Xavi Torres

Born in Xàbia, Alicante, Valencian Community, Torres played his youth career at Villarreal CF where he finished his formation in 2006. He made his senior debut at another club in the region, Alicante CF, in the 2006–07 edition of Segunda División B.

Torres signed for FC Barcelona in July 2007 (after Villarreal had rebought him from Alicante),[1] spending the vast majority of his two-year spell with the reserve team, which he helped return to the third level in his debut campaign as the Catalans were coached by young Pep Guardiola.

Torres made his La Liga debut on 17 May 2009, appearing for the already crowned champions in a 1–2 away loss against RCD Mallorca. After the match, the player said that he was very grateful to Guardiola – promoted to first-team manager in the previous summer – for giving him an opportunity to play in the main squad;[2][3] it would be the first of two appearances.

On 12 June 2009, Málaga CF signed Torres on a free transfer for four seasons.[4] He scored his first goal with the Andalusians on 30 August, closing the score at 3–0 against Atlético Madrid in the 89th minute, in the season's opener.[5]

Torres made his Málaga debut as a starter on 13 September 2009, in a 0–1 defeat at Deportivo de La Coruña, being replaced by Victor Obinna in the 84th minute.[6] However, he appeared rarely in his first year and, on 7 June 2010, was loaned to freshly-promoted side Levante UD.[7] His first competitive match for the latter took place on 28 August, when he played the entire 1–4 home loss against Sevilla FC.[8]

In early December 2010, Torres was linked with a potential move to Everton,[9] but nothing came of it. He rarely missed a game for Levante – being the second most used player in the squad – as the Valencian team finally retained their top division status. In July 2011, the move was extended for a further season.[10]

Torres scored his first goal for the Granotas on 20 November 2011, in a 2–3 defeat at Atlético Madrid.[11] He ended the campaign with five,[12][13][14][15] as they finished sixth and qualified to the UEFA Europa League for the first time ever.

On 31 May 2012, Levante activated the €300.000 buying option it had on Torres, offering the player a four-year contract[16] which he refused.[17] On 1 August, after lengthy negotiations, he signed a four-year deal with fellow league side Getafe CF for a fee of approximately €500,000.[18]

Torres started in most of his league appearances for the Madrid outskirts club (37 official contests during the season), his first being on 26 August 2012 in a 2–1 home win against Real Madrid, where he featured the 90 minutes.[19]

On 7 August 2013, Torres signed for four seasons with Real Betis.[20] He scored his first competitive goal 22 days later, the last in a 6–0 home rout of FK Baumit Jablonec in the Europa League playoff round.[21] In December, however, he suffered an Achilles tendon injury in a game against HNK Rijeka in the same competition and was sidelined for the rest of the campaign,[22] which ended with relegation to the second tier.

On 15 August 2016, Torres terminated his contract with the Verdiblancos and signed a one-year deal with Sporting de Gijón just hours later.[23] One year and ten days later, after suffering relegation, 30-year-old Torres moved abroad for the first time in his career and agreed to a one-year contract with Australian club Perth Glory FC.[24]

On 31 July 2018, Torres returned to Spain and its second division after agreeing to a deal at Elche CF.[25] Just over a year later, he went back overseas to sign for Al-Arabi SC of the Kuwaiti Premier League, under his former Levante manager Juan Ignacio Martínez.[26]