José Gayà facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
José Gayà

Gayà playing for Valencia in 2015
Personal information
Date of birth	(1995-05-25) 25 May 1995 (age 30)
Place of birth	Pedreguer, Spain
Height	1.72 m
Playing position	Left-back
Club information
Current club	Valencia
Number	14
Youth career
2006–2012	Valencia
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
2012–2014	Valencia B	65	(3)
2012–	Valencia	295	(8)
National team‡
2012	Spain U17	2	(1)
2013	Spain U18	2	(0)
2013–2014	Spain U19	11	(1)
2013	Spain U20	4	(0)
2014–2017	Spain U21	15	(1)
2018–	Spain	22	(3)
Honours Men's football Representing  Spain UEFA European Under-21 Championship Runner-up 2017 Poland Team
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 23:01, 19 January 2025 (UTC). † Appearances (Goals). ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 21:51, 19 November 2023 (UTC)

José Luis Gayà Peña (born May 25, 1995) is a Spanish professional footballer. He plays as a left-back for La Liga club Valencia, where he is the team captain. He also plays for the Spanish national team.

Gayà grew up in Valencia's youth academy. He first played for the senior team in 2012. Since then, he has played over 350 matches for the club. He helped Valencia win the Copa del Rey in 2019.

He played his first full match for the Spanish national team in 2018. He was chosen to play in Euro 2020.

Club Career Highlights

José Gayà was born in Pedreguer, a town in Valencian Community, Spain. He started playing football in the Valencia CF youth system. When he was younger, he played as a striker and scored many goals. Later, he changed his position to left-back.

He first played for Valencia's reserve team, Valencia B, before he turned 17. This was in 2012. On October 30, 2012, Gayà played his first official game for Valencia's main team. This was a Copa del Rey match, which his team won 2–0. He also played in the UEFA Europa League for the first time in December 2013.

First La Liga Games

Gayà played his first La Liga game for Valencia on April 27, 2014. He played the whole match against Atlético Madrid. In August of the same year, he scored his first goal for the main team. This happened during a friendly match against S.L. Benfica.

The 2014–15 season was important for Gayà. The new manager, Nuno Espírito Santo, made him a regular starter. He scored his first professional goal in La Liga on September 25, 2014. It was in a 3–0 win against Córdoba CF. In May 2015, he signed a new contract with Valencia until 2020.

Gayà (in blue) playing against Valladolid in May 2019

Becoming a Key Player

In May 2018, Gayà signed another contract extension, this time until 2023. His release clause, which is the amount another club would have to pay to buy him, increased to €100 million. In October 2018, he was named in the Champions League Best XI by ESPN FC. This was after Valencia kept a clean sheet against Manchester United.

Gayà won his first major trophy with Valencia in 2019. He helped his team win the Copa del Rey by beating FC Barcelona 2–1. He made an assist for the first goal in that final.

In March 2020, Gayà tested positive for COVID-19 virus during the pandemic. Later that year, due to money problems from the pandemic, Valencia decided to sell almost all players except Gayà. He then became the permanent captain of the team.

Recent Seasons

Gayà led Valencia in the 2022 Copa del Rey final. He scored in the penalty shootout, but his team lost to Real Betis. He was suspended for the first four matches of the next league season. This was because he had criticized a referee's decisions. His appeal against the suspension was not successful. On October 19, 2022, he extended his contract with Valencia again, this time until 2027.

International Career

José Gayà has played for Spain at many youth levels. He earned 34 caps (appearances) for these youth teams. In May 2015, he was called up to the senior national team for the first time. However, he did not play in those matches.

Gayà made his debut for the senior Spanish team on September 11, 2018. He played the entire match in a 6–0 win against Croatia. On September 3, 2020, he scored his first goal for Spain. It was a very late goal in the 97th minute, which helped Spain draw 1–1 against Germany.

In May 2021, Gayà was chosen for Spain's squad for Euro 2020. He played 77 minutes in the quarter-final match against Croatia, which Spain won 5–3 in extra time. Spain reached the semi-finals of the tournament.

Gayà was also called up for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. However, he got an ankle injury during a training camp before the tournament. Because of this injury, he had to leave the squad and was replaced by another player.

Career Statistics

Club Appearances and Goals

International Appearances and Goals

Spain score listed first, score column indicates score after each Gayà goal.

List of international goals scored by José Gayà

No.	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	7 June 2019	Tórsvøllur, Tórshavn, Faroe Islands	Faroe Islands	4–1	4–1	UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying
2	3 September 2020	Mercedes-Benz Arena, Stuttgart, Germany	Germany	1–1	1–1	2020–21 UEFA Nations League A
3	5 September 2021	Nuevo Vivero, Badajoz, Spain	Georgia	1–0	4–0	2022 FIFA World Cup qualification

Honours and Achievements

José Gayà has won several awards and achievements during his career:

With Valencia

• Copa del Rey: 2018–19

With Spain U21 (Under-21 Team)

• UEFA European Under-21 Championship runner-up: 2017 (meaning his team finished second)

See also

In Spanish: José Luis Gayà para niños