Nino (footballer)


Juan Francisco Martínez Modesto, known as Nino, is a Spanish professional footballer who plays for Elche CF as a striker.
Over 13 seasons, he amassed Segunda División totals of 531 matches and 187 goals, mainly with Elche. In La Liga, he represented Levante, Tenerife and Osasuna.

Club career

An extremely prolific goalscorer in the second division, Nino was born in Vera, Province of Almería, and first appeared professionally with Elche CF, helping the club achieve promotion from the third level in 1998–99. In the following campaign he made his debut in division two, with 16 matches and two goals, and would go on to develop as an influential figure for the Alicante province team in the following years.
After having scored 20 goals during 2004–05, Nino made his La Liga debut two seasons later, joining neighbours Levante UD. However, he would only find the net once throughout the entire campaign, in a 1–2 loss at CA Osasuna on 20 December 2006, but the Valencians managed to avoid relegation after finishing in 15th position.
Nino returned to the second level in 2007–08, loaned to CD Tenerife, and finished the campaign with 18 goals, second best in the league behind Xerez CD's Yordi. The move was made permanent afterwards, on a three-year deal.
In 2008–09, Nino was finally crowned the second tier's top scorer at 29 goals and Tenerife returned to the top flight after a seven-year. In the next season, he was again their main attacking reference: on 18 April 2010 he scored a hat-trick at home against Getafe CF, totalling 14 at the end of the season but in an eventual relegation; he bettered to 17 the following campaign, but the Canary Islands side dropped down another division.
Nino rejoined the top level in early July 2011, with the 31-year-old signing a 2+1 contract with Osasuna. He netted in only his second official game, a 2–1 home win against Sporting de Gijón.
On 19 August 2016, after the Navarrese were promoted back into the top flight, Nino remained in the second level with Elche, rejoining the club a decade after leaving. He scored 12 times in his first season back at the Estadio Manuel Martínez Valero, including two in a 4–4 draw to Gimnàstic de Tarragona on 8 October, but his team was relegated.

Career statistics

Honours

Individual