Diego Mariño
Quick Facts
Biography
Diego Mariño Villar (born 9 May 1990) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays for Sporting de Gijón as a goalkeeper.
Club career
Villarreal
Born in Vigo, Galicia, Mariño played for Villarreal CF since the age of 14, having already represented four teams as a youth. He made his professional debut in the 2010–11 season, helping the reserves barely avoid relegation from the second division while appearing in 38 games.
Mariño was again first-choice in the following campaign, but as the main squad suffered relegation in La Liga the B's were forced to drop down to the third level even though the team finished in a comfortable 12th position. After the departures of longtime incumbent Diego López and 41-year-old César (the latter retired), he was promoted to the first team by manager Julio Velázquez – also his boss in the second side.
Valladolid / Levante
On 5 July 2013, Mariño signed a five-year contract with Real Valladolid, with Villarreal retaining an option to buy him back for €300,000. He made his debut in the top flight on 17 August, in a 1–2 home loss against Athletic Bilbao.
On 8 August 2014, Mariño moved to fellow league team Levante UD in a season-long loan deal. On 31 August of the following year, he signed a permanent three-year deal with the club.
Sporting Gijón
On 1 July 2016, after Levante's relegation, Mariño joined Sporting de Gijón for four years. Second-choice to Iván Cuéllar, he made his debut on 26 November in a 1–2 loss at leaders Real Madrid.
On 18 January 2018, Mariño extended his contract until 2022. Between 4 February and 1 April he was unbeaten during 764 minutes and, at the end of the season, he was named Sporting's player of the year.
International career
Mariño won his first cap for the Spain under-21 team in 2011. Also that year, he was selected by manager Luis Milla for his UEFA European Championship squad.
In the tournament in Denmark, Mariño was a backup to Atlético Madrid's David de Gea as the nation won its third title in the category. The following year, he repeated the role for the under-23 side in a group stage exit at the Summer Olympic Games in Great Britain.
Honours
Spain U21
- UEFA European Under-21 Championship: 2011, 2013
Spain U17
- FIFA U-17 World Cup: Runner-up 2007