David Mateos Rocha (born 7 February 1985) is a Spanish retired footballer who played as a central midfielder, and the sporting director of Mérida AD.

David Rocha
Personal information
Full name David Mateos Rocha
Date of birth (1985-02-07) 7 February 1985 (age 39)
Place of birth Cáceres, Spain
Height 1.79 m (5 ft 10 12 in)
Position(s) Midfielder
Team information
Current team
Mérida (sporting director)
Youth career
Cacereño
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2003–2005 Cacereño
2005–2008 Villarreal B
2008 Cartagena 13 (2)
2008–2011 Cacereño 96 (17)
2011–2013 Albacete 79 (6)
2013–2016 Gimnàstic 99 (16)
2016 Houston Dynamo 4 (0)
2016–2018 Oviedo 63 (3)
2018–2019 Gimnàstic 18 (0)
2019 Almería 10 (0)
2019–2021 Extremadura 30 (1)
2021–2022 Mérida 28 (0)
Total 396 (36)
Managerial career
2023 Mérida (caretaker)
2023–2024 Mérida
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Club career

edit

Born in Cáceres, Extremadura, Rocha started playing football in CP Cacereño's youth system, and made his debuts as a senior in the 2002–03 campaign, in Segunda División B. In 2005, he moved to Villarreal CF B in Tercera División, appearing regularly for the side.

On 11 January 2008 Rocha joined FC Cartagena in the third level.[1] On 15 July he returned to Cacereño, with the side now in the fourth division,[2] winning promotion in his first season.

On 14 July 2011 Rocha signed for Albacete Balompié, after being team captain at his previous club.[3] On 26 June 2013 he moved to fellow third division side Gimnàstic de Tarragona, signing a two-year deal.[4]

On 19 June 2015, after winning promotion to Segunda División with Nàstic, Rocha renewed his link until 2018.[5] He made his professional debut on 23 August, starting in a 2–2 home draw against former club Albacete.[6]

On 21 January 2016 Rocha moved abroad for the first time in his career, after agreeing to a three-year deal with Major League Soccer side Houston Dynamo.[7] On 6 July 2016, he mutually terminated his contract with Dynamo after alleging "family reasons".[8]

On 11 July 2016 Rocha returned to Spain and its second tier, after agreeing to a two-year deal with Real Oviedo.[9] On 4 July 2018 he terminated his contract,[10] and returned to Gimnàstic just hours later.[11]

Rocha cut ties with Nàstic on 24 January 2019,[12] and signed a short-term deal with fellow league team UD Almería just hours later.[13] On 2 July, he signed a two-year contract with Extremadura UD, still in the second division.[14]

References

edit
  1. ^ "Rocha, nuevo interior diestro del Cartagena" [Rocha, new right winger of Cartagena] (in Spanish). Diario AS. 11 January 2008. Retrieved 20 June 2015.
  2. ^ "El CP Cacereño presenta oficialmente a sus dos primeros refuerzos, Rocha y Rai" [CP Cacereño officially presents its two first additions, Rocha and Rai] (in Spanish). Hoy. 15 July 2008. Retrieved 20 June 2015.
  3. ^ "David Rocha, ya excapitán del Cacereño, firma por el Albacete" [David Rocha, already former captain of Cacereño, signs for Albacete] (in Spanish). El Periódico de Extremadura. 14 July 2011. Retrieved 20 June 2015.
  4. ^ "David Mateos Rocha es converteix en jugador del Nàstic" [David Mateos Rocha becomes a Nàstic player] (in Catalan). Gimnàstic's official website. 26 June 2013. Retrieved 20 June 2015.
  5. ^ "David Rocha, renovado" [David Rocha, renewed] (in Spanish). Gimnàstic's official website. 19 June 2015. Retrieved 20 June 2015.
  6. ^ "El Gimnástic remonta in extremis al Albacete" [Gimnástic comes back in extremis against Albacete] (in Spanish). Marca. 23 August 2015. Retrieved 23 August 2015.
  7. ^ "David Rocha se despide de la familia grana" [David Rocha bids farewell from the grana family] (in Spanish). Gimnàstic's official website. 21 January 2016. Retrieved 23 January 2016.
  8. ^ "Houston Dynamo part ways with David Rocha; Leonel Miranda loan expires". Houston Dynamo. 6 July 2016. Retrieved 6 July 2016.
  9. ^ "David Rocha, nuevo jugador del Real Oviedo" [David Rocha, new player of Real Oviedo] (in Spanish). Real Oviedo. 11 July 2016. Retrieved 11 July 2016.
  10. ^ "Rescisión de David Rocha" [Rescision of David Rocha] (in Spanish). Real Oviedo. 4 July 2018. Retrieved 5 July 2018.
  11. ^ "David Rocha torna al Gimnàstic de Tarragona" [David Rocha returns to Gimnàstic de Tarragona] (in Catalan). Gimnàstic Tarragona. 4 July 2018. Retrieved 5 July 2018.
  12. ^ "El Nàstic i David Rocha rescindeixen el contracte" [Nàstic and David Rocha rescind the contract] (in Catalan). Gimnàstic Tarragona. 24 January 2019. Retrieved 26 January 2019.
  13. ^ "David Rocha se convierte en el segundo fichaje del mercado de invierno" [David Rocha becomes the second winter signing] (in Spanish). UD Almería. 24 January 2019. Retrieved 26 January 2019.
  14. ^ "David Rocha es azulgrana" [David Rocha is red-and-blue] (in Spanish). Extremadura UD. 2 July 2019. Retrieved 5 July 2019.
edit