Llorenç Gómez León (born 3 November 1991), often known simply as Llorenç, is a Spanish former beach soccer player who played as a forward. He represented Spain at the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup in 2013, 2015 and 2021. Llorenç was considered as one of the best players in the world during his career and one of the best Spanish players ever, having won the world's best player award at the 2018 Beach Soccer Stars awards ceremony.[1]
He retired from the sport prematurely in September 2021, aged just 29, citing chronic injuries.[2] He was close to 1000 career goals at the time of his retirement.[3] As of 2023, he is head coach of Denmark.[4]
Career
Llorenç took up association football aged five and developed aspirations of becoming a professional player.[5] At age 13, he joined the youth academy of Gimnàstic de Tarragona.[5] Llorenç subsequently began suffering knee problems at the age of 16,[5] ultimately resulting in a diagnosis of osteoarthritis and the need for multiple operations.[6][7] He was advised to train on sand as part of his rehabilitation as the surface is low-impact on knees; this is where Llorenç first encountered beach soccer.[5][8] He developed a liking for the derivative and took it up as a hobby. Aged 19, he was told to abandon his desire of becoming a footballer because of his medical condition.[6]
Thus, Llorenç began to pursue beach soccer more seriously; he experienced a rapid rise through the ranks.[5] After joining his local club in Torredembarra, he was soon selected for the Catalonian regional team.[8][9] It was playing for the latter where Llorenç was spotted by coach Joaquín Alonso and called up to the Spanish national team.[6][8] He debuted at the second stage of the 2011 Euro Beach Soccer League,[10] and from there quickly established himself as part of the squad.[9][11] In 2013, he took the number 10 shirt from the recently retired Amarelle and helped Spain to a runners-up finish at the 2013 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup,[8] scoring his country's only goal in the final.[10] In 2014, he was nominated as one of the world's best three players of the year and was part of the team of the year at the Beach Soccer Stars awards ceremony;[12] FIFA.com too called Llorenç a "emerging star" of the sport.[13] He also won the award for best goal of the year.[12]
He regularly won top scorer and best player awards at the events in which he played; he accumulated over 40 individual awards in his career.[6][15]
In 2018, Llorenç was named as the best beach soccer player in the world at the Beach Soccer Stars awards, ahead of Brazilians, Bruno Xavier and Datinha. The commendation was presented to him by his former teammate and idol, Amarelle. He collected the award on crutches, having fractured his metatarsal at the Intercontinental Cup.[6]
Llorenç's third appearance at the World Cup, in 2021, was marred by injury and a red card in Spain's second match versus Tahiti.[16] A month later, in a shock announcement on social media and still shy of 30 years old, he declared that he was retiring from beach soccer due to the "degenerative" nature of his injuries and the need to prioritise his quality of life.[17] Within a fortnight of his retirement, he was named as the new head coach of the Catalonia regional team.[18] After a successful campaign as coach of San Javier in the 2022 Women's Euro Winners Cup, Llorenç was then appointed as head coach of Denmark men's national team in 2023 following fruitful negotiations with captain Casper Dorph.[4][19] Llorenç has also founded his own annual youth beach soccer tournament, the "Llorenç Beach Soccer Cup", with the backing of Beach Soccer Worldwide (BSWW).[20]
Style of play
Llorenç was known for his finishing ability, technical skills and natural ability at bicycle kicks.[6][21] He was a forward but known to be versatile and so could play in any outfield position if required. Fellow Spanish teammate, Dona, says that Llorenç will shoot and score when least expected and will always perform when his team need him to the most.[6] He claims to have "learnt everything" about beach soccer from Amarelle.[8] He has also been compared to Ronaldinho.[6] Llorenç is left-footed.[22]
Personal life
Llorenç was born in Sant Cugat del Vallès[21] but has lived in Torredembarra since he was seven years old.[13] He has three sisters, and as of 2019, a total of seven nephews and nieces.[21]Ronaldinho was his childhood idol.[6] He can speak five languages[21] and can play the guitar.[23] He is well known for his exuberance and positive, philosophical outlook towards life.[5][21]
He studied to be a "Senior Sports Physical Activities Technician" and holds a UEFA A Licence.[21] In addition, Llorenç owns his own sports brand, "Enzo10", and was signed with adidas.[15]
Llorenç supports RCD Espanyol and received a special reception from club in 2013 after Spain's second-place finish at the World Cup.[2][22]
