PROFILPELAJAR.COM

Tolo Plaza
Personal information
Full name	Bartolomé Plaza Muela
Date of birth	21 February 1949
Place of birth	La Carolina, Spain
Date of death	11 June 2000 (aged 51)
Place of death	Valencia, Spain
Height	1.68 m (5 ft 6 in)
Position(s)	Forward
Senior career*
Years	Team
1969–1970	Castellón
1970–1971	Recreativo Huelva
1971–1972	Castellón
1972–1974	Linares
1974–1978	Sevilla
1977–1978	Sevilla Atlético
1978	→ Recreativo Huelva (loan)
1978–1979	Algeciras
1979–1982	Linares
Total
Managerial career
1984–1985	Sevilla Atlético
1985–1987	Utrera
1988	Atlético Marbella
1988–1989	Jaén
1989–1990	Linares
1991–1992	Jaén
1992–1993	Córdoba
1993–1996	Jaén
1997	Málaga
1998–2000	Elche
	*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Bartolomé Plaza Muela (21 February 1949 – 11 June 2000) was a Spanish football player and manager.

Playing career

Born in La Carolina in the Province of Jaén, Plaza played as a forward for Sevilla in La Liga (21 games, 6 goals) and for five teams including the former in the Segunda División (148 games, 19 goals).^[1] On 4 January 1976, he came on as a substitute for Rafael Martínez after 35 minutes, and eight minutes later scored the opening goal for Sevilla in a 2–0 home win over Real Betis in the Seville derby.^[2] In April 1978, he was loaned to a Recreativo de Huelva side chasing promotion to the top flight with five games remaining.^[3]

Plaza played 32 games and scored 11 goals in 1979–80 as Linares won their Segunda División B group. His tally included a goal in the final match on 1 June, a 4–2 win at Calvo Sotelo.^[4]

Managerial career

Plaza managed Real Jaén in a record 229 games in the 1990s, in Segunda División B.^[1] He also led Córdoba in 1992–93.^[5] In 1996–97, he left halfway through a promotion-winning season to join Málaga,^[6] but was fired after 13 games of the following campaign with the team in 7th place, with three points less than leaders Granada; the season ended with promotion under his successor Ismael Díaz.^[7]

Elche appointed Plaza in 1998 and he led the team to promotion to the Segunda División via the playoffs.^[8] He was sacked in January 2000 with the team in the relegation zone.^[9]

Personal life

Plaza had a son of the same name, who played in lower-league football.^[10]

Plaza died on 11 June 2000 at hospital in Valencia, aged 51. He had been diagnosed with lymphatic cancer for the third time.^[11] Real Jaén, Málaga and Elche held a pre-season tournament in his memory.^[12]

References

^ ^a ^b Moreno, Gilberto (30 August 2023). "Entrenadores con sello blanco" [Managers with a white stamp]. Diario Jaén (in Spanish). Retrieved 15 September 2024.
^ "2-0: El Sevilla se llevó el "derby andaluz"" [2-0: Sevilla took the "Andalusian derby"]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). 5 January 1976. Retrieved 15 September 2024.
^ Llorden, Plácio (13 April 1978). "El sevillista Plaza, al club onubense" [Sevilla player Plaza, to the club from Huelva]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). Retrieved 15 September 2024.
^ Mendoza, Ángel (5 May 2010). "Homenaje al ascenso del Linares a Segunda de 1980" [Homage to Linares's promotion to the Segunda División in 1980]. Ideal (in Spanish). Retrieved 15 September 2024.
^ "El recuerdo a 'Tolo' Plaza del nuevo entrenador del Córdoba" [The memory of 'Tolo' Plaza of Córdoba's new manager] (in Spanish). El Desmarque. 26 February 2019. Retrieved 15 September 2024.
^ "Real Jaén CF". Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). 29 August 1997. Retrieved 15 September 2024.
^ Cariño, Carlos (9 November 2023). "El espinoso camino al ascenso desde el mundo del bronce" [The thorny promotion path from the world of bronze]. Diario AS (in Spanish). Retrieved 15 September 2024.
^ Mata, Jesús (5 June 2017). "Así era el último 'Elche de Bronce': jugaban Vilanova, Lafuente, Nino..." [This was the last 'Bronze Elche': Vilanova, Lafuente and Nino were playing...]. Marca (in Spanish). Retrieved 15 September 2024.
^ Romero, Juan Carlos (11 January 2000). "'Tolo' Plaza, el noveno en caer" ['Tolo' Plaza, the ninth to fall]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). Retrieved 15 September 2024.
^ González, Alessio (8 July 2008). "La Unión se interesa por Tolo Plaza" [Unión interested in Tolo Plaza]. Europa Sur (in Spanish). Retrieved 15 September 2024.
^ "El técnico Tolo Plaza fallece en Valencia" [Manager Tolo Plaza dies in Valencia]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). 13 June 2000. Retrieved 15 September 2024.
^ "Dorado, cerca del Córdoba" [Dorado, near Córdoba]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). 21 June 2000. Retrieved 15 September 2024.