Monchi

Sporting director In 2000, after Sevilla were relegated from the top division, Monchi was appointed their director of football. He was given two objectives by the board: develop the club's youth system and implement a vast scouting policy inside and outside Spain.

Monchi helped discover Diego Capel, Alberto Moreno, Jesús Navas, Antonio Puerta, Sergio Ramos and José Antonio Reyes, and he also created a network of over 700 scouts around the world. Within this setup, he sourced a number of profitable bargains (including Adriano, Dani Alves, Júlio Baptista, Federico Fazio, Seydou Keita and Ivan Rakitić), making a profit of around €200 million in the transfer market, as the club established itself in the top half of the top division in his 16 years there.

Monchi asked to leave Sevilla in the 2016 off-season, but the board did not accept his request unless he paid his €5 million buyout clause. He left in April 2017, having helped win eleven trophies during his tenure. Later that month, he signed a four-year contract in the same role with Roma in Italy's Serie A.

On 17 March 2019, Monchi confirmed that he would be returning to Sevilla as sporting director the following month. He occupied the position until June 2023, when he was announced as president of football operations at Premier League club Aston Villa.

On 23 September 2025, Monchi stepped down from his position to take on an advisory role at parent company V Sports. He returned to sporting director duties in May 2026, being appointed at Espanyol.