José Catalá
Encyclopedia
José Manuel Catalá Mazuecos (born 1 January 1985 in Villajoyosa, Alicante) is a Spanish
footballer who plays for Villarreal CF
in La Liga
, as a central or left defender.
's youth ranks, making his senior debuts in Segunda División B
, where he successively represented hometown's Villajoyosa CF, Valencia CF Mestalla and Alicante CF
, helping the latter promote to Segunda División
in 2008.
After suffering immediate relegation with Alicante, he continued in that level with Villarreal CF
's B-team
, being instrumental (2,444 minutes) as the team retained its division status
in its first-ever year in the category.
Catalá was promoted to the first team for the 2010–11 season
, aged already 25. He managed to provide stiff competition to veteran Joan Capdevila
, inclusively relegating the European and World Champion
to the bench in some matches. He finished his first year in La Liga
with 30 official games to his credit (16 in the league, five in the Copa del Rey
and nine in the team's UEFA Europa League semifinal run) opening the score on 3 January 2011 in a 2–0 home win against UD Almería
, as the Valencian
eventually finished fourth and qualified
to the UEFA Champions League
.
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 Villarreal CF
Villarreal CF
Villarreal Club de Fútbol, S.A.D. , usually abbreviated to Villarreal CF or just Villarreal, is a Spanish Primera División football club based in Vila-real, a city in the province of Castellón within the Valencian Community...
in 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...
, as a central or left defender.
Football career
Catalá emerged through local Valencia CFValencia CF
Valencia Club de Fútbol is a Spanish football club based in Valencia, Spain. They play in La Liga and are one of the most successful and biggest clubs in Spanish Football and European Football. Valencia have won six La Liga titles, seven Copa del Rey trophies, two Fairs Cups which was the...
's youth ranks, making his senior debuts in Segunda División B
Segunda División B
Segunda División B is the third level of the Spanish football league system. It is administered by the RFEF. The top two levels are La Liga, also referred to as the Primera División, and the Segunda División. Immediately below Segunda División B is the Tercera Division...
, where he successively represented hometown's Villajoyosa CF, Valencia CF Mestalla and Alicante CF
Alicante CF
Alicante Club de Fútbol is a Spanish football team based in Alicante, in the autonomous community of Valencia. Founded in 1918, it plays in Tercera División – Group 6, holding home matches at Ciudad Deportiva Villafranqueza.-History:...
, helping the latter promote to Segunda División
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 2008.
After suffering immediate relegation with Alicante, he continued in that level with Villarreal CF
Villarreal CF
Villarreal Club de Fútbol, S.A.D. , usually abbreviated to Villarreal CF or just Villarreal, is a Spanish Primera División football club based in Vila-real, a city in the province of Castellón within the Valencian Community...
's B-team
Villarreal CF B
Villarreal Club de Fútbol B is a Spanish football team based in Villarreal, in the autonomous community of Valencia. Founded in 1999, it is the reserve team of Villarreal CF, and plays in Segunda División, holding home games at Ciudad Deportiva Villarreal CF, with a 5,000-seat capacity.Unlike in...
, being instrumental (2,444 minutes) as the team retained its division status
2009–10 Segunda División
The 2009–10 Segunda División was made up of the following teams:-League table:||rowspan=15 style="background-color:#F9F9F9;"|-2009–10 Results:To read this table, the home team is listed in the left-hand column....
in its first-ever year in the category.
Catalá was promoted to the first team for the 2010–11 season
2010–11 La Liga
The 2010–11 La Liga season was the 80th since its establishment. The campaign began on 28 August 2010 and ended on 21 May 2011. A total of 20 teams contested the league, 17 of which already contested in the 2009–10 season and three of which were promoted from the Segunda División...
, aged already 25. He managed to provide stiff competition to veteran Joan Capdevila
Joan Capdevila
Joan Capdevila i Méndez is a Spanish footballer who plays for S.L. Benfica in Portugal, and the Spanish national team.His usual position is left defender, but he is also capable of operating as a winger and, from a defensive position, often contributes with goals...
, inclusively relegating the European and World Champion
2010 FIFA World Cup
The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010...
to the bench in some matches. He finished his first year in 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...
with 30 official games to his credit (16 in the league, five in the Copa del Rey
Copa del Rey
The Copa del Rey is an annual football cup competition for Spanish football teams. Its full name is Campeonato de España – Copa de Su Majestad el Rey de Fútbol ....
and nine in the team's UEFA Europa League semifinal run) opening the score on 3 January 2011 in a 2–0 home win against 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...
, as the Valencian
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...
eventually finished fourth and qualified
2011–12 UEFA Champions League
The 2011–12 UEFA Champions League is the 57th season of the European Cup, Europe's premier football tournament, and the 20th season in its current Champions League format. The final venue will be the Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany...
to the UEFA Champions League
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
.