C.D. Leganés reached an agreement this Wednesday with U.D. Almería for the transfer of midfielder Gonzalo Julián Melero Manzanares, 31 years old, to join the pepinero club for the next two seasons. The Madrid native, with extensive experience in our league, becomes the twelfth new face of Leganés this season.
Trained in the youth ranks of Real Madrid C.F., Melero reached Real Madrid Castilla before signing with S.D. Ponferradina in January 2015. With the bercianos, he debuted in LALIGA HYPERMOTION, playing for a season and a half at El Toralín. In the summer of 2016, he signed with S.D. Huesca to continue competing in the second division, playing a playoff in his first season at El Alcoraz and achieving promotion the following year, in a magnificent season in which he scored up to sixteen league goals.
In the 2017/18 season, he debuted in LALIGA EA SPORTS with the Huesca team, a category he would not leave the following year after being transferred to Levante U.D., with Paco López as the granota coach. With Levante, he played the next three seasons, all in the First Division, reaching the semifinals of the Copa del Rey in the 2020/21 season and completing his professional cycle in Valencia with nearly one hundred matches and seventeen goals scored.
Extensive experience in LALIGA EA SPORTS and LALIGA HYPERMOTION for a midfielder with attacking ability, strong shooting, and aerial play
Melero's most recent footballing stage has been with U.D. Almería. With the indálico team, he competed in the last three seasons, two of them in LALIGA EA SPORTS and the last in LALIGA HYPERMOTION, where he scored five goals and provided four assists. After concluding his time with the Almería club, Melero now joins Leganés to start a new professional chapter, reuniting with Paco López, and aiming to help the pepineros achieve their goals.
A midfielder capable of playing as a central midfielder or in a more advanced role, Melero is characterized not only by his extensive experience in LALIGA but also by his ability to arrive in the opponent's box from the second line, his excellent ball striking, and strong aerial play, making him a powerful weapon in set pieces. An international at youth levels with Spain, he will wear the number '16', join training with his new teammates immediately, and the date of his presentation will be announced soon.
