Introduction
Manuel Agudo Durán (born 15 October 1986), known as Nolito (Spanish pronunciation: [noˈlito]), is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a winger or a forward for Sevilla FC and the Spain national team.
Having begun his career at lower league clubs he signed for Barcelona in 2008, playing predominantly with its reserves. Three years later he moved to Benfica in Portugal, and was loaned back to Spain with Granada before joining Celta in 2013.
Nolito made his debut for the Spanish national team in November 2014, representing the nation at Euro 2016.
Club career
Barcelona
Born in Sanlúcar de Barrameda, Cádiz, Andalusia, Nolito arrived at FC Barcelona at nearly 22 years of age, having appeared with Écija Balompié in his native region in two third division seasons. With the Catalans, in the same level, he scored 16 league goals in two seasons combined – 12 in the second – as the B-team returned to the second level after an 11-year absence; still as a youth, he briefly represented Valencia CF, but quickly returned to his first club Atlético Sanluqueño CF.
On 3 October 2010, Nolito made his La Liga debut for Barcelona, coming on as a substitute for Pedro in a 1–1 home draw against RCD Mallorca. On 10 November, he opened the scoring in a 5–1 home win against AD Ceuta for the campaign's Copa del Rey (7–1 on aggregate).
Benfica
In late May 2011, Nolito rejected Barcelona's offer of a professional contract and instead signed a five-year deal with Portuguese side S.L. Benfica, effective as of 1 July. He scored on his official debut on the 27th, a 2–0 home win against Trabzonspor for the UEFA Champions League's third qualifying round. He also netted in the second leg, a 1–1 draw.
On 20 August 2011, Nolito scored once in a 3–1 home success against C.D. Feirense, making him alongside Eusébio the only player to score in his first five official matches for the club. He netted 15 goals in 48 official games in his first season, helping his team to win the Taça da Liga.
Nolito returned to his country and his native region on 29 January 2013, being loaned to Granada CF for six months and a fee of €600,000, without the possibility of making the move permanent in June. In his first match, four days after signing, he took the corner which resulted in Cristiano Ronaldo's own goal for the game's only goal, giving Granada its first win over Real Madrid in 40 years.
Celta
On 1 July 2013, Nolito signed with Celta de Vigo, penning a four-year deal and reuniting with former Barcelona B boss Luis Enrique. He finished his debut season as team top scorer, with 14.
Nolito was named La Liga Player of the Month for September 2014, with four goals during a month which ended with Celta in sixth position. He created 96 goalscoring opportunities over the campaign, the most in the Spanish league and fourth most in Europe's five leading leagues.
On 23 September 2015, Nolito took his league tally to five after scoring once and providing two assists for Iago Aspas in a 4–1 home success over former club Barcelona. He totalled three goals and an assist that month to help his team remain unbeaten, earning him a second Player of the Month accolade; in mid-December, however, he suffered a hamstring injury against RCD Espanyol which sidelined him for two months.
Nolito returned to action on 20 February 2016, featuring roughly 20 minutes in a 3–2 home win over SD Eibar. In the following round, he scored the game's only goal at Getafe CF, and his team eventually finished in sixth place.
Manchester City
On 1 July 2016, Nolito signed with Premier League side Manchester City on a four-year deal for a fee of £13.8 million. He made his debut on 13 August, playing 59 minutes in a 2–1 home win against Sunderland. Three days later he scored his first goal, and also provided an assist to Sergio Agüero in a 5–0 away routing of FC Steaua București for the Champions League play-off round.
Sevilla
In July 2017, Sevilla FC signed Nolito on a three-year contract.
International career
Nolito did not earn a single cap for Spain at youth level. On 7 November 2014, he was called up by full side manager Vicente del Bosque for a UEFA Euro 2016 qualifier against Belarus and a friendly with Germany. He made his debut against the latter on the 18th, starting at his club ground of Balaídos in a 0–1 loss.
On 17 May 2016, Nolito was named in the preliminary squad for the final tournament in France. Twelve days later, in a friendly against Bosnia and Herzegovina, he scored his first goals, striking twice in the first half of a 3–1 win in Switzerland. he repeated the feat the following match, a 6–1 routing of South Korea in Austria.
Selected for the squad of 23, Nolito acted often as starter, scoring from close range in a 3–0 group stage success over Turkey at the Stade de Nice and also assisting Álvaro Morata for the opener.
Career statistics
Club
- As of 10 September 2017
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Europe | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Écija | 2006–07 | Segunda División B | 31 | 2 | 5 | 3 | — | 36 | 5 | |
| 2007–08 | 40 | 13 | 0 | 0 | — | 40 | 13 | |||
| Écija total | 71 | 15 | 5 | 3 | — | 76 | 18 | |||
| Barcelona B | 2008–09 | Segunda División B | 28 | 4 | — | 28 | 4 | |||
| 2009–10 | 40 | 12 | — | 40 | 12 | |||||
| 2010–11 | Segunda División | 38 | 13 | — | 38 | 13 | ||||
| Barcelona B total | 106 | 29 | — | 106 | 29 | |||||
| Barcelona | 2010–11 | La Liga | 2 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 |
| Benfica | 2011–12 | Primeira Liga | 29 | 11 | 7 | 1 | 12 | 3 | 48 | 15 |
| 2012–13 | 6 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 15 | 1 | ||
| Benfica total | 35 | 12 | 13 | 1 | 15 | 3 | 63 | 16 | ||
| Granada | 2012–13 | La Liga | 17 | 3 | — | 17 | 3 | |||
| Celta | 2013–14 | La Liga | 35 | 14 | 2 | 0 | — | 37 | 14 | |
| 2014–15 | 36 | 13 | 1 | 0 | — | 37 | 13 | |||
| 2015–16 | 29 | 12 | 0 | 0 | — | 29 | 12 | |||
| Celta total | 100 | 39 | 3 | 0 | — | 103 | 39 | |||
| Manchester City | 2016–17 | Premier League | 19 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 30 | 6 |
| Sevilla | 2017–18 | La Liga | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 1 |
| Career totals | 353 | 103 | 29 | 5 | 23 | 5 | 405 | 113 | ||
International
- As of match played 15 November 2016
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spain | |||
| 2014 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2015 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2016 | 11 | 6 | |
| Total | 16 | 6 | |
International goals
- As of 9 October 2016 (Spain score listed first, score column indicates score after each Nolito goal)
| No. | Date | Venue | Cap | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 29 May 2016 | AFG Arena, St. Gallen, Switzerland | 7 |  Bosnia and Herzegovina |
1–0 | 3–1 | Friendly |
| 2 | 2–0 | ||||||
| 3 | 1 June 2016 | Red Bull Arena, Salzburg, Austria | 8 |  South Korea |
3–0 | 6–1 | |
| 4 | 5–0 | ||||||
| 5 | 17 June 2016 | Stade de Nice, Nice, France | 11 |  Turkey |
2–0 | 3–0 | UEFA Euro 2016 |
| 6 | 9 October 2016 | Loro Boriçi Stadium, Shkodër, Albania | 15 |  Albania |
2–0 | 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification |
Honours
Club
- Barcelona
- La Liga: 2010–11
- Benfica
- Taça da Liga: 2011–12
Individual
- La Liga Player of the Month: September 2014, September 2015