Manolín (footballer, born 1988)

For other people with the same name, see Manolín.

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Sánchez and the second or maternal family name is López.
Manolín
Personal information
Full name Manuel Sánchez López[1]
Date of birth (1988-09-13) 13 September 1988[1]
Place of birth Córdoba, Spain
Height 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)[1]
Position Defensive midfielder
Team information
Current team
 St Joseph's
Number 6
Youth career
UDC Sur
Séneca CF
Córdoba
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2007–2009 Écija 26 (1)
2009–2010 Poli Ejido 14 (1)
2010–2011 Córdoba B 30 (3)
2011–2012 La Unión 30 (4)
2012–2013 Guijuelo 33 (3)
2013–2014 La Hoya Lorca 30 (1)
2014–2016 Huesca 47 (2)
2016 Osasuna 8 (0)
2016 Alcorcón 5 (0)
2017 UCAM Murcia 12 (0)
2017–2020 Elche 84 (6)
2020–2021 Ávila 22 (2)
2022–2023 Europa 18 (5)
2023– St Joseph's 54 (11)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 18:49, 3 March 2026 (UTC)

Manuel Sánchez López (born 13 September 1988), known as Manolín, is a Spanish professional footballer who plays for Gibraltar Football League club St Joseph's. Mainly a defensive midfielder, he can also play as a central defender.

Club career

Born in Córdoba, Andalusia, Manolín graduated from Córdoba CF's youth academy, and made his debut as a senior with Écija Balompié in 2007, in the Segunda División B.[2] On 2 August 2009, he moved to Polideportivo Ejido also of the third division.[3]

On 31 August 2010, Manolín returned to Córdoba, being assigned to the reserves who competed in the Tercera División.[4] In the summer of 2011, he signed with CF La Unión one league above.[5]

Manolín remained in the third tier the following years, representing CD Guijuelo,[6] La Hoya Lorca CF[7] and SD Huesca.[8] He appeared in 38 matches and scored two goals during the season with the latter club, as it returned to Segunda División after a two-year absence.[9][10]

Manolín made his professional debut on 22 August 2015 at the age of 27, playing the full 90 minutes in a 2–3 home loss against Deportivo Alavés.[11] On 10 January of the following year, after terminating his contract, he joined CA Osasuna also in the second division.[12]

On 23 June 2016, having achieved promotion to La Liga as a starter in the play-offs,[13] Manolín was released and signed with second-tier side AD Alcorcón.[14] On 20 December, he became a free agent[15] and joined UCAM Murcia CF of the same league three days later.[16]

On 20 July 2017, Manolín agreed to a deal at Elche CF.[17] He again promoted to the second division at the end of his debut campaign, contributing 34 games and four goals to the feat.[18]

Manolín left the Estadio Martínez Valero on 28 August 2020, after another promotion.[19] In September, he signed for amateurs Real Ávila CF.[20]

References

  1. ^ a b c "Manolín". Diario AS. Retrieved 12 March 2026.
  2. ^ "Manolín estará a caballo entre el Écija y Montalbeño" [Manolín will be riding between Écija and Montalbeño] (in Spanish). Minuto 90. 28 August 2007. Retrieved 4 August 2015.
  3. ^ "Manolín ficha por el Poli Ejido" [Manolín signs for Poli Ejido] (in Spanish). Córdoba de Primera. 2 August 2009. Retrieved 4 August 2015.
  4. ^ "Manolín, la guinda para el Córdoba B" [Manolín, icing on the cake for Córdoba B] (in Spanish). Minuto 90. 31 August 2010. Retrieved 4 August 2015.
  5. ^ Martínez Mellinas, José Antonio (10 August 2011). "Ochenta metros bajo tierra" [Eighty meters under]. La Opinión de Murcia (in Spanish). Retrieved 21 August 2015.
  6. ^ "El Guijuelo se refuerza con Manuel Sánchez, zaguero procedente del Caravaca" [Guijuelo bolster with Manuel Sánchez, stopper from Caravaca] (in Spanish). Salamanca 24 Horas. 3 August 2012. Retrieved 4 August 2015.
  7. ^ Santos García Díaz, Damián (15 July 2013). "La Hoya Lorca anuncia 5 incorporaciones" [La Hoya announce 5 additions] (in Spanish). Vavel. Retrieved 4 August 2015.
  8. ^ "Manolín ficha por la SD Huesca" [Manolín signs for SD Huesca] (in Spanish). Minuto 90. 16 June 2014. Retrieved 4 August 2015.
  9. ^ "El Bilbao Athletic y el Huesca de Manolín completan la Segunda" [Bilbao Athletic and Manolín's Huesca complete Segunda]. ABC (in Spanish). 28 June 2015. Retrieved 12 March 2026.
  10. ^ Lorda, Iñaki; Iborra, Javier (17 June 2025). "'Manolín', del ascenso con Osasuna a la Conference League en Gibraltar a los 36 años" ['Manolín', from promoting with Osasuna to the Conference League in Gibraltar at the age of 36]. Diario de Navarra (in Spanish). Retrieved 12 March 2026.
  11. ^ Laz, Alberto (22 August 2015). "El Alavés amarga la vuelta al Huesca" [Alavés bitter Huesca return]. Marca (in Spanish). Retrieved 22 August 2015.
  12. ^ "Urko Vera y Manuel, nuevos jugadores de Osasuna" [Urko Vera and Manuel, new players of Osasuna] (in Spanish). CA Osasuna. 10 January 2016. Archived from the original on 7 October 2017. Retrieved 12 January 2016.
  13. ^ Díaz, Adrián (10 August 2020). "Nino y Manuel Sánchez, a repetir en Elche la hazaña con Osasuna" [Nino and Manuel Sánchez, out to do in Elche what they did with Osasuna]. Marca (in Spanish). Retrieved 24 January 2021.
  14. ^ "Manuel Sánchez, primer fichaje de la A.D. Alcorcón para la temporada 2016–17" [Manuel Sánchez, first signing of A.D. Alcorcón for the 2016–17 season] (in Spanish). AD Alcorcón. 23 June 2016. Retrieved 2 July 2016.
  15. ^ "El Club y el jugador Manuel Sánchez acuerdan rescindir su relación contractual" [The club and player Manuel Sánchez agree to terminate their contractual relationship] (in Spanish). AD Alcorcón. 20 December 2016. Retrieved 25 December 2016.
  16. ^ "Manolín, nuevo jugador del UCAM Murcia" [Manolín, new player of UCAM Murcia] (in Spanish). UCAM Murcia CF. 23 December 2016. Retrieved 25 December 2016.
  17. ^ "El Elche ficha a Manuel Sánchez" [Elche sign Manuel Sánchez] (in Spanish). Franjiverdes. 20 July 2017. Retrieved 24 July 2017.
  18. ^ "Manolín: "El Elche no es el único equipo con problemas con el límite salarial"" [Manolín: "Elche are not the only team with salary cap problems"] (in Spanish). Onda Cero. 21 August 2018. Retrieved 9 January 2020.
  19. ^ "Manuel Sánchez y el Elche separan sus caminos" [Manuel Sánchez and Elche part ways] (in Spanish). Be Soccer. 28 August 2020. Retrieved 4 September 2020.
  20. ^ Villardón, Sergio (21 September 2020). "Del Elche de Primera al Ávila de Tercera persiguiendo un sueño" [From Elche of Primera to Ávila of Tercera chasing a dream]. Diario AS (in Spanish). Retrieved 12 March 2026.
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