Pablo Álvarez Núñez

Pablo Álvarez
Personal information
Full namePablo Álvarez Núñez
Date of birthMay 14, 1980
Place of birthOviedo, Spain
Height1.74 m (5 ft 9 in)
Playing positionMidfielder
Club information
Current team
New York City
Number22
Youth career
1989–1998Lugo
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps†(Gls)†
1998–2001Sporting B52(6)
2001–2006Sporting Gijón160(25)
2006–2012Deportivo La Coruña85(5)
2008→ Racing Santander (loan)18(1)
2012–2014Lugo47(4)
2014Langreo13(0)
2015–New York City1(0)
2015→ Wilmington Hammerheads (loan)1(0)
National team
2005–2008Galicia3(0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of April 24, 2015.
† Appearances (Goals).
This name uses Spanish naming customs: the first or paternal family name is Álvarez and the second or maternal family name is Núñez.

Pablo Álvarez Núñez (born May 14, 1980) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays for North American club New York City FC as a right midfielder.

Football career

Born in Oviedo, Asturias, Álvarez started his professional career at neighbouring Sporting de Gijón, making his first-team debut on May 19, 2001 in a 1–2 home defeat against Real Betis in the second division[1] and going on to appear in 161 league games. At Gijón he earned the nickname Tibu (diminutive of Tiburón, shark in Spanish) for his goal celebrations, in which he pretended to have a shark's fin in his head.[2]

Álvarez also participated in the resurrection of the unofficial Galician national team in December 2005, playing their first game after 75 years, against Uruguay. He signed for Deportivo de La Coruña on a Bosman transfer in August 2006.

On February 3, 2007 Álvarez played his first league match for Depor, against RCD Mallorca,[3] also his La Liga debut at the age of nearly 27. He had suffered a serious leg injury while still at the service of Sporting, in April 2006,[4] and was eventually loaned to Racing de Santander in December of the following year until the end of the season.[5]

After being relatively used in a Cantabria side that achieved a first-ever qualification to the UEFA Cup – netting in a 2–0 away win against CA Osasuna on January 13, 2008 –[6]Álvarez returned to Galicia and Deportivo. Scarcely used during 2008–09 he profitted from a rare start to score the game's only goal at Athletic Bilbao, on April 18, 2009;[7] he made his debut in European competition on February 18 of that year, playing the full 90 minutes in a 0–3 loss at AaB Fodbold for the UEFA Cup,[8] and was sent off in the second leg for an eventual 1–6 aggregate score.[9]

In the 2012 summer, aged 32, Álvarez joined CD Lugo in the second level on a two-year deal, returning to the Galicians after playing youth football at the club for nearly a decade.[10] On September 2, 2014, he signed with UP Langreo in the third tier;[11] however, after only six months, he moved abroad for the first time in his career, signing with New York City FC on March 6, 2015 after a trial period.[12]

References

  1. ↑ "El Betis gana con comodidad" [Betis wins easily] (in Spanish). El País. May 20, 2001. Retrieved February 16, 2014.
  2. ↑ "El «tiburón», corazón rojiblanco" [The «shark», red-and-white heart] (in Spanish). La Voz de Galicia. February 6, 2013. Retrieved April 16, 2015.
  3. ↑ "El Depor hace daño de penalti" [Depor hurts from the penalty spot] (in Spanish). El Mundo. February 3, 2007. Retrieved February 16, 2014.
  4. ↑ "Pablo Álvarez se rompe la pierna y estará ocho meses de baja" [Pablo Álvarez breaks leg and will miss eight months] (in Spanish). La Voz de Galicia. April 23, 2006. Retrieved February 16, 2014.
  5. ↑ "Pablo Álvarez ya entrenó con el Racing" [Pablo Álvarez already trained with Racing] (in Spanish). El Diario Montañés. December 28, 2007. Retrieved February 16, 2014.
  6. ↑ "Osasuna 0–2 Racing Santander". ESPN Soccernet. January 13, 2008. Retrieved May 22, 2011.
  7. ↑ "Athletic Bilbao 0–1 Deportivo La Coruña". ESPN Soccernet. April 18, 2009. Retrieved May 22, 2011.
  8. ↑ "El Deportivo se inmola" [Deportivo sets itself on fire] (in Spanish). Marca. February 18, 2009. Retrieved February 16, 2014.
  9. ↑ "Ni rastro de la remontada" [Not a trace of a comeback] (in Spanish). Marca. February 26, 2009. Retrieved February 16, 2014.
  10. ↑ "Pablo Álvarez firma dos cursos por el Lugo" [Pablo Álvarez signs for two seasons with Lugo] (in Spanish). La Voz de Galicia. July 18, 2012. Retrieved February 16, 2014.
  11. ↑ "Pablo Álvarez jugará en el Langreo, el Marino ficha a Pastor y el Avilés, a Berna" [Pablo Álvarez will play in Langreo, Marino signs Pastor and Avilés, Berna] (in Spanish). El Comercio. September 2, 2014. Retrieved September 2, 2014.
  12. ↑ "New York City FC sign veteran midfielder Pablo Alvarez". New York City. March 6, 2015. Retrieved March 6, 2015.

External links