Víctor (footballer, born 1974)

Víctor
	Víctor in 2007
Personal information
Full name	Víctor Manuel Fernández Gutiérrez
Date of birth	17 April 1974 (age 50)
Place of birth	Mérida, Spain
Height	1.65 m (5 ft 5 in)
Position(s)	Striker
Youth career
	Leganés
Senior career*
Years	Team
1993	Real Madrid C
1993–1994	Real Madrid B
1994–1996	Tenerife
1996	→ Toledo (loan)
1996–2000	Valladolid
2000–2004	Villarreal
2004–2009	Valladolid
2009–2011	Cartagena
2011–2012	Leganés
Total
International career
2000	Spain
Managerial career
2012	Leganés
2015–2016	Cartagena
	*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Víctor Manuel Fernández Gutiérrez (born 17 April 1974), known simply as Víctor, is a Spanish former professional footballer. Usually a striker, he could also be put to use behind a sole attacker.

Over 18 seasons, he appeared in 561 matches across both major levels of Spanish football, scoring 167 goals (342 games and 93 goals in La Liga). He played nine years with Valladolid (two spells), and four with Villarreal.

Playing career

Club

Víctor was born in Mérida, Extremadura. A product of CD Leganés' youth system, he made his senior debut with Real Madrid Castilla, and first appeared in La Liga with CD Tenerife, having little success in a one-and-a-half season stint. Towards the end of the second year, he played with CD Toledo in the Segunda División.

In 1996–97, Víctor joined Real Valladolid, scoring 16 top-flight goals in his debut campaign to help the club to rank seventh,^[1] then spent another four years with Villarreal CF, where he was also a regular fixture (totalling 28 goals in his first two seasons). On 5 June 2000, the latter signed him to a seven-year contract worth 1.4 million pesetas over the next seven years.^[2]

In summer 2004, Víctor was deemed surplus to requirements at Villarreal and rejoined Valladolid, teaming up with centre-forward Joseba Llorente for three years and netting nine goals to help the side to retain their top-tier status in 2008.^[1]

In July 2009, after having once again helped the Castile and León team to avoid relegation – 29 games, five goals, 1,956 minutes^[1]– Víctor, aged 35, was not offered a new contract and left. The following week, he penned a one-year deal with FC Cartagena, recently promoted to division two.^[3]

Víctor scored nine league goals for the Murcian side in his first season, improving to 12 in the following as they consecutively managed to stay afloat.^[1] In July 2011, the 37-year-old returned to first club Leganés who competed in the Segunda División B, signing for one year.^[4]

International

Víctor played one match for Spain, coming on for Luis Enrique in a 0–0 friendly draw with Croatia in Split, on 23 February 2000.^[5]

Coaching career

In April 2012, Víctor retired to become Leganés' manager until the end of the campaign.^[6] With three wins and a draw, he saved them from relegation to Tercera División.^[7]

On 29 June 2015, Víctor returned to third-tier management at his former club Cartagena.^[8] His two-year contract ended with his dismissal on 1 February 2016, after seven games without a win.^[9]

Personal life

Víctor's son, also named Víctor, is also a footballer. An attacking midfielder, he was groomed at Valladolid.^[10]

Honours

Villarreal

UEFA Intertoto Cup: 2003,^[11] 2004^[12]

Valladolid

Segunda División: 2006–07^[13]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "Pucelano histórico: Víctor Fernández" [Historical pucelano: Víctor Fernández] (in Spanish). Vavel. 17 January 2013. Retrieved 7 December 2017.
^ "El Villarreal pagará 1.400 millones a Víctor en siete años" [Villarreal will pay 1.400 million to Víctor in seven years]. El País (in Spanish). 5 June 2000. Retrieved 7 December 2017.
^ "Víctor, ex delantero del Valladolid y Villarreal, recala en Cartagena" [Víctor, former forward of Valladolid and Villarreal, ends up in Cartagena]. Diario AS (in Spanish). 10 July 2009. Retrieved 7 December 2017.
^ "El Leganés ficha a Víctor Fernández, ex del Valladolid, Villarreal y Cartagena" [Leganés sign Víctor Fernández, formerly of Valladolid, Villarreal and Cartagena] (in Spanish). Europa Press. 5 July 2011. Retrieved 7 December 2017.
^ Gascón, Javier (24 February 2000). "Molina, héroe por un día" [Molina, hero for a day]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). Retrieved 13 March 2014.
^ "Víctor Fernández, nuevo entrenador del Leganés" [Víctor Fernández, new manager of Leganés]. El Día de Valladolid (in Spanish). 18 April 2012. Retrieved 4 March 2019.
^ Calleja, Tono (21 May 2012). "El 'polizón' que salvó al Leganés" [The 'stowaway' who saved Leganés]. El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 4 March 2019.
^ Bravo, Fernando (29 June 2015). "Víctor vuelve a Cartagena como entrenador cinco años después" [Víctor returns to Cartagena as manager five years later]. El Norte de Castilla (in Spanish). Retrieved 4 March 2019.
^ "Cartagena destituye al entrenador Víctor Fernández tras 7 jornadas sin ganar" [Cartagena dismiss manager Víctor Fernández after 7 games without winning]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). 1 February 2016. Retrieved 4 March 2019.
^ "El hijo del exfutbolista del Cartagena Víctor Fernández ficha por el Levante con solo 16 años" [The son of former Cartagena footballer Víctor Fernández signs for Levante with only 16 years of age] (in Spanish). La Verdad. 7 July 2024. Retrieved 30 September 2024.
^ "El Villarreal jugará la UEFA por primera vez en su historia" [Villarreal will play UEFA for the first time in their history]. Diario Córdoba (in Spanish). 27 August 2003. Retrieved 25 July 2023.
^ "El Villarreal vuelve a la UEFA tras ganar la Intertoto" [Villarreal return to UEFA after winning the Intertoto]. El Mundo (in Spanish). 23 August 2004. Retrieved 25 July 2023.
^ "El Valladolid, campeón de Segunda División" [Valladolid, Segunda División champions]. El Mundo (in Spanish). 10 June 2007. Retrieved 26 July 2023.

External links

Víctor at BDFutbol
Víctor manager profile at BDFutbol
Víctor at National-Football-Teams.com

[VAVEL-1] "Pucelano histórico: Víctor Fernández" [Historical pucelano: Víctor Fernández] (in Spanish). Vavel. 17 January 2013. Retrieved 7 December 2017.

[2] "El Villarreal pagará 1.400 millones a Víctor en siete años" [Villarreal will pay 1.400 million to Víctor in seven years]. El País (in Spanish). 5 June 2000. Retrieved 7 December 2017.

[3] "Víctor, ex delantero del Valladolid y Villarreal, recala en Cartagena" [Víctor, former forward of Valladolid and Villarreal, ends up in Cartagena]. Diario AS (in Spanish). 10 July 2009. Retrieved 7 December 2017.

[4] "El Leganés ficha a Víctor Fernández, ex del Valladolid, Villarreal y Cartagena" [Leganés sign Víctor Fernández, formerly of Valladolid, Villarreal and Cartagena] (in Spanish). Europa Press. 5 July 2011. Retrieved 7 December 2017.

[5] Gascón, Javier (24 February 2000). "Molina, héroe por un día" [Molina, hero for a day]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). Retrieved 13 March 2014.

[6] "Víctor Fernández, nuevo entrenador del Leganés" [Víctor Fernández, new manager of Leganés]. El Día de Valladolid (in Spanish). 18 April 2012. Retrieved 4 March 2019.

[7] Calleja, Tono (21 May 2012). "El 'polizón' que salvó al Leganés" [The 'stowaway' who saved Leganés]. El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 4 March 2019.

[8] Bravo, Fernando (29 June 2015). "Víctor vuelve a Cartagena como entrenador cinco años después" [Víctor returns to Cartagena as manager five years later]. El Norte de Castilla (in Spanish). Retrieved 4 March 2019.

[9] "Cartagena destituye al entrenador Víctor Fernández tras 7 jornadas sin ganar" [Cartagena dismiss manager Víctor Fernández after 7 games without winning]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). 1 February 2016. Retrieved 4 March 2019.

[10] "El hijo del exfutbolista del Cartagena Víctor Fernández ficha por el Levante con solo 16 años" [The son of former Cartagena footballer Víctor Fernández signs for Levante with only 16 years of age] (in Spanish). La Verdad. 7 July 2024. Retrieved 30 September 2024.

[11] "El Villarreal jugará la UEFA por primera vez en su historia" [Villarreal will play UEFA for the first time in their history]. Diario Córdoba (in Spanish). 27 August 2003. Retrieved 25 July 2023.

[12] "El Villarreal vuelve a la UEFA tras ganar la Intertoto" [Villarreal return to UEFA after winning the Intertoto]. El Mundo (in Spanish). 23 August 2004. Retrieved 25 July 2023.

[13] "El Valladolid, campeón de Segunda División" [Valladolid, Segunda División champions]. El Mundo (in Spanish). 10 June 2007. Retrieved 26 July 2023.

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