Nino (footballer)

Nino

Nino as a Tenerife player in 2010
Personal information
Full name	Juan Francisco Martínez Modesto
Date of birth	10 June 1980
Place of birth	Vera, Spain
Height	1.69 m (5 ft 7 in)
Playing position	Striker
Club information
Current team	Elche
Number	11
Youth career
	CD Vera
1995–1997	Real Madrid
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1997–1998	Elche B
1998–2006	Elche	273	(87)
2006–2008	Levante	19	(1)
2007–2008	→ Tenerife (loan)	40	(18)
2008–2011	Tenerife	119	(60)
2011–2016	Osasuna	143	(27)
2016–	Elche	13	(5)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 13 November 2016.

Juan Francisco Martínez Modesto (born 10 June 1980), known as Nino, is a Spanish professional footballer who plays for Elche CF as a striker.

Over the course of 12 seasons, he amassed Segunda División totals of 455 games and 168 goals, mainly with Elche. In La Liga he represented Levante, Tenerife and Osasuna.

Football career

An extremely prolific goalscorer in the second division, Nino was born in Vera, Almería, and first appeared professionally with Elche CF, helping the club achieve promotion from the third level in 1998–99. In the following campaign he made his debuts in division two, with 16 matches and two goals, and would go on to develop as an influential figure for the Alicante province team in the following years.

After having scored 20 goals during 2004–05, Nino made his La Liga debuts two seasons later, joining neighbours Levante UD. However, he would only find the net once throughout the entire campaign, in a 1–2 loss at CA Osasuna on 20 December 2006,^[1] but the Valencians managed to avoid relegation after finishing in 15th position.

Nino returned to the second level in 2007–08, loaned to CD Tenerife, and finished the campaign with 18 goals, second best in the league behind Xerez CD's Yordi. The move was made permanent afterwards, on a three-year deal.

In 2008–09, Nino was finally crowned the second tier's top scorer at 29 goals, and Tenerife returned to the top flight after a seven-year hiatus.^[2][3] In the next season, he was again the club's main offensive reference: on 18 April 2010 he scored a hat-trick at home against Getafe CF (3–2),^[4] totalling 14 at the end of the season, but the Canary Islands side was eventually relegated;^[5] he bettered to 17 the following campaign, but his team dropped down another division.

Nino rejoined the top level in early July 2011, with the 31-year-old signing a 2+1 contract with Osasuna.^[6] He netted in only his second official game, a 2–1 home win against Sporting de Gijón.^[7]

Honours

Individual

• Pichichi Trophy (Segunda División): 2008–09
• Zarra Trophy (Segunda División): 2008–09

References

1. Osasuna 2–1 Levante; ESPN Soccernet, 20 December 2006
2. El Tenerife acaricia el ascenso al son de Nino (Tenerife caress promotion with the soundtrack of Nino); Diario AS, 31 May 2009 (Spanish)
3. Nino, máximo goleador de la temporada (Nino, season top scorer); Marca, 21 June 2009 (Spanish)
4. Nino treble inspires Tenerife; ESPN Soccernet, 18 April 2010
5. Nino agrandó su leyenda tras anotar catorce goles (Nino's legend grows larger as he scores fourteen goals); Diario AS, 24 May 2010 (Spanish)
6. Osasuna ficha a Nino (Osasuna sign Nino); CA Osasuna, 8 July 2011 (Spanish)
7. Osasuna claim first win; ESPN Soccernet, 11 September 2011

External links

• Nino profile at BDFutbol
• Nino profile at Futbolme (Spanish)
• Nino profile at Soccerway