Antonio Rodríguez Martínez
Encyclopedia
Antonio Rodríguez Martínez, aka Toño (born 17 December 1979 in Alicante
, Valencian Community
), is a Spanish
footballer who plays for Racing de Santander
as a goalkeeper.
, Toño joined Recreativo de Huelva
(second division
) in 2003–04. In January 2005, he was signed by La Liga
side Racing de Santander
but, in the same month the following year, returned to Huelva, on loan. During both his spells in Andalusia
, he had an interesting battle for first-choice status with José Antonio Luque
.
In the following seasons, Toño was the undisputed first-choice. In 2007–08, as Racing achieved a first ever UEFA Cup qualification, he finished second to Iker Casillas
in the Ricardo Zamora Trophy
race, an award which he had already won in his debut season with Recre.
Toño started the 2009–10 season
as starter. However, on 28 February 2010, he suffered a leg
injury as the Cantabria
ns lost 0–2 at home to UD Almería
, and would miss more than two months of action, although he would be reinstated for the final two games, as Racing narrowly avoided relegation (including the decisive 2–0 home triumph against Sporting de Gijón
).
Alicante
Alicante or Alacant is a city in Spain, the capital of the province of Alicante and of the comarca of Alacantí, in the south of the Valencian Community. It is also a historic Mediterranean port. The population of the city of Alicante proper was 334,418, estimated , ranking as the second-largest...
, Valencian Community
Valencian Community
The Valencian Community is an autonomous community of Spain located in central and south-eastern Iberian Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Valencia...
), is a Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
footballer who plays for Racing de Santander
Racing de Santander
Real Racing Club de Santander, S.A.D. is a Spanish football club based in Santander, in the autonomous community of Cantabria. Founded in 1913, it currently plays in La Liga, holding home games at Estadio El Sardinero, with a capacity for 22,400 spectators....
as a goalkeeper.
Football career
After making his professional debuts with hometown Hércules CFHércules CF
Hércules Club de Fútbol, S.A.D. is a Spanish football team based in Alicante, in the autonomous community of Valencia. Founded in 1922, it currently plays in the Spanish second division, and holds home games at the Estadio José Rico Pérez, which seats 30,000 spectators.-History:After first...
, Toño joined Recreativo de Huelva
Recreativo de Huelva
Real Club Recreativo de Huelva, S.A.D. is a Spanish football club based in Huelva, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. Founded on 23 December 1889, it is the oldest football team in Spain, and currently plays in the second division, holding home games at Estadio Nuevo Colombino, which has a...
(second division
Segunda División
The Segunda División is the lower tier of the two professional football leagues in Spain. From the season 2008-09 onwards, the name of the league is Liga Adelante.-History:...
) in 2003–04. In January 2005, he was signed by La Liga
La Liga
The Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...
side Racing de Santander
Racing de Santander
Real Racing Club de Santander, S.A.D. is a Spanish football club based in Santander, in the autonomous community of Cantabria. Founded in 1913, it currently plays in La Liga, holding home games at Estadio El Sardinero, with a capacity for 22,400 spectators....
but, in the same month the following year, returned to Huelva, on loan. During both his spells in Andalusia
Andalusia
Andalusia is the most populous and the second largest in area of the autonomous communities of Spain. The Andalusian autonomous community is officially recognised as a nationality of Spain. The territory is divided into eight provinces: Huelva, Seville, Cádiz, Córdoba, Málaga, Jaén, Granada and...
, he had an interesting battle for first-choice status with José Antonio Luque
José Antonio Luque Ramírez
José Antonio Luque Ramírez is a retired Spanish footballer who played as a goalkeeper.-Football career:...
.
In the following seasons, Toño was the undisputed first-choice. In 2007–08, as Racing achieved a first ever UEFA Cup qualification, he finished second to Iker Casillas
Íker Casillas
Iker Casillas Fernández is a Spanish football goalkeeper who plays for the Spanish La Liga club Real Madrid and the Spanish national team, being the captain of both...
in the Ricardo Zamora Trophy
Ricardo Zamora Trophy
The Ricardo Zamora Trophy is a football award, established by Spanish newspaper MARCA in 1958. The award goes to the goalkeeper who has the lowest "goals-to-games" ratio. It is named after legendary Spanish goalkeeper Ricardo Zamora....
race, an award which he had already won in his debut season with Recre.
Toño started the 2009–10 season
2009–10 La Liga
- Personnel and sponsoring :- Before the start of the season :- During the season :-League table:||rowspan=1 style="background-color:#F9F9F9;"|||rowspan=1 style="background-color:#F9F9F9;"|...
as starter. However, on 28 February 2010, he suffered a leg
Human leg
The human leg is the entire lower extremity or limb of the human body, including the foot, thigh and even the hip or gluteal region; however, the precise definition in human anatomy refers only to the section of the lower limb extending from the knee to the ankle.Legs are used for standing,...
injury as the Cantabria
Cantabria
Cantabria is a Spanish historical region and autonomous community with Santander as its capital city. It is bordered on the east by the Basque Autonomous Community , on the south by Castile and León , on the west by the Principality of Asturias, and on the north by the Cantabrian Sea.Cantabria...
ns lost 0–2 at home to UD Almería
UD Almería
Unión Deportiva Almería, S.A.D. is a Spanish football club based in Almería, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. Founded in 1989 as Almería Club de Fútbol, it currently plays in Segunda División, holding home games at Estadio de los Juegos Mediterráneos, with a 22,000-seat...
, and would miss more than two months of action, although he would be reinstated for the final two games, as Racing narrowly avoided relegation (including the decisive 2–0 home triumph against Sporting de Gijón
Sporting de Gijón
Real Sporting de Gijón, S.A.D. is a Spanish football club from Gijón, Asturias. Founded in 1 June 1905, it currently plays in Spanish first division....
).
Individual
- Second DivisionSegunda DivisiónThe Segunda División is the lower tier of the two professional football leagues in Spain. From the season 2008-09 onwards, the name of the league is Liga Adelante.-History:...
: Zamora TrophyRicardo Zamora TrophyThe Ricardo Zamora Trophy is a football award, established by Spanish newspaper MARCA in 1958. The award goes to the goalkeeper who has the lowest "goals-to-games" ratio. It is named after legendary Spanish goalkeeper Ricardo Zamora....
2003–04