Sietes

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Suárez and the second or maternal family name is Rivas.

Sietes
Personal information
Full name José Manuel Suárez Rivas
Date of birth (1974-02-18) 18 February 1974 (age 50)
Place of birth Sietes, Spain
Height 1.77 m (5 ft 10 in)
Position(s) Left-back
Youth career
Lealtad
Sporting Gijón
Oviedo
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1992–1994 Oviedo B 34 (1)
1994–1995 Oviedo 40 (2)
1995–1997 Valencia 29 (0)
1997–2003 Racing Santander 164 (0)
2003–2004 Alavés 12 (0)
2004–2005 Murcia 17 (0)
2005–2006 Watford 0 (0)
2006–2008 Numancia 35 (0)
2008–2011 Lealtad 67 (1)
2011–2012 Avilés 36 (1)
Total 434 (5)
International career
1994–1996 Spain U21 9 (0)
1996 Spain U23 1 (0)
Medal record
Men's football
Representing  Spain
UEFA European Under-21 Championship
Runner-up 1996 Spain
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

José Manuel Suárez Rivas (born 18 February 1974), known as Sietes, is a Spanish former professional footballer who played as a left-back.

He appeared in 194 La Liga matches over ten seasons, mainly for Racing de Santander. He started his 19-year senior career with Real Oviedo.

Club career

Sietes, who was born in Sietes, Asturias, receiving his nickname from his birthplace,[1] started playing for local giants Real Oviedo, first appearing with the first team on 27 March 1994 in a 0–0 away draw against Real Valladolid. With just nine La Liga matches throughout the entire season, he did score two goals in back-to-back 3–0 wins over Athletic Bilbao and Atlético Madrid.[2][3]

Signing with Valencia CF for the 1995–96 campaign, Sietes was used sparingly over two seasons – underperforming mainly due to homesickness[1]– and moved to Racing de Santander for 1997–98, where he would constantly battle top-flight relegation (which would eventually befall in 2001, with the club returning in the immediate following season with 39 appearances from the player).[4] His career was unassuming afterwards, with stints mainly in the Segunda División, punctuated by a season with Watford in the English Championship where he did not play one single minute.[5]

After only five games for CD Numancia in the 2007–08 campaign, with the Soria team returning to the top division after a three-year absence,[6] Sietes joined Tercera División side CD Lealtad in Villaviciosa, remaining there three seasons. On 31 August 2012, after having helped Real Avilés CF, also in his native region, to promote to Segunda División B, the 38-year-old announced his retirement.[7]

International career

Sietes represented Spain at the 1996 Summer Olympics, appearing once for the quarter-finalists.[8]

Post-retirement

After retiring, Sietes was Avilés' general manager for a brief period of time. Also, he worked as mayor of Rales (a parish in Llanes, from 2007 to 2011), councilman in the Villaviciosa town hall (2011–12) and scout of RCD Mallorca.[1]

Additionally, Sietes was involved in rural tourism.[1]

Honours

Numancia

Spain U21

References

  1. ^ a b c d ¿Qué fue de Sietes? El jugador ermitaño, concejal, alcalde y ahora scout del Mallorca... (What happened to Sietes? The hermit player, councilman, mayor and now Mallorca scout...); Diario AS, 12 July 2019 (in Spanish)
  2. ^ Sin Guerrero, muy poco Athletic en Oviedo (Without Guerrero, very little Athletic in Oviedo); Mundo Deportivo, 7 April 1994 (in Spanish)
  3. ^ El Atleti, otra vez en zona de promoción (Atleti, again in the play-off zone); Mundo Deportivo, 11 April 1994 (in Spanish)
  4. ^ El Racing regresa a Primera una temporada después (Racing return to Primera one season later); Diario AS, 19 May 2002 (in Spanish)
  5. ^ Watford to sign Spaniard Sietes; BBC Sport, 6 July 2005
  6. ^ Breve enciclopedia numantina (Brief numantina encyclopedia); Desde Soria, 29 May 2013 (in Spanish)
  7. ^ Entrenamiento, rueda de prensa e inauguración del gimnasio (Training, press conference and opening of gymnasium); El Comercio, 31 August 2012 (in Spanish)
  8. ^ Òscar, otra vez vital (Òscar, crucial again); Mundo Deportivo, 23 July 1996 (in Spanish)
  9. ^ Italia ya ganó un Europeo a España en el 1996 (Italy have already won European Championships against Spain in 1996) Archived 13 November 2013 at the Wayback Machine; Orgullo Bianconero, 18 June 2013 (in Spanish)