Known as “Goyo”, “The Teacher” or “The Manchego”, he wasn’t always involved with the soccer industry, rather, he spent 16 years of his career focused on teaching. He was a teacher in the I.E.S El Valle de Jaén where, as an anecdote, the bullfighter Enrique Ponce was once one of his students.
Big soccer lover, he was a player in the Recreativo de Bailén until an injury forced him to retire when he was about to be signed by the Sevilla F.C.
His life as coach would start in 1983 in Santisteban del Puerto, a town in the Jaén province, when he became the coach of said team, while also keeping up his work as a teacher at the same time. From that moment forth, his abilities as psycologist and instructor take him through several clubs in the province, like the Úbeda C.F, until he is signed by the Real Jaén in 1990.
In 1992 he decided to quit his job as a teacher to focus on his training, and was signed by the Talavera in the second league division B four years later.
Ever since he was signed by the Toledo in the second league division A in 1998 and later debuted in first division with the Valladolid, Manzano will become the savior many teams that found themselves in a tough spot, and will amass several successes with big teams, like the Copa del Rey with the Mallorca in 2003. His worth as the best coach would be recognized in 2008 , when he was awarded with the “Premio Don Balón”, and his labor as ambassador for the promotion of Jaén’s culture and olive oil would be rewarded with the “Jaén, Paraíso Interior” award.
His career has led him to train big Spanish teams such as the Atlético de Madrid, the Málaga C.F., and the Sevilla F.C., whilst the most recent stage of his journey pairs him with teams from the Chinese Super League.
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