The Lorca referee Jose Maria Sanchez Martinez has been elected best collegiate of the First division of Spanish football during the 2019/2020 season, for which he will receive the Vicente Acevedo trophy awarded by the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) and obtained for the first time in his career.
Sánchez Martínez, 36 years old – he was born on October 3, 1983 – has completed his fifth season in the top flight, which he reached in 2015 when he was promoted from Second, a division in which he spent another four years. Previously, he had remained in Second B in the 2010/2011 financial year and in Third, from 2005 to 2010.
The referee, who has been international since 2017, has as assistants Raúl Cabañero Martínez already Jose Gallego Garcia, also Murcian.
In the last exercise he directed 19 meetings of the Santander League and since he debuted in the category he has already reached one hundred refereed matches, something he did with the clash between the Celta Vigo and the Atlético de Madrid held at the Balaídos stadium and ended with a one-goal draw.