Sergio Asenjo

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Personal information
Sergio Asenjo
Full name	Sergio Asenjo Andrés
Date of birth	June 28, 1989 (1989-06-28) (age 18)
Place of birth	Palencia, Spain
Height	1.82 m (5 ft 11+¹⁄₂ in)
Playing position	Goalkeeper
Club information
Current club	Real Valladolid
Number	26
Youth clubs
2005-2006	Real Valladolid Juvenil
Senior clubs¹
Years	Club	App (Gls)*
2006-2008 2007-	Real Valladolid B Real Valladolid	39 (0) 24 (0)
¹ Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of May 27, 2008. * Appearances (Goals)

Sergio Asenjo Andrés (born June 28, 1989 in Palencia) is a Spanish goalkeeper, who currently plays for Real Valladolid.

1 Club career
2 International career
3 References
4 External links

[edit] Club career

Sergio Asenjo began playing in Real Valladolid junior teams, and soon emerged as one of the most talented players in the club.

He started the 2007/2008 season playing for the reserve team, Real Valladolid B, in Segunda División B, after just barely avoiding relegation the previous campaign. However, poor performances by both first team goalkeepers, Frenchman Ludovic Butelle (on loan from Valencia CF) and veteran Alberto, gave him a chance to debut in La Liga. His debut was very successful, keeping a clean sheet as Real Valladolid beat Villarreal CF 2-0 on December 12, 2007.

Following great performances, where he conceded one goal in his first five matches, he got the spot as starting goalkeeper, becoming the youngest league goalkeeper that season. In January 2008, Asenjo signed his first professional contract as a top division team player, agreeing to extend his former youth contract with Real Valladolid for another three years, while increasing his wage and selling price (€5.5 million).

[edit] International career

In 2006, he was selected to the U-17 Spanish National Team. That same summer, Spain took home the bronze in the 2006 U-17 European Championship, and Asenjo was a key player, playing all games as a starter.

Sergio was again called up, for the 2007 U-19 European Championship. In the qualification rounds, his role in the team was quite insignificant, as back-up goalkeeper. But this changed in the semifinal against France, replacing the injured first- choice. After 0-0 in regulation time, the game was decided in penalty kicks. He saved two, as Spain progressed to the final match, where Asenjo started against Greece, performing excellently, as Spain won 1-0 to be crowned European champions.