| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Jeffrén Isaac Suárez Bermúdez | ||
| Date of birth | 20 January 1988 | ||
| Place of birth | Ciudad Bolívar, Venezuela | ||
| Height | 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) | ||
| Playing position | Forward / Winger | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Sporting CP | ||
| Number | 17 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2003–2004 | Tenerife | ||
| 2004–2006 | Barcelona | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2006–2007 | Barcelona C | 7 | (1) |
| 2006–2009 | Barcelona B | 82 | (14) |
| 2008–2011 | Barcelona | 22 | (3) |
| 2011– | Sporting CP | 3 | (1) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2004 | Spain U16 | 3 | (0) |
| 2004–2005 | Spain U17 | 3 | (0) |
| 2006–2007 | Spain U19 | 11 | (5) |
| 2007 | Spain U20 | 1 | (0) |
| 2009–2011 | Spain U21 | 12 | (2) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 31 October 2011. † Appearances (Goals). |
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Jeffrén Isaac Suárez Bermúdez (born 20 January 1988), simply Jeffrén, is a Spanish footballer who plays Sporting Clube de Portugal as a forward or winger.
He is known for his crossing ability and his ability to unsettle defenders with his combination of speed and skill.[1]
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Born in Ciudad Bolívar, Venezuela, Jeffrén was just one year old when his family left the country for Tenerife.[2]
FC Barcelona talent scouts spotted him and, in 2004, he was signed for its youth teams from CD Tenerife, first being coached by Guillermo Hoyos, who played him as a midfielder.[3]
Jeffrén played three full seasons with FC Barcelona B, suffering Segunda División B relegation in 2006–07, and scoring six goals in 30 games in the following season in an immediate promotion back. On 25 October 2006, at the age of 18, he made his debut with the first team, against CF Badalona in a Copa del Rey round-of-32 match, replacing Javier Saviola in the 83rd minute of a 4–0 home win (6–1 on aggregate).
Impressed at the player's performance for the reserves, first-team manager Josep Guardiola called Jeffrén for the 2008–09 pre-season, where he played all seven matches scoring twice, including once on 30 July against ACF Fiorentina in the 47th minute of a 3–1 win.[4] On 17 May 2009, he made his first La Liga appearance (of two in the season), as already crowned champions Barcelona lost 1–2 at RCD Mallorca.[5]
Before the start of the 2009–10 season and during it, several teams in Europe showed interest in the young Jeffrén, including Racing de Santander, Celtic, Wigan Athletic, Everton, Blackburn Rovers, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur;[6][7][8][9][10][11] eventually, nothing came of it. On 19 December 2009, he came on as a substitute in the 82nd minute for Thierry Henry, during the FIFA Club World Cup final against Estudiantes de La Plata.[12] Two days later, he picked up a leg muscle injury that left him out for 4–5 weeks in a 1–1 friendly draw with Kazma Sporting Club in Kuwait, in commemoration of the Asian side's 45th anniversary.[13]
On 10 February 2010, Barcelona announced Jeffrén had signed a contract extension with the club, keeping him at the Camp Nou until 30 June 2012 with a buyout clause set at €10 million.[14][15][16] On the 14th, he started as right back in a 1–2 away loss against Atlético Madrid.[17]
On 3 April 2010, Jeffrén scored his first top division goal after a low cross from Éric Abidal, in a 4–1 home win against Athletic Bilbao.[18] On the 24th he added another in spectacular fashion, in a 3–1 home success over Xerez CD[19] and, as the Catalans renewed their domestic supremacy, finished the campaign with 18 official appearances.
Jeffrén appeared less for Barça's first team in 2010–11. On 29 November 2010, he came from the bench to close the scoring in El Clásico against Real Madrid, in a 5–0 home win.[20]
On 4 August 2011, Sporting Clube de Portugal signed Jeffrén for €3.75 million, plus €200,000 in bonus. He penned a 5-year contract with a buy-out clause of €30 million. In addition, If the Lisbon club sold the player for a fee higher than €3.75M, Barcelona would receive 20% of the added value/differential value.[21][22] The Catalans also retained an exclusive buy-back option for €8million and €12 million, in 2012 and 2013 respectively.[23]
Jeffrén played his first official game with Sporting on 13 August, in a 1–1 home draw against S.C. Olhanense. He spent the vast majority of his first season sidelined with physical problems.[24]
Jeffrén was part of the Spanish under-19 squad that won the 2006 UEFA European Football Championship, playing eight matches and scoring three goals. Shortly after, he was called by Venezuelan national team coach Richard Páez for the 2007 Copa América, but decided not to switch allegiance.
On 6 February 2009, Jeffrén received his first call-up for Spain's U-21s. In 2011, he was selected by manager Luis Milla for the European Championship in Denmark, appearing in three games and scoring in the semifinal against Belarus (3–1 win)[25] as the national team won its third trophy in the category.
As of 29 August 2011[26]
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Europe | Other[27] | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Barcelona C | 2005–06 | 5 | 0 | – | – | – | 5 | 0 | |||
| 2006–07 | 2 | 1 | – | – | – | 2 | 1 | ||||
| Total | 7 | 1 | – | – | – | 7 | 1 | ||||
| Barcelona B | 2006–07 | 32 | 3 | – | – | – | 32 | 3 | |||
| 2007–08 | 30 | 6 | – | – | – | 30 | 6 | ||||
| 2008–09 | 20 | 5 | – | – | – | 20 | 5 | ||||
| Total | 82 | 14 | – | – | – | 82 | 14 | ||||
| Barcelona | 2006–07 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 1 | 0 | |
| 2007–08 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2008–09 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 2 | 0 | ||
| 2009–10 | 12 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 18 | 2 | |
| 2010–11 | 8 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 1 | |
| Total | 22 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 34 | 3 | |
| Sporting | 2011–12 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 2 | 1 | |
| Total | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 2 | 1 | ||
| Career totals | 112 | 19 | 6 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 124 | 19 | |
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