Samuel San José Fernández
Encyclopedia
Samuel San José Fernández, simply Samuel or Samu for short (born 1 March 1984 in Santander, Cantabria
), is a Spanish
footballer who plays for SD Ponferradina
in the Spanish third division
, as a defender
.
's youth system, Samuel first appeared for its main side on 11 September 2005, in a 0–1 home loss against Cádiz CF
. He finished the season with seven appearances (all but one were complete matches) and four yellow cards, as the Cantabria
side finished 17th in La Liga
, narrowly avoiding relegation.
After having served one season-long loan stint with Sporting de Gijón
(second division
), Samuel returned to Racing but, midway through 2007–08, would be loaned again, alongside teammate Christián Fernández
, to second level strugglers UD Las Palmas
. Both would be instrumental in the Canary Islands
' team retaining of its league status.
Subsequently, Christian returned to Santander, but Samuel stayed, signing a four-year contract. He appeared in an average of 23 games in the following three second division seasons, with the club always managing to stay afloat.
Santander, Cantabria
The port city of Santander is the capital of the autonomous community and historical region of Cantabria situated on the north coast of Spain. Located east of Gijón and west of Bilbao, the city has a population of 183,446 .-History:...
), is a Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
footballer who plays for SD Ponferradina
SD Ponferradina
Sociedad Deportiva Ponferradina, S.A.D. is a Spanish football team based in Ponferrada, in the El Bierzo region, León, in the autonomous community of Castile and León...
in the Spanish third division
Segunda División B
Segunda División B is the third level of the Spanish football league system. It is administered by the RFEF. The top two levels are La Liga, also referred to as the Primera División, and the Segunda División. Immediately below Segunda División B is the Tercera Division...
, as a defender
Defender (association football)
Within the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to prevent the opposition from attacking....
.
Club career
A product of hometown Racing de SantanderRacing de Santander
Real Racing Club de Santander, S.A.D. is a Spanish football club based in Santander, in the autonomous community of Cantabria. Founded in 1913, it currently plays in La Liga, holding home games at Estadio El Sardinero, with a capacity for 22,400 spectators....
's youth system, Samuel first appeared for its main side on 11 September 2005, in a 0–1 home loss against Cádiz CF
Cádiz CF
Cádiz Club de Fútbol, S.A.D. is a Spanish football team based in Cádiz, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. Founded in 1910, it currently plays in Segunda División B - Group 4, holding home games at Estadio Ramón de Carranza, with a 22,000-seat capacity.Salvadoran legend Mágico González, who...
. He finished the season with seven appearances (all but one were complete matches) and four yellow cards, as the Cantabria
Cantabria
Cantabria is a Spanish historical region and autonomous community with Santander as its capital city. It is bordered on the east by the Basque Autonomous Community , on the south by Castile and León , on the west by the Principality of Asturias, and on the north by the Cantabrian Sea.Cantabria...
side finished 17th in La Liga
La Liga
The Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...
, narrowly avoiding relegation.
After having served one season-long loan stint with Sporting de Gijón
Sporting de Gijón
Real Sporting de Gijón, S.A.D. is a Spanish football club from Gijón, Asturias. Founded in 1 June 1905, it currently plays in Spanish first division....
(second division
Segunda División
The Segunda División is the lower tier of the two professional football leagues in Spain. From the season 2008-09 onwards, the name of the league is Liga Adelante.-History:...
), Samuel returned to Racing but, midway through 2007–08, would be loaned again, alongside teammate Christián Fernández
Christian Fernández Salas
Christian Fernández Salas, simply Christian , is a Spanish footballer who plays for Racing de Santander mainly as a left defender.-Football career:...
, to second level strugglers UD Las Palmas
UD Las Palmas
Unión Deportiva Las Palmas, S.A.D. is a Spanish football team based in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, in the autonomous community of Canary Islands...
. Both would be instrumental in the Canary Islands
Canary Islands
The Canary Islands , also known as the Canaries , is a Spanish archipelago located just off the northwest coast of mainland Africa, 100 km west of the border between Morocco and the Western Sahara. The Canaries are a Spanish autonomous community and an outermost region of the European Union...
' team retaining of its league status.
Subsequently, Christian returned to Santander, but Samuel stayed, signing a four-year contract. He appeared in an average of 23 games in the following three second division seasons, with the club always managing to stay afloat.