David Sánchez (footballer, born 1982)

David Sánchez Rodríguez (born 25 July 1982) is a Spanish former footballer who played as a defensive or attacking midfielder, currently manager of Xerez Deportivo FC.

He spent most of his 18-year professional career in the Segunda División B, totalling 111 Segunda División games and seven goals over five seasons while appearing for Alavés, Albacete, Gimnàstic de Tarragona and Elche. He added 47 matches in La Liga (with Albacete), and also made one competitive appearance with Barcelona.

Playing career
A trainee of both Sevilla FC (early) and FC Barcelona (with whom he featured in a UEFA Champions League game, against Club Brugge KV), Sánchez was born in Seville, Andalusia, and he made his debut in La Liga with Albacete Balompié in 2003–04. On 19 October 2003, after a team effort, he scored from a lob in a 3–1 home win over Real Sociedad – his only goal of the season.

Sánchez spent the second half of the 2004–05 campaign in the Segunda División, loaned to Deportivo Alavés, and appeared rarely as the Basques returned to the top flight. He then completed another two solid years with Albacete, joining them in summer 2005 after being released by Barcelona.

In July 2007, Sánchez moved to second-tier Gimnàstic de Tarragona. Scarcely used, he joined Romanian club FC Timişoara at the end of the season, being loaned to FC Gloria Buzău in January 2009 and being released in July after only 12 total appearances.

After spending the first months of the new campaign training on his own, Sánchez moved in January 2010 to CD Castellón of division two, making no appearances as the Valencian team also suffered relegation. In August, he signed with another side in that league, Elche CF.

Sánchez left the club at the end of 2010–11, amid rumours that he had sold out to Granada CF during the top-division promotion play-offs. Shortly after, he signed for CD Atlético Baleares in the Segunda División B.

On 13 July 2013, Sánchez returned to Gimnàstic, now in the third tier of Spanish football. On 23 July of the following year, he moved to UD Melilla in the same division.

Sánchez continued to compete in the lower leagues or amateur football until his retirement at the age of 37, representing in the process Cádiz CF, Atlético Baleares, Real Murcia and Orihuela CF.

Coaching career
On 4 July 2019, Sánchez was appointed manager of Murcia's under-17 squad as well as part of the club's technical secretariat. He started coaching in his own right two years later, being in charge of Real Murcia Imperial and later Xerez Deportivo FC also in the newly-created Tercera Federación.