Antonio Hidalgo (footballer, born 1979)

Born in Granollers, Barcelona, Catalonia, Hidalgo began starting professionally with Barcelona's reserves, then went on to represent Tenerife for five seasons. After being an important element during the team's 2001 promotion, he played ten games in the following campaign's La Liga.

Hidalgo moved to Málaga in the summer of 2005, appearing in 35 matches in his first year as the Andalusia side finished bottom and were relegated. On 15 June 2008, he scored two goals in a 2–1 victory over former club Tenerife, granting top-flight promotion after a two-year absence at the expense of Real Sociedad;^[1] he finished the season with 14 league goals, best in the squad.^[2]

Hidalgo stayed in the Segunda División, however, signing a two-year contract with Real Zaragoza.^[3] In late January 2009, he joined struggling Osasuna on loan until the end of the campaign,^[4] and appeared regularly although very rarely as a starter as the Navarrese eventually stayed in the top division.

Upon his return to Aragon, Hidalgo was deemed surplus to requirements. In the dying minutes of the August 2009 transfer window, he arranged a one-year deal with second-tier club Albacete with the option of an additional year; at the end of his only season, the 31-year-old was one of 14 players who were not given a contract extension, being released.^[5]

Hidalgo then had a spell at Tenerife, suffering relegation in his sole season before joining Sabadell of his native region in January 2012, shortly before turning 33.^[6] In March 2014, the captain extended his stay with the Arlequinats for another year.^[7] When his contract ended, he played for several weeks with Cornellà in the Segunda División B before retiring in November 2015, immediately becoming a youth team coach.^[8]

In April 2016, Hidalgo assumed his first senior management job at Granollers.^[9] After avoiding the drop, he left the Tercera División side at the end of the campaign a month later, joining his compatriot Imanol Idiakez's staff at AEK Larnaca in the Cypriot First Division.^[10][11]

Hidalgo left his Larnaca contract a year early in April 2019, tasked with keeping his former employers Sabadell in the third level with seven games to go.^[12] He achieved it and, the following season, he ended a five-year exile from the second tier on 26 July 2020 with a 2–1 playoff final win over Barcelona B.^[13]

Sabadell were relegated back to division three at the end of the 2020–21 campaign by the margin of a single point. Hidalgo kept his job, but on 20 November 2021, with the team in the Primera División RFEF relegation places, he was dismissed.^[14]

On 19 October 2022, Hidalgo was appointed manager of Sevilla B, bottom in the Segunda Federación,^[15] eventually managing to avoid relegation.^[16] He returned to the second tier one year later, signing for Huesca.^[17]

On 27 May 2024, having averted relegation, Hidalgo's contract was automatically extended for a further season.^[18] One year later, he announced his departure from the club.^[19]

On 10 June 2025, Hidalgo became head coach of fellow second division side Deportivo de La Coruña on a one-year deal.^[20]

As of match played 1 May 2026