José Manuel Contreras

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José Manuel Contreras
Contreras with Antigua in 2017
Personal information
Full name José Manuel Contreras
Date of birth (1986-01-19) 19 January 1986 (age 39)
Place of birth Atescatempa, Guatemala
Height 1.74 m (5 ft 9 in)[1]
Position(s) Midfielder
Team information
Current team
 Comunicaciones
Number 10
Youth career
1999–2000 USAC
2000–2003 Comunicaciones
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2004–2009 Comunicaciones 73 (6)
2008–2009 → Arsenal de Sarandí (loan) 6 (0)
2009 Fénix 1 (0)
2010 Xelajú 23 (4)
2010–2011 Comunicaciones 52 (8)
2011–2012 Universidad de Concepción 23 (2)
2012–2017 Comunicaciones 133 (39)
2017–2019 Antigua 102 (5)
2020– Comunicaciones 175 (13)
International career
2008 Guatemala U23 4 (0)
2006–2021 Guatemala 80 (5)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 20:00, 20 July 2025 (UTC)

José Manuel Contreras (Spanish pronunciation: [xosˈe manwˈel kontɾˈeɾas]; born 19 January 1986), nicknamed El Moyo, is a Guatemalan professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for and captains Liga Nacional club Comunicaciones.

Contreras has also played for clubs Arsenal de Sarandí in Argentina and C.D. Universidad de Concepción in Chile, among other clubs, and it’s known to be the promise of Guatemala football.

Club career

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Comunicaciones

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As a youth player, Contreras was with USAC before joining the Comunicaciones youth system.

2003–04: Loan to Achuapa

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Having begun his career with Comunicaciones in the Guatemalan top division, Contreras briefly played in the Primera División de Ascenso (second level) with Achuapa,[2][3] and then returned to Comunicaciones.

2008–09: Loan to Arsenal de Sarandí

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In July 2008, when he joined Arsenal de Sarandí. He made his debut for Arsenal on August 27, 2008 against Boca Juniors for the second leg of the Recopa Sudamericana, a match that ended 2–2 (3–5 aggregate in favor of Boca Juniors). Contreras came in at the beginning of the second half in substitution of Luciano Leguizamón, who left the pitch injured at the end of the first half.

Fénix

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In July 2009 it was rumored that Contreras would join Gimnasia de Jujuy of the Argentine 2nd division,[4] but then a move to Uruguayan side CA Fénix at the end of August 2009 was announced.[5]

Xelajú

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On 28 December 2009 he returned to Guatemala and signed with Xelajú.[6]

Return to Comunicaciones

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In June 2010 Contreras rejoined the club where he started his career, Comunicaciones.,[7] playing there for the entirety of the 2010–2011 season.

Universidad de Concepción

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One year later, in June 2011, he was signed by C.D. Universidad de Concepción,[8][9][10] and in August 2011 he made his debut scoring the third goal of his team's 3–0 win over Colo-Colo.[11]

Return to Comunicaciones

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2025–26: Final season

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On 27 May 2025, shortly after renewing his contract with the club, Contreras announced that the upcoming 2025 Apertura would be his final season with Comunicaciones and will retire.[12]

International career

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Youth

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In 2008, Contreras played for the U-23 national team of Guatemala in the qualification rounds to the 2008 Olympic tournament, where he led the team to a 1–0 victory against Haiti and an upsetting 2–1 victory against Mexico. The Guatemalan team ended the group stage in first place earning a semifinal berth against Honduras in which they came short of qualifying, losing 6–5 on penalty kicks. After his performances throughout the tournament, he was named one of the "eleven best" in the tournament alongside teammate Carlos Castrillo.

Senior

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Contreras' debut match for the Guatemala senior side was against Haiti in August 2006, where he made an assist to Mario Rodríguez in a 1–1 draw. He scored his first international goal in the match versus El Salvador in the 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup.

Career statistics

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International goals

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Scores and results list. Guatemala's goal tally first.
# Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1 9 June 2007 Home Depot Center, Carson, California, USA  El Salvador 1–0 1–0 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup
2 10 September 2008 Estadio Mateo Flores, Guatemala City, Guatemala  Cuba 4–1 4–1 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification
3 22 January 2013 Estadio Nacional, San José, Costa Rica  Costa Rica 1–1 1–1 2013 Copa Centroamericana
4 6 February 2013 Sun Life Stadium, Miami Gardens, USA  Colombia 1–3 1–4 Friendly
5 14 August 2014 Estadio Pensativo, Antigua Guatemala, Guatemala  Nicaragua 1–0 3–0 Friendly

Honours

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Comunicaciones

Antigua

References

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  1. ^ "Jose Contreras". Comunicaciones FC. Retrieved 3 March 2022.
  2. ^ "Cinco cosas que no sabías de José Manuel Contreras". Guatefutbol.com (in Spanish). 19 January 2023. Retrieved 4 November 2024.
  3. ^ PrensaLibre.com – José Contreras promete (in Spanish)
  4. ^ (in Spanish) José Manuel Contreras firmó con Gimnasia de Jujuy Archived 2011-01-01 at the Wayback Machine – Guatezona
  5. ^ José Manuel Contreras jugará en el Fénix de Uruguay Archived 2010-09-12 at the Wayback Machine – Guatezona (in Spanish)
  6. ^ Cuadro Xelaju[permanent dead link] – Liga Nacional Guatemala
  7. ^ José Manuel "El Moyo" Contreras vuelve a Comunicaciones Archived 2010-06-30 at the Wayback Machine – Radio Emisoras Unidas (in Spanish)
  8. ^ (in Spanish) Source: "José Contreras ya está en Chile y se unió a su nuevo equipo". Archived from the original on 2011-08-12. Retrieved 2011-08-26.
  9. ^ "Universidad de Concepcion 2011 - Campeonato de Clausura". www.solofutbol.cl (in Spanish). Retrieved 4 November 2024.
  10. ^ "Universidad de Concepcion 2012 - Campeonato de Apertura". www.solofutbol.cl (in Spanish). Retrieved 4 November 2024.
  11. ^ (in Spanish) Source: http://www.goal.com/es-us/news/3538/guatemaltecos-por-el-mundo/2011/08/14/2620245/guatemaltecos-por-el-mundo-el-moyo-contreras-se-estrena-con
  12. ^ ""Se retirará": la decisión de José Contreras que conmueve a Comunicaciones en medio de los rumores de renovación". FútbolCentroamerica. 27 May 2025. Retrieved 5 August 2025.
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