Manuel Tena López (born 3 February 1978) is a Spanish retired footballer who played as a central defender.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Manuel Tena López | ||
| Date of birth | (1978-02-03) 3 February 1978 (age 44) | ||
| Place of birth | Alcalá de Henares, Spain | ||
| Height | 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Centre back | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Real Madrid | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1997–1998 | Real Madrid C | ||
| 1998–1999 | Real Madrid B | 41 | (0) |
| 1999 | Real Madrid | 1 | (0) |
| 1999–2002 | Valladolid | 23 | (0) |
| 2000–2001 | → Córdoba (loan) | 39 | (2) |
| 2002–2008 | Getafe | 111 | (3) |
| 2008–2010 | Rayo Vallecano | 34 | (0) |
| Total | 249 | (5) | |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Over 12 seasons, he appeared in 208 matches both major levels of Spanish football combined and scored five goals, representing mainly Getafe (six years, two in La Liga).
Tena was born in Alcalá de Henares, Community of Madrid. He grew as a player in the ranks of Real Madrid, and first appeared officially for the first team in the last matchday of the 1998–99 campaign, playing ten minutes in a 3–1 home win against Deportivo de La Coruña.[1]
Tena moved to Real Valladolid in 1999, playing a further 23 La Liga matches during two seasons and being loaned to Córdoba CF in between. In the summer of 2002 he joined Getafe CF – also in Madrid – in the second division and, instrumental while they achieved promotion to the top flight in 2004, he saw little action after, subbing in in the final minutes of games or playing through injuries and suspensions to teammates; he scored his first goal for the latter on 16 April 2006, in a 1–1 home draw against his first professional club.[2]
In July 2008, Tena signed for Rayo Vallecano, freshly promoted to the second level, on a 2+1 deal.[3] After only seven league appearances in his second season, he retired from football at the age of 32.