Pau López

Pau López
Pau with Spain U21 in 2017
Personal information
Full name Pau López Sabata[1]
Date of birth (1994-12-13) 13 December 1994
Place of birth Girona, Spain
Height 1.89 m (6 ft 2 in)
Playing position Goalkeeper
Club information
Current team
 Betis
Number 13
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– Betis 6 (0)
National team‡
2016–2017 Spain U21 5 (0)
2015– Catalonia 1 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 14:40, 28 September 2018 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 23 June 2017

Pau López Sabata (Catalan pronunciation: [ˈpaw ˈlopəs], born 13 December 1994), is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Real Betis.

Club career

Espanyol

Born in Girona, Catalonia, López joined RCD Espanyol's youth setup in 2007 at the age of 12, after starting out at hometown club Girona FC.[2] He made his senior debuts with the former's B-team in the 2013–14 season, in Segunda División B.

On 12 June 2014, López signed a new four-year deal with the Pericos, being also promoted to the main squad.[3][4] He played his first match as a professional on 17 December, starting in a 1–0 home win against Deportivo Alavés for the campaign's Copa del Rey[5] and being first-choice in the tournament as his team reached the semi-finals for the first time in nine years.[6][7]

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 FC for handling Iago Aspas' shot outside of the penalty area, and he conceded once in an eventual 2–3 defeat.[8] After the latter's departure to Real Madrid in the summer, he became first-choice.[9]

On 6 January 2016, during an away fixture against FC Barcelona for the domestic cup, López repeatedly stamped on Lionel Messi after the two players became entangled, in an action that eluded the referee but was caught on camera.[10] On 31 August, he joined Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur on a season-long loan deal,[11] being third-choice behind Hugo Lloris and Michel Vorm and failing to make a single competitive appearance.[12]

After his return to the RCDE Stadium, López continued to be first-choice under new manager Quique Sánchez Flores.[13][14]

Betis

On 4 July 2018, López signed a five-year contract with fellow top tier club Real Betis on a free transfer.[15]

International career

López made his international debut on 26 December 2015, having a Man of the match performance for Catalonia in a 0–1 friendly loss to the Basque Country.[16] On 28 March 2016, he played his first game with the Spanish under-21 team, in a 1–0 win against Norway at the Estadio Nueva Condomina.[17]

On 17 May 2016, López and Espanyol teammate Marco Asensio were called up to the full side for an international friendly against Bosnia and Herzegovina.[18]

Career statistics

As of match played 15 May 2018[19]
Club Season League Cup League Cup Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Espanyol B 2013–14 Segunda División B 350———350
Espanyol 2014–15 La Liga 2080——100
2015–16 La Liga 36020——380
2017–18 La Liga 28010——290
Total 660110——770
Tottenham Hotspur (loan) 2016–17 Premier League 0000000000
Career total 101011000001120

References

  1. ↑ "Squads for 2016/17 Premier League confirmed". Premier League. 1 September 2016. Retrieved 15 September 2016.
  2. ↑ "Pau, el guardián de la Copa" [Pau, the guardian of the Cup]. El Periódico de Catalunya (in Spanish). 29 January 2015. Retrieved 20 February 2017.
  3. ↑ "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.
  4. ↑ "Pau López renova per quatre temporades" [Pau López renews for four seasons] (in Catalan). RCD Espanyol. 12 June 2014. Retrieved 18 December 2014.
  5. ↑ "El Espanyol pasa sin forzar" [Espanyol go through without forcing it]. Marca (in Spanish). 17 December 2014. Retrieved 18 December 2014.
  6. ↑ "Atrapado en la jaula perica" [Trapped in the parakeet's cage]. Marca (in Spanish). 29 January 2015. Retrieved 30 January 2015.
  7. ↑ "El Espanyol deja escapar al león" [Espanyol let lion go]. Marca (in Spanish). 11 February 2015. Retrieved 12 February 2015.
  8. ↑ "Iago Aspas' late winner gives Sevilla vengeful win against Espanyol". Fox Sports. 1 February 2015. Retrieved 20 February 2015.
  9. ↑ "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). 12 September 2015. Retrieved 9 January 2016.
  10. ↑ "Lionel Messi incident played down by Espanyol goalkeeper Pau Lopez". ESPN FC. 8 January 2016. Retrieved 9 January 2016.
  11. ↑ "Lopez loan agreed". Tottenham Hotspur F.C. 31 August 2016. Retrieved 31 August 2016.
  12. ↑ James Benge (8 June 2017). "Tottenham in talks with Espanyol over bringing Pau Lopez back to club, goalkeeper confirms". London Evening Standard. London. Retrieved 17 June 2017.
  13. ↑ "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.
  14. ↑ "Pau y Diego: un 2018 con intercambio de papeles" [Pau and Diego: 2018 with a change of roles]. Diario AS (in Spanish). 30 December 2017. Retrieved 17 January 2018.
  15. ↑ "Pau López, new Real Betis player for the next five seasons". Real Betis. 4 July 2018. Retrieved 4 July 2018.
  16. ↑ "Aduriz da la victoria a Euskadi sobre Catalunya" [Aduriz gives win to Euskadi over Catalonia]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). 27 December 2015. Retrieved 29 May 2016.
  17. ↑ "Triplete perico con la Sub-21" [Perico trio with the under-21s] (in Spanish). RCD Espanyol. 28 March 2016. Retrieved 29 May 2016.
  18. ↑ "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.
  19. ↑ "Pau López". Soccerway. Retrieved 15 May 2018.
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