Ángel Martínez (footballer, born 1986)

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Martínez and the second or maternal family name is Cervera.

Ángel
Personal information
Full name Ángel Martínez Cervera[1]
Date of birth (1986-01-31) 31 January 1986 (age 38)
Place of birth Girona, Spain
Height 1.76 m (5 ft 9 in)
Position(s) Midfielder
Youth career
1995–1997 Gironès-Sàbat
1997–1999 Bons Aires
1999–2003 Vilobí
2003–2005 Espanyol
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2005–2007 Espanyol B 55 (7)
2007–2011 Espanyol 50 (2)
2009–2010 → Rayo Vallecano (loan) 27 (2)
2010–2011 → Girona (loan) 36 (0)
2011–2014 Blackpool 65 (1)
2014–2015 Millwall 4 (0)
2015–2017 Chesterfield 12 (0)
2017–2021 Sabadell 111 (2)
Total 360 (14)
International career
2005 Spain U19 3 (0)
2008 Spain U21 3 (0)
2007–2008 Catalonia 2 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Ángel Martínez Cervera (born 31 January 1986), known simply as Ángel, is a Spanish retired professional footballer who played as a midfielder.

He began his career with Espanyol, appearing in 59 competitive games and reaching the 2007 UEFA Cup final. Subsequently, he played in England, starting out at Blackpool for whom he signed in 2011.

Club career

Espanyol

Born in Girona, Catalonia, Ángel was a product of RCD Espanyol's youth system. He appeared in seven La Liga matches with the first team during the 2006–07 season, the first on 11 March 2007 in a 1–1 away draw against Racing de Santander.[2] He added two appearances in their runner-up run in the UEFA Cup, winning both games.[3][4]

In the following campaign, Ángel was an important element in the Catalan side, scoring in wins at Sevilla FC (3–2)[5] and CA Osasuna (2–1)[6] and finishing with 28 league appearances. After Mauricio Pochettino's arrival as coach in January 2009, however, he was deemed surplus to requirements: after a loan move had been arranged until the end of the season with Segunda División club Gimnàstic de Tarragona, the deal collapsed as Espanyol did not sign, as originally intended, Argentine midfielder Oscar Ahumada before the 31st deadline.[7]

Ángel was loaned to Rayo Vallecano in the second division for 2009–10, in a season-long move.[8] He was a regular for the Madrid outskirts team, as they retained their status.

In late July 2010, still owned by Espanyol, Ángel signed with another club in that tier, hometown's Girona FC, sharing teams with his brother José.[9] He made his official debut on 28 August, playing 68 minutes in a 4–2 home victory over CD Tenerife,[10] and started in 25 of his league appearances – totalling nearly 2,000 minutes of play – during the season in an eventual 11th-place finish.

Blackpool

On 25 July 2011, Ángel signed a two-year contract with English Championship side Blackpool, which included an option for a third year.[11] He made his official debut on 11 August in a penalty shootout loss against Sheffield Wednesday in the first round of the League Cup,[12] and first appeared in the league on 27 September, in a 2–2 draw with Coventry City at the Ricoh Arena.[13]

Toward the end of the season, Ángel became a regular starter for the Seasiders, with manager Ian Holloway saying of him: "He's growing into the country, he's learning to speak English and he's settled down now. Ludovic Sylvestre is really unlucky but I'd be crazy to leave out Ángel. He's almost the first name on the teamsheet at the moment."[14] On 17 April 2012, the day after the manager's comments, he scored his first goal for the team, the only in a victory over Leeds United at Bloomfield Road.[15]

Ángel played 26 games in 2013–14, as Blackpool narrowly avoided relegation after finishing in 20th position. He was also chosen as the club's Community Player of the Year.[16]

Millwall

On 2 September 2014, Ángel agreed to a one-year deal with fellow league club Millwall, reuniting with former Blackpool boss Holloway.[17] He appeared in his first competitive game on 12 December, starting and playing 89 minutes in a 1–0 defeat of Brighton & Hove Albion.[18]

Chesterfield

Ángel signed for Chesterfield on 16 August 2015, agreeing to a two-year deal.[19] He picked up an anterior cruciate ligament knee injury in September, going on to be sidelined for 15 months.[20]

Ángel returned to action for the Spireites on 13 December 2016, in their 8–0 win against Aston United for the DCFA Senior Challenge Cup.[21]

Sabadell

Aged 31, Ángel returned to both his country and his native region, joining Segunda División B club CE Sabadell FC on 23 August 2017.[22] Three days later, in the second round of the season, he came on as a 62nd-minute substitute in a 2–0 away win over UE Olot, with his sibling José playing the entire match for the opposition.[23]

Ángel featured regularly during his spell at the Estadi de la Nova Creu Alta, helping to promote to the second division in 2020.[24] On 3 June 2021, the 35-year-old retired from professional football.[25]

International career

Ángel made three appearances for the Spain under-19 team in 2005, adding another three for the under-21s three years later.[26][27][28]

Personal life

Ángel's older brother, José, was also a footballer. A defender, he played mainly with Girona, coinciding with his sibling in 2010–11.[9]

Career statistics

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition[29]
Club Season Division League National Cup League Cup Europe Other Total
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals App Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Espanyol B 2006–07[30] Segunda División B 27 5 0 0 0 0 — 0 0 27 5
Espanyol 2006–07[30] La Liga 7 0 0 0 0 0 2[a] 0 0 0 9 0
2007–08[30] 28 2 2 0 0 0 — 0 0 30 2
2008–09[30] 15 0 5 0 0 0 — 0 0 20 0
Total 50 2 7 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 59 2
Rayo Vallecano 2009–10[30] Segunda División 27 2 4 0 0 0 — 0 0 31 2
Girona 2010–11[30] Segunda División 36 0 1 0 0 0 — 0 0 37 0
Blackpool 2011–12[31] Championship 15 1 4 0 1 0 — 3[b] 0 23 1
2012–13[32] 21 0 0 0 1 0 — 0 0 22 0
2013–14[33] 26 0 1 0 1 0 — 0 0 28 0
Total 62 1 5 0 3 0 — 3 0 73 1
Millwall 2014–15[34] Championship 4 0 0 0 0 0 — 0 0 4 0
Chesterfield 2015–16[35] League One 3 0 0 0 0 0 — 0 0 3 0
2016–17[36] 9 0 0 0 0 0 — 0 0 9 0
Total 12 0 0 0 0 0 — 0 0 12 0
Sabadell 2017–18[30] Segunda División B 36 0 0 0 0 0 — 0 0 36 0
2018–19[30] 34 1 0 0 0 0 — 0 0 34 1
2019–20[30] 23 1 0 0 0 0 — 2[c] 0 25 1
2020–21[30] Segunda División 18 0 1 0 0 0 — 0 0 19 0
Total 111 2 1 0 0 0 — 2 0 114 2
Career total 329 12 18 0 3 0 2 0 5 0 357 12
  1. ^ Appearances in UEFA Cup
  2. ^ Appearances in Championship play-offs
  3. ^ Appearances in Segunda División B play-offs

Honours

Espanyol

References

  1. ^ "Professional retain list & free transfers 2012/13" (PDF). The Football League. 18 May 2013. p. 6. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 October 2013. Retrieved 8 September 2013.
  2. ^ "Racing Santander 1–1 Espanyol". ESPN Soccernet. 11 March 2007. Archived from the original on 3 January 2013. Retrieved 23 February 2012.
  3. ^ a b Rodríguez, Tito (13 December 2006). "El Espanyol, campeón de grupo" [Espanyol, group champions] (in Spanish). UEFA. Retrieved 22 September 2017.
  4. ^ a b Atkin, John (4 May 2007). "Espanyol ease into Glasgow final". UEFA. Retrieved 22 September 2017.
  5. ^ "Tamudo stuns Sevilla". ESPN Soccernet. 25 September 2007. Archived from the original on 14 July 2012. Retrieved 23 February 2012.
  6. ^ "Osasuna 1–2 Espanyol". ESPN Soccernet. 25 November 2007. Archived from the original on 13 July 2012. Retrieved 23 February 2012.
  7. ^ "Cancelado el fichaje de Ángel por el Nástic" [Ángel's move to Nástic cancelled]. Marca (in Spanish). 31 January 2009. Retrieved 2 February 2009.
  8. ^ "Ángel y Román abandonan el Espanyol cedidos a Rayo Vallecano y Tenerife respectivamente" [Ángel and Román leave Espanyol on loan to Rayo Vallecano and Tenerife respectively]. Marca (in Spanish). 1 August 2009. Retrieved 17 April 2018.
  9. ^ a b "Ángel Martínez, nuevo jugador del Girona" [Ángel Martínez, new Girona player]. Marca (in Spanish). 31 July 2010. Retrieved 23 February 2012.
  10. ^ "El Girona se da un festín con un triunfo ante un candidato al ascenso" [Girona throw a feast with win against promotion candidates]. Marca (in Spanish). 28 August 2010. Retrieved 24 April 2017.
  11. ^ "Transfer latest". Blackpool F.C. 25 July 2011. Archived from the original on 2 September 2012. Retrieved 16 February 2012.
  12. ^ "Sheffield Wednesday 0–0 Blackpool (4–2 penalties)". BBC Sport. 11 August 2011. Retrieved 23 February 2012.
  13. ^ "Coventry 2–2 Blackpool". BBC Sport. 27 September 2011. Retrieved 23 February 2012.
  14. ^ "Blackpool's Angel Martinez a first pick – Ian Holloway". BBC Sport. 16 April 2012. Retrieved 16 April 2012.
  15. ^ "Blackpool 1–0 Leeds United". BBC Sport. 17 April 2012. Retrieved 17 April 2012.
  16. ^ "SLIDESHOW: Gilks named your player of the year". Blackpool Gazette. 5 May 2014. Retrieved 6 May 2014.
  17. ^ "Transfer latest". Millwall F.C. 2 September 2014. Retrieved 2 September 2014.
  18. ^ "Brighton & Hove Albion 1–0 Millwall". BBC Sport. 12 December 2014. Retrieved 31 August 2018.
  19. ^ "Spireites land Spanish midfielder". Chesterfield F.C. 16 August 2015. Retrieved 16 August 2015.
  20. ^ "Unfortunate Angel out for six months". Chesterfield F.C. 3 September 2015. Retrieved 28 August 2016.
  21. ^ "Spireites hit eight in DCFA Senior Challenge Cup win". Chesterfield F.C. 13 December 2016. Retrieved 14 December 2016.
  22. ^ "Ángel Martínez, experiència contrastada per al mig del camp" [Ángel Martínez, proven experience for the midfield] (in Catalan). CE Sabadell. 23 August 2017. Retrieved 22 September 2017.
  23. ^ Bernad Giménez, Agustí (27 August 2017). "El Sabadell toma Olot" [Sabadell take Olot] (in Spanish). Vavel. Retrieved 22 September 2017.
  24. ^ "El Sabadell vuelve a Segunda con el sello de Antonio Hidalgo" [Sabadell return to Segunda courtesy of Antonio Hidalgo]. La Vanguardia (in Spanish). 27 July 2020. Retrieved 1 July 2021.
  25. ^ Payró, Roger (3 June 2021). "Àngel Martínez, capitán del Sabadell, se retira: "Me he fundido la rodilla"" [Àngel Martínez, captain of Sabadell, retires: "My knee has melted"]. Sport (in Spanish). Retrieved 15 June 2021.
  26. ^ Morro, Sergio (6 February 2008). "España impone su potencial sobre Francia" [Spain's potential downs France]. El Mundo (in Spanish). Retrieved 3 December 2020.
  27. ^ "Fútbol/Sub-21.– Crónica del Kazajstán – España: 1–2" [Football/Under-21.– Kazakhstan – Spain match report: 1–2]. El Economista (in Spanish). 5 September 2008. Retrieved 3 December 2020.
  28. ^ "La selección sub'21 cierra la fase de clasificación con éxito" [Under'21 national team complete qualifiers with triumph]. El Mundo (in Spanish). 9 September 2008. Retrieved 3 December 2020.
  29. ^ Ángel Martínez at Soccerway
  30. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Ángel Martínez at BDFutbol
  31. ^ "Games played by Ángel Martínez in 2011/2012". Soccerbase. Centurycomm.
  32. ^ "Games played by Ángel Martínez in 2012/2013". Soccerbase. Centurycomm.
  33. ^ "Games played by Ángel Martínez in 2013/2014". Soccerbase. Centurycomm.
  34. ^ "Games played by Ángel Martínez in 2014/2015". Soccerbase. Centurycomm.
  35. ^ "Games played by Ángel Martínez in 2015/2016". Soccerbase. Centurycomm.
  36. ^ "Games played by Ángel Martínez in 2016/2017". Soccerbase. Centurycomm.