Manuel Sánchez Torres
Encyclopedia
Manuel Sánchez Torres is a retired Spanish
footballer who played as a forward.
Almost all of his professional career was spent in the Netherlands
, where he appeared for three different teams - namely FC Twente
- and played in nearly 250 official games.
in the Netherlands
. He started his football career at local amateur club PH Almelo, being subsequently noticed and signed by Eredivisie
side FC Twente
.
On 17 September 1978, aged 18, Torres made his league debut for Twente, in a home match against Sparta Rotterdam
, scoring his first goal a few weeks later, at HFC Haarlem
, and ending his first season with three goals in 23 matches, as the Enschede
club finished in 11th position and reached the final of the Dutch Cup
, lost to league champions AFC Ajax.
From 1980 onwards, Sánchez Torres scored in double digits in every season at Twente, safe for the 1982–83 campaign, which ended in relegation to the second division
- followed by immediate promotion, with player netting 11 times for the runners-up.
In 1985, Torres returned to his country and signed for Valencia CF
, making his debut for the Che against Real Valladolid
. During his spell with the club, where he was coached by legendary Alfredo Di Stéfano
, he failed to reproduce his previous form, scoring only once and also suffering La Liga
relegation in his first season.
After leaving Valencia, Sánchez Torres returned to Holland and joined Roda JC in the top division, but appeared sparingly for that and his following clubs, NEC Nijmegen and Heracles Almelo
- no games whatsoever for the latter - due to injury, retiring from football in 1993, aged 33.
! Season
! Country
! Club
! Competition
! Matches
! Goals
|-
| 1978/79
|
Netherlands
| Twente
| Eredivisie
| 23
| 3
|-
| 1979/80
| Netherlands
| Twente
| Eredivisie
| 5
| 0
|-
| 1980/81
| Netherlands
| Twente
| Eredivisie
| 31
| 11
|-
| 1981/82
| Netherlands
| Twente
| Eredivisie
| 33
| 15
|-
| 1982/83
| Netherlands
| Twente
| Eredivisie
| 21
| 3
|-
| 1983/84
| Netherlands
| Twente
| Eerste Divisie
| 26
| 11
|-
| 1984/85
| Netherlands
| Twente
| Eredivisie
| 33
| 10
|-
| 1985/86
|
Spain
| Valencia
| La Liga
| 20
| 1
|-
| 1986/87
| Spain
| Valencia
| Segunda División
| 15
| 0
|-
| 1987/88
| Netherlands
| Roda
| Eredivisie
| 18
| 2
|-
| 1988/89
| Netherlands
| Roda
| Eredivisie
| 18
| 2
|-
| 1989/90
| Netherlands
| Roda
| Eredivisie
| 0
| 0
|-
| 1990/91
| Netherlands
| NEC
| Eredivisie
| 12
| 4
|-
| 1992/93
| Netherlands
| Heracles
| Eredivisie
| 0
| 0
|-
|}>
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 forward.
Almost all of his professional career was spent in the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, where he appeared for three different teams - namely FC Twente
FC Twente
FC Twente is a Dutch professional football club from the city of Enschede, playing in the Eredivisie. The club was formed in 1965 by the merger of 1926 Eredivisie Champions, Sportclub Enschede and Enschedese Boys...
- and played in nearly 250 official games.
Football career
When Torres was seven years old, he moved with his parents to AlmeloAlmelo
Almelo is a municipality and a city in the eastern Netherlands. The main population centres in the town are Aadorp, Almelo, Mariaparochie and Bornerbroek....
in the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
. He started his football career at local amateur club PH Almelo, being subsequently noticed and signed by Eredivisie
Eredivisie
The Eredivisie is the highest football league in the Netherlands. The league was founded in 1956 two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands. It is currently ranked the ninth best league in Europe by UEFA....
side FC Twente
FC Twente
FC Twente is a Dutch professional football club from the city of Enschede, playing in the Eredivisie. The club was formed in 1965 by the merger of 1926 Eredivisie Champions, Sportclub Enschede and Enschedese Boys...
.
On 17 September 1978, aged 18, Torres made his league debut for Twente, in a home match against Sparta Rotterdam
Sparta Rotterdam
Sparta Rotterdam is the oldest professional football team in the Netherlands, established on April 1, 1888. Sparta is one of three professional football clubs from Rotterdam, the others being Excelsior and Feyenoord , the latter playing in the Eredivisie.-History:Sparta was first founded in 1887....
, scoring his first goal a few weeks later, at HFC Haarlem
HFC Haarlem
HFC Haarlem was a Dutch football club from the city of Haarlem, established in 1889. The club won the Dutch national title in 1946 and reached five Cup finals, winning in 1902 and 1912...
, and ending his first season with three goals in 23 matches, as the Enschede
Enschede
Enschede , also known as Eanske in the local dialect of Twents, is a municipality and a city in the eastern Netherlands in the province of Overijssel and in the Twente region...
club finished in 11th position and reached the final of the Dutch Cup
KNVB Cup
The KNVB Cup is a competition in the Netherlands organized by the Royal Dutch Football Association since 1899. It was based on the format of the English FA Cup. Outside of the Netherlands, it is often referred to as the Dutch Cup...
, lost to league champions AFC Ajax.
From 1980 onwards, Sánchez Torres scored in double digits in every season at Twente, safe for the 1982–83 campaign, which ended in relegation to the second division
Eerste Divisie
The Eerste Divisie is the second-highest division of football in the Netherlands. It is linked with the top-level Eredivisie via a promotion/relegation system. It is also known as the Jupiler League due to sponsorship, which is the same name as the top league in Belgium...
- followed by immediate promotion, with player netting 11 times for the runners-up.
In 1985, Torres returned to his country and signed for Valencia CF
Valencia CF
Valencia Club de Fútbol is a Spanish football club based in Valencia, Spain. They play in La Liga and are one of the most successful and biggest clubs in Spanish Football and European Football. Valencia have won six La Liga titles, seven Copa del Rey trophies, two Fairs Cups which was the...
, making his debut for the Che against Real Valladolid
Real 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 spell with the club, where he was coached by legendary Alfredo Di Stéfano
Alfredo Di Stéfano
Alfredo Stéfano Di Stéfano Laulhé, born into a family of Italian immigrants from Capri, is a former Argentinian footballer and coach, widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time...
, he failed to reproduce his previous form, scoring only once and also suffering 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...
relegation in his first season.
After leaving Valencia, Sánchez Torres returned to Holland and joined Roda JC in the top division, but appeared sparingly for that and his following clubs, NEC Nijmegen and Heracles Almelo
Heracles Almelo
Heracles Almelo is a football club from Almelo, Netherlands.Heracles Almelo were founded on May 3, 1903 as Heracles, after the demigod son of Zeus. They changed their name on July 1, 1974 to SC Heracles '74 and finally settled on the current name in 1998. The club has won the Dutch national title...
- no games whatsoever for the latter - due to injury, retiring from football in 1993, aged 33.
Club statistics
! Country
! Club
! Competition
! Matches
! Goals
|-
| 1978/79
|
Netherlands| Twente
FC Twente
FC Twente is a Dutch professional football club from the city of Enschede, playing in the Eredivisie. The club was formed in 1965 by the merger of 1926 Eredivisie Champions, Sportclub Enschede and Enschedese Boys...
| Eredivisie
Eredivisie
The Eredivisie is the highest football league in the Netherlands. The league was founded in 1956 two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands. It is currently ranked the ninth best league in Europe by UEFA....
| 23
| 3
|-
| 1979/80
|
Netherlands| Twente
FC Twente
FC Twente is a Dutch professional football club from the city of Enschede, playing in the Eredivisie. The club was formed in 1965 by the merger of 1926 Eredivisie Champions, Sportclub Enschede and Enschedese Boys...
| Eredivisie
Eredivisie
The Eredivisie is the highest football league in the Netherlands. The league was founded in 1956 two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands. It is currently ranked the ninth best league in Europe by UEFA....
| 5
| 0
|-
| 1980/81
|
Netherlands| Twente
FC Twente
FC Twente is a Dutch professional football club from the city of Enschede, playing in the Eredivisie. The club was formed in 1965 by the merger of 1926 Eredivisie Champions, Sportclub Enschede and Enschedese Boys...
| Eredivisie
Eredivisie
The Eredivisie is the highest football league in the Netherlands. The league was founded in 1956 two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands. It is currently ranked the ninth best league in Europe by UEFA....
| 31
| 11
|-
| 1981/82
|
Netherlands| Twente
FC Twente
FC Twente is a Dutch professional football club from the city of Enschede, playing in the Eredivisie. The club was formed in 1965 by the merger of 1926 Eredivisie Champions, Sportclub Enschede and Enschedese Boys...
| Eredivisie
Eredivisie
The Eredivisie is the highest football league in the Netherlands. The league was founded in 1956 two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands. It is currently ranked the ninth best league in Europe by UEFA....
| 33
| 15
|-
| 1982/83
|
Netherlands| Twente
FC Twente
FC Twente is a Dutch professional football club from the city of Enschede, playing in the Eredivisie. The club was formed in 1965 by the merger of 1926 Eredivisie Champions, Sportclub Enschede and Enschedese Boys...
| Eredivisie
Eredivisie
The Eredivisie is the highest football league in the Netherlands. The league was founded in 1956 two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands. It is currently ranked the ninth best league in Europe by UEFA....
| 21
| 3
|-
| 1983/84
|
Netherlands| Twente
FC Twente
FC Twente is a Dutch professional football club from the city of Enschede, playing in the Eredivisie. The club was formed in 1965 by the merger of 1926 Eredivisie Champions, Sportclub Enschede and Enschedese Boys...
| Eerste Divisie
Eerste Divisie
The Eerste Divisie is the second-highest division of football in the Netherlands. It is linked with the top-level Eredivisie via a promotion/relegation system. It is also known as the Jupiler League due to sponsorship, which is the same name as the top league in Belgium...
| 26
| 11
|-
| 1984/85
|
Netherlands| Twente
FC Twente
FC Twente is a Dutch professional football club from the city of Enschede, playing in the Eredivisie. The club was formed in 1965 by the merger of 1926 Eredivisie Champions, Sportclub Enschede and Enschedese Boys...
| Eredivisie
Eredivisie
The Eredivisie is the highest football league in the Netherlands. The league was founded in 1956 two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands. It is currently ranked the ninth best league in Europe by UEFA....
| 33
| 10
|-
| 1985/86
|
Spain| Valencia
Valencia CF
Valencia Club de Fútbol is a Spanish football club based in Valencia, Spain. They play in La Liga and are one of the most successful and biggest clubs in Spanish Football and European Football. Valencia have won six La Liga titles, seven Copa del Rey trophies, two Fairs Cups which was the...
| 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...
| 20
| 1
|-
| 1986/87
|
Spain| Valencia
Valencia CF
Valencia Club de Fútbol is a Spanish football club based in Valencia, Spain. They play in La Liga and are one of the most successful and biggest clubs in Spanish Football and European Football. Valencia have won six La Liga titles, seven Copa del Rey trophies, two Fairs Cups which was the...
| 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:...
| 15
| 0
|-
| 1987/88
|
Netherlands| Roda
| Eredivisie
Eredivisie
The Eredivisie is the highest football league in the Netherlands. The league was founded in 1956 two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands. It is currently ranked the ninth best league in Europe by UEFA....
| 18
| 2
|-
| 1988/89
|
Netherlands| Roda
| Eredivisie
Eredivisie
The Eredivisie is the highest football league in the Netherlands. The league was founded in 1956 two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands. It is currently ranked the ninth best league in Europe by UEFA....
| 18
| 2
|-
| 1989/90
|
Netherlands| Roda
| Eredivisie
Eredivisie
The Eredivisie is the highest football league in the Netherlands. The league was founded in 1956 two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands. It is currently ranked the ninth best league in Europe by UEFA....
| 0
| 0
|-
| 1990/91
|
Netherlands| NEC
| Eredivisie
Eredivisie
The Eredivisie is the highest football league in the Netherlands. The league was founded in 1956 two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands. It is currently ranked the ninth best league in Europe by UEFA....
| 12
| 4
|-
| 1992/93
|
Netherlands| Heracles
Heracles Almelo
Heracles Almelo is a football club from Almelo, Netherlands.Heracles Almelo were founded on May 3, 1903 as Heracles, after the demigod son of Zeus. They changed their name on July 1, 1974 to SC Heracles '74 and finally settled on the current name in 1998. The club has won the Dutch national title...
| Eredivisie
Eredivisie
The Eredivisie is the highest football league in the Netherlands. The league was founded in 1956 two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands. It is currently ranked the ninth best league in Europe by UEFA....
| 0
| 0
|-
|}>