Manuel Mesa

Manuel 'Manolo' Mesa Quirós (born 26 December 1952) is a Spanish retired footballer who played as a right winger.

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Mesa and the second or maternal family name is Quirós.
Manuel Mesa
Personal information
Full name Manuel Mesa Quirós
Date of birth (1952-12-26) 26 December 1952
Place of birth San Roque, Spain
Height 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Position(s) Winger
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1971–1975 Linense
1975–1987 Sporting Gijón 339 (36)
1987 Murcia 0 (0)
1987–1988 Linense 32 (2)
1988–1991 Xerez 93 (4)
1991–1992 Linense 18 (1)
Total 482 (43)
International career
1979–1980 Spain 2 (1)
Managerial career
2004–2009 San Roque
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

His professional career was intimately connected with Sporting de Gijón, with whom he spent 12 years, amassing La Liga totals of 311 games and 34 goals over 11 seasons and appearing in 443 competitive matches.[1]

Club career

Born in San Roque, Province of Cádiz, Andalusia, Mesa started playing football at local side Real Balompédica Linense. In 1975, after having been discovered by renowned scout Enrique Casas, he was bought by Sporting de Gijón, making his La Liga debut on 28 December in a 1–0 away loss against UD Salamanca and adding a further ten appearances during that season, which ended in relegation.[2]

From 1978 onwards, with the Asturias team back in the top flight, Mesa played an essential part in their domestic consolidation, helping to a runner-up place in the 1978–79 campaign, back-to-back Copa del Rey finals in the early 80s – both lost – and four UEFA Cup participations; due to his incredible stamina, he earned the nickname Siete Pulmones (Seven Lungs).[2]

Mesa appeared in 43 matches in 1986–87, scoring seven goals (both career-highs) to help Sporting finish in fourth position. As the player, aged nearly 35, was becoming less productive, his contract was not renewed and he joined Real Murcia also of the top tier, but left unsettled after a couple of weeks.[3]

Mesa then moved closer to his hometown and signed for Xerez CD in the Segunda División, producing three respectable seasons but being relegated in his last.[4] Six months shy of his 40th birthday, he retired after one year with his first club Linense.[3]

Subsequently, having settled in his hometown, Mesa coached amateurs CD San Roque for a few years, also working with the city hall in the sports department.[2]

International career

Mesa played twice for Spain, making his debut on 14 November 1979 and scoring in a 1–3 friendly loss to Denmark in Cádiz.[5] In the early minutes of his second appearance, another exhibition match against Czechoslovakia on 16 April 1980, he suffered a serious injury – having to be replaced by Sporting Gijón teammate Quini – and was never recalled again.[6][3]

Honours

Sporting Gijón

References
  1. Forcelledo, Alejandro (28 December 2022). "«Hubiera dado algo por haberme retirado en el Sporting, fui muy feliz»" ["I would have given something in order to retire at Sporting, I was very happy"]. El Comercio (in Spanish). Retrieved 22 September 2023.
  2. "Manolo Mesa: el vecino más ilustre de San Roque" [Manolo Mesa: San Roque's most illustrious inhabitant] (in Spanish). Yo Jugué en el Sporting. 13 March 2008. Archived from the original on 9 September 2010. Retrieved 20 August 2010.
  3. Tuñón, Jorge (26 February 2015). "Futbolistas de leyenda: Manolo Mesa" [Legendary footballers: Manolo Mesa] (in Spanish). Vavel. Retrieved 30 September 2022.
  4. "El descenso más rápido de la historia xerecista" [The quickest relegation in xerecista history]. Diario de Jerez (in Spanish). 6 May 2013. Retrieved 30 September 2022.
  5. Calvo, Juan Antonio (15 November 1979). "1–3: La selección, ridiculizada por Dinamarca" [1–3: The national team, ridiculed by Denmark]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). Retrieved 13 March 2018.
  6. Calvo, Juan Antonio (17 April 1980). "2–2: La selección mejoró sin convencer" [2–2: The national team improved without convincing]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). Retrieved 13 March 2018.
  7. Rosety, Manuel. "Fiesta por un ascenso" [Party for a promotion]. El Comercio (in Spanish). Retrieved 30 September 2022.
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