Pablo Álvarez (footballer, born 1980)

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Álvarez and the second or maternal family name is Núñez.
Pablo Álvarez
Álvarez in 2012
Personal information
Full name Pablo Álvarez Núñez
Date of birth (1980-05-14) 14 May 1980 (age 44)
Place of birth Oviedo, Spain
Height 1.74 m (5 ft 9 in)
Position(s) Midfielder
Youth career
1989–1998 Lugo
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1998–2001 Sporting Gijón B 52 (6)
2001–2006 Sporting Gijón 161 (25)
2006–2012 Deportivo La Coruña 85 (5)
2008 → Racing Santander (loan) 18 (1)
2012–2014 Lugo 47 (4)
2014 Langreo 12 (0)
2015 New York City 8 (0)
2015 → Wilmington Hammerheads (loan) 3 (0)
2016 Langreo 5 (2)
2016–2018 Llanera 20 (10)
Total 411 (53)
International career
2005–2008 Galicia 3 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Pablo Álvarez Núñez (born 14 May 1980) is a Spanish former professional footballer who played as a right midfielder.

Club career

Born in Oviedo, Asturias, Álvarez started his professional career at neighbouring Sporting de Gijón, making his first-team debut on 19 May 2001 in a 1–2 home defeat against Real Betis in the second division[1] and going on to appear in 168 games across all competitions. At Gijón, he earned the nickname Tibu (diminutive of Tiburón, shark in Spanish) for his goal celebrations, in which he pretended to have a shark's fin in his head.[2]

Álvarez also participated in the resurrection of the unofficial Galician national team in December 2005, playing their first game after 75 years against Uruguay.[3] He signed for Deportivo de La Coruña on a Bosman transfer in August 2006.

On 3 February 2007, Álvarez played his first league match for Depor,[4] making his La Liga debut against RCD Mallorca at the age of nearly 27. He had suffered a serious leg injury while still at the service of Sporting, in April 2006,[5] and was eventually loaned to Racing de Santander in December of the following year until the end of the season.[6]

After being relatively used in a Cantabria side that achieved a first-ever qualification to the UEFA Cup – netting in a 2–0 away victory over CA Osasuna on 13 January 2008[7]– Álvarez returned to Galicia and Deportivo. Scarcely used during 2008–09, he profited from a rare start to score the game's only goal at Athletic Bilbao, on 18 April 2009;[8] he made his debut in European competition on 18 February of that year, playing the full 90 minutes in a 0–3 away loss against AaB Fodbold for the UEFA Cup,[9] and was sent off in the second leg in an eventual 1–6 aggregate score.[10]

In the summer of 2012, aged 32, Álvarez joined CD Lugo of the second level on a two-year deal, returning to the club after playing youth football there for nearly a decade.[11] On 2 September 2014, he signed with UP Langreo in the third tier;[12] however, after only six months, he moved abroad for the first time in his career, agreeing to a deal at New York City FC on 6 March 2015 after a trial period.[13]

Honours

Deportivo

References

  1. ^ Díaz, Mario (20 May 2001). "El Betis gana con comodidad" [Betis win easily]. El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 16 February 2014.
  2. ^ Pichel, Marcos (6 February 2013). "El "tiburón", corazón rojiblanco" [The "shark", red-and-white heart]. La Voz de Galicia (in Spanish). Retrieved 16 April 2015.
  3. ^ Bernardo, Julio (30 December 2005). "Apoteosis en San Lázaro" [Apotheosis at San Lázaro]. Faro de Vigo (in Spanish). Retrieved 1 April 2020.
  4. ^ "El Depor hace daño de penalti" [Depor hurt from the penalty spot]. El Mundo (in Spanish). 3 February 2007. Retrieved 16 February 2014.
  5. ^ Gómez, Pablo (23 April 2006). "Pablo Álvarez se rompe la pierna y estará ocho meses de baja" [Pablo Álvarez breaks leg and will miss eight months]. La Voz de Galicia (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 12 April 2013. Retrieved 16 February 2014.
  6. ^ "Pablo Álvarez ya entrenó con el Racing" [Pablo Álvarez already trained with Racing]. El Diario Montañés (in Spanish). 28 December 2007. Retrieved 16 February 2014.
  7. ^ "Osasuna 0–2 Racing Santander". ESPN Soccernet. 13 January 2008. Archived from the original on 25 October 2012. Retrieved 22 May 2011.
  8. ^ "Athletic Bilbao 0–1 Deportivo La Coruña". ESPN Soccernet. 18 April 2009. Archived from the original on 25 October 2012. Retrieved 22 May 2011.
  9. ^ Aldunate, Ramiro (18 February 2009). "El Deportivo se inmola" [Deportivo set themselves on fire]. Marca (in Spanish). Retrieved 16 February 2014.
  10. ^ "Ni rastro de la remontada" [Not a trace of a comeback]. Marca (in Spanish). 26 February 2009. Retrieved 16 February 2014.
  11. ^ Pichel, Marcos (18 July 2012). "Pablo Álvarez firma dos cursos por el Lugo" [Pablo Álvarez signs for two campaigns with Lugo]. La Voz de Galicia (in Spanish). Retrieved 16 February 2014.
  12. ^ Martínez, G.; Menor, Santy (2 September 2014). "Pablo Álvarez jugará en el Langreo, el Marino ficha a Pastor y el Avilés, a Berna" [Pablo Álvarez will play in Langreo, Marino sign Pastor and Avilés, Berna]. El Comercio (in Spanish). Retrieved 2 September 2014.
  13. ^ "New York City FC sign veteran midfielder Pablo Alvarez". New York City. 6 March 2015. Retrieved 6 March 2015.