Cifu (footballer, born 1980)

Daniel Cifuentes Alfaro (born 13 July 1980), known as Cifu, is a Spanish footballer who plays for Castilleja CF as a right back.

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Cifuentes and the second or maternal family name is Alfaro.
Cifu
Personal information
Full name Daniel Cifuentes Alfaro
Date of birth (1980-07-13) 13 July 1980
Place of birth Madrid, Spain
Height 1.71 m (5 ft 7 in)
Position(s) Right back
Team information
Current team
 Castilleja
Youth career
Real Madrid
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2000–2001 Real Madrid C
2001–2003 Zamora 48 (5)
2003–2004 Lanzarote 34 (1)
2004–2005 Eibar 39 (1)
2005–2007 Real Sociedad 14 (0)
2007 → Ponferradina (loan) 16 (1)
2007–2008 Valladolid 9 (0)
2009–2011 Cádiz 78 (2)
2011–2014 Recreativo 76 (1)
2015–2016 Lincoln Red Imps 2 (0)
2016 Zamora 5 (0)
2017 Mancha Real 12 (1)
2018–2020 Isla Cristina 52 (9)
2020– Castilleja 8 (0)
International career
1998 Spain U17 1 (0)
Managerial career
2017–2018 Equatorial Guinea (loc. assistant)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 8 March 2020

Club career

Cifu was born in Madrid. An unsuccessful graduate of Real Madrid's youth system, he went on to make his professional debut with Zamora CF, spending most of his early career in the Segunda División B.

In the 2005–06 season, Cifu joined Real Sociedad for €450.000,[1] making his La Liga debut on 21 September 2005 and playing the full 90 minutes in the 3–2 home win over Atlético Madrid.[2] Never an important element for the Basques he would be loaned, in January 2007, to Segunda División club SD Ponferradina, and he scored once for his new team, in a 3–3 away draw against UD Salamanca – who led 3–0 at the hour mark – on 1 April;[3] Ponferradina would be, however, relegated.

Cifu signed for Real Valladolid in August 2007.[4] After having featured in only nine matches throughout the campaign, he was released by mutual consent in October of the following year.[5]

In late January 2009, Cifu moved to Cádiz CF, being part of the squad that returned to the second tier after a one-year absence. In the following season he was an undisputed starter (34 games, 33 starts), but the Andalusians would be immediately relegated.[6]

On 21 July 2011, Cifu joined Recreativo de Huelva on a two-year deal.[7] He went on to spend three seasons in the second division with the club, scoring his only goal on 19 October 2013 to help the hosts recover from a three-goal disadvantage against CD Lugo to draw 3–3.[8]

Cifu retired in 2020 at the age of 40, following short spells with Lincoln Red Imps (Gibraltar Premier Division), Zamora,[9] Atlético Mancha Real and Isla Cristina FC.[10] However, he joined Castilleja CF on 25 September 2020.[11]

International career

On 31 December 2017, Cifu announced he would part of the technical staff of the Equatorial Guinean national team for local-based players soon to compete at the 2018 African Nations Championship.[12]

References
  1. Contrata al defensa del Eibar, Cifuentes (Cifuentes, Eibar defender hired); Diario AS, 1 July 2005 (in Spanish)
  2. La Real desintegra al Atlético (Real rip Atlético apart); El Mundo, 22 September 2005 (in Spanish)
  3. Pierde Salamanca ventaja de tres goles; empata com Ponferradina (Salamanca lose three-goal advantage; draw with Ponferradina); El Universal, 1 April 2007 (in Spanish)
  4. Cifuentes: "Espero demostrar en el campo que Mendilibar no se equivoca conmigo" (Cifuentes: "I hope to show on the pitch Mendilibar is not doing the wrong thing"); Marca, 20 August 2007 (in Spanish)
  5. Cifuentes llega a un acuerdo para desvincularse del club" (Cifuentes reaches an agreement to be released from the club); Marca, 3 October 2008 (in Spanish)
  6. El sueño pasa por Cádiz (The dream visits Cádiz); Las Provincias, 9 May 2010 (in Spanish)
  7. El Recre ficha al lateral Cifuentes (Recre sign full-back Cifuentes); Huelva 24, 21 July 2011 (in Spanish)
  8. El Decano salvó un punto tras remontar tres goles 'in extremis' (The Dean rescued one point after coming back from three goals 'in extremis'); Marca, 19 October 2013 (in Spanish)
  9. Daniel Cifuentes "Cifu" regresa al Zamora CF (Daniel Cifuentes "Cifu" returns to Zamora CF); La Opinión de Zamora, 28 April 2016 (in Spanish)
  10. El fútbol es una familia (Football is a family); Marca, 24 March 2019 (in Spanish)
  11. Dani Cifuentes, nuevo fichaje del Castilleja CF, castillejaclubdefutbol.com, 25 September 2020
  12. Bodipo alista a otro carismático ex recreativista para Guinea Ecuatorial (Bodipo enlists another charismatic former recreativista for Equatorial Guinea); Diario de Huelva, 31 December 2017 (in Spanish)
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