Antonio Luna (footballer)

This article is about the Spanish footballer. For the Filipino pharmacist and general, see Antonio Luna.
This name uses Spanish naming customs: the first or paternal family name is Luna and the second or maternal family name is Rodríguez.
Antonio Luna

Luna playing for Almería in 2011
Personal information
Full nameAntonio Manuel Luna Rodríguez[1]
Date of birth17 March 1991
Place of birthSon Servera, Spain
Height1.77 m (5 ft 10 in)
Playing positionLeft back
Club information
Current team
Spezia (on loan from Aston Villa)
Number11
Youth career
Sevilla
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps†(Gls)†
2009–2011Sevilla B32(1)
2010–2013Sevilla20(1)
2011→ Almería (loan)13(0)
2013→ Mallorca (loan)11(0)
2013–Aston Villa17(1)
2014–2015→ Verona (loan)0(0)
2015–→ Spezia (loan)4(0)
National team
2007Spain U161(0)
2009Spain U181(0)
2009Spain U193(0)
2011Spain U205(0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 00:00, 6 April 2015 (UTC).
† Appearances (Goals).

Antonio Manuel Luna Rodríguez (born 17 March 1991) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays for Italian club Spezia on loan from Aston Villa as a left back.

Club career

Sevilla

Born in Son Servera, Luna finished his youth career in Andalusia with Sevilla, making his senior debut with the reserve side in Segunda División B. On 15 and 19 May 2010 he appeared in his first two official games with the first team, and both were decisive ones: in the first he played the full 90 minutes as his team won 3–2 away against Almería in the last round, finally edging Mallorca for the last qualification position for the UEFA Champions League.[2] The second was a 2–0 triumph over Atlético Madrid in the final of the Copa del Rey, again playing the full match.[3]

On 19 January 2011 Luna was loaned to neighbouring UD Almería until the end of the campaign,[4] being regularly utilized as the club suffered top flight relegation after a four-year stay.

After returning to Sevilla he played 14 league matches in 2011–12, his first full season. Luna scored his first goal as a professional in a 1–2 away defeat on 29 January 2012 against Málaga, playing as a left midfielder.[5]

Luna spent the second half of the 2012–13 season on loan to Mallorca in his native Balearic Islands,[6] eventually meeting the same fate as with Almería.

Aston Villa

On 20 June 2013, Aston Villa announced the signing of Luna on a three-year deal.[7] He started and scored on his Premier League debut with the club, a 3–1 win at Arsenal on 17 August.[8]

Villa fans nicknamed Luna 'Tony Moon', a direct translation of his name from Spanish into English. Manager Paul Lambert admitted that he did not understand the nickname.[9]

On 5 August 2014 Luna was loaned to Serie A club Hellas Verona, in a season-long loan.[10] He was later loaned to Spezia Calcio in Serie B for the second half of the season.

Antonio Luna is referenced in the 19th Jack Reacher novel, Personal, by Lee Child, an Aston Villa fan.[11] The character Casey Nice describes him as a friend of hers, adding "I call him Tony Moon".[12]

Honours

Sevilla

References

  1. ↑ "Barclays Premier League squad numbers 2013/14". Premier League. 16 August 2013. Retrieved 16 August 2013.
  2. ↑ "Rodri fires Seviila into raptures". ESPN Soccernet. 15 May 2010. Retrieved 13 December 2012.
  3. ↑ "Cup glory for Sevilla". ESPN Soccernet. 19 May 2010. Retrieved 13 December 2012.
  4. ↑ "Luna jugará en el Almería hasta final de temporada" [Luna will play with Almería until end of season]. Marca (in Spanish). 19 January 2011. Retrieved 13 December 2012.
  5. ↑ "El Málaga gana y el Sevilla se queja en un derbi espeso" [Málaga wins and Sevilla complains in thick derby]. Diario AS (in Spanish). 29 January 2012. Retrieved 13 December 2012.
  6. ↑ "Luna llega cedido" [Luna arrives on loan] (in Spanish). Diario de Mallorca. 9 January 2013. Retrieved 20 June 2013.
  7. ↑ "Full-back Luna excited to sign for "historic and huge" Villa". Aston Villa F.C. 20 June 2013. Retrieved 20 June 2013.
  8. ↑ "Arsenal 1–3 Aston Villa". BBC Sport. 17 August 2013. Retrieved 17 August 2013.
  9. ↑ "Lambert: Villa fans can nickname 'Tony Moon' what they want if he maintains form". Birmingham Mail. 18 August 2013. Retrieved 3 September 2013.
  10. ↑ "Aston Villa: Antonio Luna moves to Verona on a season-long loan". BBC Sport. 5 August 2014. Retrieved 8 August 2014.
  11. ↑ "Exclusive interview with ace author Child in matchday programme". Aston Villa Football Club. 15 September 2011.
  12. ↑ Child, Lee. Personal (Jack Reacher 19). ISBN 978-0-5930-7382-7. Retrieved 24 April 2015.

External links