Carmelo José Navarro Careaga

Carmelo José Navarro Careaga (born 25 March 1959) is a Spanish former professional footballer

Playing career

Navarro was born in Murcia, capital of the autonomous community of the Region of Murcia, He played for the Ural youth team in A Coruña, and joined Safa San Luis when relocating to El Puerto. He was noticed by scouts of El Puerto-based Racing Portuense, and joined the Segunda División B side in 1977, aged just 18. Navarro made his European debut on 15 September 1982, in the away first leg of Betis's first round tie against Portugal's Benfica at Estádio da Luz. Betis lost 2–1, and were eliminated after suffering an identical loss in the second leg.

For 1983–84, Navarro was sent out on loan to Recreativo de Huelva in the Segunda División. He returned to Betis the following season, and they also saw off Figueres the following year.

His last season with the club was the 1993–94 Segunda División campaign, which saw them suffer a second consecutive relegation, before he retired in 1994 at the age of 35. He left Cádiz after 260 appearances and four goals. He became a councillor in El Puerto de Santa María, representing the People's Party. He resigned in 2019, choosing to dedicate more time to his business. He was part of a group of councillors being investigated for potentially perverting the course of justice, although he maintained his innocence.

Career statistics

1. Appearances in the 1982–83 UEFA Cup 2. Appearance in the 1983 Copa de la Liga 3. Appearances in the 1990–91 La Liga relegation playoff 4. Appearances in the 1991–92 La Liga relegation playoff