| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Joseba Llorente Etxarri | ||
| Date of birth | 24 November 1979 | ||
| Place of birth | Hondarribia, Spain | ||
| Height | 1.84 m (6 ft 0 in) | ||
| Playing position | Centre forward | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Real Sociedad | ||
| Number | 8 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Real Sociedad | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1998–2002 | Real Sociedad B | 64 | (26) |
| 1999–2004 | Real Sociedad | 23 | (4) |
| 2001 | → Eibar (loan) | 8 | (4) |
| 2003–2004 | → Eibar (loan) | 33 | (4) |
| 2004–2005 | Eibar | 38 | (18) |
| 2005–2008 | Valladolid | 99 | (45) |
| 2008–2010 | Villarreal | 61 | (24) |
| 2010– | Real Sociedad | 22 | (5) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 20 November 2011. † Appearances (Goals). |
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Joseba Llorente Etxarri (born 24 November 1979) is a Spanish footballer who plays for Real Sociedad in La Liga, as a centre forward.
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Born in Hondarribia, Basque Country, Llorente came through the ranks of Real Sociedad, making his debut for the first team on 3 October 1999, against Real Zaragoza (0–2 away loss). He would however, only amass 23 appearances in four seasons and left, in 2003, for another side in his native region, SD Eibar, in the second division, where he already had served a six-month loan stint in the 2000–01 season.
In 2005–06, Llorente joined Real Valladolid, also in that category, and netted 12 league goals in his debut campaign, adding 17 to help the side achieve promotion the following year.
On 20 January 2008, in a league match against RCD Espanyol, Llorente broke the Spanish league record for the fastest goal ever scored (7.82 seconds),[1] beating Uruguayan Dario Silva's previous record at 8. He broke through that season, aged almost 29, scoring 16 league goals to help the team retain top flight status (namely a hat-trick against Recreativo de Huelva, on the 13th[2]).
On 26 May 2008, Llorente agreed a four-year deal with Villarreal CF,[3] leaving Valladolid for an undisclosed fee. He scored his first goal for the club in a 2–1 win at CD Numancia, on 21 September. Exactly one month later, he scored three against AaB Football in a UEFA Champions League 6–3 home win.[4]
On 10 March 2009, after just minutes on the pitch, Llorente scored the winner against Panathinaikos FC, in an eventual 2–1 away win in the Champions League quarterfinals' second leg (3–2 aggregate). His first season at Villarreal was highly productive, as he netted 15 league goals (squad's best), including two at FC Barcelona for a 3–3 draw, on 10 May, postponing the Catalans' title-winning celebrations for a further week.[5]
On 16 June 2010, after another good season at Villarreal, Llorente moved again to Real Sociedad - freshly returned to the first division - penning a four-year contract worth €2.5 million.[6] In his official debut, on 29 August, he assisted Xabier Prieto with a backheel for the game's only goal, at home against former side Villarreal;[7] in mid-January 2011, however, after suffering a back injury, he was sidelined for the remainder of the season.[8]
| Club performance | League | Cup | Continental | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Club | League | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| Spain | League | Copa del Rey | Europe | Total | ||||||
| 1998–99 | Real Sociedad B | Tercera División | 38 | 15 | - | - | - | - | 38 | 15 |
| 1999–00 | Real Sociedad | La Liga | 8 | 1 | 1 | 0 | - | - | 9 | 1 |
| 2000–01 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | - | 9 | 2 | ||
| 2000–01 | Eibar | Segunda División | 8 | 4 | 0 | 0 | - | - | 8 | 4 |
| 2001–02 | Real Sociedad | La Liga | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | 4 | 0 |
| 2001–02 | Real Sociedad B | Segunda División B | 9 | 3 | - | - | - | - | 9 | 3 |
| 2002–03 | Real Sociedad | La Liga | 2 | 1 | - | - | - | - | 2 | 1 |
| 2003–04 | Eibar | Segunda División | 33 | 4 | 1 | 0 | - | - | 34 | 4 |
| 2004–05 | 38 | 18 | 1 | 0 | - | - | 39 | 18 | ||
| 2005–06 | Valladolid | Segunda División | 36 | 12 | 1 | 0 | - | - | 37 | 12 |
| 2006–07 | 26 | 17 | 5 | 1 | - | - | 31 | 18 | ||
| 2007–08 | La Liga | 36 | 16 | 3 | 1 | - | - | 39 | 17 | |
| 2008–09 | Villarreal | La Liga | 32 | 15 | - | - | - | - | 32 | 15 |
| 2009–10 | 29 | 9 | - | - | - | - | 29 | 9 | ||
| 2010–11 | Real Sociedad | La Liga | 18 | 5 | - | - | - | - | 18 | 5 |
| Total | Spain | 326 | 122 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 338 | 124 | |
| Career total | 326 | 122 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 338 | 124 | ||
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