What became of... Manuel Enrique Jiménez

Previously... Manuel Enrique Jiménez Abalo (Villagarcía de Arosa, Pontevedra, 1956) was a central defender and one of Real Sporting’s legends from the 1980s, a golden age for the Gijon outfit. He spent twelve seasons with the Asturian club before ending his playing career with the now-defunct Real Burgos CF in 1992.

His achievements... He was a key figure throughout his 13 seasons of Liga BBVA action, playing at least 30 games during each of those campaigns. At Sporting, where he spent the majority of his playing career, he featured in 420 Liga BBVA matches, making him the player with the second highest number of appearances in the Spanish topflight for the club, only trailing behind Joaquín Alonso. He scored eight goals over the course of his career and played in two Copa del Rey finals with Sporting, in 1981 and 1982, however, he was unable to lift the title on either occasion. He also made one appearance with the Spanish national team against Poland in 1981. He was part of the national team squad for the 1982 FIFA World Cup but did not play a single minute.

After hanging up his boots... After retiring from professional football in 1992 while at Real Burgos CF, he became a football agent along with the aforementioned Joaquín Alonso.

Did you know?... Despite amassing over 450 Liga BBVA games and being a central defender, he only received one red card during his entire playing career. He was given his marching orders during the 1990-91 season, his last with Sporting, in a match against Atlético Madrid in El Molinón.