Toñito


Antonio Jesús García González, known as Toñito, is a Spanish former footballer who played mainly as an attacking midfielder.
He spent most of his professional career in Portugal where he represented five clubs, amassing Primeira Liga totals of 207 games and 24 goals.

Club career

Toñito was born in La Orotava, Tenerife. A player with skill and teamwork approach alike, he started playing professionally with hometown club CD Tenerife. After having made no appearances for the first team, he moved to Portugal for the 1997–98 season and joined Vitória de Setúbal, going on to represent in the country Sporting CP, C.D. Santa Clara – loaned, where he joined Mauricio Hanuch, also on loan– and Boavista FC; he played an important part in Sporting's conquest of the 2000 Primeira Liga championship, their first in 18 years, playing 28 games although 25 of those were as a substitute.
In the 2005–06 campaign, Toñito returned to Spain and Tenerife, with the club now in the second division, scoring seven league goals including two in a 3–2 away win against Racing de Ferrol on 27 May 2006, before he was stretchered off. After a quick spell in Croatia with HNK Rijeka he returned to Portugal, netting a late equaliser for U.D. Leiria at former side Sporting, although his team would eventually drop down a level.
For 2008–09, Toñito moved to Greece's Ionikos FC. However, in January 2009, he switched to Cyprus and AEK Larnaca FC, reuniting with former Sporting teammate Elpídio Silva; he retired from the game at the end of the season, aged 32.

Honours

Sporting