José Manuel Rey

José Manuel Rey
	Rey with Venezuela at the 2011 Copa América
Personal information
Full name	José Manuel Rey Cortegoso
Date of birth	20 May 1975 (age 49)
Place of birth	Caracas, Venezuela
Height	1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Position(s)	Centre-back
Youth career
1994–1995	Marítimo
Senior career*
Years	Team
1995–1996	Deportivo B
1996–2002	Caracas
1999	→ Emelec (loan)
2003	Emelec
2004–2005	Pontevedra
2006	Atlético Nacional
2006–2010	Caracas
2007–2008	→ AEK Larnaca (loan)
2009	→ Colo-Colo (loan)
2011	Mineros Guayana
2011–2015	Deportivo Lara
Total
International career
1997–2011	Venezuela
Managerial career
2015–2016	Venezuela (assistant)
2017	Zamora (assistant)
2017–2018	Aragua
2018–2019	Monagas
2020	Zamora
	*Club domestic league appearances and goals

José Manuel Rey Cortegoso (born 20 May 1975) is a Venezuelan former footballer who played as a central defender, currently a manager.

Known as Pokémon and Tetero,^[1] and a free kick specialist,^[2] he represented mainly Caracas in a 20-year professional career.

Rey was at one time Venezuela's second-most ever capped player, surpassing 100 international appearances.^[3] He was part of the squads at six Copa América tournaments.

Club career

During his career, Rey played mainly with Caracas FC, also representing several clubs in Europe and South America: C.S. Marítimo de Venezuela, C.S. Emelec (two spells), Pontevedra CF, Atlético Nacional and AEK Larnaca FC. In 1995, he had a short spell with Deportivo de La Coruña in Spain, but only appeared for the reserves.^[4] In 2000 he signed a pre-contract with Dundee FC, but ultimately failed to join to the Scottish side.

In late September 2009, Rey was sent on loan to Colo-Colo in Chile, as a replacement for injured Luis Mena. After an irregular start he established himself in the starting XI, helping them win the Primera División championship.

The loan was to be extended if Colo-Colo qualified to the Copa Libertadores, which eventually happened, but Rey returned to Caracas. In January 2011, after five spells with his main club, the 35-year-old signed for A.C.C.D. Mineros de Guayana.^[5]

Rey changed teams again in June 2011, moving to Asociación Civil Deportivo Lara. He retired four years later aged 40,^[6] and subsequently worked as manager of Aragua F.C.^[7] and Monagas S.C.^[8]^{[unreliable source]} but also sporting director of Deportivo Lara.^[9]

International career

Rey played 115 international matches for the Venezuela national team. His debut came on 8 June 1997, in a 1998 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Bolivia in Valera (1–1 draw).^[10]

On 13 October 2007, Rey scored from a spectacular free kick in a 1–0 win over Ecuador in the 2010 World Cup qualifying stages. This signalled Ecuador's first defeat in Quito in six years.^[11]^[12]

On 6 September 2008, in a 1–0 loss to Peru at the Estadio Monumental in Lima, in another qualifier, Rey became the first player to appear 100 times for Venezuela.^[13]^[14] He also represented the nation in six Copa América tournaments.

During one year, Rey acted as second in command to Noel Sanvicente at the national side's coaching staff.^[15]

International goals

Goal	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1.	27 January 1999	José Pachencho Romero, Maracaibo, Venezuela	Denmark	1–0	1–1	Friendly
2.	15 June 1999	Pueblo Nuevo, San Cristóbal, Venezuela	Ecuador	2–2	3–2	Friendly
3.	20 June 1999	Misael Delgado, Valencia, Venezuela	Peru	1–0	3–0	Friendly
4.	20 October 2002	Brígido Iriarte, Caracas, Venezuela	Ecuador	1–0	2–0	Friendly
5.	18 November 2003	José Pachencho Romero, Maracaibo, Venezuela	Bolivia	1–1	2–1	2006 World Cup qualification
6.	15 November 2006	Brígido Iriarte, Caracas, Venezuela	Guatemala	2–0	2–1	Friendly
7.	13 October 2007	Olímpico Atahualpa, Quito, Ecuador	Ecuador	0–1	0–1	2010 World Cup qualification
8.	10 June 2009	Polideportivo Cachamay, Puerto Ordaz, Venezuela	Uruguay	0–1	2–2	2010 World Cup qualification
9.	12 August 2009	Giants Stadium, New York City, United States	Colombia	0–1	1–2	Friendly
10.	5 September 2009	Monumental David Arellano, Santiago, Chile	Chile	1–2	2–2	2010 World Cup qualification