Ángel Martínez (footballer, born 1986)

Ángel Martínez Cervera (born 31 January 1986), known simply as Ángel, is a Spanish footballer who plays as a midfielder for CE Sabadell FC.

This article uses Spanish naming customs: the first or paternal family name is Martínez and the second or maternal family name is Cervera.

Ángel
Personal information
Full name Ángel Martínez Cervera[1]
Date of birth (1986-01-31) 31 January 1986
Place of birth Girona, Spain
Height 1.76 m (5 ft 9 in)
Playing position(s) Midfielder
Club information
Current team
 Sabadell
Youth career
Gironès-Sàbat
Espanyol
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2005–2007 Espanyol B 27 (5)
2007–2011 Espanyol 50 (2)
2009–2010 → Rayo Vallecano (loan) 27 (2)
2010–2011 → Girona (loan) 36 (0)
2011–2014 Blackpool 65 (1)
2014–2015 Millwall 4 (0)
2015–2017 Chesterfield 12 (0)
2017– Sabadell 93 (2)
National team
2005 Spain U19 3 (0)
2008 Spain U21 3 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 1 March 2020

He began his career with Espanyol, appearing in 59 official games and reaching the 2007 UEFA Cup Final. Subsequently, he played in England, starting out at Blackpool, for whom he signed in 2011.

Club career

Espanyol

Born in Girona, Catalonia, Ángel was a product of RCD Espanyol's youth system. He appeared in seven La Liga matches with the first team during the 2006–07 season, the first on 11 March 2007 in a 1–1 away draw against Racing de Santander.[2] He added two appearances in their runner-up run in the UEFA Cup, winning both games.[3][4]

In the following campaign, Ángel was an important element in the Catalan side, scoring in wins at Sevilla FC (3–2)[5] and CA Osasuna (2–1)[6] and finishing with 28 league appearances. After Mauricio Pochettino's arrival as coach in January 2009, however, he was deemed surplus to requirements: after a loan move had been arranged until the end of the season with Segunda División club Gimnàstic de Tarragona, the deal collapsed as Espanyol did not sign, as originally intended, Argentine midfielder Oscar Ahumada before the 31st deadline.[7]

For 2009–10, Ángel was loaned to Rayo Vallecano in the second level, in a season-long move.[8] He was a regular for the Madrid outskirts team, as they retained their division status.

In late July 2010, still owned by Espanyol, Ángel signed with another club in that tier, hometown's Girona FC, sharing teams with his brother José.[9] He made his official debut on 28 August, playing 68 minutes in a 4–2 home win over CD Tenerife,[10] and started in 25 of his league appearances – totalling nearly 2,000 minutes of play – during the season in an eventual 11th-place finish.

Blackpool

On 25 July 2011, Ángel signed a two-year contract with English Championship side Blackpool, which included an option for a third year.[11] He made his official debut on 11 August in a penalty shootout loss against Sheffield Wednesday for the campaign's League Cup,[12] and first appeared in the league on 27 September, in a 2–2 draw with Coventry City at the Ricoh Arena.[13]

Toward the end of the season, Ángel became a regular starter for the Seasiders, with manager Ian Holloway saying of him: "He's growing into the country, he's learning to speak English and he's settled down now. Ludovic Sylvestre is really unlucky but I'd be crazy to leave out Ángel. He's almost the first name on the teamsheet at the moment."[14] On 17 April 2012, the day after the manager's comments, he scored his first goal for the team in a 1–0 home win over Leeds United.[15]

Ángel played 26 games in 2013–14, as Blackpool narrowly avoided relegation after finishing in 20th position. He was also chosen as the club's Community Player of the Year.[16]

Millwall

On 2 September 2014, Ángel agreed to a one-year deal with fellow league club Millwall, reuniting with former Blackpool boss Holloway.[17] He appeared in his first competitive game on 12 December, starting and playing 89 minutes in a 1–0 success at Brighton & Hove Albion.[18]

Chesterfield

Ángel signed for Chesterfield on 16 August 2015, agreeing to a two-year deal.[19] He picked up an anterior cruciate ligament knee injury in September, going on to be sidelined for 15 months.[20]

Ángel returned to action for the Spireites on 13 December 2016, in their 8–0 victory against Aston United for the DCFA Senior Challenge Cup.[21]

Sabadell

Aged 31, Ángel returned to both his country and his native region, joining Segunda División B club CE Sabadell FC on 23 August 2017.[22] Three days later, in the season opener, he came on as a 62nd-minute substitute in a 2–0 away win over UE Olot, with his brother José playing the entire match for the opposition.[23]

International career

Ángel participated in the 2008 UEFA European Under-17 Championship with Spain, helping his country to eventual victory in the tournament and scoring in the semi-final.[24] He also made three appearances for the under-19 team in 2005, adding another three for the under-21s three years later.

Personal life

Ángel's older brother, José, was also a footballer. A defender, he played mainly with Girona, coinciding with his sibling in 2010–11.[9]

Honours

Club

Espanyol

International

Spain[24]

References
  1. "Professional retain list & free transfers 2012/13" (PDF). The Football League. 18 May 2013. p. 6. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 October 2013. Retrieved 8 September 2013.
  2. "Racing Santander 1–1 Espanyol". ESPN Soccernet. 11 March 2007. Retrieved 23 February 2012.
  3. Rodríguez, Tito (13 December 2006). "El Espanyol, campeón de grupo" [Espanyol, group champions] (in Spanish). UEFA. Retrieved 22 September 2017.
  4. Atkin, John (4 May 2007). "Espanyol ease into Glasgow final". UEFA. Retrieved 22 September 2017.
  5. "Tamudo stuns Sevilla". ESPN Soccernet. 25 September 2007. Retrieved 23 February 2012.
  6. "Osasuna 1–2 Espanyol". ESPN Soccernet. 25 November 2007. Retrieved 23 February 2012.
  7. "Cancelado el fichaje de Ángel por el Nástic" [Ángel's move to Nástic cancelled]. Marca (in Spanish). 31 January 2009. Retrieved 2 February 2009.
  8. "Ángel y Román abandonan el Espanyol cedidos a Rayo Vallecano y Tenerife respectivamente" [Ángel and Román leave Espanyol on loan to Rayo Vallecano and Tenerife respectively]. Marca (in Spanish). 1 August 2009. Retrieved 17 April 2018.
  9. "Ángel Martínez, nuevo jugador del Girona" [Ángel Martínez, new Girona player]. Marca (in Spanish). 31 July 2010. Retrieved 23 February 2012.
  10. "El Girona se da un festín con un triunfo ante un candidato al ascenso" [Girona throw a feast with win against promotion candidates]. Marca (in Spanish). 28 August 2010. Retrieved 24 April 2017.
  11. "Transfer latest". Blackpool F.C. 25 July 2011. Archived from the original on 2 September 2012. Retrieved 16 February 2012.
  12. "Sheffield Wednesday 0–0 Blackpool (4–2 penalties)". BBC Sport. 11 August 2011. Retrieved 23 February 2012.
  13. "Coventry 2–2 Blackpool". BBC Sport. 27 September 2011. Retrieved 23 February 2012.
  14. "Blackpool's Angel Martinez a first pick – Ian Holloway". BBC Sport. 16 April 2012. Retrieved 16 April 2012.
  15. "Blackpool 1–0 Leeds United". BBC Sport. 17 April 2012. Retrieved 17 April 2012.
  16. "SLIDESHOW: Gilks named your player of the year". Blackpool Gazette. 5 May 2014. Retrieved 6 May 2014.
  17. "Transfer latest". Millwall F.C. 2 September 2014. Retrieved 2 September 2014.
  18. "Brighton & Hove Albion 1–0 Millwall". BBC Sport. 12 December 2014. Retrieved 31 August 2018.
  19. "Spireites land Spanish midfielder". Chesterfield F.C. 16 August 2015. Retrieved 16 August 2015.
  20. "Unfortunate Angel out for six months". Chesterfield F.C. 3 September 2015. Retrieved 28 August 2016.
  21. "Spireites hit eight in DCFA Senior Challenge Cup win". Chesterfield F.C. 13 December 2016. Retrieved 14 December 2016.
  22. "Ángel Martínez, experiència contrastada per al mig del camp" [Ángel Martínez, proven experience for the midfield] (in Catalan). CE Sabadell. 23 August 2017. Retrieved 22 September 2017.
  23. Bernad Giménez, Agustí (27 August 2017). "El Sabadell toma Olot" [Sabadell take Olot] (in Spanish). Vavel. Retrieved 22 September 2017.
  24. Saffer, Paul (16 May 2008). "Stupendous Spain win U17 crown". UEFA. Archived from the original on 30 June 2012. Retrieved 13 August 2015.
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