Antonio Núñez Tena (born 15 January 1979) is a Spanish former professional footballer who played as a right midfielder.
His early career included spells at Real Madrid and Liverpool, on the fringes of both teams. Much of the rest of his career was spent in the Segunda División, while he also played three years for Apollon Limassol in Cyprus.
Club career Real Madrid Born in Madrid, Núñez started his career with San Federico, before joining Tercera División team Las Rozas. In 2001, he moved to Real Madrid, his favourite club growing up.
Courtesy of manager Carlos Queiroz, Núñez was promoted to the main squad for the 2003–04 season. On 2 September 2003, in his La Liga debut, he came on as a substitute for Javier Portillo 15 minutes from time in an away game against Villarreal and scored the 1–1 equaliser after just seven minutes; for the remainder of the campaign, however, in which the Merengues came up totally empty, he only made a further ten league appearances, all from the bench.
Liverpool In August 2004, Núñez was transferred to Liverpool, becoming Rafael Benítez's second signing as manager – after compatriot Josemi – as part of an exchange deal that saw Michael Owen go in the opposite direction for £8 million. He injured his knee in his first day of training for the Reds, and was out of action for three months. He made his Premier League debut on 28 November, playing 21 minutes in a 2–1 win over Arsenal.
Núñez scored his first and only goal for Liverpool in the 3–2 loss against Chelsea in the final of the Football League Cup, therefore becoming the only player in the club's history to score his only goal for the team in a major cup final. In his only season, he also won a UEFA Champions League medal, as he was one of the substitutes in the final against AC Milan (although he did not play).
Celta and later years Following a disappointing season, Núñez transferred back to Spain and joined newly-promoted side Celta de Vigo on 26 July 2005. During his three-year spell with the Galicians, where he would be heavily played, he also lived one top-flight relegation, and joined Real Murcia in the summer of 2008.
In August 2009, Núñez bought out the remainder of his Murcia contract and was released, shortly after joining Cyprus' Apollon Limassol. After three seasons, he returned to his country and its Segunda División, signing a one-and-a-half-year deal with Huesca. After the team's relegation in 2013, he remained in the division by agreeing to a four-month contract at Deportivo de La Coruña on 12 September; he was part of the squad that returned to the top tier after one year, but started only seven matches and did not score once.
On 8 July 2014, Núñez signed a one-year deal at Recreativo de Huelva, scoring five times in his first season as the team descended to Segunda División B. In April 2016, he spoke to Diario AS about the club's financial emergency that was threatening its existence.
Career statistics Club performance League Cup League Cup Continental Total Season Club League Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Spain League Copa del Rey Supercopa de España Europe Total2003–04Real MadridLa Liga111200000131 England League FA Cup League Cup Europe Total2004–05LiverpoolPremier League180103150271 Spain League Copa del Rey Supercopa de España Europe Total2005–06CeltaLa Liga3221000003322006–072402000713312007–08Segunda División4050000004052008–09MurciaSegunda División3512000003712008–09Apollon LimassolCypriot First Division1710000001712009–102631000002732010–111731020002032011–12HuescaSegunda División1641000001742012–133921000004022013–14DeportivoSegunda División220100000230 Total Spain21915 England180 Cyprus607 Career total29722
Honours Liverpool UEFA Champions League: 2004–05 Football League Cup runner-up: 2004–05
Apollon Limassol Cypriot Cup: 2009–10
References
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