Jacinto Elá

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Elá and the second or maternal family name is Eyene.

Jacinto Elá

Elá in training camp with Spain U18
Personal information
Full name	Jacinto Elá Eyene[1]
Date of birth	(1982-05-02) 2 May 1982 (age 42)
Place of birth	Añisoc, Equatorial Guinea
Height	1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Position(s)	Winger
Youth career
1992–1995	Sector Sant Feliu
1995–1996	Hospitalet
1996–2001	Espanyol
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1999–2001	Espanyol B	31	(5)
1999	Espanyol	0	(0)
2001–2004	Southampton	0	(0)
2002–2003	→ Hércules (loan)	17	(0)
2004–2005	Alavés B	26	(5)
2005	Dundee	2	(0)
2006	Gavà	16	(2)
2007	Gramenet	8	(0)
2007–2008	Fundación Logroñés	18	(2)
2008	Premià	13	(2)
2008–2010	Levante Las Planas
Total		131	(16)
International career
2000–2001	Spain U18	11	(5)
2006–2007	Equatorial Guinea U23	4	(0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Jacinto Elá Eyene (born 2 May 1982) is an Equatoguinean retired professional footballer who played predominantly as a right winger.

Club career

Born in Añisoc, Elá moved to Barcelona at the age of ten with his parents.^[2] He played most of his youth football with RCD Espanyol (five years), being selected to Spain's youth teams whilst with the club and also helping the reserves promote to Segunda División B in 2000; the following year, he won the Copa del Rey Juvenil with the juniors.

Elá playing for Espanyol B.

On 24 July 1999, Elá made his competitive debut with Espanyol's first team, appearing in a UEFA Intertoto Cup game against Montpellier HSC in France, as a 70th-minute substitute (1–2 loss).^[3] It was his only appearance for the Catalans.

In the 2001 off-season, Elá signed for Southampton in England, penning a three-year contract after turning down Coventry City.^{[citation needed]} During his spell he never appeared officially with the Premier League side, being limited to reserve team football; additionally, in the 2001–02 season, he suffered a serious knee injury.^[4]

In 2002, Elá was loaned to Hércules CF in the Spanish third level, under former Sporting de Gijón and CD Tenerife player Felipe Miñambres. In March 2003, in a friendly match with Elche CF, he suffered another severe injury to his knee, after a hard tackle by Raúl Pérez;^[5] upon his return to the Saints, he continued to appear exclusively for the second team.

In August 2005, Elá signed for Dundee of the Scottish Football League First Division.^[6] His output consisted of two league matches, plus two appearances in the Challenge Cup and one in the League Cup, going scoreless in the process; he left the club in late November.^[7]

From 2005 until his retirement in 2010 at the age of only 28, Elá played exclusively in amateur football, the sole exception being eight third level games for UDA Gramenet in the 2006–07 campaign.

Post-retirement / Personal life

After retiring, Elá returned to Barcelona and started his own clothing line, Malabona (a combination of "Malabo" and "Barcelona"), working alongside his wife Esther in the design of T-shirts and all kinds of fashion clothes, which were then sold via the internet.^[8]

His younger brother, Ruslan, was also a footballer. A defender, he represented the Equatoguinean national team.

References

1. "Equip LES FONTS , U.E. A". FCF.
2. "Iba para estrella de fútbol, pero he acabado siendo Rey Mago, que es mejor" ("I was a future football star, i ended up a Magi, i'm better off"); 20 minutos, 7 January 2010 (in Spanish)
3. Con la cabeza bien alta (Head held high); Mundo Deportivo, 25 July 1999 (in Spanish)
4. Jacinto Ela confía tener continuidad en el Hércules ("Jacinto Ela hopes to have continuity in Hércules"); Diario Crítico, 13 February 2003 (in Spanish)
5. Jacinto resta importancia a la dura entrada de Raúl Pérez que le lesionó ("Jacinto downplays hard tackle by Raúl Pérez who injured him"); Diario Crítico, 5 March 2003 (in Spanish)
6. Wednesday's gossip column; BBC Sport, 3 August 2005
7. Madaschi and Jacinto leave Dundee; BBC Sport, 25 November 2005
8. Ara, no canvia el disseny pel futbol (Right now, he does not trade design for football); Mundo Deportivo, 24 March 2009 (in Catalan)

External links

• Jacinto Elá at BDFutbol
• Jacinto Elá at ESPN FC
• "La otra cara del fútbol" (in European Spanish).