Sergio Matabuena
Encyclopedia
Sergio Matabuena Delgado (born 12 February 1979 in Santander, Cantabria
) is a Spanish
footballer who plays for Real Valladolid
in the Spanish second division
, as a defensive midfielder.
's youth teams, Matabuena made his debut in La Liga
on 17 November 2002, in a 1–2 home loss to RCD Mallorca
, and would score his first goals in the following season.
Never an undisputed starter, Matabuena would be a mere training partner upon Gonzalo Colsa
's return to Racing in 2006 and, after only five appearances during 2006–07, he moved to Sporting de Gijón
and was instrumental in helping it achieve a 2008 top flight return. During a season in which he collected 14 yellow cards (also netting two late goals in a 2–2 draw at Córdoba CF
), he earned the affectionate nickname "Matabuena Gattuso
".
Matabuena appeared significantly less in the following top level seasons – namely only 14 matches in 2009–10
– being only second or third-choice holding midfielder. On 13 January 2011, at nearly 32, he returned to the second division
and signed for Real Valladolid
.
Santander, Cantabria
The port city of Santander is the capital of the autonomous community and historical region of Cantabria situated on the north coast of Spain. Located east of Gijón and west of Bilbao, the city has a population of 183,446 .-History:...
) 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 Real Valladolid
Real Valladolid
Real Valladolid Club de Fútbol, S.A.D. is a Spanish football club based in Valladolid, in the autonomous community of Castile and León, from where the nickname Pucela is derived....
in the Spanish 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:...
, as a defensive midfielder.
Football career
A product of hometown Racing de SantanderRacing 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....
's youth teams, Matabuena made his debut 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...
on 17 November 2002, in a 1–2 home loss to RCD Mallorca
RCD Mallorca
Real Club Deportivo Mallorca is a Spanish football team based on Palma, Majorca, in the Balearic Islands. Founded on 5 March 1916, the team currently plays in the Spanish first division, holding home games at Son Moix....
, and would score his first goals in the following season.
Never an undisputed starter, Matabuena would be a mere training partner upon Gonzalo Colsa
Gonzalo Colsa
Gonzalo Colsa Albendea is a Spanish footballer who plays for Racing de Santander in the Spanish first division, usually as a central midfielder.-Football career:...
's return to Racing in 2006 and, after only five appearances during 2006–07, he moved to 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....
and was instrumental in helping it achieve a 2008 top flight return. During a season in which he collected 14 yellow cards (also netting two late goals in a 2–2 draw at Córdoba CF
Córdoba CF
Córdoba Club de Fútbol, S.A.D. is a Spanish football team based in Córdoba, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. Founded in 1954, it plays in Segunda División, holding home matches at Estadio Nuevo Arcángel, with a capacity of 18,280 seats....
), he earned the affectionate nickname "Matabuena Gattuso
Gennaro Gattuso
Gennaro Ivan Gattuso, Ufficiale OMRI is an Italian footballer, who plays for Serie A club Milan. He mainly plays as a defensive midfielder. Gattuso is an aggressive, hard tackling player and in his prime, was widely regarded as one of the best defensive midfielders in the world...
".
Matabuena appeared significantly less in the following top level seasons – namely only 14 matches in 2009–10
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;"|...
– being only second or third-choice holding midfielder. On 13 January 2011, at nearly 32, he returned to the 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:...
and signed for Real Valladolid
Real Valladolid
Real Valladolid Club de Fútbol, S.A.D. is a Spanish football club based in Valladolid, in the autonomous community of Castile and León, from where the nickname Pucela is derived....
.