Víctor Ruiz (Spanish footballer)
 Ruiz being presented by Napoli | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Víctor Ruiz Torre | ||
| Date of birth | 25 January 1989 | ||
| Place of birth | Esplugues de Llobregat, Spain | ||
| Height | 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) | ||
| Playing position | Centre back | ||
| Club information | |||
Current team | Villarreal | ||
| Number | 6 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1998–2002 | Barcelona | ||
| 2002–2006 | Cornellà | ||
| 2006–2008 | Espanyol | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2008–2010 | Espanyol B | 44 | (0) |
| 2009–2011 | Espanyol | 37 | (2) |
| 2011 | Napoli | 6 | (0) |
| 2011–2015 | Valencia | 59 | (1) |
| 2014–2015 | → Villarreal (loan) | 25 | (0) |
| 2015– | Villarreal | 35 | (0) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2006 | Spain U17 | 1 | (0) |
| 2007–2008 | Spain U19 | 3 | (0) |
| 2010–2011 | Spain U21 | 5 | (0) |
| 2012 | Spain U23 | 1 | (0) |
| 2010– | Catalonia | 1 | (0) |
|
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 15 May 2016. | |||
Víctor Ruiz Torre (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈbiktor ˈrwiθ ˈtore]; born 25 January 1989) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays for Villarreal CF as a central defender.
Club career
Espanyol
Born in Esplugues de Llobregat, Barcelona, Catalonia, Ruiz arrived in RCD Espanyol's youth system in 2006 at the age of 17, from neighbouring UE Cornellà. In the 2008–09 season he made his senior debuts, helping the reserve side win its Tercera División group and subsequently promote in the playoffs.
On 6 December 2009, Ruiz made his debut with Espanyol's first team, starting and being booked in a 0–4 home loss against Racing de Santander. Coach Mauricio Pochettino, however, fielded him in a further 21 La Liga games that campaign, with the team finally ranking in 11th position; he added two goals, against Málaga CF (1–2 away defeat[1]) and Atlético Madrid (3–0, home[2]).
Napoli / Valencia
In 2010–11, Ruiz played all the minutes for Espanyol in the first 15 rounds. On 31 January 2011, he was sold to S.S.C. Napoli for €6 million cash in a four-and-a-half-year contract, with the Italians also ceding the sporting rights to Jesús Dátolo who was playing with the Spaniards on loan.[3][4]
On 30 August 2011, Ruiz returned to his country after penning a five-year deal with Valencia CF for €8 million.[5][6] He made his official debut on 10 September, playing the full 90 minutes in a 1–0 home win against Atlético Madrid.[7]
On 12 December 2013, Ruiz was sent off in a 1–1 home draw against FC Kuban Krasnodar for the group stage of the UEFA Europa League, for a professional foul on Djibril Cissé.[8]
Villarreal
On 1 July 2015, Ruiz transferred to Villarreal CF also in the Valencian Community for an initial €2.7 million, potentially rising to €3 million.[9]
International career
Shortly after making his professional debuts with Espanyol, Ruiz was called to the Spanish under-21 team by manager Luis Milla. On 8 February 2011, in the last minutes of a 2–1 friendly win with Denmark, he was sent off for punching Nicki Bille, who celebrated his goal in front of Ruiz's face.[10][11]
Club statistics
- As of 5 February 2016[12]
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Continental | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Espanyol | 2009–10 | 22 | 2 | - | - | - | - | 22 | 2 |
| 2010–11 | 15 | 0 | - | - | - | - | 15 | 0 | |
| Total | 37 | 2 | - | - | - | - | 37 | 2 | |
| Napoli | 2010–11 | 6 | 0 | - | - | 1 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| Total | 6 | 0 | - | - | 1 | 0 | 7 | 0 | |
| Valencia | 2011–12 | 22 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 8 | 1 | 37 | 2 |
| 2012–13 | 26 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 32 | 0 | |
| Total | 48 | 0 | 11 | 1 | 10 | 1 | 69 | 2 | |
| Villarreal | 2014–15 | 25 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 37 | 0 |
| 2015–16 | 20 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 28 | 0 | |
| Total | 45 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 65 | 0 | |
| Career totals | 136 | 2 | 16 | 1 | 23 | 1 | 178 | 4 | |
Honours
Club
- Espanyol B
Country
- Spain U21
References
- ↑ Espanyol continue away day blues; ESPN Soccernet, 21 February 2010
- ↑ Espanyol boost survival hopes; ESPN Soccernet, 11 April 2010
- ↑ Napoli sign Ruiz from Espanyol; UEFA.com, 31 January 2011
- ↑ SSC Napoli SpA bilancio (financial report and accounts) on 30 June 2011, PDF purchased from Italian CCIAA (Italian)
- ↑ Valencia complete deal for Ruiz; ESPN Soccernet, 30 August 2011
- ↑ SSC Napoli SpA bilancio (financial report and accounts) on 30 June 2012, PDF purchased from Italian CCIAA (Italian)
- ↑ Soldado (Soldier in English) arma al Valencia (Soldado arms Valencia); Marca, 10 September 2011 (Spanish)
- ↑ "Europa League: Kuban Krasnodar crash out despite 1–1 draw at Valencia". Sky Sports. 12 December 2013. Retrieved 10 April 2016.
- ↑ "Villarreal finalise transfer for Victor Ruiz". Inside Spanish Football. 1 July 2015. Retrieved 10 April 2016.
- ↑ Ten-man Spain defeat hosts Denmark; UEFA.com, 8 February 2011
- ↑ International Matches – Under 21; Soccer Spain, 8 February 2011
- ↑ "Víctor Ruiz". Soccerway. Retrieved 17 April 2014.
External links
- Villarreal official profile (Spanish)
- Víctor Ruiz profile at BDFutbol
- CiberChe stats and bio (Spanish)