Fernando Soriano

Fernando Soriano Marco (born 24 September 1979) is a Spanish former professional footballer who played as a central midfielder.

He spent most of his 19-year career with Almería, totalling ten seasons in two different spells. In La Liga, where he also represented Zaragoza and Osasuna, he amassed totals of 229 games and 21 goals, adding the same number of matches and 33 goals in the Segunda División.

Over nine months and starting in 2016, Soriano also managed Almería.

Playing career Soriano was born in Zaragoza, Aragon. A product of hometown Real Zaragoza's youth ranks, he was loaned to Segunda División side Recreativo de Huelva before appearing with the main squad, which happened in the 2002–03 season in the same league.

In La Liga, Soriano proved a very useful midfield element. In the 2003–04 campaign, he scored the winner in 2–1 wins over Racing de Santander and FC Barcelona while also helping his team to victory in the Copa del Rey.

Soriano joined UD Almería for 2005–06, netting seven goals in his first year. He was an instrumental figure in the club's first-ever top division promotion the next season, reuniting with his former Zaragoza teammate Corona; both players were instrumental the following campaign, as the Andalusians finished eighth in their maiden experience in the top flight.

Soriano had a successful season overall in 2009–10, as Almería retained their status for the third consecutive year. Without the presence of striker Álvaro Negredo, he was much more depended upon in scoring matters and netted seven times in 35 games, joint-second in the team as they finished in 13th position (he also collected 13 yellow cards); on several occasions, he was deployed as a supporting striker.

On 21 May 2010, the free agent Soriano signed for 2+1 years with CA Osasuna. He made his official debut for the Navarrese in the season opener, a 0–0 home draw against his former team Almería.

After a disappointing campaign overall, Soriano terminated his contract with Osasuna and returned to his previous club in late July 2011, penning a three-year deal. He scored a career-best 12 goals from 39 appearances in the 2012–13 campaign, helping the team to return to the top flight after a two-year absence. After managing to avoid relegation and remain unbeaten in his four games in charge (two wins and two draws), he renewed his contract for a further year.

Soriano signed as sporting director at UD Ibiza in December 2018. He left his post in April 2022 and, on 16 June 2023, joined Deportivo de La Coruña in the same capacity.

Career statistics

Managerial statistics

+ Managerial record by team and tenureTeamNatFromToRecord Almería 17 May 201626 February 2017 Total

Honours Zaragoza Copa del Rey: 2003–04