Manu del Moral · Biography

Manuel del Moral Fernández, known as Manu del Moral, made his La Liga debut with Atlético Madrid in the 2005-06 season, playing five league matches, almost always as a late substitute. Born in Jaén on 25 February 1984, he was a forward who spent most of his career at Getafe and also played for Sevilla, Elche, Eibar, Real Valladolid and Numancia. He won one cap for the Spain national team, in 2011.

Youth career in Jaén and at Atlético Madrid

He started in the youth ranks of Real Jaén, his hometown club, and in 2001 joined the Atlético Madrid academy, where he completed his development alongside Braulio. He spent most of those years with the club’s reserve side. Between 2003 and 2005 he was loaned to Recreativo de Huelva for a season and a half; in 2004-05 he made 33 appearances in the Spanish second division and scored 4 goals for the Andalusian club. On his return he broke into Atlético’s first-team squad, earning his first five top-flight appearances.

Five seasons at Getafe

In the summer of 2006 he signed for Getafe. On 22 October that year he scored his first La Liga goal in a 2-1 away win at Recreativo. He was part of the side that reached the Copa del Rey final in 2007 and 2008, losing both. In 2007-08 he scored 7 league goals, finishing joint top scorer for the team, as Getafe reached the quarter-finals of the UEFA Cup. On 24 January 2010 he scored the only goal of a match against Atlético Madrid, the club where he had come through. On 7 November 2010 he overtook Roberto Soldado as Getafe’s all-time top scorer in La Liga. He left the club with 159 league appearances and 37 goals.

Sevilla and loans to Elche and Eibar

In May 2011 he joined Sevilla. On 25 October that year he rescued a 2-2 draw against Racing de Santander with a late header, and in March 2012 he scored twice in each of two consecutive 3-0 away wins: against Racing at El Sardinero and in the Andalusian derby against Granada. After a quieter 2012-13 season, the club loaned him out twice: to Elche in 2013-14, where he played 24 league matches and scored 2 goals, and to Eibar in 2014-15, with 28 appearances and 3 goals in La Liga. His Sevilla record stood at 56 league games and 11 goals.

Valladolid, Numancia and the final years

On 27 August 2015 he moved to Real Valladolid in the second division on a one-year deal, making 25 appearances and scoring 3 goals. In 2016 he signed for Numancia, where he found the net regularly again, with 17 goals in 51 league games over two seasons. In 2018 he reached the promotion play-off final with the Soria club against Real Valladolid; after a 3-0 first-leg defeat, he scored in the 1-1 return leg, which was not enough to go up. He then played for Gimnàstic de Tarragona, making 15 league appearances, and in January 2019 joined Rayo Majadahonda, playing 14 matches and scoring 3 goals. On 26 September 2019 he announced his retirement, with 481 league appearances and 93 league goals over his career.

With the Spain national team

He came through Spain’s youth teams. With the under-20 side he was runner-up at the 2003 FIFA U-20 World Cup, and with the under-23 team he won gold at the 2005 Mediterranean Games. On 7 June 2011 he made his senior debut in a friendly against Venezuela that Spain won 3-0, coming on at the start of the second half in place of David Villa. It was his only international appearance.

Coaching career

After retiring he moved into coaching. On 1 October 2021 he was appointed manager of Cultural Asako Motril in the Primera Andaluza, a regional league. In 2023 he joined CF Motril as a match delegate and later became assistant coach, and in January 2025 he was named head coach of the club from the province of Granada, in the Tercera Federación. In June 2025 he returned to Getafe to take charge of the reserve team, Getafe B, in the Segunda Federación.