Albert Luque facts for kids
Luque as an Ajax player in 2007
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Albert Luque Martos | |||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 11 March 1978 | |||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Terrassa, Spain | |||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) | |||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Winger, striker | |||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||
| 1985–1991 | Can Parellada | |||||||||||||||
| 1991–1996 | Barcelona | |||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||||
| 1996–1997 | Barcelona C | |||||||||||||||
| 1997–1999 | Mallorca B | 62 | (25) | |||||||||||||
| 1999–2002 | Mallorca | 67 | (24) | |||||||||||||
| 1999–2000 | → Málaga (loan) | 23 | (3) | |||||||||||||
| 2002–2005 | Deportivo La Coruña | 101 | (26) | |||||||||||||
| 2005–2007 | Newcastle United | 21 | (1) | |||||||||||||
| 2007–2009 | Ajax | 16 | (4) | |||||||||||||
| 2008–2009 | → Málaga (loan) | 32 | (8) | |||||||||||||
| 2009–2011 | Málaga | 19 | (1) | |||||||||||||
| Total | 341 | (92) | ||||||||||||||
| International career | ||||||||||||||||
| 1998–2000 | Spain U21 | 13 | (3) | |||||||||||||
| 2000 | Spain U23 | 2 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2002–2005 | Spain | 17 | (2) | |||||||||||||
| 2002–2006 | Catalonia | 3 | (2) | |||||||||||||
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Medal record
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| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | ||||||||||||||||
Albert Luque Martos (born 11 March 1978) is a Spanish former footballer. He played as a left winger or striker.
Albert Luque played professional football for 14 years. He spent most of his career with Mallorca and Deportivo. In Spain's top league, La Liga, he played in 248 matches and scored 61 goals over 11 seasons. He also played in England for Newcastle United and in the Netherlands for Ajax.
Luque was also a player for the Spanish national team in the early 2000s. He represented Spain in the 2002 World Cup and Euro 2004.
Contents
Club Career Highlights
Starting at Mallorca
Albert Luque was born in Terrassa, Catalonia, Spain. He grew up supporting FC Barcelona and even tried out for their team. However, he was released by their C team when he was 19 years old.
After that, RCD Mallorca signed him. He first played for their reserve team, RCD Mallorca B. He then had a successful time playing on loan for Málaga CF. This helped him join Mallorca's main team.
In the 2000–01 season, Luque scored nine goals for Mallorca. This helped the team from the Balearic Islands finish third in the league. This was a big achievement, as it meant they qualified for the UEFA Champions League for the first time ever. He scored a goal in extra time against HNK Hajduk Split in a qualifying match, which helped his team reach the group stage.
Playing for Deportivo
On 29 August 2002, Luque moved to Deportivo de La Coruña. In his first season with Depor, he scored a winning goal against his old club, Málaga. He scored a total of 12 goals in La Liga that season, often coming on as a substitute.
In the 2003–04 season, Luque became a regular starter for Deportivo. He scored the only goal in a Champions League qualifying match against Rosenborg BK. He also scored important goals in the knockout stages of the Champions League against strong teams like Juventus FC and AC Milan. In his final year in Galicia, he scored 11 more goals in the domestic league.
Time at Newcastle United
On 27 August 2005, Luque moved to Newcastle United F.C. in England. He signed a five-year contract. He played his first game against Manchester United. In his next game, he got a hamstring injury while playing against Fulham. After returning from injury, he played in different positions, including left midfield. He faced challenges living up to the high expectations that came with his transfer.
On 17 April 2006, Luque scored his first goal for Newcastle in the Tyne–Wear derby against Sunderland. He hoped to score more goals before the end of that season, but he did not play in the remaining matches.
Luque scored his first goal at Newcastle's home stadium against Lillestrom S.K. in the UEFA Intertoto Cup. He also scored two goals in a reserve team match against Liverpool's reserves. On 2 November, he started a UEFA Cup match against U.S. Città di Palermo and scored the only goal with a header. However, after this, he did not play much for the first team.
In June 2007, the new Newcastle manager, Sam Allardyce, said he would give Luque a fair chance. However, Luque's number 7 shirt was given to a new player, Joey Barton. Luque was later given the number 19 shirt.
Playing for Ajax
On 25 August 2007, AFC Ajax in the Netherlands signed Luque until 2010. On 30 September, he scored his first two goals for the team from Amsterdam. He helped them win 6–1 against VVV-Venlo, but he got a small injury during the game.
In November 2007, Luque was fined after an argument with his teammate Luis Suárez during a game against Feyenoord. Both players were taken off the field by the manager before the second half. By July 2008, it was clear that Luque would be leaving Ajax.
Returning to Málaga
Just before the transfer deadline on 1 September 2008, Luque signed a one-year loan deal to return to Málaga CF. He had played for them on loan nine years earlier. On 30 November 2008, he scored his first goal in his second time with the club. He came off the bench in a 4–2 home win against CA Osasuna. He was an important player as the club tried to qualify for the UEFA Cup that season.
On 30 July 2009, Málaga signed Luque permanently from Ajax on a free transfer. Under the new coach, Juan Ramón López Muñiz, he mostly played as a substitute. He scored only once in the first half of the season.
In the 2010–11 season, Luque continued to be out of Málaga's main team. In December 2010, he was no longer needed by the club, and his contract ended on 4 January 2011.
International Career
Luque played for Spain at the 2000 Summer Olympics. He played twice as the national team won a silver medal in Sydney. After a good season with Mallorca, he was called up to the senior team for the 2002 FIFA World Cup. He made his international debut on 12 June 2002, in a 3–2 win against South Africa. He also played in the round-of-16 victory over the Republic of Ireland.
Two years later, Luque played in UEFA Euro 2004. He was used as a left winger in the 1–0 loss to the host country, Portugal. His last game for Spain was on 7 September 2005, in a 2006 World Cup qualifier against Serbia and Montenegro.
International Goals for Spain
- Scores and results list Spain's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Luque goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 9 October 2004 | El Sardinero, Santander, Spain |  Belgium |
1–0 | 2–0 | 2006 World Cup qualification |
| 2 | 4 June 2005 | Mestalla, Valencia, Spain |  Lithuania |
1–0 | 1–0 | 2006 World Cup qualification |
Managerial Career
On 29 April 2019, Albert Luque joined the staff of Luis Rubiales, who was the president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation. In December 2022, he was named as the sporting director for the federation. This happened after Spain's national team was knocked out in the round of 16 at the 2022 World Cup.
Personal Life
In November 2006, Albert Luque was driving to Newcastle International Airport for a UEFA Cup game. He had to pull his Porsche Cayenne car over because of a flat tire. Soon after he got out to make a phone call, an empty lorry hit his car and destroyed it. Despite this, he managed to get a flight to Germany and still played in the match.
Honours and Achievements
Mallorca
- Supercopa de España: 1998
Deportivo
- Supercopa de España: 2002
Newcastle United
- UEFA Intertoto Cup: 2006
Spain U23
- Summer Olympic Games silver medal: 2000
See also
In Spanish: Albert Luque para niños
