Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | Manuel Lucena Medina | ||
Date of birth | 18 November 1982 | ||
Place of birth | Granada, Spain | ||
Height | 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) | ||
Position(s) | Centre-back | ||
Youth career | |||
2000–2001 | Imperio Albolote | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
2001–2002 | Arenas | ||
2002–2005 | Granada | 64 | (4) |
2004–2005 | → Marino (loan) | 32 | (6) |
2005 | Sporting Gijón | 3 | (0) |
2006–2013 | Granada | 181 | (15) |
2013–2014 | Mirandés | 11 | (0) |
Total | 291 | (25) | |
*Club domestic league appearances and goals |
Manuel 'Manolo' Lucena Medina (born 18 November 1982) is a Spanish retired footballer who played as a central defender.
His professional career was mainly associated with Granada, with which he competed in all four major levels of Spanish football.[1]
Lucena was born in Granada, Andalusia. In 2002 he signed for his hometown's Granada CF, at the time in the Tercera División. After two years as a starter he was loaned to Marino de Luanco of Segunda División B, being first-choice in his only season as the Asturias club narrowly avoided relegation.[2]
In the summer of 2005, Lucena joined Sporting de Gijón in the Segunda División. In January 2006, with only three league appearances to his credit – seven minutes in total – he returned to Granada, scoring five goals as the team promoted from the fourth division.[2]
Lucena remained a key player in the following three third-tier campaigns, never appearing in less than 32 league games and occasionally pitching in at defensive midfielder.[3] In 2009–10, already as team captain, he contributed 26 matches and one goal en route to a return to division two after 22 years.[1]
In late June 2011, after a second consecutive promotion for Granada, with him as the club's only player from the region of Granada, Lucena renewed his contract for a further two seasons.[4][5] He made his La Liga debut on 27 August in a 0–1 home loss against Real Betis (90 minutes played),[6][1] but totalled only nine official games over two seasons, being released subsequently.
Lucena retired at the end of the 2013–14 campaign at the age of 31, following a spell with CD Mirandés in the second tier.[7] In February 2015, he returned to Granada as match delegate.[8]