Full name Manuel Mesa Quiros 1971–1975 Linense Place of birth San Roque, Spain Name Manuel Mesa | Playing position Role Footballer Years Team Height 1.75 m | |
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Date of birth (1952-12-26) 26 December 1952 (age 62) | ||
Manuel 'Manolo' Mesa Quirós (born 26 December 1952) is a Spanish retired footballer who played as a right winger.
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His professional career was intimately connected with Sporting de Gijón, with which he spent 12 years, amassing La Liga totals of 311 games and 34 goals over the course of 11 seasons and appearing in nearly 500 official matches.
Club career
Born in San Roque, Cádiz, Andalusia, Mesa started playing football at local side Real Balompédica Linense. In 1975, after having been discovered by renowned scout Enrique Casas, he was bought by Sporting de Gijón in La Liga, making his first-team debut on 28 December of that year in a 0–1 loss at UD Salamanca and appearing in a further ten games during that season, which ended in relegation.
From 1978 onwards, with the Asturias side back in the top division, Mesa played an essential part in the club's domestic consolidation, helping it to a runner-up place in the 1978–79 campaign, back-to-back Copa del Rey finals in the early 80's – both lost – and four UEFA Cup participations; due to his incredible stamina, he earned the nickname Siete Pulmones (Seven Lungs).
Mesa played 43 matches in 1986–87, scoring seven goals (both career-highs) to help Sporting finish in fourth position. Even though the player, aged nearly 35, was still in good physical conditions, his contract was not renewed and he moved to Real Murcia also in the top level, but left the club after a couple of weeks, unsettled.
Mesa then moved closer to his hometown and signed for Xerez CD in division two, producing three respectable seasons but being relegated in his last. Six months shy of his 40th birthday, he retired after one year with his very first club, Balompédica Linense, La Balona.
Subsequently, having settled in his hometown, Mesa coached amateurs CD San Roque de Lepe for a few years, also working with the city hall in the sports department.
International career
Mesa played twice for Spain, making his debut on 14 November 1979 and scoring in a 1–3 friendly loss with Denmark, in Cádiz. In the early minutes of his second appearance, another exhibition match with Czechoslovakia on 16 April 1980, he suffered a serious injury – having to be replaced by Sporting Gijón teammate Quini – and was never recalled again.