José Mari (footballer, born 1971)
Spanish association football player
José María García Lafuente (born 10 February 1971), commonly known as José Mari, is a Spanish former professional footballer who played as a midfielder.
He scored eight La Liga goals in ten seasons, whilst appearing in 158 matches with Osasuna, Barcelona, Betis and Athletic Bilbao during that timeframe.
Playing career
Osasuna
Born in Logroño, La Rioja, José Mari was trained in the youth system of CA Osasuna and began his senior career with the reserves in the Segunda División B, his first match taking place towards the end of 1988–89. He spent another two seasons at that level, but also made his La Liga debut for the first team under manager Pedro María Zabalza, coming on as a late substitute in a 3–0 home win over Real Betis just prior to his 20th birthday.
José Mari began 1991–92 with the B side, but by October he was part of the main squad. At the end of the campaign he had started four league games and appeared from the bench in another four, and also made his European bow on 22 October 1991 when he played the last eight minutes in place of Miguel Sola in a 0–0 home draw against VfB Stuttgart.
José Mari was confirmed as a first-team member for 1992–93, featuring in 20 matches (although he only played 90 minutes seven times) and scoring his first goal in a 1–3 home loss to RCD Español. He was even more prominent the next season, but broke his ankle in March 1994 and Osasuna were eventually relegated in last place.
Barcelona
José Mari initially remained in Pamplona and competed in the Segunda División until January 1995, when he was signed by FC Barcelona for 150 million pesetas (equivalent to around GB£720,000 at the time) and returned to the top division on a three-year contract. He later stated that the move had been close to completion the previous year, but his serious injury led to its delay.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “José Mari (footballer, born 1971)” as spanish association football player. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
Why this record matters
The subject matters to the people & ideas register because the source frames it as spanish association football player. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
The entry’s evidential value lies in the named roles, institutions and publications that can be tested against primary documentation. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jun 11, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q3810507. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1971, 1988, 1991 and 1992.
Later biographies can compress uncertainty and repeat inherited reputations, so apparently settled claims may still require comparison. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Read biographical claims against dates, named institutions and the cited references. Distinguish a subject’s later reputation from evidence produced during their lifetime.
- Establishing names and roles
- Building a first chronology
- Locating cited institutions
Personal papers, civil or court records, institutional files and the scholarship cited by the source.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “José Mari (footballer, born 1971)”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow José Mari (footballer, born 1971) primary sources, José Mari (footballer, born 1971) archive and José research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “José Mari (footballer, born 1971)”?
- How has the subject’s reputation changed across later accounts?
- Which primary records establish identity, chronology and institutional ties?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “José Mari (footballer, born 1971)” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.