Víctor Ruiz (Spanish footballer)

Víctor Ruiz
Ruiz being presented by Napoli
Personal information
Full name Víctor Ruiz Torre
Date of birth (1989-01-25) 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)
2014–2015Villarreal (loan) 25 (0)
2015– Villarreal 90 (3)
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 22:25, 11 June 2018 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 28 February 2012

Víctor Ruiz Torre (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈbiktoɾ 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 their 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]

Career statistics

As of 12 June 2018[12]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League Cup Continental Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Espanyol 2009–10 La Liga 22200222
2010–11 15030180
Total 3723000402
Napoli 2010–11 Serie A 60001070
Total 60001070
Valencia 2011–12 La Liga 2207181372
2012–13 2605020330
2013–14 1111070191
Total 591131171893
Villarreal 2014–15 La Liga 2503080360
2015–16 35020140510
2016–17 2812060361
2017–18 2722050342
Total 1153903301573
Career total 21762515112938

Honours

Club

Espanyol B

International

Spain U21

Individual

  • UEFA La Liga Team of the Season: 2015–16[13]

References

  1. Espanyol continue away day blues; ESPN Soccernet, 21 February 2010
  2. Espanyol boost survival hopes; ESPN Soccernet, 11 April 2010
  3. Napoli sign Ruiz from Espanyol; UEFA, 31 January 2011
  4. SSC Napoli SpA bilancio (financial report and accounts) on 30 June 2011, PDF purchased from Italian CCIAA (in Italian)
  5. Valencia complete deal for Ruiz; ESPN Soccernet, 30 August 2011
  6. SSC Napoli SpA bilancio (financial report and accounts) on 30 June 2012, PDF purchased from Italian CCIAA (in Italian)
  7. Soldado arma al Valencia (Soldier ("Soldado" in English) arms Valencia); Marca, 10 September 2011 (in Spanish)
  8. "Europa League: Kuban Krasnodar crash out despite 1–1 draw at Valencia". Sky Sports. 12 December 2013. Retrieved 10 April 2016.
  9. "Villarreal finalise transfer for Victor Ruiz". Inside Spanish Football. 1 July 2015. Archived from the original on 7 May 2016. Retrieved 10 April 2016.
  10. Ten-man Spain defeat hosts Denmark; UEFA, 8 February 2011
  11. International Matches – Under 21; Soccer Spain, 8 February 2011
  12. "Víctor Ruiz". Soccerway. Retrieved 17 April 2014.
  13. "Atletico dominate UEFA's La Liga team of the season". Marca. 16 May 2016. Retrieved 30 September 2017.
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