Vicente Engonga
Encyclopedia
Vicente Engonga Maté is a retired Spanish
footballer of Equatorial Guinea
n descent.
A central midfielder who on occasion filled in at sweeper, he played for six different professional clubs in his career (five in his country) – namely Mallorca
, with which he had his best years in spite of arriving at the club at already 32 – appearing in a total of 327 La Liga
games (eight goals).
Engonga represented Spain
at the 2000 European Championship, being an international for two years.
, Catalonia
, Engonga spent his childhood in the Cantabria
region, where his father was a footballer. He started his senior career with local lower league club Gimnástica de Torrelavega
, and then played for CF Sporting Mahonés
.
In 1991, Engonga moved to Real Valladolid
in La Liga
. In his first year, the club was relegated
to the second division
, and Engonga left to Celta de Vigo
, with whom he was finalist of the 1994 Spanish Cup
.
In the 1994 summer, Engonga was bought by league powerhouse Valencia CF
, where he played three seasons. After a shaky start, he appeared in 35 contests in 1996–97, although the Che finished 10th. Subsequently, he moved to RCD Mallorca
under Héctor Cúper
's supervision, alongside other five former teammates – namely Iván Campo
.
At the Balearic Islands
side, Engonga displayed his best football, helping the team win the 1998 Spanish Supercup
, beating FC Barcelona
3–1 on aggregate. On 23 September 1998, aged nearly 33, he made his debut with the Spanish national team
, against Russia
, and scored his first and only goal in May 1999, against Croatia
. Also that year, Engonga reached the final
of the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup
, losing 1–2 to Italian
team S.S. Lazio
, and appeared in nearly 200 official matches during his spell.
In 2000, Engonga was picked by Spain for the UEFA Euro 2000. He played one match at the tournament, against Slovenia
, which was the last game of his national team career, where he collected 14 caps. He was also a part of the Mallorca team which qualified for the UEFA Champions League
, the first participation in club history. During the previous league season, he netted twice in 31 league contests, and Mallorca finished third.
In 2002, Engonga's contract with Mallorca expired, and he moved to second division's Real Oviedo
where he played for six months, before moving abroad in late January 2003, signing a six-month loan deal with English
club Coventry City FC
, in the country's second level
. At the end of the season, he retired, almost 38.
During his career, Engonga also represented the unofficial Cantabria autonomous football team
. After retiring, he joined the coaching staff at Real Mallorca. In August 2008, he was appointed manager of Equatorial Guinea
.
, was also a footballer – and a midfielder. He played most of his career in the lower leagues of Spain (but coincided with his sibling at Valladolid), and also coached Equatorial Guinea.
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 of Equatorial Guinea
Equatorial Guinea
Equatorial Guinea, officially the Republic of Equatorial Guinea where the capital Malabo is situated.Annobón is the southernmost island of Equatorial Guinea and is situated just south of the equator. Bioko island is the northernmost point of Equatorial Guinea. Between the two islands and to the...
n descent.
A central midfielder who on occasion filled in at sweeper, he played for six different professional clubs in his career (five in his country) – namely Mallorca
RCD Mallorca
Real Club Deportivo Mallorca is a Spanish football team based on Palma, Majorca, in the Balearic Islands. Founded on 5 March 1916, the team currently plays in the Spanish first division, holding home games at Son Moix....
, with which he had his best years in spite of arriving at the club at already 32 – appearing in a total of 327 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...
games (eight goals).
Engonga represented Spain
Spain 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...
at the 2000 European Championship, being an international for two years.
Football career
Born in BarcelonaBarcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
, Catalonia
Catalonia
Catalonia is an autonomous community in northeastern Spain, with the official status of a "nationality" of Spain. Catalonia comprises four provinces: Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, and Tarragona. Its capital and largest city is Barcelona. Catalonia covers an area of 32,114 km² and has an...
, Engonga spent his childhood in the Cantabria
Cantabria
Cantabria is a Spanish historical region and autonomous community with Santander as its capital city. It is bordered on the east by the Basque Autonomous Community , on the south by Castile and León , on the west by the Principality of Asturias, and on the north by the Cantabrian Sea.Cantabria...
region, where his father was a footballer. He started his senior career with local lower league club Gimnástica de Torrelavega
Gimnástica de Torrelavega
Real Sociedad Gimnástica de Torrelavega is a Spanish football team based in Torrelavega, in the autonomous community of Cantabria. Founded on September 28, 1907, it is the oldest football club in the region, and currently plays in Segunda División B – Group 2, holding home matches at Estadio El...
, and then played for CF Sporting Mahonés
CF Sporting Mahonés
Club de Fútbol Sporting Mahonés is a Spanish football team based in Mahón, Minorca, in the autonomous community of Balearic Islands. Founded in 1974, it plays in Segunda División B - Group 3, holding home matches at Estadio Bintaufa, with a capacity of 3,000 seats.-Season to season:----*7 seasons...
.
In 1991, Engonga moved to 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....
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...
. In his first year, the club was relegated
Promotion and relegation
In many sports leagues around the world, promotion and relegation is a process that takes place at the end of each season. Through it, teams are transferred between divisions based on their performance that season...
to 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:...
, and Engonga left to Celta de Vigo
Celta de Vigo
Real Club Celta de Vigo , simply referred to as Celta Vigo, is a Spanish professional football club based in Vigo, Galicia, currently playing in the Segunda División. It was founded on March 28, 1923 following the merger of Real Vigo Sporting and Real Fortuna Foot-ball Club.Nicknamed Los Celestes ,...
, with whom he was finalist of the 1994 Spanish Cup
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 ....
.
In the 1994 summer, Engonga was bought by league powerhouse 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...
, where he played three seasons. After a shaky start, he appeared in 35 contests in 1996–97, although the Che finished 10th. Subsequently, he moved to RCD Mallorca
RCD Mallorca
Real Club Deportivo Mallorca is a Spanish football team based on Palma, Majorca, in the Balearic Islands. Founded on 5 March 1916, the team currently plays in the Spanish first division, holding home games at Son Moix....
under Héctor Cúper
Héctor Cúper
Héctor Raúl Cúper is an Argentinean former football defender and a current manager.-Coach:...
's supervision, alongside other five former teammates – namely Iván Campo
Iván Campo
Iván Campo Ramos is a retired Spanish footballer.Originally a central defender, Campo featured in a defensive midfield role in his later years...
.
At the Balearic Islands
Balearic Islands
The Balearic Islands are an archipelago of Spain in the western Mediterranean Sea, near the eastern coast of the Iberian Peninsula.The four largest islands are: Majorca, Minorca, Ibiza and Formentera. The archipelago forms an autonomous community and a province of Spain with Palma as the capital...
side, Engonga displayed his best football, helping the team win the 1998 Spanish Supercup
Supercopa de España
The Supercopa de España is a Spanish football championship contested by the winners of La Liga and the Copa del Rey...
, beating FC Barcelona
FC Barcelona
Futbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....
3–1 on aggregate. On 23 September 1998, aged nearly 33, he made his debut with the Spanish national team
Spain 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...
, against Russia
Russia national football team
The Russia national football team represents Russia in association football and is controlled by the Russian Football Union , the governing body for football in Russia. Russia's home grounds are Luzhniki Stadium, Lokomotiv Stadium , and Petrovsky Stadium in St.Petersburg and their head coach is...
, and scored his first and only goal in May 1999, against Croatia
Croatia national football team
The Croatia national football team represents Croatia in international football. The team is controlled by the Croatian Football Federation, the governing body for football in the country, and has been managed since 2006 by former player Slaven Bilić...
. Also that year, Engonga reached the final
1999 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup Final
The 1999 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup Final was a football match played between S.S. Lazio of Italy and RCD Mallorca of Spain, to determine the winner of the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup 1998–99. The final was held at Villa Park in Birmingham on 19 May 1999...
of the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup
UEFA Cup Winners' Cup
The UEFA Cup Winners' Cup was a football club competition contested annually by the most recent winners of all European domestic cup competitions. The cup is one of the many inter-European club competitions that have been organised by UEFA. The first competition was held in the 1960–61 season—but...
, losing 1–2 to Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
team S.S. Lazio
S.S. Lazio
Società Sportiva Lazio, commonly referred to as Lazio, is a professional Italian football club based in Rome. The team, founded in 1900, play in the Serie A and have spent most of their history in the top tier of Italian football...
, and appeared in nearly 200 official matches during his spell.
In 2000, Engonga was picked by Spain for the UEFA Euro 2000. He played one match at the tournament, against Slovenia
Slovenia national football team
The Slovenia national football team is the national football team of Slovenia and is controlled by the Football Association of Slovenia. The team played their first match in 1992 after the split of Yugoslavia in 1991....
, which was the last game of his national team career, where he collected 14 caps. He was also a part of the Mallorca team which qualified for the UEFA Champions League
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
, the first participation in club history. During the previous league season, he netted twice in 31 league contests, and Mallorca finished third.
In 2002, Engonga's contract with Mallorca expired, and he moved to second division's Real Oviedo
Real Oviedo
Real Oviedo is a Spanish football club based in Oviedo, in the autonomous community of Asturias. Founded on 26 March 1926, it currently plays in Segunda División B - Group 2....
where he played for six months, before moving abroad in late January 2003, signing a six-month loan deal with English
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...
club Coventry City FC
Coventry City F.C.
Coventry City Football Club, otherwise known as the Sky Blues owing to the traditional colour of their strip, are a professional English Football league club based in Coventry...
, in the country's second level
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...
. At the end of the season, he retired, almost 38.
During his career, Engonga also represented the unofficial Cantabria autonomous football team
Cantabria autonomous football team
The Cantabria autonomous football team is the regional football team for Cantabria, Spain. They are not affiliated with FIFA or UEFA, because it is represented internationally by the Spanish National Football Team...
. After retiring, he joined the coaching staff at Real Mallorca. In August 2008, he was appointed manager of Equatorial Guinea
Equatorial Guinea national football team
The Equatorial Guinea national football team, nicknamed Nzalang Nacional, is the national team of Equatorial Guinea and is controlled by the Federación Ecuatoguineana de Fútbol. It is a member of CAF...
.
Honours
- Spanish SupercupSupercopa de EspañaThe Supercopa de España is a Spanish football championship contested by the winners of La Liga and the Copa del Rey...
: 19981998 Supercopa de EspañaThe 1998 Supercopa de España was two-leg Spanish football matches played on 18 August and 22 August 1999. It contested by RCD Mallorca, who were Spanish Cup runner-up in 1997–98, and FC Barcelona, who won the 1997–98 Spanish League.-First leg:-Second leg:... - UEFA Cup Winners' CupUEFA Cup Winners' CupThe UEFA Cup Winners' Cup was a football club competition contested annually by the most recent winners of all European domestic cup competitions. The cup is one of the many inter-European club competitions that have been organised by UEFA. The first competition was held in the 1960–61 season—but...
: Runner-up 1998–99 - Spanish CupCopa 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 ....
: Runner-up 1993–941993–94 Copa del ReyThe Copa del Rey 1993–94 is the 90th staging of the Copa del Rey.The competition started on August 15, 1993 and concluded on April 20, 1994 with the Final, held at the Estadio Vicente Calderón in Madrid....
, 1994–95, 1997–981997–98 Copa del ReyThe Copa del Rey 1997–98 is the 94th staging of the Copa del Rey.The competition started on September 3, 1997 and concluded on April 29, 1998 with the Final, held at the Estadio Mestalla in Valencia.-1st Round:...
Personal
Engonga's younger brother, ÓscarÓscar Engonga
Óscar Engonga Maté is a retired Spanish footballer who played as a midfielder, and a current coach.-Football career:...
, was also a footballer – and a midfielder. He played most of his career in the lower leagues of Spain (but coincided with his sibling at Valladolid), and also coached Equatorial Guinea.