Nino (footballer, born 1980)

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

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Martínez and the second or maternal family name is Modesto.
Nino
Nino as a Tenerife player in 2010
Personal information
Full name Juan Francisco Martínez Modesto
Date of birth (1980-06-10) 10 June 1980
Place of birth Vera, Spain
Height 1.69 m (5 ft 7 in)
Position(s) Striker
Club information
Current team
 Elche
Number 7
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 161 (38)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 3 January 2021

Over 14 seasons, he amassed Segunda División totals of 571 matches and 194 goals, mainly with Elche.[1] In La Liga, he represented Levante, Tenerife, Osasuna and Elche.

Club career

An extremely prolific goalscorer in the second division, Nino was born in Vera, Province of 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 debut 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 debut 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,[2] 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.[3][4] In the next season, he was again their main attacking reference: on 18 April 2010 he scored a hat-trick at home against Getafe CF (3–2),[5] totalling 14 at the end of the season but in an eventual relegation;[6] he bettered to 17 the following campaign, but the Canary Islands side dropped down another division.[7]

Nino rejoined the top level in early July 2011, with the 31-year-old signing a 2+1 contract with Osasuna.[8] He netted in only his second official game, a 2–1 home win against Sporting de Gijón.[9]

On 19 August 2016, after the Navarrese were promoted back into the top flight, Nino remained in the second level with Elche, rejoining the club a decade after leaving.[10] He scored 12 times in his first season back at the Estadio Manuel Martínez Valero, including two in a 4–4 draw to Gimnàstic de Tarragona on 8 October,[11] but his team was relegated.

On 3 January 2021 at the age of 40, Nino competed in Elche's 1–0 La Liga away defeat to Athletic Bilbao. In doing so, he became the first player to reach 700 games in Spain's two professional divisions.[12]

Career statistics
As of match played 18 May 2019[13]
Club statistics
Club Season League Cup Continental Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Elche 2005–06 Segunda División 421300—4213
Levante 2006–07 La Liga 19100—191
Tenerife 2008–09 Segunda División 412900—4129
2009–10 La Liga 381420—4014
2010–11 Segunda División 391711—4018
Total 1186031000012161
Osasuna 2011–12 La Liga 36600—366
2012–13 25310—263
2013–14 4000—40
2014–15 Segunda División 411100—4111
2015–16 37700—3[lower-alpha 1]0407
Total 1432710003014727
Elche 2016–17 Segunda División 391221—4113
2017–18 Segunda División B 381220—6[lower-alpha 2]34615
2018–19 Segunda División 35710—367
Total 1123151006312335
Career totals 434132920093452137
  1. Appearances in the 2016 Segunda División play-offs
  2. Appearances in the 2018 Segunda División B play-offs

Honours

Individual

References
  1. "REPORTAJE | Cien veces Nino" [REPORT | One hundred times Nino] (in Spanish). Elche CF. 6 March 2017. Retrieved 29 June 2018.
  2. Osasuna 2–1 Levante; ESPN Soccernet, 20 December 2006
  3. El Tenerife acaricia el ascenso al son de Nino (Tenerife caress promotion with the soundtrack of Nino); Diario AS, 31 May 2009 (in Spanish)
  4. Nino, máximo goleador de la temporada (Nino, season top scorer); Marca, 21 June 2009 (in Spanish)
  5. Nino treble inspires Tenerife; ESPN Soccernet, 18 April 2010
  6. Nino agrandó su leyenda tras anotar catorce goles (Nino's legend grows larger as he scores fourteen goals); Diario AS, 24 May 2010 (in Spanish)
  7. Rodríguez, Ubay (20 March 2015). "Nino, un futbolista especial" [Nino, a special footballer] (in Spanish). Vavel. Retrieved 29 June 2018.
  8. Osasuna ficha a Nino (Osasuna sign Nino); CA Osasuna, 8 July 2011 (in Spanish)
  9. Osasuna claim first win; ESPN Soccernet, 11 September 2011
  10. "El Elche anuncia el regreso de Nino, diez años después" [Elche announce the return of Nino, ten years later] (in Spanish). Marca. 19 August 2016. Retrieved 9 June 2018.
  11. "El Nàstic no gana ni en un partido loco" [Nàstic do not even win in a crazy match] (in Spanish). Marca. 8 October 2016. Retrieved 9 June 2018.
  12. Díaz Pomares, Adrián (3 January 2021). "Nino, primer jugador que alcanza los 700 partidos de Liga entre Primera y Segunda" [Nino, first player to reach 700 league games between Primera and Segunda] (in Spanish). Marca. Retrieved 5 January 2021.
  13. Nino at Soccerway
  14. "Forlán y Valdés recogen el Pichichi y el Zamora 2008–09" [Forlán and Valdés get 2008–09 Pichichi and Zamora] (in Spanish). La Voz de Galicia. 27 October 2009. Retrieved 7 August 2019.
  • Nino at BDFutbol
  • Nino at Futbolme (in Spanish)
Preceded by
Yordi
for Xerez		 Segunda División Pichichi Trophy Winner
2008–09		 Succeeded by
Molina
for Elche
Preceded by
Yordi
for Xerez		 Segunda División Zarra Trophy Winner
2008–09		 Succeeded by
Molina
for Elche
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