Marcelino Elena

Marcelino

Personal information
Full name	Marcelino Elena Sierra
Date of birth	(1971-09-26) 26 September 1971
Place of birth	Gijón, Spain
Height
Position(s)	Centre back
Youth career
	Sporting Gijón
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1990–1994	Sporting B	63	(3)
1994–1995	Sporting Gijón	14	(0)
1996–1999	Mallorca	122	(13)
1999–2003	Newcastle	17	(0)
2003–2004	Poli Ejido	46	(0)
Total		262	(16)
International career
1998–1999	Spain	5	(0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

This name uses Spanish naming customs: the first or paternal family name is Elena and the second or maternal family name is Sierra.

Marcelino Elena Sierra (born 26 September 1971), known simply as Marcelino, is a Spanish retired professional footballer who played as a central defender.

Club career

Sporting / Mallorca

Marcelino was born in Gijón, Asturias, and began his career at local Sporting de Gijón, where he appeared sporadically with the first team in three seasons before earning a move to RCD Mallorca in January 1996. There, he was instrumental in a promotion to La Liga, forming a formidable partnership with Iván Campo in 1997–98 as the team ranked in fifth position.

In the following season the Balearic Islands club finished third in the league and lost the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup final to S.S. Lazio, with the player appearing in the full 90 minutes in the 1–2 defeat.

Newcastle

In 1999 Marcelino transferred to Newcastle United for £5.8 million, after impressing with Mallorca in Spain and Europe. A lot was expected of him at his new team, but he appeared only 20 times (all competitions) for the club in the first year and a half, being placed with the reserve team for the rest of his spell and finally reaching an agreement to leave in January 2003, having not featured for the main squad since 11 February 2001, against Charlton Athletic.

Marcelino also suffered several different injuries during his time with the Magpies, which stuttered his career there. Scans on the affected areas were occasionally declared to be inconclusive, the most serious of his injuries being a snapped finger tendon which prevented him from playing for two months.

Later years

After one 1/2 seasons in Segunda División with Polideportivo Ejido, Marcelino retired. He subsequently spent two years as Everton's Spanish scout, and also worked as a football commentator for RTVE's Premier League matches. He moved on to work as a football agent.

International career

Marcelino received five caps for Spain in a seven-month period, the first coming against Italy in Salerno on 18 November 1998. He would play his last international in an UEFA Euro 2000 qualifier routing of San Marino (9–0 home win, 90 minutes played).

Honours

Mallorca

• Supercopa de España: 1998
• Copa del Rey: Runner-up 1997–98

External links

• Marcelino profile at BDFutbol
• National team data
• Marcelino career statistics at Soccerbase
• Marcelino Elena at National-Football-Teams.com

• Never again...; BBC Sport, 1 April 2003
• Buyers beware – costly flops are everywhere; The Guardian, 23 August 2005
• Marcelino frustrates Newcastle; The Independent, 8 November 2000