Role Footballer Number 8 Height 1.79 m | Years Team Weight 70 kg Name Juan Ortiz Career start 2001 | |
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Full name Juan Manuel Ortiz Palazon Date of birth (1982-03-01) 1 March 1982 (age 33) Place of birth Guardamar del Segura, Spain Current team Hercules CF (#19 / Midfielder) | ||
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Amar juan manuel ortiz
Juan Manuel 'Juanma' Ortiz Palazón (born 1 March 1982) is a Spanish footballer who plays mainly as a right midfielder.
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After starting out at Atlético Madrid he went on to spend most of his professional career with Almería, appearing in 151 overall games in two spells (16 goals) whilst playing in four La Liga seasons with the club. He also competed professionally in Scotland and Cyprus.
Early years
Born in Guardamar del Segura, Alicante, Valencia, Ortiz was a graduate of Atlético Madrid's youth system, where he played five first-team games during the 2003–04 season, three as a starter.
He had previously made his debuts with the main squad in the 2001–02 campaign, appearing in one second division match as the Colchoneros were promoted, and would spend the next three years on loan, at both CA Osasuna and Polideportivo Ejido, the latter in the second level.
Almería
For 2007–08, Ortiz joined newly promoted UD Almería, where he was instrumental in helping the Andalusia side overachieve to a final eighth place in La Liga. He scored twice, including in a 4–1 away win against neighbours Sevilla FC on 19 April 2008, and continued to be regularly used in the following top flight seasons, inclusively as an attacking right back.
Ortiz played as both right and left-back during the 2010–11 campaign. He scored twice in the Copa del Rey, both in a 4–3 win at RCD Mallorca (8–6 on aggregate) for the round-of-16, as the team eventually reached the competition's semifinals for the first time ever, being nonetheless relegated after ranking 20th and last.
From 2007 to 2009, Ortiz was one of three Almería players with that surname, Mané and José Ortiz being the others.
Rangers
Ortiz signed for Scottish Premier League side Rangers on 6 July 2011, on a three-year contract. He made his first appearance for the club on 23 July against Heart of Midlothian, struggling to make an impact and playing out of position in a 1–1 draw; he scored his first official goal on 18 August, in a UEFA Europa League qualifier against NK Maribor.
On 30 January 2012, after a somewhat disappointing first half to his Rangers campaign, it was announced that Ortiz would rejoin Almería on loan until the end of the season. He netted three times in his first three games, awarding his team nine points after strikes against Córdoba CF (2–1, home), Girona FC (1–0, away) and Real Murcia (4–2, home).
Return to Spain
Following Rangers' liquidation after they entered administration, several players refused to have their contracts transferred to a new company set up by Charles Green, and both Ortiz and the club agreed on having his link terminated. On 10 July 2012, he signed a two-year contract with Granada CF.
Having signed in the summer of 2014 at the age of 32, Ortiz then spent several seasons in the Cypriot First Division with AEK Larnaca FC, sharing teams with a host of compatriots.