The 2000s Relegation and Recovery

From Sevilla youth to Atlético hero, Villarreal stalwart, and Betis forward.

José María Romero Poyón (born 10 December 1978), known as José Mari, is a Spanish former professional footballer who played as a forward. He amassed La Liga totals of 270 matches and 49 goals over eleven seasons, mainly with Atlético Madrid and Villarreal, and also played in Italy for AC Milan. He was a Spanish international in the 2000s.

Quick Facts

Notable manager: Carlos Timoteo Griguol (relegation in 2000) and Luis del Sol (promotion in 2001)

Lore & Background

José Mari was born in Seville, Andalusia. He came through the ranks of local Sevilla, making his first-team debut at age 18 in a 2–0 defeat at Rayo Vallecano on 5 March 1997, and made 21 La Liga appearances with seven goals that season as Sevilla was relegated. He then signed with Atlético Madrid. At Atlético, he totalled 18 league goals in his first two seasons, including scoring in both home and away wins over Real Madrid in 1999 (separate seasons, both by 3–1); these were Atlético's only competitive victories in the Madrid derby in a span covering almost 20 years.

He moved to AC Milan for €19 million in January 2000, but failed to settle in Italy; Atlético were relegated at the end of that campaign. He was loaned back to Atlético for 2002–03, their first season back in the top flight after a two-year absence. His second spell was less successful, with the high point being a hat-trick in a 3–3 home draw against Athletic Bilbao on 10 November 2002. In summer 2003, he joined Villarreal for an undisclosed fee, playing a key role in that year's UEFA Intertoto Cup triumph and the side's best-ever league finish (third in 2004–05, with four goals in 30 matches).

In 2007, after falling out of favour at Villarreal, he returned to Seville, joining Real Betis on a one-year deal. He scored his first goal for Betis more than a year after his arrival, on 24 September 2008, in a 3–2 away loss to Barcelona; despite having a contract until June 2010, he was released in late December and moved to Segunda División with Gimnàstic de Tarragona. In June 2010, after one and a half seasons of regular playing time, he became a free agent and signed for Xerez, recently relegated to the second tier.

He netted a career-best 17 times in his first season (33 games, all starts), helping his team to eighth position. He represented Spain on four occasions in a two-year span, debuting on 25 April 2001 in a 1–0 friendly win over Japan. He was also a member of the national squad that won the silver medal at the 2000 Summer Olympics, scoring three goals. After retiring, he began practicing bodybuilding. He was the second cousin of fellow footballer Sergio Ramos.