| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | José Manuel Catalá Mazuecos | ||
| Date of birth | 1 January 1985 | ||
| Place of birth | Villajoyosa, Spain | ||
| Height | 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) | ||
| Playing position | Defender | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Villarreal | ||
| Number | 15 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Valencia | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2004–2007 | Valencia B | 19 | (0) |
| 2004–2006 | → Villajoyosa (loan) | 18 | (0) |
| 2007–2009 | Alicante | 43 | (5) |
| 2009–2010 | Villarreal B | 33 | (1) |
| 2010– | Villarreal | 26 | (1) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 19 November 2011. † Appearances (Goals). |
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José Manuel Catalá Mazuecos (born 1 January 1985 in Villajoyosa, Alicante) is a Spanish footballer who plays for Villarreal CF in La Liga, as a central or left defender.
Catalá emerged through local Valencia CF's youth ranks, making his senior debuts in Segunda División B, where he successively represented hometown's Villajoyosa CF, Valencia CF Mestalla and Alicante CF, helping the latter promote to Segunda División in 2008.
After suffering immediate relegation with Alicante, he continued in that level with Villarreal CF's B-team, being instrumental (2,444 minutes) as the team retained its division status in its first-ever year in the category.
Catalá was promoted to the first team for the 2010–11 season, aged already 25. He managed to provide stiff competition to veteran Joan Capdevila, inclusively relegating the European and World Champion to the bench in some matches. He finished his first year in La Liga with 30 official games to his credit (16 in the league, five in the Copa del Rey and nine in the team's UEFA Europa League semifinal run) opening the score on 3 January 2011 in a 2–0 home win against UD Almería,[1] as the Valencian eventually finished fourth and qualified to the UEFA Champions League.
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