Antonio Hidalgo (footballer, born 1979)


Antonio Hidalgo Morilla is a Spanish retired footballer who played as a central midfielder, and the manager of CE Sabadell FC.
Over 17 seasons as a professional, he appeared in 412 games in Segunda División, scoring 57 goals for six clubs, mainly Tenerife and Sabadell. In La Liga, he represented Tenerife, Málaga and Osasuna.

Playing career

Born in Granollers, Barcelona, Catalonia, Hidalgo began starting professionally with FC Barcelona's reserves, then went on to represent CD Tenerife for five seasons. After being an important element during the team's 2001 promotion, he played ten games in the following campaign's La Liga.
Hidalgo moved to Málaga CF in 2005, appearing in 35 matches as the Andalusia side were eventually relegated from the top division, as last. On 15 June 2008, he scored two goals in a 2–1 victory over former club Tenerife, granting top-flight promotion after a two-year absence at the expense of Real Sociedad; he finished the season with 14 league goals, best in the squad.
Hidalgo would stay in the Segunda División, however, signing a two-year deal with Real Zaragoza. In late January 2009, he joined struggling CA Osasuna on loan until the end of the campaign, and appeared regularly although very rarely as a starter as the Navarrese eventually stayed in the top level.
Upon his return to Aragon, Hidalgo was deemed surplus to requirements. In the dying minutes of the August 2009 transfer window he arranged a 1+1 deal with Albacete Balompié, in the second tier; at the end of his first and only season, the 31-year-old was one of 14 players who were not given a contract extension, being released.
Hidalgo then had a spell at CD Tenerife, suffering relegation in his one full season before joining CE Sabadell FC of his native region in January 2012, shortly before turning 33. In March 2014, the captain extended his link with the Arlequinats for another year. When his contract ended, he played for several weeks with UE Cornellà in Segunda Division B before retiring in November 2015, immediately becoming a youth team coach.

Coaching career

In April 2016, Hidalgo assumed his first senior management job at EC Granollers. He left the Tercera División side at the end of the campaign a month later, joining his compatriot Imanol Idiakez's staff at AEK Larnaca FC in the Cypriot First Division.
Hidalgo left his contract on the Mediterranean island a year early in April 2019, tasked with keeping former club Sabadell in the third level with seven games to go.

Managerial statistics