Name:
Manuel Clares García
Country:
SpainClub:
CD CastellónPosition: *
CF,
SSSide:
RF/BSAge:
24-25 years (23/02/1948)Height:
177 cm Weight:
78 kg Attack:
84Defence:
35Balance:
79Stamina:
78Top Speed:
82Acceleration:
81Response:
84Agility:
77Dribble Accuracy:
73Dribble Speed:
76Short Pass Accuracy:
73Short Pass Speed:
70Long Pass Accuracy:
69Long Pass Speed:
70Shot Accuracy:
84Shot Power:
79Shot Technique:
81Free Kick Accuracy:
70Curling:
71Header:
82Jump:
78Technique:
71Aggression:
86Mentality:
74Goalkeeper Skills:
50Team Work:
70Injury Tolerance:
BCondition/Fitness:
6Weak Foot Accuracy:
5Weak Foot Frequency:
5Consistency:
6Growth type:
Standard CARDS:P19 - Fox in the Box
SPECIAL ABILITIES: Lines - Positioning
Attack/Defence Awareness Card: Attack-Minded
INFO:Manuel Clarés, an opportunistic striker, but also useful for opening spaces, and who ended up establishing himself even in the middle of the sector, as a man in the area. Fighting striker and very good goalscorer, a nuisance despite not having too much quality. A peculiar striker, not very plastic in the shot but with a tremendous ease to score. Brave and opportunistic striker who took advantage of all the centers they gave him, he was always in the right place to score. However, although he was a great scorer but also missed many goals. Also, technically, he was not so very good. Clares was also not too fast nor agile, but possessed a good header and movement in the area.
Signed by Barcelona in 1974 for the Cup final: "They signed me to be in the area. In five years I scored almost 70 without always being a starter. I wasn't a flashy player. I was more useful than aesthetic. I didn't juggle. My thing was to score goals, an I marked them, they signed me for that. The show was already given by Johan"
During his time in Barcelona, Manolo Clares was highly questioned by the stands, who often criticized him for being a striker who was not very decisive. El Mundo Deportivo went so far as to define him as "a striker without elegance or style, capable of the most unusual goals and the most blatant mistakes". Despite everything, he was the team's top scorer in the 1976/77 season, with 22 goals in 32 games.
His five goals to Valencia were legendary as well as Cruyff's legendary "Manolo marca ya".
"It was on November 28, 1976, on matchday 12 of the 76-77 League, in a match televised by TVE at the dawn of color television in Spain. Barça won 6-1, with five goals from Manolo Clares, two of them from penalties, another two after a play by Cruyff and another after collecting a rebound from the goalkeeper. That's what Clares had: a nose for goal."
He was capped once by Spain. His only game with the Spanish national team was a friendly against Turkey played on October 17, 1973 in Istanbul. Clares took the field as a starter, but had an unremarkable performance and was replaced in the second half.