José Mari

José Mari

Personal information
Full name	José Maria Romero Poyón
Date of birth	10 December 1978 (1978-12-10)
Place of birth	Seville, Spain
Height	1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Playing position	Forward
Club information
Current club	Xerez
Number	23
Youth career
1994–1995	Lledón
1995–1996	Sevilla
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1996–1997	Sevilla B	25	(11)
1997	Sevilla	21	(7)
1997–1999	Atlético Madrid	84	(20)
2000–2003	Milan	52	(5)
2002–2003	→ Atlético Madrid (loan)	31	(6)
2003–2007	Villarreal	113	(15)
2007–2008	Betis	21	(1)
2009–2010	Gimnàstic	49	(8)
2010–	Xerez	42	(20)
National team
1996–1997	Spain U18	7	(6)
1998–2000	Spain U21	12	(5)
2000	Spain U23	5	(3)
2001–2003	Spain	4	(1)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 30 October 2011. † Appearances (Goals).

Olympic medal record
Competitor for Spain
Men's Football
Silver	2000 Sydney	Team Competition

This name uses Spanish naming customs; the first or paternal family name is Romero and the second or maternal family name is Poyón.

José María Romero Poyón (born 10 December 1978 in Seville, Andalusia), aka José Mari, is a Spanish footballer who plays for Xerez CD as a forward or winger.

Club career

After growing through the ranks of local Sevilla FC (first appearing with the main side aged just 18, on 5 March 1997, in a 0–2 defeat at Rayo Vallecano, and making 21 La Liga appearances with seven goals during that season, as Sevilla was finally relegated), José Mari moved to Atlético de Madrid.

At Atlético, he scored 18 league goals in his first two seasons combined: Highlights included scoring at both home and away wins against Real Madrid in the year 1999 (separate seasons, both by 3–1). These happened to be Atlético's only competitive victories in the Madrid derby in a span covering almost 20 years.

José Mari failed to settle in Italy after a big money move to A.C. Milan in January 2000 (Atlético were relegated at the end of that season), and was subsequently loaned out to the Colchoneros during 2002–03 (Atlético's first back in the top flight after a two-year absence). His second spell there was less successful, with the high point being a hat-trick in a 3–3 home draw against Athletic de Bilbao, on 10 November 2002.

José Mari moved to Villarreal CF in the summer of 2003, for an undisclosed fee, and went on to play a key role in that year's UEFA Intertoto Cup triumph and the club's best ever league finish (third in 2004–05, with four goals in 30 matches).

In 2007, after falling out of favour at Villarreal with the arrival of Giuseppe Rossi and the recovery of longtime injury absentee Nihat Kahveci, José Mari returned to Seville, joining Real Betis on a one-year deal.

José Mari scored his first goal for Betis more than a year after his arrival, on 24 September 2008, in a 2–3 defeat at FC Barcelona. Despite still having a contract running until June 2010, he was released in late December and, late in the following month, moved to the second division, joining Gimnàstic de Tarragona.

In June 2010, after one 1/2 seasons of relative playing use, with six league goals in his last year, José Mari's contract expired and he was released. In the following month, the 31-year old signed for Xerez CD, freshly relegated into level two.

International career

José Mari represented Spain on four occasions in a two-year span. His debut came on 25 April 2001, as he played the second half of a 1–0 friendly win over Japan, in Córdoba.

Previously, he was a member of the national squad which won the silver medal at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney. José Mari scored three goals during the competition.

International Goals

#	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1.	20 November 2002	Estadio Nuevo Los Cármenes, Granada, Spain	Bulgaria	1–0	1–0	Friendly

Honours

Spain U23

• Summer Olympic Games: Silver medal 2000

External links

• Xerez official profile (Spanish)
• BDFutbol profile
• National team data (Spanish)
• José Mari at National-Football-Teams.com
• José Mari – FIFA competition record
• Transfermarkt profile