Carlos Llorens
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Carlos Llorens Mestre | ||
| Date of birth | 1 September 1969 | ||
| Place of birth | Alicante, Spain | ||
| Height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) | ||
| Playing position | Left back | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Valencia | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1991–1992 | Tomelloso | ||
| 1992–1993 | Cartagena | ||
| 1993–1994 | Elche | ||
| 1994–1995 | Levante | ||
| 1995–1997 | Lleida | 61 | (0) |
| 1997–1998 | Leganés | 40 | (10) |
| 1998–2000 | Rayo Vallecano | 69 | (9) |
| 2000 | Atlético Madrid | 12 | (0) |
| 2001 | Osasuna | 19 | (0) |
| 2001–2003 | Alavés | 71 | (7) |
| 2003–2006 | Poli Ejido | 99 | (0) |
| 2006–2009 | Rayo Vallecano | 83 | (7) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals). | |||
Carlos Llorens Mestre (born 1 September 1969) is a Spanish retired footballer who played as a left defender.
A player of offensive penchant, he was also a penalty kick specialist. He played for 11 different teams during his career, amassing La Liga totals of 125 games and four goals, in representation of Rayo Vallecano, Osasuna and Alavés, retiring at the age of 40.
Football career
Born in Alicante, Valencian Community, Llorens had to wait until the age of 26 to make his professional debuts, in the second division with UE Lleida. He went on to establish himself in the category with CD Leganés and Rayo Vallecano, winning a promotion with the latter, a club to which he would later be intimately connected; his first match in La Liga arrived at almost 30 in a 2–0 derby win at Atlético Madrid on 22 August 1999 – Rayo finished the season ninth (best ever) and qualified for the UEFA Cup, via the fair play award.
In the summer of 2000 Llorens, unwilling to leave the club, was nonetheless part of a package deal that sent him to precisely Atlético, by then in the second level.[1] In January 2001, however, he returned to the top flight with CA Osasuna. Subsequently, he experienced two very different seasons at Deportivo Alavés: in his first he scored six goals in 36 games (four in penalties) and the Basque qualified for Europe once again, but the team would be relegated in the following.
After three additional seasons in division two with modest Polideportivo Ejido, Llorens returned to Rayo at 37, helping it return to the second division in his second year. In the following campaign, as the Madrid outfit eventually finished in mid-table, he was still going strong, at nearly 40 years of age;[2] he finished his second stint in June 2009, retiring shortly after with professional totals of 454 matches and 33 goals.
References
- ↑ Yo también fui rayista (I) (I was also rayista (I)); Rayo Herald, 14 March 2006 (Spanish)
- ↑ El "abuelo" de la liga española está hecho un chaval (Spanish league's "granpa", like a young kid); Marca, 12 September 2008 (Spanish)