José Manuel Rodríguez Benito (born 3 March 1992), known as Chema, is a Spanish professional footballer. Mainly a central defender, he can also play as a left-back.
Club career Early years A product of Elche CF's youth system, Chema was born in Caudete, Province of Albacete, and he made his senior debut in 2010 with the reserves. In the following seasons he competed in the Tercera División and Segunda División B, representing Atlético Madrid's C and B teams.
Alcorcón Chema signed with AD Alcorcón in January 2013, being initially assigned to the B side in the fourth division. He was promoted to the first team in August, making his competitive debut on 6 October by starting in a 0–0 away draw against SD Eibar in the Segunda División.
Chema scored his first professional goal on 30 March 2014, his team's only in the 3–1 away loss to Girona FC. On 9 July, he was definitely promoted to the main squad.
Levante On 5 August 2016, Chema signed a four-year deal with Levante UD, still in the second tier. He contributed three goals in 33 appearances in his first season, helping the club to return to La Liga at the first attempt.
Chema's first match in the Spanish top flight took place on 21 August 2017, when he started a 1–0 home win over Villarreal CF. He scored his first goal in the competition exactly one month later, helping the hosts defeat Real Sociedad 3–0 with a spectacular 44th-minute strike from just outside the box.
Nottingham Forest On 8 August 2019, Chema joined EFL Championship club Nottingham Forest on a two-year contract for an undisclosed fee. He made his official debut 19 days later, as a substitute in a 3–0 home win against Derby County in the second round of the EFL Cup.
Getafe and Eibar Chema returned to Spain on 30 January 2020, after being sold to Getafe CF for an undisclosed fee. On 11 January 2022, he was loaned to second division side Eibar for the remainder of the season.
On 21 July 2022, Chema terminated his contract, and returned to Eibar on a three-year deal just hours later. On 12 August 2023, he returned to Alcorcón on a one-year loan.
Career statistics
+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competitionClubSeasonLeagueNational CupLeague CupContinentalTotalDivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAtlético Madrid B2012–13Segunda División B20———20Alcorcón2013–14Segunda División9130——1212014–15Segunda División23010——2402015–16Segunda División33500——335Total656400000696Levante2016–17Segunda División33300——3332017–18La Liga25120——2712018–19La Liga19220——212Total776400000816Nottingham Forest2019–20Championship800020—100Getafe2019–20La Liga4000—00402020–21La Liga10020——120Total140200000160Career total16612100200017812
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