Pau López

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is López and the second or maternal family name is Sabata.
Pau López
López playing for Betis in 2019
Personal information
Full name Pau López Sabata[1]
Date of birth (1994-12-13) 13 December 1994 (age 30)[2]
Place of birth Girona, Spain
Height 1.89 m (6 ft 2 in)[3]
Position(s) Goalkeeper
Team information
Current team
 Girona
(on loan from Marseille)
Number 25
Youth career
2002–2007 Girona
2007–2013 Espanyol
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2013–2014 Espanyol B 35 (0)
2014–2018 Espanyol 67 (0)
2016–2017 → Tottenham Hotspur (loan) 0 (0)
2018–2019 Betis 33 (0)
2019–2022 Roma 53 (0)
2021–2022 → Marseille (loan) 29 (0)
2022– Marseille 66 (0)
2024– → Girona (loan) 0 (0)
International career
2015–2017 Spain U21 5 (0)
2018–2019 Spain 2 (0)
2015 Catalonia 1 (0)
Medal record
Men's Football
Representing  Spain
UEFA European Under-21 Championship
Second place 2017 Poland
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 19 May 2024

Pau López Sabata (Catalan pronunciation: [ˈpaw ˈlopeθ]; born 13 December 1994) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for La Liga club Girona, on loan from Ligue 1 club Marseille.

He has played for Espanyol, Tottenham Hotspur, Betis, Roma, Marseille and Girona.

López reached the final of the 2017 European Under-21 Championship with Spain. He made his full debut the following year.

Club career

Espanyol

López was born in Girona, Catalonia.[4] He joined Espanyol's youth setup in 2007 at the age of 12, after starting out at hometown club Girona.[5] He made his senior debut with the former's B team in the 2013–14 season, in the Segunda División B.[6][7]

On 12 June 2014, López signed a new four-year contract with Espanyol, also being promoted to the main squad.[8][9] He played his first match as a professional on 17 December, starting in a 1–0 home win against Alavés in the round of 32 of the Copa del Rey[10] and being first choice in the tournament as his team reached the semi-finals for the first time in nine years.[11][12]

López's debut in La Liga occurred on 1 February 2015, after starter Kiko Casilla was sent off in the 40th minute of the fixture at Sevilla for handling Iago Aspas' shot outside of the penalty area, and he conceded once in an eventual 3–2 defeat.[13] After the latter's departure to Real Madrid in the summer, he became the starter.[14]

On 6 January 2016, during an away fixture against Barcelona in the Copa del Rey, López repeatedly stamped on Lionel Messi after the two players became entangled, in an action that eluded the referee but was caught on camera.[15] On 31 August, he joined Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur on loan for the 2016–17 season,[16] being third choice behind Hugo Lloris and Michel Vorm, he failed to make a single competitive appearance.[17]

After his return to the RCDE Stadium, López continued to start under new manager Quique Sánchez Flores.[18][19]

Betis

On 4 July 2018, López signed a five-year deal with fellow top-tier club Betis on a free transfer.[20] Under Quique Setién, he missed just five league matches in his only season as the team finished in 10th place.[21]

Roma

López joined Serie A club Roma on 9 July 2019 on a five-year contract, for a reported fee of €23.5 million.[22][23] He made his debut on 25 August in a 3–3 home draw with Genoa,[24] making a further 31 appearances by the end of the campaign for the fifth-placed team.[25] On 26 January 2020, he made a mistake in the Derby della Capitale to gift a goal to Lazio's Francesco Acerbi in a 1–1 draw.[26][27]

In 2020–21, López started as back-up to Antonio Mirante, before returning to the team after the veteran's injury.[28] His season was ended prematurely by a shoulder injury against Manchester United in the semi-final of the UEFA Europa League.[29]

Marseille

Pau López with Marseille in 2022

On 8 July 2021, López was loaned to Ligue 1 club Marseille for the upcoming season, with an option to buy in the summer of 2022.[30] Facing competition from experienced Steve Mandanda, he made his debut on 11 September in a 2–0 win away to Monaco,[31] and retained his place over the France international throughout the campaign.[32]

Marseille exercised their option to purchase López on 8 January 2022, effective as of 1 July.[33] On 16 August 2024, he was loaned to Spanish top-tier Girona for the season.[34]

International career

López playing for Spain U21 in 2017

López made his international debut on 26 December 2015, having a player of the match performance for Catalonia in a 1–0 friendly loss to the Basque Country.[35] On 28 March 2016, he played his first game with the Spain under-21 team, in a 1–0 win against Norway at the Estadio Nueva Condomina.[36]

On 17 May 2016, López and Espanyol teammate Marco Asensio were called up to the senior team for a friendly against Bosnia and Herzegovina.[37] He only won his first cap more than two years later, after coming on as a 75th-minute substitute for Kepa Arrizabalaga in a 1–0 win over the same opposition in Las Palmas.[38]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 4 December 2024[39]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup[a] Europe Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Espanyol B 2013–14 Segunda División B 35 0 — — 35 0
Espanyol 2014–15 La Liga 2 0 8 0 — 10 0
2015–16 La Liga 36 0 2 0 — 38 0
2017–18 La Liga 29 0 1 0 — 30 0
Total 67 0 11 0 — 78 0
Tottenham Hotspur (loan) 2016–17 Premier League 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Betis 2018–19 La Liga 33 0 0 0 2[b] 0 35 0
Roma 2019–20 Serie A 32 0 2 0 8[b] 0 42 0
2020–21 Serie A 21 0 1 0 12[b] 0 34 0
Total 53 0 3 0 20 0 76 0
Marseille (loan) 2021–22 Ligue 1 29 0 2 0 5[b] 0 36 0
Marseille 2022–23 Ligue 1 33 0 3 0 6[c] 0 42 0
2023–24 Ligue 1 33 0 1 0 15[d] 0 49 0
Total 66 0 4 0 21 0 91 0
Girona (loan) 2024–25 La Liga 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0
Career total 283 0 21 0 48 0 352 0
  1. ^ Includes Copa del Rey, Coppa Italia, Coupe de France
  2. ^ a b c d Appearances in UEFA Europa League
  3. ^ Appearances in UEFA Champions League
  4. ^ Two appearances in UEFA Champions League, thirteen appearances in UEFA Europa League

International

Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps Goals
Spain[40] 2018 1 0
2019 1 0
Total 2 0

Honours

Spain U21

Individual

References

  1. ^ "Squads for 2016/17 Premier League confirmed". Premier League. 1 September 2016. Retrieved 15 September 2016.
  2. ^ "Pau López". Eurosport. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
  3. ^ "Pau López" (in French). Olympique Marseille. Retrieved 1 August 2022.
  4. ^ Morán, Miguel Ángel (8 July 2019). "Pau López, directo al top 10 de porteros más caros de la historia" [Pau López, straight to top 10 of most-expensive ever goalkeepers]. Marca (in Spanish). Retrieved 12 July 2021.
  5. ^ Terrats, Juan (29 January 2015). "Pau, el guardián de la Copa" [Pau, the guardian of the Cup]. El Periódico de Catalunya (in Spanish). Retrieved 20 February 2017.
  6. ^ Sebastian, Joel (26 August 2013). "L'aventura comença bé" [Adventure off to a good start]. L'Esportiu (in Catalan). Retrieved 12 July 2021.
  7. ^ González, Mateo (15 December 2018). "El pasado en el Espanyol de Bartra, Tello, Feddal, Sidnei y Pau López" [Espanyol past of Bartra, Tello, Feddal, Sidnei and Pau López]. ABC (in Spanish). Retrieved 12 July 2021.
  8. ^ "Pau López, cuatro años más y al primer equipo" [Pau López, four years more and to the first team]. Sport (in Spanish). 12 June 2014. Retrieved 18 December 2014.
  9. ^ "Pau López renova per quatre temporades" [Pau López renews for four seasons] (in Catalan). RCD Espanyol. 12 June 2014. Retrieved 18 December 2014.
  10. ^ S. Ramos, Antonio (17 December 2014). "El Espanyol pasa sin forzar" [Espanyol go through without forcing it]. Marca (in Spanish). Retrieved 18 December 2014.
  11. ^ Campos, Tomás (29 January 2015). "Atrapado en la jaula perica" [Trapped in the parakeet's cage]. Marca (in Spanish). Retrieved 30 January 2015.
  12. ^ Melero, Delfín (11 February 2015). "El Espanyol deja escapar al león" [Espanyol let lion go]. Marca (in Spanish). Retrieved 12 February 2015.
  13. ^ "Iago Aspas' late winner gives Sevilla vengeful win against Espanyol". Fox Sports. 1 February 2015. Retrieved 20 February 2015.
  14. ^ Martínez, Alberto (12 September 2015). "Pau López: otro portero hijo de N'Kono como Kiko Casilla" [Pau López: another goalkeeper son of N’Kono as Kiko Casilla]. Diario AS (in Spanish). Retrieved 9 January 2016.
  15. ^ Corrigan, Dermot (8 January 2016). "Lionel Messi incident played down by Espanyol goalkeeper Pau Lopez". ESPN FC. Retrieved 9 January 2016.
  16. ^ "Lopez loan agreed". Tottenham Hotspur F.C. 31 August 2016. Retrieved 31 August 2016.
  17. ^ Benge, James (8 June 2017). "Tottenham in talks with Espanyol over bringing Pau Lopez back to club, goalkeeper confirms". Evening Standard. London. Retrieved 17 June 2017.
  18. ^ "Pau se consolida y desafía la jerarquía de Diego López" [Pau solidifies and defies Diego Lopez's hierarchy]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). 15 October 2017. Retrieved 17 January 2018.
  19. ^ Martínez, Alberto (30 December 2017). "Pau y Diego: un 2018 con intercambio de papeles" [Pau and Diego: 2018 with a change of roles]. Diario AS (in Spanish). Retrieved 17 January 2018.
  20. ^ "Pau López, new Real Betis player for the next five seasons". Real Betis. 4 July 2018. Retrieved 4 July 2018.
  21. ^ "Pau López abandona el Betis" [Pau López leaves Betis]. Sport (in Spanish). 7 July 2019. Retrieved 18 August 2019.
  22. ^ "Pau Lopez completes Roma move". A.S. Roma. 9 July 2019. Retrieved 11 July 2019.
  23. ^ "Roma confirm signing of Betis goalkeeper Lopez in €23.5m deal". Goal. 10 July 2019. Retrieved 11 July 2019.
  24. ^ "Roma 3–3 Genoa: Season starts with frustrating draw". A.S. Roma. 25 August 2019. Retrieved 20 October 2019.
  25. ^ Carina, Stefano (30 December 2020). "Dalla gaffe nel derby all'anonimato, Pau Lopez una storia da ex numero 1" [From derby blunder to anonymity, Pau Lopez a former number 1 story]. Il Messaggero (in Italian). Retrieved 19 February 2021.
  26. ^ Pugliese, Andrea (13 January 2021). "Pau Lopez, prove di resurrezione: da derby a derby c'è un anno nero da cancellare" [Pau López, evidence of resurrection: since the derby there's a black year to forget]. La Gazzetta dello Sport (in Italian). Retrieved 7 May 2021.
  27. ^ "Pau Lopez titolare in Lazio-Roma: un anno fa l'errore nel derby" [Pau López starter in Lazio-Roma: error in the derby a year ago] (in Italian). Goal. 15 January 2021. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
  28. ^ Bettoni, Lorenzo (1 March 2021). "Mirante to replace Pau Lopez again?". Football Italia. Retrieved 3 September 2024.
  29. ^ Mork, Martin (3 May 2021). "Season over for Pau Lopez". Football Italia. Retrieved 3 September 2024.
  30. ^ Campanale, Susy (8 July 2021). "Official: Pau Lopez joins Marseille". Football Italia. Retrieved 8 July 2021.
  31. ^ "Monaco – OM: Bamba Dieng et les Marseillais en balade, l'ASM totalement impuissante… Revivez ce match en direct" [Monaco – OM: Bamba Dieng and the Marseillais on a roll, ASM completely impotent… Relive this match live]. 20 minutes (in French). 11 September 2021. Retrieved 20 September 2021.
  32. ^ "Rennes interested in signing Steve Mandanda from Marseille". Get French Football News. 8 June 2022. Retrieved 17 June 2022.
  33. ^ "Pau Lopez définitivement olympien" [Pau López a permanent Olympian] (in French). Olympique Marseille. 8 January 2022. Retrieved 2 July 2022.
  34. ^ "Pau López, a new goalkeeper for Girona". Girona FC. 16 August 2024. Retrieved 16 August 2024.
  35. ^ Román, Rogelio (27 December 2015). "Aduriz da la victoria a Euskadi sobre Catalunya" [Aduriz gives win to Euskadi over Catalonia]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). Retrieved 29 May 2016.
  36. ^ "Triplete perico con la Sub-21" [Perico trio with the under-21s] (in Spanish). RCD Espanyol. 28 March 2016. Retrieved 29 May 2016.
  37. ^ "Pau López y Marco Asensio, convocados por Del Bosque" [Pau López and Marco Asensio, called up by Del Bosque] (in Spanish). RCD Espanyol. 17 May 2016. Retrieved 29 May 2016.
  38. ^ Bell, Arch (18 November 2018). "Spain edge Bosnia to end 2018". Marca. Retrieved 19 November 2018.
  39. ^ "Pau López". Soccerway. Retrieved 15 May 2018.
  40. ^ "Pau López". EU-Football.info. Retrieved 12 July 2021.
  41. ^ "Germany U21 1–0 Spain U21". BBC Sport. 30 June 2017. Retrieved 18 August 2019.
  42. ^ "UEFA Europa League Squad of the Season 2020/21". UEFA. 28 May 2021. Retrieved 30 May 2021.
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