Llorenç Gómez León (born 3 November 1991), often known simply as Llorenç, is a

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

former beach soccer player who played as a forward. He represented Spain at the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup in

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fa ...

, 2015 and

2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October 2021 coup in Sudan; Crowd shortly after t ...

. Llorenç was considered as one of the best players in the world during his career and one of the best Spanish players ever, having won the best player award at the 2018 Beach Soccer Stars awards ceremony. He retired from the sport prematurely in September 2021, aged just 29, citing chronic injuries. He was close to 1000 career goals at the time of his retirement.

Career

Llorenç took up

association football Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

aged five and developed aspirations of becoming a professional player.Llorenç Gómez: “I knew that one day I would go on that stage and I would be given the award”
Cambrils Park Sport Village. 15 May 2019. Retrieved 3 October 2020. At age 13, he joined the youth academy of

Gimnàstic de Tarragona Club Gimnàstic de Tarragona, commonly known as Gimnàstic Tarragona or sometimes just Nàstic, is a Spanish sports club based in Tarragona, in the autonomous community of Catalonia. Its football team plays in Primera División RFEF – Group 2. ...

. Llorenç subsequently began suffering knee problems at the age of 16, ultimately resulting in a diagnosis of

osteoarthritis Osteoarthritis (OA) is a type of degenerative joint disease that results from breakdown of joint cartilage and underlying bone which affects 1 in 7 adults in the United States. It is believed to be the fourth leading cause of disability in the w ...

and the need for multiple operations.Llorenç Gómez, nuestro 'Beach Boy'
(in Spanish). MARCA. 18 November 2018. Retrieved 3 October 2020. He was advised to train on sand as part of his rehabilitation as the surface is low-impact on knees; this is where Llorenç first encountered beach soccer.Llorenc se pince pour y croire, et ça marche
(in French). FIFA.com. 27 September 2013. Retrieved 3 October 2020. He developed a liking for the derivative and took it up as a hobby. Aged 19, he was told to abandon his desire of becoming a footballer because of his medical condition. Thus, Llorenç began to pursue beach soccer more seriously; he experienced a rapid rise through the ranks. After joining his local club in

Torredembarra Torredembarra (), normally called La Torre by its inhabitants, is a town in the ''comarca'' of the Tarragonès, in the province of Tarragona, Catalonia, Spain. It is located on the Costa Daurada, it faces Altafulla to the west, La Pobla de Mon ...

, he was soon selected for the

Catalonia Catalonia (; ca, Catalunya ; Aranese Occitan: ''Catalonha'' ; es, Cataluña ) is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a '' nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy. Most of the territory (except the Val d'Aran) lies on the nort ...

n regional team.Llorenç Gómez: 'El futbol platja és futbol d'espectacle'
(in Catalan). Reus Digital. 20 July 2013. Retrieved 3 October 2020. It was playing for the latter where Llorenç was spotted by coach Joaquín Alonso and called up to the Spanish national team. He debuted at the second stage of the 2011 Euro Beach Soccer League,Edition 170
(in Spanish). RFEF Magazine. Pages 61–62. October 2013. Retrieved 4 October 2020. and from there quickly established himself as part of the squad.L'Eurocopa, proper objectiu de Llorenç Gómez
(in Catalan). Reus Digital. 18 June 2013. Retrieved 3 October 2020. In 2013, he took the number 10 shirt from the recently retired Amarelle and helped Spain to a runners-up finish at the

2013 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup The 2013 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup was the seventh edition of the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup. Overall, this was the 17th edition of a world cup in beach soccer since the establishment of the ''Beach Soccer World Championships'' which ran from ...

, scoring his country's only goal 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 ...

. In 2014, he was nominated as one of the world's best three players of the year and was part of the team of the year at the Beach Soccer Stars awards ceremony;Stars shine bright in Dubai
Beach Soccer Worldwide. 7 November 2014. Retrieved 3 October 2020. FIFA.com too called Llorenç a "emerging star" of the sport.Llorenc Gomez shines on hometown sands
FIFA.com. 27 August 2014. Retrieved 3 October 2020. He also won the award for best goal of the year. As well as continuing to represent Spain, in order to make a full living from the sport, he has also played for numerous club sides in leagues around the world as a sought after player. Major clubs include

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 ci ...

(Spain), Kristall (

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...

Lokomotiv Moscow FC Lokomotiv Moscow (''FC Lokomotiv Moskva'', russian: link=no, Футбольный клуб "Локомотив" Москва, ) is a Russian professional football club based in Moscow. Lokomotiv have won the Russian Premier League on three oc ...

(Russia),

Flamengo Clube de Regatas do Flamengo (; English: ''Flamengo Rowing Club''), more commonly referred to as simply Flamengo, is a Brazilian sports club based in Rio de Janeiro, in the neighborhood of Gávea, best known for their professional football ...

(

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

), KP Łódź (Poland), Falfala Kfar Qassem (

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

), Tokyo Verdy ( Japan), Catania (

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

) and Artur Music (

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...

). He has tasted international success in the 2015 Mundialito de Clubes, 2015 Euro Winners Cup, 2017 Mundialito de Clubes and 2019 World Winners Cup with each of the first four clubs respectively. He regularly wins top scorer and best player awards at the events in which he plays; he has accumulated over 40 individual awards in his career.The history of... Llorenç Gómez León
Enzo10official. Retrieved 3 October 2020. In 2018, Llorenç was named as the best beach soccer player in the world at the Beach Soccer Stars awards, ahead of Brazilians, Bruno Xavier and Datiñha. The commendation was presented to him by his former teammate and idol, Amarelle. He collected the award on crutches, having fractured his

metatarsal The metatarsal bones, or metatarsus, are a group of five long bones in the foot, located between the tarsal bones of the hind- and mid-foot and the phalanges of the toes. Lacking individual names, the metatarsal bones are numbered from the me ...

at the Intercontinental Cup. Llorenç's third appearance at the World Cup, in 2021, was marred by injury and a red card in Spain's second match versus

Tahiti Tahiti (; Tahitian ; ; previously also known as Otaheite) is the largest island of the Windward group of the Society Islands in French Polynesia. It is located in the central part of the Pacific Ocean and the nearest major landmass is Austra ...

. A month later, in a shock announcement on social media, he declared that he was retiring from beach soccer due to the "degenerative" nature of his injuries and the need to prioritise his quality of life. Within a fortnight, he was named as the new head coach of the

regional team.

Style of play

Llorenç is known for his finishing ability, technical skills and natural ability at

bicycle kick In association football, a bicycle kick, also known as an overhead kick, scissors kick, is an acrobatic strike where a player kicks an airborne ball rearward in midair. It is achieved by throwing the body backward up into the air and, before d ...

s.“I will never forget the day I won the Best Player award”
Beach Soccer Worldwide. 29 August 2019. Retrieved 3 October 2020. He is a forward but is known to be versatile and so can play in any outfield position if required. Fellow Spanish teammate, Dona, says that Llorenç will shoot and score when least expected and will always perform when his team need him to the most. He claims to have "learnt everything" about beach soccer from Amarelle. He has also been compared to

Ronaldinho Ronaldo de Assis Moreira (born 21 March 1980), commonly known as Ronaldinho Gaúcho () or simply Ronaldinho, is a Brazilian retired professional association football, footballer who played mostly as an attacking midfielder, but was also deplo ...

. Llorenç is left-footed.

Personal life

Llorenç was born in

Sant Cugat del Vallès Sant Cugat del Vallès (; es, San Cugat del Vallés, link=no) is a town and municipality north of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. Known as ''Castrum Octavianum'' in antiquity (which literally means ''the castle of Octavianus'') and as ''Pins del Val ...

but has lived in

since he was seven years old. He has three sisters, and as of 2019, a total of seven nephews and nieces.

was his childhood idol. He can speak five languages and can play the

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected strin ...

.Llorenç Gómez: “Cada día de vida es un regalo”
SeFutbol. 9 April 2020. Retrieved 3 October 2020. He is well known for his exuberance and positive, philosophical outlook towards life. He studied to be a "Senior Sports Physical Activities Technician" and holds a UEFA A Licence. In addition, Llorenç owns his own sports brand, "Enzo10", and is signed with adidas. Llorenç supports

RCD 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 ...

and received a special reception from club in 2013 after Spain's second-place finish at the World Cup.RCD Espanyol homages Llorenç Gomez
Beach Soccer Worldwide. 23 December 2013. Retrieved 3 October 2020.

Statistics

;Country

;Club

Honours

The following is a selection, not an exhaustive list, of the major honours Llorenç has achieved:Awards
(in Spanish). Enzo10official. Retrieved 3 October 2010.

Country

* FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup **Runner-up (1):

Euro Beach Soccer League The Euro Beach Soccer League (EBSL) is the premier competition in beach soccer contested between European men's national teams. The competition has been held annually since its establishment in 1998, making it the oldest beach soccer tournament in ...

**Runner-up (2):

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the Unit ...

**Third place (1):

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

* Intercontinental Cup **Runner-up (1):

European Games The European Games is a continental multi-sport event in the Olympic tradition contested by athletes from European nations and several transcontinental countries. The Games were envisioned and are governed by the European Olympic Committees ...

: **Silver medal (1):

* Euro Beach Soccer Cup: **Winner (1):

* Mundialito: **Winner (1):

**Runner-up (1):

Club

National

''Leagues won'' *Liga Nacional (Spain): 2012 * Superliga (Russia): 2015 *Swiss League: 2017 *

Ekstraklasa Poland Ekstraklasa (), meaning "Extra Class" in Polish, named PKO Ekstraklasa since the 2019–20 season due to its sponsorship by PKO Bank Polski, is the top Polish professional league for men's association football teams. Contested by 18 ...

(Poland): 2017 * Campeonato Elite (Portugal): 2017 *JFA League (Japan): 2018 *Liga Carioca (Brazil): 2019 ''Cups won'' *Copa Italiana (Italy): 2012 *Russian Cup: 2015 *Polish Cup: 2018

International

* Euro Winners Cup: **Winner (1): 2015 * Mundialito de Clubes **Winner (2): 2015,

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a s ...

*World Winners Cup **Winner (1): 2019 * Copa Libertadores **Runner-up (1):

Individual

* Beach Soccer Stars (5): **World's best player: 2018 **World's top 3 best players: 2014 **World dream team: 2014, 2018 **Goal of the year: 2014 *

(9): **Superfinal: ***Best player: 2018 ***Top scorer: 2014 **Regular season stages: ***Best player: 2012(1), 2017(1) ***Top scorer: 2012(1), 2013(1), 2014(1), 2017(1), 2018(1) * Mundialito (1): **Top scorer:

*World Beach Games qualification (1): **Best player:

* Euro Winners Cup (2): **Top scorer:

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global social and economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, worldwide lockdowns and the largest economic recession since the Great Depression in t ...

*Liga Nacional (Spain; 4): **Best player: 2012 **Top scorer: 2012, 2013, 2017 * Superliga (Russia; 3): **Best player: 2017 (stage 1), 2018 **Top scorer: 2018 *

(Poland; 2): **Top scorer: 2018, 2020 *JFA League (Japan; 1): **Top scorer: 2018 *Liga Carioca (Brazil; 2): **Best player: 2019 **Top scorer: 2019

References

External links

Official websiteLlorenç Gomez
profile at

Beach Soccer Worldwide Beach Soccer Worldwide (BSWW) is the organisation responsible for the founding and growth of association football's derivative sport of beach soccer. The founding partners of BSWW codified the rules of beach soccer in 1992, with BSWW as it is know ...

Llorenc Gomez
profile at Beach Soccer Russia (in Russian) {{DEFAULTSORT:Gomez, Llorenc 1991 births Living people Spanish footballers Spanish beach soccer players Association football forwards European Games silver medalists for Spain Beach soccer players at the 2015 European Games European Games medalists in beach soccer Beach soccer players at the 2019 European Games