Sergio Asenjo

Sergio Asenjo
Personal information
Full name Sergio Asenjo Andrés
Date of birth (1989-06-28) 28 June 1989
Place of birth Palencia, Spain
Height 1.89 m (6 ft 2 in)
Playing position Goalkeeper
Club information
Current team
 Villarreal
Number 1
Youth career
San Juanillo
2005–2006 Valladolid
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2006–2008 Valladolid B 39 (0)
2007–2009 Valladolid 47 (0)
2009–2014 Atlético Madrid 18 (0)
2011 → Málaga (loan) 5 (0)
2013–2014 → Villarreal (loan) 35 (0)
2014– Villarreal 88 (0)
National team‡
2006 Spain U17 10 (0)
2007 Spain U19 8 (0)
2009 Spain U20 4 (0)
2008–2010 Spain U21 15 (0)
2016– Spain 1 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 12:19, 12 September 2018 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 29 May 2016

Sergio Asenjo Andrés (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈseɾxjo aˈseŋxo]; born 28 June 1989) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays for Villarreal as a goalkeeper. His footballing career began with Valladolid where he made nearly 50 senior appearances. He then moved to Atlético Madrid in 2009 and spent five seasons with the club, during which he was also loaned to Málaga and Villarreal before joining the latter on a permanent deal in 2014.

Asenjo is also a full Spanish international, having made his senior debut in 2016, and previously represented the nation at various youth levels.

Club career

Valladolid

Born in the northwest Spanish province of Palencia, Asenjo started his playing career in the academy of Real Valladolid and soon emerged as one of the most talented players in the club.[1] Succeeding first-team goalkeepers, Ludovic Butelle and Alberto, he was promoted to the senior side during the 2007–08 season and kept a clean sheet in a 2–0 home win over Villarreal on debut on 2 December 2007.[1] He conceded just once in his first five matches which earned him a permanent starting berth and saw him rewarded with his first professional contract in January of the following year.[1]

He retained his position over the next season-and-a-half but saw his 2008–09 campaign interrupted by a knee injury which ruled him out for a number of matches mid-way through the season.[1] The injury, which sidelined Asenjo for a period three months, was the first of a number of knee injuries which would later plague him during his career.[2][3] He returned to the pitch following his recovery, however, and ultimately made just short of 50 appearances for the club before earning a move to Atlético Madrid.[1]

Atlético Madrid

On 8 July 2009, Asenjo transferred to Atlético Madrid for a reported fee of €5 million and signed a four-year deal with the club.[4] He started the season as Atlético's first-choice goalkeeper but often alternated with compatriot David de Gea.[1] Towards the end of the season, he suffered a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and was ruled out for a further six months.[3] Upon his return from injury, Asenjo found his place in the squad uncertain and mid-way through the following season was loaned to Málaga until the end of the season, with teammate Ignacio Camacho also making the move in a permanent deal.[1][5]

On 6 February 2011, during a league match between Málaga and Sevilla, Asenjo suffered a second ACL injury to his right knee when he turned awkwardly on the pitch surface. He was ruled out for the remainder of the season, having only made five league appearances during his loan spell.[6][7] He returned to Atlético for the 2011–12 and 2012–13 seasons, but served featured primarily as back-up to Thibaut Courtois, who had arrived on loan from Chelsea as a replacement for the departed De Gea.[8]

Villarreal

With his game time limited in Madrid, Asenjo agreed to a one-year loan deal with Villarreal in July 2013 with the club retaining a buyout option at the end of the season.[9] He excelled during his debut season, missing only three league matches and keeping nine clean sheets as the club qualified for the 2014–15 UEFA Europa League.[1] Villarreal exercised their option to sign him permanently at the end of the season and secured his signature on a five-year contract.[10]

He retained his spot as starting goalkeeper throughout the 2014–15 campaign but, on 29 April 2015, in the dying minutes of a 1–0 loss to former club Atlético, he tore his ACL for a third time while attempting yo make a save.[1][11] After an excruciating rehabilitation process, Asenjo made his return to the Villarreal squad on 23 February 2016 when he was named on the bench by Marcelinho for the side's Europa League match against Italian side, Napoli.[12][13] The following month, and in the same competition, he played his first game in nearly 11 months and kept a clean sheet in a 0–0 draw (2–0 aggregate win) at Bayer Leverkusen.[14]

Asenjo reclaimed his starting position following his recovery but on 26 February 2017, during the first half of a league home fixture against Real Madrid, he suffered a ruptured ACL for a fourth time, this time in his left knee.[3][15] Prior to the misfortune, Asenjo had conceded the fewest goals in the league for the season and had kept 11 clean sheets.[1] He spent nine months on the sidelines as a result of the injury before making his return in November in a Copa del Rey encounter against Ponferradina.[16]

International career

In 2006, Asenjo was selected to the Spain under-17 side as they took home the bronze medal in the UEFA European Championship. He started in all of the matches, except the third-place play-off.[17]

Asenjo was again called up for the 2007 Under-19 European Championship: in the qualification rounds his role in the team was quite insignificant, but his status changed in the semi-final against France, replacing the injured starter and saving two penalties in the shootout as the country progressed to the final,[18] where he appeared against Greece with another excellent display for a 1–0 win.[19]

Asenjo made his under-21 debut in August 2008, and was first-choice at the 2009 European Championships. He also played at the 2009 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Egypt.

In March 2015, Asenjo received his first ever callup to the senior national team, being named in Vicente del Bosque's squad for a UEFA Euro 2016 qualifier against Ukraine and a friendly with the Netherlands.[20] He did not make his debut until 29 May the following year, in a 3–1 friendly win over Bosnia and Herzegovina at the AFG Arena in St. Gallen, Switzerland; he was the first footballer from Palencia to win a cap since Jesús Landáburu 36 years prior.[21]

Career statistics

Club

As of 31 August 2018[22]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League1 Cup2 UEFA3 Total
AppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Valladolid 2007–08 24000–240
2008–09 23000230
Total 4700000470
Atlético Madrid 2009–10 1502090260
2011–12 20201050
2012–13 101080100
Total 18050180410
Málaga 2010–11 5010–60
Total 50100060
Villarreal 2013–14 35000–350
2014–15 34016080480
2015–16 40003070
2016–17 2402050310
2017–18 2301020260
2018–19 30000030
Total 1230901801500
Career total 19301503602440
1Including La Liga.
2Including Copa del Rey.
3Including UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League.

International

As of match played 29 May 2016[23]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National teamYearAppsGoals
Spain 201610
Total10

Honours

Club

Atlético Madrid

International

Spain U17
Spain U19

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "Trials, Tribulations, and Triumph: The Sergio Asenjo Story". Medium. 28 February 2017. Retrieved 12 September 2018.
  2. ↑ Macdonald, Paul (15 February 2009). "Sergio Asenjo Returns To Training For Valladolid". Goal. Retrieved 12 September 2018.
  3. 1 2 3 Garcia, Adriana (27 February 2017). "Villarreal keeper Asenjo suffers fourth ACL injury". Reuters. Retrieved 12 September 2018.
  4. ↑ "Atletico sign Asenjo". FIFA. 9 July 2009. Retrieved 21 February 2010.
  5. ↑ "Atlético y Málaga llegan a un principio de acuerdo por Camacho y Asenjo" [Atlético and Málaga agree for Camacho and Asenjo] (in Spanish). Atlético Madrid. 28 December 2010.
  6. ↑ "Malaga goalkeeper Asenjo out for rest of season". CBC Sports. 7 February 2011. Retrieved 12 September 2018.
  7. ↑ Mondal, Subhankar (7 February 2011). "Malaga's Sergio Asenjo ruled out for eight months with knee injury". Goal. Retrieved 12 September 2018.
  8. ↑ Maaijen, Derek (7 June 2012). "Atlético keep Asenjo and Courtois". Atletico Fans. Retrieved 12 September 2018.
  9. ↑ Villarreal loan Asenjo from Atletico Archived 14 July 2014 at the Wayback Machine.; ESPN FC, 24 July 2013
  10. ↑ Asenjo makes permanent move to Villarreal Archived 16 July 2014 at the Wayback Machine.; FIFA, 27 June 2014
  11. ↑ "Asenjo se vuelve a romper" [Asenjo shatters himself again] (in Spanish). Marca. 30 April 2015.
  12. ↑ "Asenjo afronta recta final de su recuperación "motivado"" [Asenjo reaches final stretch of his recovery "motivated"] (in Spanish). Diario AS. 7 October 2015. Retrieved 17 March 2016.
  13. ↑ "Sergio Asenjo vuelve a una convocatoria" [Sergio Asenjo returns to a list] (in Spanish). Mundo Deportivo. 23 February 2016. Retrieved 17 March 2016.
  14. ↑ "Villarreal keep Leverkusen at bay to advance". UEFA. 17 March 2016. Retrieved 17 March 2016.
  15. ↑ "Confirmada la cuarta lesión del ligamento cruzado de Sergio Asenjo" [Fourth cruciate ligament injury to Sergio Asenjo confirmed] (in Spanish). Marca. 26 February 2017. Retrieved 1 March 2017.
  16. ↑ Rodrigiez, M.A; Sherman, Justin (30 November 2017). "Sergio Asenjo returns to action nine months after serious knee injury". Marca. Retrieved 12 September 2018.
  17. ↑ Coca spot-on for Spain; UEFA, 14 May 2006
  18. ↑ Sergio shines in shoot-out success; UEFA, 25 July 2007
  19. ↑ "España demuestra su dominio" [Spain show their dominance] (in Spanish). UEFA. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
  20. ↑ "Official: 24-man squad to face Ukraine and Netherlands". Royal Spanish Football Federation. 20 March 2015. Archived from the original on 23 March 2015. Retrieved 20 March 2015.
  21. ↑ "Sergio Asenjo debutó con España" [Sergio Asenjo made Spain debut] (in Spanish). Cadena SER. 29 May 2016. Retrieved 29 May 2016.
  22. ↑ "Sergio Asenjo". Soccerway. Retrieved 15 May 2014.
  23. ↑ "Sergio Asenjo". European Football. Retrieved 6 February 2017.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.