Antonio José Cordero, born in Jerez de la Frontera, Cádiz, on 14 November 2006, has become, at just 17 years of age, the hope of an entire city in their fight to stay in the spanish Second Division this season.

Also named as “Antoñito”, Cordero joined Málaga CF's youth academy in 2021, after representing Real Betis, Sevilla FC, Cádiz CF, Xerez Club Balompié and Jerez FC Alternativa.

Already in Málaga, on September 2023, before even having appeared with the reserves, Cordero made his first team debut in Primera Federación in a home win over Atlético de Madrid B, becoming the fourth-youngest player to debut for Málaga.

Cordero alternated between the main and reserve squads during the remainder of the season, scoring 12 goals for the B team. On 22 June 2024, he came in as an extra-time in the second leg of the promotion play-off finals against Gimnàstic de Tarragona, and scored a last-minute equalizer to put his side ahead on aggregate and subsequently achieve promotion to Segunda División, being also his first goal with the main squad.

These events justify the affection that Antoñito is arousing in the city of Málaga. An affection that is of course also based on the great value and abilities of the footballer.

We are talking about a technically very good player. He stands out for his great ball handling, his use of both feet and his ball conduction ability. Without the ball, he is also an awesome tactically intelligent player. His good decision making at such a young age is surprising, as well as his intuition and instinct in the opponent's area, which makes him an attacker with a lot of goals. In fact, he already has 2 goals and 2 assists in 5 games this season.

Finally, it is obvious that the player still has certain qualities to develop, especially those related to the mental aspect. Provided that he is a player in training, so the sum of minutes on the pitch will help to build the necessary mentality to become the player that Antoñito's potential foresees.

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