Mikhael Aimar Jaimez-Ruiz (born 12 July 1984) is a

Venezuelan Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...

former 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, rugby le ...

who played as a

goalkeeper In many team sports which involve scoring goals, the goalkeeper (sometimes termed goaltender, netminder, GK, goalie or keeper) is a designated player charged with directly preventing the opposing team from scoring by blocking or intercepting o ...

. He started his senior career at Olimpia Gherla in 2003, and had spells at

CFR Cluj Fotbal Club CFR 1907 Cluj, commonly known as CFR Cluj ( or ), is a Romanian professional association football, football club based in the city of Cluj-Napoca, Cluj County, which competes in the Liga I. It was founded in 1907 as ''Kolozsvári Vas ...

, FC Arieşul Turda and

Barnet Barnet may refer to: People *Barnet (surname) * Barnet (given name) Places United Kingdom *Chipping Barnet or High Barnet, commonly known as Barnet, one of three focal towns of the borough below. *East Barnet, a district of the borough below; an ...

before joining Northwood in 2007. He made eleven appearances at Northwood, but soon moved to

Aldershot Town Aldershot Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Aldershot Aldershot () is a town in Hampshire, England. It lies on heathland in the extreme northeast corner of the county, southwest of London. The area i ...

in 2007. During his three-year spell at Aldershot, he made 49 league appearances, before returning to his native Venezuela, when he joined

Yaracuyanos FC The club Yaracuyanos Fútbol Club is a professional football club, founded in 2006 promoted to Venezuelan league in 2009, based in San Felipe. History In the 2006-2007 was their debut season in Tercera División being champions and winning pr ...

in 2010, where he made 9 league appearances. He rejoined Aldershot Town in February 2011, but did not make a single appearance, and, after a one-off game for

Hemel Hempstead Town Hemel Hempstead Town Football Club is a semi-professional football club based in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, England. Affiliated to the Hertfordshire County Football Association, they are currently members of the National League South and pla ...

, he joined

Conference South The National League South, formerly Conference South, is one of the second divisions of the National League in England, immediately below the top division National League. Along with National League North, it is in the second level of the N ...

side

Dover Athletic Dover Athletic Football Club is a semi-professional association football club based in the town of Dover, Kent, England. The club currently competes in the National League South, the sixth tier of English football. The club was formed in 198 ...

on a free transfer in August 2011. He made 38 league appearances for the club, before switching to AFC Wimbledon in August 2012. However, he made just two appearances for AFC Wimbledon, and left the club in June 2013.

Career

Jaimez-Ruiz finished his education in

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...

and moved to the United States. He played university soccer for

Graceland University Graceland University is a private university with campuses in Lamoni, Iowa, and Independence, Missouri. The university offers degree completion and master's degree programs at satellite campuses in Centerville and Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and Trento ...

and St. Gregory's University. In 2004, Jamiez-Ruiz moved to

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...

and played for Olimpia Gherla,

and Arieşul Turda. Jamiez-Ruiz moved to England and signed for

on non-contract terms in 2006. He never played for Barnet and joined Northwood in early 2007. He then joined

on non-contract terms in April 2007 and was an unused substitute goalkeeper in the last two

Conference National The National League, known as the Vanarama National League for sponsorship reasons, is the highest level of the National League System and fifth-highest of the overall English football league system. It is the highest league that is semi-profes ...

league games of that season. In July 2007, Jaimez-Ruiz signed a full contract at Aldershot. He made three league appearances near the end of a season. He also played in the

Conference League Cup The Conference League Cup (formerly known as the Setanta Shield for sponsorship reasons, and before that the Bob Lord Trophy) was a football competition open to clubs playing in the Football Conference. History The competition was formed for ...

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 ...

, when Aldershot beat

Rushden & Diamonds Rushden & Diamonds Football Club was an association football club based in Irthlingborough, Northamptonshire, England. Nicknamed "The Diamonds", the club played at Nene Park. The club's main rivals were county neighbours Kettering Town. The cl ...

. He saved a

penalty Penalty or The Penalty may refer to: Sports * Penalty (golf) * Penalty (gridiron football) * Penalty (ice hockey) * Penalty (rugby) * Penalty (rugby union) * Penalty kick (association football) * Penalty shoot-out (association football) * Penalty ...

extra time Overtime or extra time is an additional period of play specified under the rules of a sport to bring a game to a decision and avoid declaring the match a tie or draw where the scores are the same. In some sports, this extra period is played onl ...

and again in the

penalty shootout The penalty shootout is a method of determining a winner in sports matches that would have otherwise been drawn or tied. The rules for penalty shootouts vary between sports and even different competitions; however, the usual form is similar to pen ...

. He signed a new contract with Aldershot Town in the summer of 2008 and he made his

Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in the world. It was the top-level football league in Engla ...

debut in October 2008 at home against

Bury Bury may refer to: *The burial of human remains *-bury, a suffix in English placenames Places England * Bury, Cambridgeshire, a village * Bury, Greater Manchester, a town, historically in Lancashire ** Bury (UK Parliament constituency) (1832–19 ...

. Jamiez-Ruiz signed another one-year contract with Aldershot in May 2009 and following the departure of

Nikki Bull Nikki Bull (born 2 October 1981) is an English professional footballer who is the manager of Guildford City. During his playing career, he was a goalkeeper, representing Aldershot Town and Wycombe Wanderers, Queens Park Rangers, Hayes and latt ...

in the summer of 2009 he became the first choice goalkeeper. In November 2009, he was awarded the Aldershot Player of the Month award for October. He was released at the end of the 2009–10 season and joined Venezuelan club

. In February 2011, Jaimez-Ruiz returned to Aldershot Town, but was released at the end of the season without making an appearance. He made a one-off appearance for

in a 1–1 draw against Leamington.

Dover Athletic

Jaimez-Ruiz signed for

side

in August 2011. He was released at the end of the season.

AFC Wimbledon

Jaimez-Ruiz signed for

AFC Wimbledon AFC Wimbledon is an English professional Association football, football club, based in London Borough of Merton, Merton, London, that plays in the EFL League Two, after being relegated from the EFL League One following the 2021–22 EFL Leagu ...

League Two The English Football League Two (often referred to as League Two for short or Sky Bet League Two for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League Two from 2004 until 2016) is the third and lowest division of the English Football Lea ...

on 8 August 2012. He made his first appearance for the Dons in the First Round of the

Football League Trophy The English Football League Trophy, known for sponsorship purposes as the Papa Johns Trophy after restaurant chain Papa John's Pizza, is an annual English association football knockout competition open to all clubs in EFL League One and EFL Leag ...

on 4 September 2012, in a 2–1 loss to

Southend United Southend United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England. As of the 2022–23 season, the team competes in the National League, the fifth tier of English football. Southend are known as ...

. Jaimez-Ruiz made his league début for AFC Wimbledon on 8 September 2012 against

Northampton Town Northampton Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Northampton, England. The team plays in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1897, the club competed in the Midland ...

. On 21 June 2013, it was confirmed that Jaimez-Ruiz had been released by AFC Wimbledon due to the club's new goalkeeping structure for next season.

Hayes & Yeading United

On 17 August 2013, Jaimez-Ruiz signed for

side Hayes & Yeading United, having played in a pre-season friendly for

Phil Babb Philip Andrew Babb (born 30 November 1970) is a sports television pundit and former professional football player and manager. As a player he was a central defender who made over 370 league appearances during his career, most notably spending ...

's side.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Jaimez-Ruiz, Mikhael 1984 births Living people Venezuelan men's footballers Venezuela men's international footballers Men's association football goalkeepers Graceland University alumni Graceland Yellowjackets men's soccer players St. Gregory's University alumni St. Gregory's Cavaliers men's soccer players CFR Cluj players ACS Sticla Arieșul Turda players Barnet F.C. players Northwood F.C. players Aldershot Town F.C. players Yaracuyanos FC players Hemel Hempstead Town F.C. players Dover Athletic F.C. players AFC Wimbledon players Hayes & Yeading United F.C. players Wealdstone F.C. players Royston Town F.C. players English Football League players National League (English football) players Southern Football League players Isthmian League players Venezuelan expatriate men's footballers Venezuelan expatriate sportspeople in Romania Venezuelan expatriate sportspeople in England Expatriate men's footballers in Romania Expatriate men's footballers in England Expatriate men's soccer players in the United States Venezuelan expatriate sportspeople in the United States Sportspeople from Mérida, Mérida