José Mari (footballer, born 1978)

In June 2010, after one and a half seasons of regular playing time, with six league goals in his last year, José Mari became a free agent and was released. In the following month, the 31-year-old signed for Xerez CD, recently relegated to the second tier. He netted a career-best 17 times in his first season – 33 games, all starts – helping his team to the eighth position.

In 2007, after falling out of favour at Villarreal with the arrival of Giuseppe Rossi and the recovery of longtime injury absentee Nihat Kahveci, José Mari returned to Seville, joining Real Betis on a one-year deal. He scored his first goal for his new club more than a year after his arrival, on 24 September 2008, in a 3–2 away loss to FC Barcelona; despite still having a contract running until June 2010, he was released in late December and, late in the following month, moved to the second division and moved to Gimnàstic de Tarragona.

José Mari agreed to a deal at Villarreal CF in the summer of 2003, for an undisclosed fee. He went on to play a key role in that year's UEFA Intertoto Cup triumph, and the side's best-ever league finish (third in 2004–05, with four goals in 30 matches).

José Mari failed to settle in Italy after a €19 million move to A.C. Milan in January 2000 – Atlético were relegated at the end of the campaign – and was subsequently loaned out to the Colchoneros during 2002–03, their first back in the top flight after a two-year absence. His second spell there was less successful, with the high point being a hat-trick in a 3–3 home draw against Athletic Bilbao on 10 November 2002.

José Mari represented Spain on four occasions, in a two-year span. His debut came on 25 April 2001 as he played the second half of a 1–0 friendly win over Japan, in Córdoba.

José Mari was a Spanish international in the 2000s.

Previously, José Mari was a member of the national squad which won the silver medal at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney. He scored three goals during the competition.

At Atlético, José Mari totalled 18 league goals in his first two seasons. Highlights included scoring at both home and away wins over Real Madrid in the year 1999 (separate seasons, both by 3–1); these happened to be Atlético's only competitive victories in the Madrid derby in a span covering almost 20 years.

José Mari was born in Seville, Andalusia. After growing through the ranks of local Sevilla FC (first appearing with the main squad aged just 18, in a 2–0 defeat at Rayo Vallecano on 5 March 1997, and making 21 La Liga appearances with seven goals during that season, as his team was finally relegated), he signed with Atlético Madrid.

José María Romero Poyón (born 10 December 1978), known as José Mari, is a Spanish former footballer who played as a forward.