Moisés García (footballer, born 1971)

Moisés García León (born 10 July 1971), known simply as Moisés, is a Spanish former footballer who played as a centre-forward.

Moisés
Personal information
Full name Moisés García León
Date of birth (1971-07-10) 10 July 1971 (age 53)
Place of birth Seville, Spain
Height 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Position(s) Centre-forward
Youth career
Zaragoza
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1988–1991 Zaragoza B 76 (33)
1988–1994 Zaragoza 42 (8)
1994–1996 Osasuna 50 (11)
1996 Leganés 16 (13)
1997–1998 Celta 23 (7)
1998–2001 Villarreal 93 (28)
2001–2002 Sevilla 43 (14)
2003 Córdoba 23 (5)
2003–2005 Elche 74 (27)
2005–2007 Hércules 70 (22)
2007 Poli Ejido 4 (0)
2008–2009 Gimnàstic 53 (12)
2009–2010 Huesca 33 (4)
2010–2011 La Muela 28 (3)
Total 628 (187)
International career
1988–1989 Spain U19 4 (2)
1989 Spain U20 3 (1)
Managerial career
2011–2012 Huesca (assistant)
2012–2013 Hércules (assistant)
2013–2014 Zaragoza (assistant)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

In a 21-year professional career (23 seasons in total) he played for 13 teams – including Zaragoza, Celta, Villarreal and Sevilla in La Liga – amassing totals of 524 games and 151 goals, 163 matches and 40 goals being in the top flight.

Playing career

edit

A product of Real Zaragoza's youth system, Moisés was born in Seville, Andalusia, and raised in La Rioja.[1] He was only 17 when he made his debut with the first team on 6 November 1988 in a 2–1 home win against Real Murcia, being the youngest player to ever appear in La Liga for the club;[2] however, he could never break into the starting XI.

After two and a half seasons in the Segunda División, with CA Osasuna and CD Leganés, Moisés returned to the top flight with RC Celta de Vigo, but featured sparingly during his spell in Galicia. In 1999–2000, he was instrumental in helping Villarreal CF return to the latter competition as he scored 17 goals, joint-second best in the competition.[3]

Moisés managed to stay in the Spanish top flight until December 2002, receiving relative playing time with both Villarreal and Sevilla FC.[1] From there onwards he resumed his career solely in division two, with very good scoring records (in 2008–09, at already 37, his goals proved crucial in the campaign's final stretch, as Gimnàstic de Tarragona finally escaped the relegation zone).[4][5]

Aged 39, Moisés signed with amateurs CD La Muela, promoted to the Segunda División B for the first time ever, thus returning to his native region after a two-decade absence.[6]

Coaching career

edit

After La Muela's immediate relegation, Moisés retired from football and returned to former club SD Huesca, joining Quique Hernández's coaching staff early into the season as the pair helped the team finally retain their second division status.

On 22 October 2012, in the same capacity and also in division two, he joined Hércules CF and reunited with Hernández, who had been appointed following the dismissal of Juan Carlos Mandiá.[7]

Personal life

edit

Moisés' brothers, Eduardo, Gerardo and Manuel, were also professional footballers. The second, a defender, represented most notably Málaga CF.[8][9]

Honours

edit

Zaragoza

References

edit
  1. ^ a b Gil, Daniel (23 March 2002). "Moisés, un sevillista forjado en el exilio" [Moisés, sevillista forged in exile]. El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 15 September 2022.
  2. ^ "Kevin Lacruz debutó con el primer equipo del Real Zaragoza en liga" [Kevin Lacruz made league debut with Real Zaragoza's first team] (in Spanish). Join Futbol. 14 September 2009. Archived from the original on 29 May 2013. Retrieved 27 December 2012.
  3. ^ Andrados, Juan Pedro; Cabaleiro Pérez, Marcos. "Spain 1999/2000 (Top Three Levels)". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 15 September 2022.
  4. ^ "El Málaga, a apuntalar su ascenso ante un Nástic con la permanencia en juego" [Málaga, out to confirm promotion against Nástic who play to stay up]. Diario Sur (in Spanish). 9 May 2008. Retrieved 14 September 2022.
  5. ^ "Yordi, del Xerez, máximo goleador con 20 tantos" [Yordi, of Xerez, top scorer with 20 goals]. Diario Sur (in Spanish). 15 June 2008. Retrieved 14 September 2022.
  6. ^ Labarga, Nacho (2 August 2010). "El último cartucho de Moisés, en La Muela" [Moisés' last bullet, at La Muela]. Marca (in Spanish). Retrieved 12 September 2019.
  7. ^ "Quique Hernández releva a Mandiá en el Hércules" [Quique Hernández replaces Mandiá in Hércules]. Diario AS (in Spanish). 22 October 2012. Retrieved 14 September 2022.
  8. ^ Labarga, Nacho (3 August 2012). "Dos hermanos, un sueño y los mismos colores" [Two brothers, one dream and the same colours]. Marca (in Spanish). Retrieved 7 January 2016.
  9. ^ Labarga, Nacho (3 June 2013). "El adiós del trotamundos del fútbol" [The globetrotter of football's goodbye]. Marca (in Spanish). Retrieved 7 January 2016.
edit