Francisco Javier "Javi" Chica Torres (born 17 May 1985) is a Spanish former
footballer. Capable of appearing at either
right or left-back, his main asset was his physical strength.
He spent the better part of his professional career with
Espanyol, appearing in 136 competitive matches over a five-year spell. In
La Liga, he also represented
Betis.
Club career
Espanyol
Born in
Barcelona,
Catalonia, Chica was a product of
RCD Espanyol's youth system. He made his first-team debut on 15 October 2006 in a 0–0 away draw against
Villarreal CF, and appeared in 27
La Liga games in his
first year, adding ten as the club
went all the way to
the final of the
UEFA Cup, losing it to fellow Spaniards
Sevilla FC (he did not play the decisive match itself).
Never an undisputed starter in the following seasons, Chica continued to be regularly used at Espanyol, featuring in an average of more than 20 matches per season as either a
right or left-back.
Betis
In late May 2011,
free agent Chica signed a four-year contract with
Real Betis,
recently returned to the top division. He made his official debut on 27 August, starting at right-back in a 1–0 away win against
Granada CF.
Chica scored his first goal as a senior on 20 April 2014, but it happened in a 3–1 loss at
Rayo Vallecano; the
Andalusians also suffered relegation at the end of
the campaign after ranking last.
Valladolid
On 9 July 2014, despite having still one year left on his Betis contract, Chica agreed to a two-year deal with
Real Valladolid, also in the
Segunda División
The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Segunda División, commercially known as LaLiga SmartBank for sponsorship reasons, is the men's second professional association football division of the Spanish football league system. Administrated by the Lig ...
. He totalled 60 games during his stint at the
Estadio José Zorrilla
Estadio José Zorrilla () is a municipally-owned football stadium in Valladolid, Spain. The capacity of the stadium is 26,451 seats, making it the 22nd-largest stadium in Spain and the largest in Castile and León.
History
The stadium was built ...
.
Later career
Chica returned to his native region in January 2017, joining
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 Foot ...
side
UE Llagostera. Before retiring in 2019 at the age of 34, he spent one year with amateurs
FE Grama
Fundació Esportiva Grama is a Spanish football team based in Santa Coloma de Gramenet, Barcelona, in the autonomous community of Catalonia. Founded on 2 July 2013, it plays in , holding home games at ''Nou Municipal de Gramenet'', with a capacit ...
.
In summer 2020, Chica returned to Espanyol as youth coach.
Honours
Espanyol
*
UEFA Cup runner-up:
2006–07[
Spain U19
* UEFA European Under-19 Championship: ]2004
2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO).
Events January
* January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 6 ...
References
External links
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*
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chica, Javi
1985 births
Living people
Spanish men's footballers
Footballers from Barcelona
Men's association football fullbacks
La Liga players
Segunda División players
Segunda División B players
Tercera División players
RCD Espanyol B footballers
RCD Espanyol footballers
Real Betis players
Real Valladolid players
CF Badalona Futur players
Kings League players
Spain men's youth international footballers
Catalonia men's international footballers