Quick Facts
Biography
José María Romero Poyón (born 10 December 1978), known as José Mari, is a Spanish retired footballer who played as a forward.
Over the course of 11 seasons he amassed La Liga totals of 270 games and 49 goals, mainly with Atlético Madrid – for which he signed at the age of 18 from Sevilla, going on to score 34 times in 144 appearances – and Villarreal (four years apiece). He also played professionally in Italy for Milan.
Club career
José Mari was born in Seville, Andalusia. After growing through the ranks of local Sevilla FC (first appearing with the main side aged just 18, in a 0–2 defeat at Rayo Vallecano on 5 March 1997, and making 21 La Liga appearances with seven goals during that season, as his team was finally relegated), he moved to Atlético Madrid.
At Atlético, José Mari scored 18 league goals in his first two seasons combined. Highlights included scoring at both home and away wins against Real Madrid in the year 1999 (separate seasons, both by 3–1); these happened to be Atlético's only competitive victories in the Madrid derby in a span covering almost 20 years.
José Mari failed to settle in Italy after a big-money move to A.C. Milan in January 2000 – Atlético were relegated at the end of that season – and was subsequently loaned out to the Colchoneros during 2002–03, their first back in the top flight after a two-year absence. His second spell there was less successful, with the high point being a hat-trick in a 3–3 home draw against Athletic Bilbao on 10 November 2002.
José Mari moved to Villarreal CF in the summer of 2003, for an undisclosed fee, and went on to play a key role in that year's UEFA Intertoto Cup triumph and the club's best ever league finish (third in 2004–05, with four goals in 30 matches).
In 2007, after falling out of favour at Villarreal with the arrival of Giuseppe Rossi and the recovery of longtime injury absentee Nihat Kahveci, José Mari returned to Seville, joining Real Betis on a one-year deal. He scored his first goal for his new club more than a year after his arrival, on 24 September 2008, in a 2–3 defeat at FC Barcelona; despite still having a contract running until June 2010, he was released in late December and, late in the following month, moved to the second division and joined Gimnàstic de Tarragona.
In June 2010, after one-and-a-half seasons of regular playing time, with six league goals in his last year, José Mari's contract expired and he was released. In the following month, the 31-year-old signed for Xerez CD, freshly relegated into level two. He netted a career-best 17 goals in his first season – 33 games, all starts – helping his team to the eighth position.
International career
José Mari represented Spain on four occasions, in a two-year span. His debut came on 25 April 2001 as he played the second half of a 1–0 friendly win over Japan, in Córdoba.
Previously, José Mari was a member of the national squad which won the silver medal at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney. He scored three goals during the competition.
International goals
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 20 November 2002 | Los Cármenes, Granada, Spain |  Bulgaria | 1–0 | 1–0 | Friendly |
Honours
Club
- Villarreal
- UEFA Intertoto Cup: 2003, 2004
International
- Spain U23
- Summer Olympic Games: Silver medal 2000
