Jorge López (footballer, born 1978) facts for kids
López training with Zaragoza in 2009
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Jorge López Montaña | ||
| Date of birth | 19 September 1978 | ||
| Place of birth | Logroño, Spain | ||
| Height | 1.82 m (5 ft 11+1⁄2 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Logroñés | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1996–1997 | Logroñés B | 15 | (4) |
| 1997–1999 | Logroñés | 14 | (2) |
| 1998 | → Las Rozas (loan) | ||
| 1999–2003 | Villarreal | 134 | (30) |
| 2003–2007 | Valencia | 45 | (4) |
| 2004–2005 | → Mallorca (loan) | 29 | (1) |
| 2007–2008 | Racing Santander | 36 | (6) |
| 2008–2011 | Zaragoza | 94 | (9) |
| 2011–2012 | OFI | 24 | (1) |
| 2013 | Gent | 15 | (2) |
| 2014 | Cádiz | 11 | (1) |
| Total | 417 | (60) | |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Jorge López Montaña (born on September 19, 1978) is a former professional Spanish footballer. He played as a right midfielder.
Over 11 seasons, he played 271 matches in La Liga, scoring 36 goals. He represented several important clubs like Villarreal, Valencia, Mallorca, Racing de Santander, and Zaragoza. With Valencia, he won major titles, including the 2004 national championship.
Contents
Club Career Highlights
Starting at Logroñés and Villarreal
Jorge López was born in Logroño, La Rioja, Spain. He started his football journey in the youth system of his hometown club, CD Logroñés. In the summer of 1999, he joined Villarreal CF.
With Villarreal, he helped the team get promoted to La Liga, Spain's top football league, at the end of the 1999–2000 season. He made his first appearance in La Liga on September 10, 2000. During the 2000–01 season, he played almost every league match and scored eight goals. Villarreal finished seventh in the league that year.
Time with Valencia and Mallorca
In the 2003–04 season, López moved to Valencia CF, a nearby club, in a deal worth €4 million. He played 26 matches for Valencia and scored four goals. That season, Valencia became the national champions of Spain.
After this success, he was loaned to another top-division team, RCD Mallorca. In the following two seasons, he played only 19 league games for Valencia. This was mainly because he had to deal with injuries.
Playing for Racing Santander and Zaragoza
Valencia released López in 2007. He then joined Racing de Santander without a transfer fee. He became a very important player for Racing. He helped them qualify for the UEFA Cup for the first time ever, after finishing sixth in the league. On November 25, 2007, he scored the only goal in a home game against his former club, Valencia.
López played one game for Racing in the 2008–09 season. On September 1, 2008, he was sold to Real Zaragoza, a team in the Segunda División (second division), for €3 million. He scored seven goals in 38 matches for Zaragoza. His efforts helped his new team return to the top league right away in the 2008–09 season.
Later Career and Retirement
López left Zaragoza in July 2011 after not agreeing on a new contract. At 33 years old, he had his first experience playing football outside of Spain. He joined OFI Crete F.C. in Greece.
In January 2013, López became a free player because his previous club had financial problems. He then moved to Belgium and joined K.A.A. Gent. Several other Spanish players and the manager, Víctor Fernández, were also at Gent. After a short time playing for Cádiz CF in Spain's third division, he retired from football at the age of 36.
Personal Life
Jorge López has a younger brother named Iñigo. Iñigo was also a professional footballer.
Honours
Villarreal
- UEFA Intertoto Cup: 2003
Valencia
- La Liga: 2003–04
See also
In Spanish: Jorge López Montaña para niños
