 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Manuel Mestre Torres | ||
| Date of birth | (1935-01-07)7 January 1935 | ||
| Place of birth | Oliva, Spain | ||
| Date of death | 31 August 2008(2008-08-31) (aged 73) | ||
| Place of death | Oliva, Spain | ||
| Height | 1.71 m (5 ft 7 in) | ||
| Position | Defender | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Oliva | |||
| Gandía | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1955–1956 | Mestalla | 14 | (0) |
| 1956–1969 | Valencia | 323 | (3) |
| Total | 337 | (3) | |
| International career | |||
| 1957–1961 | Spain B | 7 | (0) |
| 1959–1961 | Spain | 2 | (0]) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 1969–1975 | Mestalla | ||
| 1975–1976 | Valencia | ||
| 1977 | Valencia | ||
| 1982 | Valencia | ||
| 1987–1988 | Mestalla | ||
| 1988 | Gandía | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Manuel Mestre Torres (7 January 1935 – 31 August 2008), also known by the first nameManolo, was a Spanishfootballer who played as adefender.
Mestre spent hisentire professional career from 1956 to 1969 withValencia, making 323La Liga appearances, a club record surpassed byRicardo Arias 20 years later.[1] He played two games for theSpain national team, and managed Valencia on three brief occasions.
Born inOliva,Province of Valencia, Mestre began his career withUD Oliva andCF Gandía before being signed byValencia CF. He played 14 times in theSegunda División for thereserve team,C.D. Mestalla, before having his first-team call-up on 15 January 1956 for a 4–2 home win overUD Las Palmas inLa Liga, under managerCarlos Iturraspe.[2]
Mestre was part of the Valencia teams that won theInter-Cities Fairs Cup twice consecutively in1961–62 and1962–63. In the first game of the latter season, he scored anown goal in a 4–2 home win overCeltic, the opponents' first ever goal in European competition.[3] The third round against another Scottish club,Dunfermline Athletic, went to a play-off after a 6–6 aggregate draw, and Mestre scored the only goal of the decider at theEstádio do Restelo inLisbon.[4] He played in the1967 Copa del Generalísimo final, a 2–1 win overAtlético de Bilbao in theSantiago Bernabéu Stadium.[5]
On 2 March 1969, in one of his final appearances, Mestre scored the onlypenalty of his career to equalise in a 2–1 win away toDeportivo de La Coruña. He was instructed to take the kick by managerJoseíto.[6]
Mestre played two games for theSpain national team: a 6–3friendly win againstAustria at his club ground ofMestalla on 22 November 1959 and a 1–0 win away toMorocco on 12 December 1961 inqualification for the1962 FIFA World Cup.[7][8]
Initially a left-sided defender used in roles similar to the modernwinger, Mestre moved into central defence. He was known for his physical prowess as much as for his technical ability and positioning. He rarely missed games through injury throughout his career.[1]
Having been a long-term manager of the reserve team,[6] Mestre also managed Valencia in three spells. He was first hired in September 1975 after the dismissal of YugoslavDragoljub Milošević,[9] winning 4–2 away to Las Palmas on his debut on 27 September.[10] At the end of the1975–76 La Liga season the club hired ParaguayanHeriberto Herrera, who left in February 1977 and succeeded by Mestre for the remainder of the campaign.[11] Mestre's third spell in charge began in January 1982 after the resignation ofPasieguito;[12] he received the job permanently in July after negotiations forCésar Luis Menotti, the1978 FIFA World Cup-winningArgentina manager, broke down.[13] In October 1982, he was replaced byMiljan Miljanić.[14]
Mestre died of a long illness on 31 August 2008 in his birthplace of Oliva, aged 73.[6]
Valencia