Jesús Martínez Rivadeneira

Jesús Martínez Rivadeneira (born 7 December 1947) is a Spanish former footballer who played as a defender or midfielder.

He emigrated to Argentina as an infant and began and finished his career there, playing until the age of 45. He spent a decade in Spain with Valencia, playing 235 games across all competitions and winning La Liga in 1970–71. He played four international games for Spain from 1973 to 1974.

After retiring from playing, Martínez was sporting director of Valencia from 1994 to 1997. He later became an agent.

Early life Martínez was born in , a village in Foz in Galicia. His parents ran a bar in nearby , and before his second birthday, they emigrated to Buenos Aires, Argentina, where they already had relatives. The family sought to escape the living conditions of post-civil war Spain.

Club career Martínez began his career in Argentina with Racing Club, before returning to his country of birth in 1968 when he signed for Valencia. He was signed to replace club icon Manuel Mestre and played his first season as a midfielder, but received criticism from fans for perceived over-elaborate play.

After a decade at Valencia, Martínez remained in the city by signing for Levante in Segunda División B in August 1978. He signed a two-year deal, worth 1.5 million Spanish pesetas each. He returned to Argentina in 1979, and played for Huracán, Quilmes, Banfield, Colón, Almagro and Defensores de Belgrano, retiring in 1992, aged 45. He was involved in the signings of Martín Palermo, Juan Román Riquelme and Diego Forlán for Roig's next team Villarreal, as well as bringing in Chilean manager Manuel Pellegrini.