Manel (footballer, born 1973)

{{Infobox football biography

| name = Manel

| image =

| fullname = Manel Martínez Fernández

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1973|11|3|df=y}}

| birth_place = Ripollet, Spain

| height = {{height|m=1.90|precision=0}}

| position = Centre-forward

| currentclub =

| clubnumber =

| youthyears1 =

| youthclubs1 = Sabadell

| years1 = 1992–1995

| years2 = 1995–1999

| years3 = 2000–2003

| years4 = 2001

| years5 = 2002–2003

| years6 = 2004

| years7 = 2004–2006

| years8 = 2006–2007

| years9 = 2007–2008

| years10 = 2008

| clubs1 = Sabadell

| clubs2 = Logroñés

| clubs3 = Espanyol

| clubs4 = → Sporting Gijón (loan)

| clubs5 = → Sporting Gijón (loan)

| clubs6 = Derby County

| clubs7 = Badalona

| clubs8 = Sabadell

| clubs9 = Ibiza-Eivissa

| clubs10 = Lorca Deportiva

| caps1 = 35

| caps2 = 164

| caps3 = 20

| caps4 = 19

| caps5 = 33

| caps6 = 15

| caps7 = 34

| caps8 =

| caps9 = 18

| caps10 = 15

| totalcaps = 353

| goals1 = 15

| goals2 = 77

| goals3 = 3

| goals4 = 11

| goals5 = 3

| goals6 = 3

| goals7 = 6

| goals8 =

| goals9 = 3

| goals10 = 5

| totalgoals = 126

| nationalyears1 =

| nationalteam1 =

| nationalcaps1 =

| nationalgoals1 =

| club-update =

}}

Manel Martínez Fernández (born 3 November 1973), known simply as Manel, is a Spanish former professional footballer who played as a centre-forward.

During his extensive career, he was mainly associated to Logroñés.{{cite news|url=https://blogs.20minutos.es/quefuede/2015/08/27/que-fue-de-manel-aquel-ultimo-ano-del-logrones-en-primera/|title=Qué fue de… Manel: aquel último año del Logroñés en Primera|trans-title=What happened to… Manel: that last year of Logroñés in Primera|newspaper=20 minutos|first=Edu|last=Casado|language=es|date=27 August 2015|access-date=1 October 2017}}

Club career

Born in Ripollet, Barcelona, Catalonia, Manel started his career with local CE Sabadell FC, signing for CD Logroñés in 1995 and scoring 27 Segunda División goals in his first year, with La Liga promotion. In the following season the Riojan side were relegated again, but he proceeded to add a further 44 goals over the next three second-tier campaigns, being one of the club's all-time best.

Manel then moved between RCD Espanyol (appearing rarely) and Sporting de Gijón in the following seasons. He also had a brief spell abroad with Derby County,{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/d/derby_county/3514339.stm|title=Burley boosted by Manel|publisher=BBC Sport|date=23 February 2004|access-date=19 May 2010}} scoring three times in 16 competitive games including twice in a 5–1 home rout of Preston North End in the Football League Championship.{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/eng_div_1/3615855.stm|title=Derby 5–1 Preston|publisher=BBC Sport|date=17 April 2004|access-date=19 May 2010}}{{cite web|url=https://www.dcfc.co.uk/news/2015/07/feature-a-recent-history-of-spanish-rams|title=Feature: A recent history of Spanish Rams|publisher=Derby County F.C|date=29 July 2015|access-date=12 July 2018}}

Returning home in May 2004,{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/d/derby_county/3709103.stm|title=Derby duo sign contracts|publisher=BBC Sport|date=12 May 2004|access-date=19 May 2010}} Manel successively represented CF Badalona, Sabadell, UD Ibiza-Eivissa and Lorca Deportiva CF. After retiring in 2009, having totalled 239 matches in the two top divisions of Spanish football with 96 goals, he joined UE Sant Andreu – also in his native region – as a youth coach.