Fernando Javier Llorente Torres (; born 26 February 1985), nicknamed ''El Rey León'' ("
The Lion King
''The Lion King'' is a 1994 American animated musical drama film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures. The 32nd Disney animated feature film and the fifth produced during the Disney Renaissance ...
" in Spanish), is a Spanish professional
footballer
A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugb ...
who plays as a
striker.
He started his career with
Athletic Bilbao
Athletic Club ( eu, Bilboko Athletic Kluba; es, Athletic Club de Bilbao), commonly known as Athletic Bilbao or just Athletic, is a professional football club based in the city of Bilbao in the Basque Country of Spain. They are known as ''Los L ...
, working his way through the various youth ranks and, after making his first team debut in 2005, becoming one of the most important offensive players for the club in the following decade. He scored 29 goals in all competitions in the
2011–12 season, and was described as a "Bilbao legend".
He signed with
Juventus
Juventus Football Club (from la, iuventūs, 'youth'; ), colloquially known as Juve (), is a professional football club based in Turin, Piedmont, Italy, that competes in the Serie A, the top tier of the Italian football league system. Founded in ...
in 2013, and won the
Serie A
The Serie A (), also called Serie A TIM for national sponsorship with TIM, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and the winner is awarded the Scudetto and the Cop ...
title twice during his two-year spell there. Subsequently, he spent
2015–16 back in Spain with
Sevilla
Seville (; es, Sevilla, ) is the capital and largest city of the Spanish autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the River Guadalquivir, in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula ...
before moving to
Swansea City
Swansea City Association Football Club (; cy, Clwb Pêl-droed Cymdeithas Dinas Abertawe) is a professional football club based in Swansea, Wales that plays in the Championship, the second tier of English football. Swansea have played their ho ...
in 2016, and
Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as Tottenham () or Spurs, is a professional association football, football club based in Tottenham, London, England. It competes in the Premier League, the top flight of English footba ...
in 2017.
A
Spain international since late 2008, Llorente was a member of the squads which won the
2010 World Cup
, image = 2010 FIFA World Cup.svg
, size = 200px
, caption = ''Ke Nako. (Tswana and Sotho for "It's time") Celebrate Africa's Humanity'It's time. Celebrate Africa's Humanity'' (English)''Dis tyd. Vier Afrika se mensd ...
and
Euro 2012
The 2012 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2012 or simply Euro 2012, was the 14th European Championship for men's national football teams organised by UEFA. The final tournament, held between 8 June and 1 ...
.
Early years
Born in
Pamplona
Pamplona (; eu, Iruña or ), historically also known as Pampeluna in English, is the capital city of the Chartered Community of Navarre, in Spain. It is also the third-largest city in the greater Basque cultural region.
Lying at near above ...
, Llorente grew up in the municipality of
Rincón de Soto
Rincón de Soto is a village in the province and autonomous community of Burgos, Spain. The municipality covers an area of and as of 2011 had a population of 3819 people.
Notable people
*Juan Antonio Llorente
*Fernando Llorente
Fernand ...
in
La Rioja
La Rioja () is an autonomous community and province in Spain, in the north of the Iberian Peninsula. Its capital is Logroño. Other cities and towns in the province include Calahorra, Arnedo, Alfaro, Haro, Santo Domingo de la Calzada, an ...
. He joined
Athletic Bilbao
Athletic Club ( eu, Bilboko Athletic Kluba; es, Athletic Club de Bilbao), commonly known as Athletic Bilbao or just Athletic, is a professional football club based in the city of Bilbao in the Basque Country of Spain. They are known as ''Los L ...
's youth system in 1996 at the age of 11,
being eligible through his
Navarre
Navarre (; es, Navarra ; eu, Nafarroa ), officially the Chartered Community of Navarre ( es, Comunidad Foral de Navarra, links=no ; eu, Nafarroako Foru Komunitatea, links=no ), is a foral autonomous community and province in northern Spain, ...
se roots.
Club career
Athletic Bilbao
Llorente spent several seasons in the various junior levels of the club, playing alongside
Fernando Amorebieta
Fernando Gabriel Amorebieta Mardaras (born 29 March 1985) is a professional footballer who plays as a central defender.
He spent most of his career with Athletic Bilbao, appearing in 253 competitive matches over eight La Liga seasons and scorin ...
and moving to their farm team
Basconia
Club Deportivo Basconia is a Spanish football club based in Basauri, Biscay, in the autonomous community of Basque Country. Founded on 14 March 1913, it currently plays in Tercera División RFEF – Group 4, holding home games at ''Estadio de ...
in
Tercera División
Tercera División ( en, Third Division) was the fourth tier of the Spanish football league system. Founded in 1929, it was below the ''Primera División'' (also known as La Liga), the '' Segunda División'', and the semi-professional '' Segunda ...
in 2003. He gradually improved, leading to promotion to
Bilbao Athletic
Athletic Club "B", commonly known as Bilbao Athletic, is the reserve team of Athletic Club, a football club based in Bilbao, in the autonomous community of Basque Country in Spain. The team are playing in the Primera Federación – Group 2. Fo ...
– Athletic's reserves – in
Segunda División B
Segunda División B ( en, Second Division B) was the third tier of the Spanish football league system containing 102 teams divided into five groups, until it was replaced by the new structure in 2021. It was administered by the Royal Spanish Foo ...
.
After scoring four goals for the B's in the first half of the season, Llorente was rewarded with a contract extension until June 2008. On 16 January 2005, he made his first-team and
La Liga
The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Primera División, commonly known simply as Primera División in Spain, and as La Liga in English-speaking countries and officially as LaLiga Banco Santander, Santander for sponsorship reasons, stylized as LaL ...
debut in a 1–1 home draw against
Espanyol
Reial Club Deportiu Espanyol de Barcelona (; "Royal Spanish Sports Club of Barcelona"), commonly known as Espanyol, is a professional sports club based in Barcelona, Spain, that competes in La Liga, the top tier of the Spanish football league s ...
. Three days later, in a
Copa del Rey
The Campeonato de España–Copa de Su Majestad el Rey, commonly known as Copa del Rey or simply La Copa and formerly known as Copa del Presidente de la República (1932–36) and Copa del Generalísimo (1939–76), is an annual knockout footb ...
match against
Lanzarote
Lanzarote (, , ) is a Spanish island, the easternmost of the Canary Islands in the Atlantic Ocean. It is located approximately off the north coast of Africa and from the Iberian Peninsula. Covering , Lanzarote is the fourth-largest of the i ...
, he scored a
hat-trick
A hat-trick or hat trick is the achievement of a generally positive feat three times in a match, or another achievement based on the number three.
Origin
The term first appeared in 1858 in cricket, to describe H. H. Stephenson taking three w ...
in a
6–0 victory. He went on to feature in all but five of the nineteen remaining league games, scoring three goals, and also played in four domestic cup matches and the
UEFA Cup
A cup is an open-top used to hold hot or cold liquids for pouring or drinking; while mainly used for drinking, it also can be used to store solids for pouring (e.g., sugar, flour, grains, salt). Cups may be made of glass, metal, china, clay ...
round of 32 tie against
Austria Wien
Fußballklub Austria Wien AG (; known in English as Austria Vienna, and usually shortened to Austria ( German: Österreich) in German-speaking countries, is an Austrian association football club from the capital city of Vienna. It has won the mo ...
.
Before
2005–06, Llorente exchanged his squad number of 32 for the number 9 jersey. He scored on the opening day, a
Basque
Basque may refer to:
* Basques, an ethnic group of Spain and France
* Basque language, their language
Places
* Basque Country (greater region), the homeland of the Basque people with parts in both Spain and France
* Basque Country (autonomous co ...
derby
Derby ( ) is a city and unitary authority area in Derbyshire, England. It lies on the banks of the River Derwent in the south of Derbyshire, which is in the East Midlands Region. It was traditionally the county town of Derbyshire. Derby g ...
3–0 win over
Real Sociedad
Real Sociedad de Fútbol, S.A.D., more commonly referred to as Real Sociedad (; ''Royal Society''), La Real in Spanish, Erreala in Basque, is a Spanish professional sports club in the city of San Sebastián, Basque Country, founded on 7 Septemb ...
but, throughout the campaign, found goals hard to come by. This could be partly attributed to a series of injuries including a
knee
In humans and other primates, the knee joins the thigh with the leg and consists of two joints: one between the femur and tibia (tibiofemoral joint), and one between the femur and patella (patellofemoral joint). It is the largest joint in the ...
strain,
gastroenteritis
Gastroenteritis, also known as infectious diarrhea and gastro, is an inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract including the stomach and intestine. Symptoms may include diarrhea, vomiting, and abdominal pain. Fever, lack of energy, and dehydr ...
and a muscle injury. He ended the season with just four goals, two in the league and as many in the Cup, both against
Hospitalet.
On 13 July 2006, Llorente signed a new contract until June 2011, which included a buy-out clause of between
€
The euro sign () is the currency sign used for the euro, the official currency of the eurozone and unilaterally adopted by Kosovo and Montenegro. The design was presented to the public by the European Commission on 12 December 1996. It consists o ...
30 and 50 million. He started
the season as arguably the club's fourth-choice striker, behind
Aritz Aduriz
Aritz Aduriz Zubeldia (; ; born 11 February 1981) is a Spanish retired professional footballer who played as a striker.
He spent most of his career with Athletic Bilbao, scoring 172 goals across all competitions for the team over three spells ...
,
Joseba Etxeberria and veteran
Ismael Urzaiz
Ismael Urzaiz Aranda (; born 7 October 1971) is a Spanish former footballer who played as a centre-forward.
Best known for his physical strength and aerial ability, the unsuccessful youth graduate at Real Madrid went on to represent seven other ...
. The team's poor form and lack of goals led to coach
Félix Sarriugarte rotating the players, allowing Llorente to force his way back into the side; he ended the campaign with only two goals in 23 matches, although he did score an important one in the closing minutes of a 1–1 draw at
Valencia
Valencia ( va, València) is the capital of the autonomous community of Valencia and the third-most populated municipality in Spain, with 791,413 inhabitants. It is also the capital of the province of the same name. The wider urban area al ...
.
In preparation for
2007–08, Llorente scored six goals in as many pre-season matches, and another against
Numancia in the ''Caja Duero'' Trophy. His form led to him becoming Athletic's first-choice forward, and although he started the campaign poorly, he ended it with a total of 11 league goals as the side finished in mid-table. His tally included four goals in two games against Valencia, both impressive wins, and further strikes against
Barcelona
Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...
,
Villarreal
Villarreal ( ca-valencia , Vila-real) is a city and municipality in the province of Castellón which is part of the Valencian Community in the east of Spain.
The town is located at 42 m above sea level, 7 km to the south of the province's ...
and
Atlético Madrid
Club Atlético de Madrid, S.A.D. (; meaning "Athletic Club of Madrid"), known simply as Atleti in the Spanish-speaking world and commonly referred to at international level as Atlético Madrid, is a Spanish professional football club based i ...
.
Before
2008–09, Llorente was confident of a successful season. "I know that I am capable of scoring goals and having a good year and I want to start this term in the same form that I ended the last one in" he said. Despite the team's modest start he scored 14 league goals – a career-best – with another four in
the Cup, helping his team reach
the final
Final, Finals or The Final may refer to:
*Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event
** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of cont ...
against Barcelona (a 4–1 loss).
In the
2009–10 season, Llorente again reached double figures. He led all scorers in the
Europa League for a long period with eight goals, and added fourteen in the league as Athletic eventually finished in eighth place.
On 28 August 2010, Llorente scored the first goal of the
2010–11 campaign, in a 1–0 win at
Hércules. His form continued in the next ten league fixtures as he found the net seven times, eventually finishing the season with 18 goals (19 overall) as Athletic qualified for the Europa League.
Between January and February 2012, Llorente scored five goals in two away matches in only four days: he started with a hat-trick in a 3–2 win against
Rayo Vallecano
Rayo Vallecano de Madrid, S.A.D. (), often abbreviated to Rayo (Spanish for "thunderbolt"), is a Spanish professional football club based in Madrid, in the neighbourhood of Vallecas. Rayo was founded on 29 May 1924, and currently compete in La Li ...
, and added two in a 2–1 defeat of
Mirandés in the
Spanish Cup semi-finals. In the next two matches, both at home, he scored three more, one against Espanyol in the league and two against Mirandés.
Llorente scored in both legs of the
2011–12 Europa League round of 16 against
Manchester United
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The ...
, as Athletic won both games and went through 5–3 on aggregate. In the next round he scored twice at
Schalke 04
Fußballclub Gelsenkirchen-Schalke 04 e. V., commonly known as FC Schalke 04 (), Schalke 04 (), or abbreviated as S04 (), is a professional German football and multi-sports club originally from the Schalke district of Gelsenkirchen, North Rhine ...
in a 4–2 win, helping the team eventually reach
the final
Final, Finals or The Final may refer to:
*Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event
** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of cont ...
. His seven goals in the tournament also made him the club's
highest scorer in European competition, beating the total of 11 set by
Dani in the 1980s, later surpassed by Aduriz in 2016.
In August 2012, Llorente refused to sign a new deal with Athletic Bilbao, fuelling speculation that he might be leaving.
[ Following a 2–0 Basque derby loss at Real Sociedad on 29 September, in which he was a late substitute, he got into an argument with manager ]Marcelo Bielsa
Marcelo Alberto Bielsa Caldera (, nicknamed ''El Loco Bielsa'' , meaning "The Crazy Bielsa"; born 21 July 1955) is an Argentine professional football manager who was most recently the head coach of Premier League club Leeds United. He is a forme ...
; two days later he walked out of training early and was sent to practice with the youth squad and, as a result, his relationship with the club's supporters and president Josu Urrutia further deteriorated.
On 3 January 2013, Athletic confirmed that Llorente would be holding talks with Juventus
Juventus Football Club (from la, iuventūs, 'youth'; ), colloquially known as Juve (), is a professional football club based in Turin, Piedmont, Italy, that competes in the Serie A, the top tier of the Italian football league system. Founded in ...
. On 21 January, the latter's sporting director, Giuseppe Marotta
Giuseppe "Beppe" Marotta (born 25 March 1957) is an Italian football executive who is currently the CEO for sport of Italian football club Internazionale. In 2014, he was inducted into the Italian Football Hall of Fame.
Early career
In 1978, at ...
, stated that he was "very optimistic" that the player would join on 1 July, with Urrutia believed to be unwilling to allow him to leave in the January transfer window
A transfer window is the period during the year in which a football club can transfer players from other playing staff into their playing staff. Such a transfer is completed by registering the player into the new club through FIFA. "Transfer wi ...
. Three days later, the club announced he would sign a four-year deal on 1 July when his contract expired; Juventus also paid his agent €3.038 million.
Llorente scored just five goals in 36 competitive matches in his final year, playing mainly as a back-up for Aduriz.
Juventus
Llorente officially became a Juventus player on 1 July 2013 after passing a medical at the club. He was given the number 14 shirt,[ and scored his first goal in ]Serie A
The Serie A (), also called Serie A TIM for national sponsorship with TIM, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and the winner is awarded the Scudetto and the Cop ...
on 22 September when he started in a 2–1 home win against Hellas Verona
Hellas Verona Football Club, commonly referred to as Hellas Verona or simply Verona, is a professional Italian football club based in Verona, Italy, that currently plays in Serie A. The team won the Serie A Championship in 1984–85.
His ...
.
Llorente found the net in his second and third ever appearances in the UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League (abbreviated as UCL, or sometimes, UEFA CL) is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competi ...
, both times against Real Madrid
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol (, meaning ''Royal Madrid Football Club''), commonly referred to as Real Madrid, is a Spanish professional football club based in Madrid.
Founded in 1902 as Madrid Football Club, the club has traditionally wor ...
in the 2013–14 group stage (a 2–1 away loss, and a 2–2 home draw). In November 2013 he spoke critically about his relationship with former manager Bielsa in an exclusive interview with ''La Gazzetta dello Sport
''La Gazzetta dello Sport'' (; "The Sports Gazette") is an Italian daily newspaper dedicated to coverage of various sports. Founded in 1896, it is the most widely read daily newspaper of any kind in Italy (in 2018).
History and profile
''La ...
''. On 1 December he scored in injury time, the only goal of the match at home against Udinese
Udinese Calcio, commonly referred to as Udinese, is a professional Italian football club based in Udine, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, that currently plays in Serie A. It was founded on 30 November 1896 as a sports club, and on 5 July 1911 as a ...
.
Llorente's first two goals of 2014 came on 12 January, from a header and from close range as Juventus defeated Cagliari
Cagliari (, also , , ; sc, Casteddu ; lat, Caralis) is an Italian municipality and the capital of the island of Sardinia, an autonomous region of Italy. Cagliari's Sardinian name ''Casteddu'' means ''castle''. It has about 155,000 inhabitant ...
4–1 away to extend their winning league run to 11 matches. On 7 April, he scored both of his team's goals in a 2–0 home win over Livorno
Livorno () is a port city on the Ligurian Sea on the western coast of Tuscany, Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Livorno, having a population of 158,493 residents in December 2017. It is traditionally known in English as Leghorn (pronou ...
, guaranteeing at least second place and Champions League qualification. On the final day of the season, again against Cagliari, he contributed with one goal as Juve won 3–0 and clinched the championship, finishing with a record 102 points in a Serie A season.
On 6 June 2015, Llorente came off the bench and played five minutes in the final
Final, Finals or The Final may refer to:
*Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event
** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of cont ...
of the Champions League, lost 3–1 to Barcelona at Berlin's Olympiastadion.
Sevilla
On 27 August 2015, free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who i ...
Llorente signed a three-year contract with Sevilla
Seville (; es, Sevilla, ) is the capital and largest city of the Spanish autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the River Guadalquivir, in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula ...
with a buyout clause of €20 million. He made his league debut three days later, playing the full 90 minutes in a 0–3 home defeat against Atlético Madrid. He scored his first goal for the club in a 2–1 loss to Celta
Celta is Galician, Portuguese and Spanish for the Celts. It may also refer to:
* Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults (CELTA), an English teaching certificate
* Celta (train), an international train service connecting Vigo and Porto ...
, also at the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán Stadium
The Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán Stadium ( es, Estadio Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán; ) is a football stadium in Seville, Spain. It is the home stadium of Sevilla Fútbol Club, and is named after the club's former president, Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán (1 ...
, on 20 September.
On 8 November 2015, after replacing newly signed Ciro Immobile
Ciro Immobile (born 20 February 1990) is an Italian professional footballer who plays as a striker for Serie A club Lazio, which he captains, and the Italy national team.
Immobile began his career at Sorrento. In 2009, he was purchased by Juv ...
for the final 20 minutes of the league game against Real Madrid, Llorente headed home after only four minutes in an eventual 3–2 win. Exactly one month later, also at home, he scored the only goal in a 1–0 victory over his former club Juventus in the final match of the Champions League group stage, which meant Sevilla overtook Borussia Mönchengladbach
Borussia Verein für Leibesübungen 1900 e. V. Mönchengladbach, commonly known as Borussia Mönchengladbach (), Mönchengladbach () or Gladbach (; abbreviated as Borussia MG, BMG), is a professional football club based in Mönchengladbach, Nort ...
into third spot and qualification for the Europa League knockout phase. The club went on to win the competition for the third time in a row, with the player being an unused substitute in the final
Final, Finals or The Final may refer to:
*Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event
** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of cont ...
. He came off the bench during extra time in the Copa del Rey Final four days later, which they lost to Barcelona.
Swansea City
On 4 August 2016, it was announced that Llorente had signed a two-year deal with Swansea City
Swansea City Association Football Club (; cy, Clwb Pêl-droed Cymdeithas Dinas Abertawe) is a professional football club based in Swansea, Wales that plays in the Championship, the second tier of English football. Swansea have played their ho ...
. He made his Premier League
The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Fo ...
debut nine days later, playing the full ninety minutes in a 1–0 away win against Burnley
Burnley () is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Burnley in Lancashire, England, with a 2001 population of 73,021. It is north of Manchester and east of Preston, at the confluence of the River Calder and River Br ...
.
On 26 November 2016, Llorente scored two injury-time goals to help the hosts defeat Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace may refer to:
Places Canada
* Crystal Palace Complex (Dieppe), a former amusement park now a shopping complex in Dieppe, New Brunswick
* Crystal Palace Barracks, London, Ontario
* Crystal Palace (Montreal), an exhibition building ...
5–4. He also scored twice two matches later, again at the Liberty Stadium, against Sunderland
Sunderland () is a port city in Tyne and Wear, England. It is the City of Sunderland's administrative centre and in the Historic counties of England, historic county of County of Durham, Durham. The city is from Newcastle-upon-Tyne and is on t ...
(3–0). He finished his first season with 15 goals, as the team avoided relegation.
A fractured arm
In human anatomy, the arm refers to the upper limb in common usage, although academically the term specifically means the upper arm between the glenohumeral joint (shoulder joint) and the elbow joint. The distal part of the upper limb between th ...
sustained while cycling during his summer holiday caused Llorente to miss the opening weeks of the 2017–18 campaign.
Tottenham Hotspur
On 31 August 2017, Llorente joined Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as Tottenham () or Spurs, is a professional association football, football club based in Tottenham, London, England. It competes in the Premier League, the top flight of English footba ...
on a two-year deal for a reported fee of £12.1 million. He made his debut for the club on 13 September, replacing Harry Kane
Harry Edward Kane (born 28 July 1993) is an English professional footballer who plays as a striker for club Tottenham Hotspur and captains the England national team. A prolific goalscorer with strong link play, Kane is regarded as one of ...
for the last minutes of a 3–1 home win over Borussia Dortmund
Ballspielverein Borussia 09 e. V. Dortmund, commonly known as Borussia Dortmund (), BVB (), or simply Dortmund (), is a German professional sports club based in Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia. It is best known for its men's professional fo ...
in the Champions League group stage. He made his first start in the EFL Cup
The EFL Cup (referred to historically, and colloquially, as the League Cup), currently known as the Carabao Cup for sponsorship reasons, is an annual knockout competition and major trophy in men's domestic football in England. Organised by t ...
tie against Barnsley
Barnsley () is a market town in South Yorkshire, England. As the main settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley and the fourth largest settlement in South Yorkshire. In Barnsley, the population was 96,888 while the wider Borough ha ...
on 20 September, then played in the Champions League group stage match at Real Madrid which ended 1–1.
Llorente scored his first goal for Spurs on 6 December 2017, playing the full 90 minutes in a 3–0 Champions League win over APOEL
APOEL FC ( el, ΑΠΟΕΛ; short for Αθλητικός Ποδοσφαιρικός Όμιλος Ελλήνων Λευκωσίας, ''Athletikos Podosferikos Omilos Ellinon Lefkosias'', literally "Athletic Football Club of Greeks of Nicosia") ...
after his team had already progressed to the knockout stage as group winners. He made his first league start the following January, scoring in a 2–0 away win against his former club Swansea.
Llorente scored a hat-trick in Spurs' 6–1 victory over Rochdale
Rochdale ( ) is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, at the foothills of the South Pennines in the dale on the River Roch, northwest of Oldham and northeast of Manchester. It is the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Bor ...
in the fifth round of the FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football compet ...
, on 28 February 2018. On 4 January 2019, in the third round
''The Third Round'' (1925) was the second silent film adaptation of the Bulldog Drummond character, starring Jack Buchanan and Betty Faire, adapted by Sidney Morgan from the novel of the same name by H. C. McNeile, and directed by Morgan.
Ca ...
of the next season's competition, he repeated the feat in a 7–0 away rout of Tranmere Rovers
Tranmere Rovers Football Club is a professional association football club based in Birkenhead, Merseyside, England. The team compete in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1884 as Belmont Football Club, they ado ...
, and helped the club record its biggest ever away win. His first league start of the season took place 16 days later due to an injury to Kane, when Llorente scored an own goal
An own goal, also called a self goal, is where a player performs actions that result in them or their team scoring a goal on themselves, often resulting in a point for the opposing team, such as when a football player kicks a ball into their own ...
in a 2–1 away win at Fulham
Fulham () is an area of the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham in West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames, bordering Hammersmith, Kensington and Chelsea. The area faces Wandswor ...
. In the following league game, he scored a late winner to help defeat Watford
Watford () is a town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, 15 miles northwest of Central London, on the River Colne.
Initially a small market town, the Grand Junction Canal encouraged the construction of paper-making mills, print works, and ...
2–1 at Wembley Stadium
Wembley Stadium (branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE for sponsorship reasons) is a football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the Wembley Stadium (1923), original Wembley Stadium, which was demolished from 200 ...
.
On 13 February 2019, Llorente scored the last goal in a 3–0 Champions League win over Borussia Dortmund, only three minutes after coming off the bench; it was his first career goal in the knockout stages of that competition, and 11th in total. On 17 April, in the same competition, he scored what turned out to be the winning goal in the quarter-final fixture against Manchester City
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...
(the tie ended 4–4, Tottenham progressing on the away goals rule
The away goals rule is a method of tiebreaking in association football and other sports when teams play each other twice, once at each team's home ground. Under the away goals rule, if the total goals scored by each team are equal, the team that ...
). In the second leg of the semi-final away to Ajax
Ajax may refer to:
Greek mythology and tragedy
* Ajax the Great, a Greek mythological hero, son of King Telamon and Periboea
* Ajax the Lesser, a Greek mythological hero, son of Oileus, the king of Locris
* ''Ajax'' (play), by the ancient Gree ...
, he replaced Victor Wanyama
Victor Mugubi Wanyama (; born 25 June 1991) is a Kenyan professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Major League Soccer club CF Montréal and the Kenyan national team.
Wanyama became the first ever Kenyan player to score ...
at half time and played a crucial role in helping his team come back from a three-goal aggregate deficit to make it 3–3 and progress again in the same fashion. In the final
Final, Finals or The Final may refer to:
*Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event
** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of cont ...
played in Madrid
Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...
, he was introduced off the bench with eight minutes remaining and the side already behind, was unable to affect the outcome as Liverpool
Liverpool is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the List of English districts by population, 10th largest English district by population and its E ...
won 2–0 to take the trophy.
Despite his success in the Champions League, Llorente's contract expired on 30 June 2019 with no official statement from Tottenham on his position. His name was included in their 'released players' list submitted to the Premier League on 7 June 2019 (before he was actually released),[ and his profile was later removed from the first team squad list on the website for the upcoming season.
]
Napoli
On 2 September 2019, Llorente joined Napoli
Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...
on a free transfer, returning to Italy four years after leaving Juventus. He made his league debut against Sampdoria on 14 September, where he provided an assist for Dries Mertens within minutes of coming on as a substitute to help the team win 2–0. His first goal for the club came three days later in the Champions League group stage game against Liverpool, scoring in injury time to seal a 2–0 victory.
Llorente continued to be used in the 'super-sub' role, as was previously the case at Tottenham; although he was rarely started, he was often brought on in the second half of matches, to cause problems for tiring opposition defences with his physical presence.[
]
Udinese
On 27 January 2021, Llorente signed a one-and-a-half-year contract with Udinese. In August, however, he was released.
Eibar
On 27 October 2021, after three months without a club, the 36-year-old Llorente joined Eibar
Eibar ( eu, Eibar, es, Éibar) is a city and municipality within the province of Gipuzkoa, in the Basque Country of Spain. It is the head town of Debabarrena, one of the '' eskualde / comarca'' of Gipuzkoa.
Eibar has 27,138 inhabitants ( Eusta ...
on a one-year deal. Once it expired, he left.
International career
Llorente represented Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, ...
at the 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship
The 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship was the 15th edition of the FIFA World Youth Championship. It took place in the Netherlands between 10 June and 2 July 2005.
Venues
Qualification
The following 24 teams qualified for the 2005 FIFA Worl ...
, his five goals winning him the silver boot as the competition's second highest scorer. He was also capped
In sport, a cap is a player's appearance in a game at international level. The term dates from the practice in the United Kingdom of awarding a cap to every player in an international match of rugby football and association football. In the ea ...
at under-17 and under-21 levels.
On 14 November 2008, senior national team manager Vicente del Bosque
Vicente del Bosque González, 1st Marquess of Del Bosque (; born 23 December 1950) is a Spanish retired football manager and former player. He is regarded as one of the greatest managers of all time and is to date the only football manager to ha ...
called Llorente up for a friendly against Chile
Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the eas ...
; he was brought on as a substitute in the 72nd minute of the 3–0 win. He scored his first goal in the 64th minute of a 2–0 friendly win over England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...
on 11 February 2009, after coming off the bench. After scoring 14 goals for Athletic in 2008–09, he was named by del Bosque in his 23-man squad for the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup
The 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup was the eighth Confederations Cup, and was held in South Africa from 14 June to 28 June 2009, as a prelude to the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The draw was held on 22 November 2008 at the Sandton Convention Centre in Jo ...
. He was used as a substitute against hosts South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring coun ...
, and closed a 2–0 victory.
Llorente was not selected during the 2009–10 season, as del Bosque favoured Álvaro Negredo
Álvaro Negredo Sánchez (; born 20 August 1985) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays for Cádiz as a striker.
Nicknamed ''La fiera de Vallecas'' (The beast of Vallecas), he has played for Rayo Vallecano, Real Madrid B, Almería, R ...
. He was, however, selected for the 2010 FIFA World Cup
, image = 2010 FIFA World Cup.svg
, size = 200px
, caption = ''Ke Nako. (Tswana and Sotho for "It's time") Celebrate Africa's Humanity'It's time. Celebrate Africa's Humanity'' (English)''Dis tyd. Vier Afrika se mensd ...
in South Africa as third-choice striker, where he played in one match for the eventual champions, the last thirty minutes of the 1–0 round of 16
A single-elimination, knockout, or sudden death tournament is a type of elimination tournament where the loser of each match-up is immediately eliminated from the tournament. Each winner will play another in the next round, until the final matc ...
defeat of Portugal
Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of th ...
.
On 8 October 2010, benefiting from an injury to Fernando Torres
Fernando José Torres Sanz (; born 20 March 1984) is a Spanish football manager and former player who played as a striker. He is the current manager of Atlético Madrid Juvenil A. Due to his consistent goalscoring rate as a young player, ...
, Llorente started in a Euro 2012
The 2012 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2012 or simply Euro 2012, was the 14th European Championship for men's national football teams organised by UEFA. The final tournament, held between 8 June and 1 ...
qualifier
In linguistics, a modifier is an optional element in phrase structure or clause structure which ''modifies'' the meaning of another element in the structure. For instance, the adjective "red" acts as a modifier in the noun phrase "red ball", prov ...
against Lithuania
Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Lithuania ...
in Salamanca
Salamanca () is a city in western Spain and is the capital of the Province of Salamanca in the autonomous community of Castile and León. The city lies on several rolling hills by the Tormes River. Its Old City was declared a UNESCO World Herit ...
, scoring with two headers in a 3–1 win. Four days later, as a substitute, he scored the winner against Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to ...
in a 3–2 victory at Hampden Park. He was selected for the final stages in Poland and Ukraine, and was an unused squad member as Spain won another tournament.
Llorente was one of seven players dropped from the final squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup, 2014 World Cup. He also represented the unofficial Basque Country national football team, Basque Country team five times, making his debut against Cameroon national football team, Cameroon in 2005 and scoring once against Catalonia national football team, Catalonia at the Camp Nou the following year. His last appearance was in December 2007.
Style of play
A tall, large, and physically powerful player, Llorente's main traits are his heading ability and strength in the air, which enable him to function effectively as a Forward (association football)#Centre-forward, target-man in the centre of his team's attacking line. He is also known for his offensive movement, positional sense, and goalscoring ability inside the penalty area. Additionally, he is also gifted with good technical skills and link-up play, which allows him to play well with his back to goal and hold up the ball for his teammates in order to create space and scoring opportunities.[
]
Career statistics
Club
International
:''Scores and results list Spain's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Llorente goal''.
Honours
Athletic Bilbao
*Copa del Rey
The Campeonato de España–Copa de Su Majestad el Rey, commonly known as Copa del Rey or simply La Copa and formerly known as Copa del Presidente de la República (1932–36) and Copa del Generalísimo (1939–76), is an annual knockout footb ...
runner-up: 2008–09 Copa del Rey, 2008–09,[ 2011–12 Copa del Rey, 2011–12
*UEFA Europa League runner-up: 2011–12 UEFA Europa League, 2011–12
Juventus]
*Serie A
The Serie A (), also called Serie A TIM for national sponsorship with TIM, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and the winner is awarded the Scudetto and the Cop ...
: 2013–14 Serie A, 2013–14, 2014–15 Serie A, 2014–15, 2015–16 Serie A, 2015–16
*Coppa Italia: 2014–15 Coppa Italia, 2014–15
*Supercoppa Italiana: 2013 Supercoppa Italiana, 2013, 2015 Supercoppa Italiana, 2015
*UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League (abbreviated as UCL, or sometimes, UEFA CL) is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competi ...
runner-up: 2014–15 UEFA Champions League, 2014–15[
Sevilla][
*UEFA Europa League: 2015–16 UEFA Europa League, 2015–16
Tottenham Hotspur
*UEFA Champions League runner-up: 2018–19 UEFA Champions League, 2018–19][
Napoli
*Coppa Italia: 2019–20 Coppa Italia, 2019–20
Spain][
*FIFA World Cup: 2010 FIFA World Cup, 2010
*UEFA European Championship: UEFA Euro 2012, 2012
*FIFA Confederations Cup third place: 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup, 2009
Individual
*FIFA U-20 World Cup FIFA U-20 World Cup#Golden Boot, Silver Shoe: 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship#Awards, 2005][
Decorations
*Royal Order of Sports Merit, Gold Medal of the Royal Order of Sporting Merit: 2011]
References
External links
*
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Llorente, Fernando
1985 births
Living people
Spanish footballers
Footballers from La Rioja (Spain)
Footballers from Pamplona
Association football forwards
La Liga players
Segunda División players
Segunda División B players
Tercera División players
CD Basconia footballers
Bilbao Athletic footballers
Athletic Bilbao footballers
Sevilla FC players
SD Eibar footballers
Serie A players
Juventus F.C. players
S.S.C. Napoli players
Udinese Calcio players
Premier League players
Swansea City A.F.C. players
Tottenham Hotspur F.C. players
UEFA Europa League winning players
Spain youth international footballers
Spain under-21 international footballers
Spain international footballers
2009 FIFA Confederations Cup players
2010 FIFA World Cup players
UEFA Euro 2012 players
FIFA World Cup-winning players
UEFA European Championship-winning players
Basque Country international footballers
Spanish expatriate footballers
Expatriate footballers in Italy
Expatriate footballers in Wales
Expatriate footballers in England
Spanish expatriate sportspeople in Italy
Spanish expatriate sportspeople in Wales
Spanish expatriate sportspeople in England