Juan Valera Espín (born 21 December 1984) is a Spanish retired professional footballer. He operated as a defender or midfielder, on the right side of the pitch. He amassed La Liga totals of 200 matches and eight goals over 11 seasons, representing in the competition Murcia,

Atlético Madrid Club Atlético de Madrid, Sociedad Anónima Deportiva, 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 profess ...

, Racing de Santander and Getafe.

Club career

Born in Murcia, Valera made his professional debut at hometown's Real Murcia, and first played in La Liga in 2003–04, appearing in ten games during the season. In 2005–06 he moved to

, where his progression was marred by injuries; on 25 February 2006, he scored twice as a substitute in a 5–0 home win against

Málaga CF Málaga Club de Fútbol (, ''Málaga Football Club''), or simply Málaga, is a association football, football club based in Málaga, Andalusia, Spain, that competes in the Segunda División, the second tier of the Spanish football league system, ...

. On 1 September 2008, Valera agreed to a one-year loan at Racing de Santander. On 5 October he netted his first goal for the Cantabrians, in a 1–0 last-minute away victory over CA Osasuna; he also scored in December, but in an insufficient 3–1 UEFA Cup group stage defeat of

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 tw ...

. Recalled for 2009–10, Valera also suffered initially with physical problems. However, he would manage to appear regularly for Atlético over the course of the campaign – more than 30 official matches – mainly as a right back, competing with internationals Luis Perea and Tomáš Ujfaluši for the position. He contributed with seven games in the ''Colchoneros Europa League victorious run, although only three complete, including the 1–2 away defeat against Liverpool in the semi-finals (2–2 aggregate win); he also featured one minute in the final. In mid-August 2011, after Valera and Atlético amicably terminated the player's contract, which expired in June of the following year, he signed with fellow top division side

Getafe CF Getafe Club de Fútbol (), or simply Getafe, is a professional football club based in Getafe, a city in the Community of Madrid. The team competes in La Liga, the highest tier of the Spanish football system. The club's home stadium (owned and op ...

. During his first season he was first-choice right back, replacing longtime incumbent Miguel Torres, and scored his first goal on 26 November 2011 whilst handing FC Barcelona their first loss of the campaign through a 67th-minute header, for the game's only goal at the '' Coliseum Alfonso Pérez''. Again through a set piece and with his head, in the second fixture of

2012–13 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...

, Valera scored the equaliser to help Getafe to an eventual 2–1 home win 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 ...

. On 3 June 2015, he left the club after his contract expired.

Honours

Club

Atlético Madrid * UEFA Europa League: 2009–10 * Copa del Rey runner-up: 2009–10

International

Spain U23 *

Mediterranean Games The Mediterranean Games is a multi-sport event organised by the International Committee of Mediterranean Games (CIJM). It is held every four years among athletes from countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea in Africa, Asia and Europe. The fir ...

2005 File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discovered in ...

Mediterranean Games 2005 (Spain)
at RSSSF

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Valera, Juan 1984 births Living people Footballers from Murcia Spanish footballers Association football defenders Association football midfielders La Liga players Segunda División players Tercera División players Real Murcia Imperial players Real Murcia players Atlético Madrid footballers Racing de Santander players Getafe CF footballers UEFA Europa League winning players Spain under-21 international footballers Spain under-23 international footballers Competitors at the 2005 Mediterranean Games Mediterranean Games medalists in football Mediterranean Games gold medalists for Spain