months shy of his 40th birthday, he retired after one year with his very first club, Balompédica Linense, La Balona.
Subsequently, having settled in his hometown, he coached amateurs CD San Roque de Lepe
for a few years, also working with the city hall
in the sports department.
, making his debut on 14 November 1979, and scoring in a 1–3 friendly loss with Denmark
, in Cádiz
. In the early minutes of his second appearance, another exhibition match, with Czechoslovakia
on 16 April 1980, he suffered a serious injury - having to replaced by Sporting Gijón teammate Quini
- and was never recalled again.
Andalusia
Andalusia is the most populous and the second largest in area of the autonomous communities of Spain. The Andalusian autonomous community is officially recognised as a nationality of Spain. The territory is divided into eight provinces: Huelva, Seville, Cádiz, Córdoba, Málaga, Jaén, Granada and...
) 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 right winger.
Club career
Mesa started playing football at local side Real Balompédica LinenseReal Balompédica Linense
Real Balompédica Linense is a Spanish football team based in La Línea de la Concepción, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. Founded in 1912, it plays in Segunda División B – Group 4, holding home matches at Estadio Municipal de La Línea de la Concepción, with a capacity of 20,000...
. In 1975, after having been discovered by renowned 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...
Enrique Casas, he was bought by Sporting de Gijón
Sporting de Gijón
Real Sporting de Gijón, S.A.D. is a Spanish football club from Gijón, Asturias. Founded in 1 June 1905, it currently plays in Spanish first division....
in 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...
, making his first team debut on 28 December of that year, in a 0–1 loss at UD Salamanca
UD Salamanca
Unión Deportiva Salamanca, S.A.D. is a Spanish football team based in Salamanca, in the autonomous community of Castile and León. Founded on 16 March 1923, it currently plays in Segunda División B – Group 2....
, and appearing a further ten times during that season, which ended in relegation.
From 1978 onwards, with the Asturias
Asturias
The Principality of Asturias is an autonomous community of the Kingdom of Spain, coextensive with the former Kingdom of Asturias in the Middle Ages...
side back in the top division, Mesa played an essential part in the club's domestic consolidation, helping it to a runner-up place in the 1978–79 campaign, back-to-back 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 ....
finals in the early 80's - both lost - and four UEFA Cup participations; due to his incredible stamina, he earned the nickname
Nickname
A nickname is "a usually familiar or humorous but sometimes pointed or cruel name given to a person or place, as a supposedly appropriate replacement for or addition to the proper name.", or a name similar in origin and pronunciation from the original name....
Siete Pulmones (Seven Lung
Lung
The lung is the essential respiration organ in many air-breathing animals, including most tetrapods, a few fish and a few snails. In mammals and the more complex life forms, the two lungs are located near the backbone on either side of the heart...
s).
Mesa played 43 matches in 1986–87, scoring seven times (both career-highs) to help Sporting finish in fourth position. Even though the player, aged nearly 35, was still in good physical conditions, his contract was not renewed, and he moved to Real Murcia
Real Murcia
Real Murcia Club de Fútbol, S.A.D. is a Spanish football club based in the region of Murcia. Founded in 1908, it currently plays in the second division, playing home matches at Estadio Nueva Condomina, which can hold 33,045 spectators....
, also in the top division, but left the club after a couple of weeks, unsettled.
Mesa then moved closer to his hometown and signed for Xerez CD
Xerez CD
Xerez Club Deportivo, S.A.D., usually just Xerez, is a Spanish football team based in Jerez de la Frontera, Province of Cádiz, in the autonomous community of Andalusia...
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:...
, producing three respectable seasons, but being relegated in his last. Six months shy of his 40th birthday, he retired after one year with his very first club, Balompédica Linense, La Balona.
Subsequently, having settled in his hometown, he coached amateurs CD San Roque de Lepe
CD San Roque de Lepe
Club Deportivo San Roque de Lepe is a Spanish football team based in Lepe, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. Founded in 1956, it plays in Segunda División B – Group 4, holding home games at Estadio Ciudad de Lepe, with a capacity of 3,500 seats....
for a few years, also working with the city hall
Town Hall (disambiguation)
Town Hall usually refers to a building housing a town government.Town Hall may also refer to:-Australia:* Sydney Town Hall** Town Hall railway station, a major railway station near the Sydney Town Hall-United States:...
in the sports department.
International career
Mesa played twice for SpainSpain national football team
The Spain national football team represents Spain in international association football and is controlled by the Royal Spanish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Spain. The current head coach is Vicente del Bosque...
, making his debut on 14 November 1979, and scoring in a 1–3 friendly loss with Denmark
Denmark national football team
The Denmark national football team represents Denmark in association football and is controlled by the Danish Football Association , the governing body for the football clubs which are organized under DBU...
, in Cádiz
Cádiz
Cadiz is a city and port in southwestern Spain. It is the capital of the homonymous province, one of eight which make up the autonomous community of Andalusia....
. In the early minutes of his second appearance, another exhibition match, with Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia national football team
The Czechoslovakia national football team was the national association football team of Czechoslovakia from 1922 to 1993. At the dissolution of Czechoslovakia at the end of 1992, the team was participating in UEFA qualifying Group 4 for the 1994 World Cup; it completed this campaign under the name...
on 16 April 1980, he suffered a serious injury - having to replaced by Sporting Gijón teammate Quini
Quini
Enrique Castro González , aka Quini, is a retired Spanish footballer who played as a striker.In a career totally connected with Sporting de Gijón and FC Barcelona, he was widely regarded as one of the country's best strikers, having won a total of seven Pichichi Trophy awards, five of those in La...
- and was never recalled again.