Manuel Mesa

{{Infobox football biography

| name = Manuel Mesa

| image =

| fullname = Manuel Mesa Quirós

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1952|12|26|df=y}}

| birth_place = San Roque, Spain

| death_date =

| death_place =

| height = 1.75 m

| position = Winger

| currentclub =

| youthyears1 = | youthclubs1 =

| years1 = 1971–1975 | clubs1 = Linense | caps1 = | goals1 =

| years2 = 1975–1987 | clubs2 = Sporting Gijón | caps2 = 339 | goals2 = 36

| years3 = 1987 | clubs3 = Murcia | caps3 = 0 | goals3 = 0

| years4 = 1987–1988 | clubs4 = Linense | caps4 = 32 | goals4 = 2

| years5 = 1988–1991 | clubs5 = Xerez | caps5 = 93 | goals5 = 4

| years6 = 1991–1992 | clubs6 = Linense | caps6 = 18 | goals6 = 1

| totalcaps = 482 | totalgoals = 43

| nationalyears1 = 1979–1980 | nationalteam1 = Spain | nationalcaps1 = 2 | nationalgoals1 = 1

| manageryears1 = 2004–2009 | managerclubs1 = San Roque

}}

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

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.{{cite news|url=https://www.elcomercio.es/sporting/manolo-mesa-sporting-siete-pulmones-20221228000714-ntvo.html|title="Hubiera dado algo por haberme retirado en el Sporting, fui muy feliz"|trans-title="I would have given something in order to retire at Sporting, I was very happy"|newspaper=El Comercio|first=Alejandro|last=Forcelledo|language=es|date=28 December 2022|access-date=22 September 2023}}

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.{{cite web|url=http://yojugueenelsporting.com/2008/03/13/manolo-mesa-el-vecino-mas-ilustre-de-san-roque/|title=Manolo Mesa: el vecino más ilustre de San Roque|trans-title=Manolo Mesa: San Roque's most illustrious inhabitant|publisher=Yo Jugué en el Sporting|language=es|date=13 March 2008|access-date=20 August 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100909035150/http://yojugueenelsporting.com/2008/03/13/manolo-mesa-el-vecino-mas-ilustre-de-san-roque/|archive-date=9 September 2010}}

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).

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 CF also of the top tier, but left unsettled after a couple of weeks.{{cite web|url=https://www.vavel.com/es/futbol/2015/02/26/sporting-de-gijon/455827-futbolistas-de-leyenda-manolo-mesa.html|title=Futbolistas de leyenda: Manolo Mesa|trans-title=Legendary footballers: Manolo Mesa|publisher=Vavel|first=Jorge|last=Tuñón|language=es|date=26 February 2015|access-date=30 September 2022}}

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.{{cite news|url=https://www.diariodejerez.es/xerezcd/descenso-rapido-historia-xerecista_0_695030752.html|title=El descenso más rápido de la historia xerecista|trans-title=The quickest relegation in xerecista history|newspaper=Diario de Jerez|language=es|date=6 May 2013|access-date=30 September 2022}} Six months shy of his 40th birthday, he retired after one year with his first club Linense.

Subsequently, Mesa coached amateurs CD San Roque for a few years, also working with his birthplace's city hall in the sports department.

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.{{cite news|url=http://hemeroteca.mundodeportivo.com/preview/1979/11/15/pagina-3/1044427/pdf.html#|title=1–3: La selección, ridiculizada por Dinamarca|trans-title=1–3: The national team, ridiculed by Denmark|newspaper=Mundo Deportivo|first=Juan Antonio|last=Calvo|language=es|date=15 November 1979|access-date=13 March 2018}} 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.{{cite news|url=http://hemeroteca.mundodeportivo.com/preview/1980/04/17/pagina-2/1056948/pdf.html#|title=2–2: La selección mejoró sin convencer|trans-title=2–2: The national team improved without convincing|newspaper=Mundo Deportivo|first=Juan Antonio|last=Calvo|language=es|date=17 April 1980|access-date=13 March 2018}}

Honours

Sporting Gijón

Segunda División: 1976–77{{cite news|url=http://blog.elcomercio.es/sporting/fiesta-por-un-ascenso/|title=Fiesta por un ascenso|trans-title=Party for a promotion|newspaper=El Comercio|first=Manuel|last=Rosety|language=es|date=|access-date=30 September 2022}}