Place of birth Verín, Spain Years Team Height 1.79 m | Playing position Team Apps Position Forward | |
Full name Ignacio Martín-Esperanza Tejada Date of birth (1936-06-05) 5 June 1936 (age 80) | ||
Ignacio Martín-Esperanza Tejada (born 5 June 1936) is a Spanish retired footballer who played as a forward, and a current manager.
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Playing career
Born in Verín, Ourense, Galicia, Martín-Esperanza finished his formation at Real Madrid, and made his senior debuts while on loan at CP La Felguera in 1956. He scored 12 goals for the club, which narrowly avoided relegation, and was assigned to the former's reserves in the following year.
Martín-Esperanza was also loaned to CA Ceuta, and in 1960 signed for La Liga's Real Betis, with Luis del Sol moving in the opposite direction. He made his debut in the competition on 11 September, playing the full 90 minutes in a 2–0 home win against RCD Mallorca, and scored his first goal on 11 December, netting the last in a 2–1 success at Granada CF.
Martín-Esperanza struggled with injuries during his spell with the Andalusians, and joined Pontevedra CF in the 1963 summer. He was regularly used by the club, and eventually retired in 1970 at the age of 33; he was also called up to the national team in December 1965, being only an unused substitute in a 0–2 loss against England.
Managerial career
After his retirement Martín-Esperanza was appointed manager of his last side Pontevedra in 1973, and eventually suffering team relegation. After managing lower clubs in his native region he was named Algeciras CF manager, taking the club back to Segunda División B in his first season.
Subsequently, Martín-Esperanza had spells with Catalan clubs UE Lleida, UE Figueres and CE L'Hospitalet, all of them in the third division. In 1999, after 14 years without a club, he returned to Pontevedra, but his reign only lasted six matches.