José Carlos Granero


José Carlos Granero Granero is a Spanish retired footballer who played as a right back or a central defender, and is the manager of Chinese club Chengdu Better City FC.
He was known as a promotion specialist, winning promotion four times each to Segunda División B and Segunda División, and earning two more in China later in his career.

Playing career

Born in Chella, Valencia, Granero spent six years with local giants Valencia CF, but was mainly associated with the reserves, his best output being 15 appearances in the 1984–85 campaign. He made his La Liga debut on 15 January 1984, in a 1–2 away loss against Real Valladolid.
Granero left the Che in 1986, then spent a couple of years in Segunda División with Recreativo de Huelva, playing no matches in his second season. He retired in 1994 at the age of 31 after spells with CD Alcoyano and Benidorm CD and amateurs CD Jávea, all in his native region.

Coaching career

Granero started training with his last club, going on to work in the lower leagues in the following seasons. In 1996, he led Llíria CF to the first place in the Tercera División regular season, subsequently disposing of FC Cartagena, FC Santboià and UD Poblense in the promotion playoffs; still in the late 90s, he achieved three promotions to the third level, with Ontinyent CF, Benidorm and Novelda CF.
In 2007–08, Granero was in charge of Alicante CF as it promoted to division two after a 50-year absence. He was sacked after round 32 of the following campaign, in an immediately relegation back; he met the exact fate in the following two years, with SD Ponferradina.
On 18 October 2011, Granero was appointed at Deportivo Alavés in the third division, after Luis de la Fuente was sacked. He continued working in that level in the next two seasons, with Real Oviedo.
On 28 May 2014, Granero was signed as head coach of Veria FC, as the Superleague Greece team's director of football was compatriot Quique Hernández. He then returned to his country, where he managed several clubs in division three.
Granero headed back abroad on 24 November 2017, signing for the upcoming year to Chengdu Qianbao F.C. who had been relegated to China's fourth division. He won immediate back-to-back promotions to China League One, the country's second division.

Personal life

Granero's younger brother Roberto was a midfielder, who played for over a decade in the third tier. He later coached, as José Carlos' assistant and in his own right. His son, Borja, was also a footballer, and all three were youth players at Valencia.

Managerial statistics