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, Real Madrid, Sevilla, Manchester City, Valencia, Middlesbrough, Beşiktaş, Al-Nasr and Cádiz. In ten seasons in La Liga, he amassed totals of 333 matches and 127 goals.

Negredo earned 21 caps for Spain, scoring ten goals and being part of the team that won Euro 2012.

Club career

Real Madrid

Born in Madrid, Negredo started his career at Rayo Vallecano, making his professional debut in early 2005 with the club in Segunda División B. In the middle of the year he moved to another side in the country's capital, Real Madrid affiliate Real Madrid Castilla.

Negredo developed as a striker in his last season, scoring 18 league goals, although he could not prevent Castilla's drop from Segunda División. He did manage to impress first-team coach Fabio Capello and was called up for a few games in the Copa del Rey, but remained an unused substitute.

Almería

In July 2007, Negredo was sold to La Liga newcomers UD Almería, with Real Madrid having an option to buy him back. He made his top flight debut on 26 August in a 3–0 shock win at Deportivo de La Coruña. on 2 February 2008, he scored from the penalty spot in a 2–0 home win against his former team and, on 19 April, he added two – after having missed a penalty kick – in a 4–1 away victory over UEFA Cup and Spanish Cup holders Sevilla FC.

Negredo finished the campaign as Almería's top scorer with 13 goals, as the Andalusian side finished eighth. In 2008–09 he scored five in the team's first six matches, including a 95th-minute winner against neighbours Recreativo de Huelva (1–0) on 28 September 2008. In February of the following year he scored twice against Valencia CF in a 3–2 away loss, which took his league tally to ten, and finished with 19.

Return to Real Madrid

Real Madrid exercised their buyback option of a reported €5 million on Negredo in June 2009, and the player returned to training with the club on 10 July. In the pre-season he scored the fourth goal against LDU Quito in a 4–2 win for the Peace Cup.

Negredo had been tipped to join Real Zaragoza or Hull City, but finally decided to sign a reported five-year deal with Sevilla for €15 million, with Real Madrid having an option to buy the player back in the first two years. New manager Manuel Pellegrini could not guarantee him first-team football with the likes of Karim Benzema, Gonzalo Higuaín, Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, Ruud van Nistelrooy and Cristiano Ronaldo in the squad, and subsequently advised him to leave and join Sevilla in order to fulfill his potential; Negredo later revealed his admiration for Pellegrini's honesty.

Sevilla

Negredo made his debut for Sevilla on 30 August 2009, coming as a substitute in the 55th minute of a 2–0 away loss to Valencia. Two weeks later he scored his first goal, against CA Osasuna in a 2–0 away win.

A starter throughout most of 2009–10, with Luís Fabiano and Frédéric Kanouté fighting for the other striker berth, Negredo's first year was highly irregular. He suffered a scoring drought that lasted (in the league alone) 12 games, only ending on 2 May 2010 in a 3–1 home win against Atlético Madrid, his two goals coming from penalties (he had already lost his starting position at the time, but the Malian was suspended for that game). He added another two in the following match, a 5–1 away rout of Racing de Santander for a total of 11 in the league, and scored one more in the UEFA Champions League. He was also sent off three times in the season, the last of which almost prevented him from taking part in the domestic cup final against Atlético Madrid after insulting the assistant referee in Sevilla's 3–2 win at former club Almería; the ban was later lifted and he was allowed to play – Fabiano was unavailable for the match through injury – in the 2–0 final win.

Negredo was a regular first choice in the 2010–11 campaign, scoring 26 times across all competitions, 20 in the league (Fabiano also returned to São Paulo FC in March 2011). Highlights included two goals each against Villarreal CF (3–3 away draw in the cup, in an eventual semi-final run), Deportivo (3–3 away draw), Real Madrid (6–2 home loss), Osasuna (3–2 loss, away) and RCD Espanyol (3–2 away win).

Negredo took his 2012–13 league total to 13 on 4 March 2013, after scoring a hat-trick in a 4–1 home win over RC Celta de Vigo. He scored all of his team's goals on the last day of the season, a 4–3 defeat of Valencia CF also at the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán Stadium, clinching the Zarra Trophy in the process.

Manchester City

On 19 July 2013, Manchester City announced the signing of Negredo. The fee was reported as £16.4 million plus add-ons, and he signed a four-year deal. He moved to the Premier League club shortly after teammate Jesús Navas.

Negredo made his league debut on 19 August 2013, coming on as a substitute for countryman David Silva in a 4–0 home win against Newcastle United. He scored his first goal for the club the following match on 25 August, a header in a 3–2 defeat at newly promoted Cardiff City, He scored his first goal at the City of Manchester Stadium in the next round, a 2–0 home victory over Hull City.

On 5 November 2013, Negredo scored his first hat-trick for City, contributing to a 5–2 group stage home win against PFC CSKA Moscow which qualified the former for the round of 16. This was the first time a Manchester City player had scored a hat-trick in the Champions League. He repeated the feat on 8 January of the following year, in a 6–0 home rout of West Ham United in the first leg of the Football League Cup semi-final.

Despite not scoring since January 2014, Negredo finished the season with 23 goals from 48 appearances in all competitions.

Valencia

On 1 September 2014, Negredo signed a loan deal with Valencia, which included an obligatory purchase clause, requiring the club to buy his rights at the end of the campaign for an amount believed to be around €27 million. He scored his first competitive goal in his first appearance on 7 December, starting in a 1–1 away draw against Granada CF which was also his first appearance.

Negredo joined Valencia on a permanent basis on 1 July 2015. On 25 August, he helped his team reach the Champions League group phase by scoring in the fourth minute of an eventual 2–1 loss at AS Monaco FC (4–3 on aggregate).

In October 2015, after criticising manager Nuno Espírito Santo's choice of tactics, Negredo was completely ostracised. He began to play again under new boss Gary Neville, notably scoring three goals in a 4–0 home win over Granada in the domestic cup.

On 20 July 2016, Negredo joined Middlesbrough on loan. He scored in his first appearance, putting the hosts ahead in a 1–1 home draw against Stoke City.

Beşiktaş

On 3 August 2017, Negredo signed for Süper Lig side Beşiktaş J.K. on a three-year deal. He scored his first goal for his new team on 28 October, helping them to a 2–1 away win over Alanyaspor. During his first weeks, he failed to establish his place in the starting eleven due to the good form of Cenk Tosun, who was sold to Everton in the winter transfer window.

On 16 August 2018, Negredo came on as a substitute and scored a last-minute winner in a 2–1 away defeat of LASK in the Europa League third-qualifying round, leading the Black Eagles to the play-off round on the away goals rule 2–2 on aggregate. He celebrated by taking off his shirt, and received a second yellow card for the excessive celebration.

Beşiktaş and Negredo mutually terminated their contract on 18 September 2018. He later cited the club's financial struggles as the reason behind the termination.

Al-Nasr

On 18 September 2018, Negredo signed for Al-Nasr SC on a two-year contract. His maiden appearance in the UAE Pro-League took place three days later, and he missed a penalty late into a 3–0 home loss against Al Ain FC.

On 17 January 2020, Negredo scored in the first minute of the final of the UAE League Cup against Shabab Al-Ahli Dubai FC, eventually helping his team win their second title in the competition after the 2–1 victory.

Cádiz

Negredo returned to his homeland in July 2020, with the 34-year-old agreeing to a one-year deal at Cádiz CF who had just returned to the top division. He scored in his second appearance, helping to a 2–0 away win over SD Huesca. He added a further seven until the end of the season – squad best – as the side easily managed to avoid relegation, automatically renewing his contract until June 2022.

International career

On 6 October 2009, Negredo received his first call to the Spain senior team, for a 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Armenia on the 10th, following the injuries of David Villa and Daniel Güiza. He made his debut in that game, replacing Fernando Torres early into the second half of an eventual 2–1 away win.

Four days later, Negredo started and scored twice – also providing two assists – in another away fixture, against Bosnia and Herzegovina (5–2 triumph), as Spain eventually won all ten group matches. He was, however, overlooked for the final stages in South Africa, with the national team winning the tournament.

Negredo was chosen by manager Vicente del Bosque for his UEFA Euro 2012 squad. He played twice in the tournament in Poland and Ukraine, including one start against Portugal in the semi-finals (4–2 penalty shootout win, 0–0 after 120 minutes).

Negredo was one of seven players cut from Spain's final squad for the 2014 World Cup, alongside City teammate Navas.

Style of play

A tall striker with an eye for goal, Negredo mainly operated in a central role. Although he was regarded as a static forward, he was also known for his powerful striking ability with his left foot and his strength in the air, and was also capable of dropping into deeper positions in order to link-up with the midfielders.

Personal life

Negredo's older brothers, César and Rubén, were also footballers, the former a defender and the latter a forward. Both played their entire careers in division three or lower.

His father, José María, worked as a taxi driver in Madrid.

Career statistics

Club

International

:''Scores and results list Spain's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Negredo goal.''

Honours

Sevilla
* Copa del Rey: 2009–10

Manchester City
* Premier League: 2013–14
*Football League Cup: 2013–14

Al Nasr
*UAE League Cup: 2019–20

Spain
* UEFA European Championship: 2012

Individual
* Zarra Trophy: 2010–11, 2012–13

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Negredo, Alvaro
1985 births
Living people
Footballers from Madrid
Spanish footballers
Association football forwards
La Liga players
Segunda División players
Segunda División B players
Tercera División players
Rayo Vallecano B players
Rayo Vallecano players
Real Madrid Castilla footballers
Real Madrid CF players
UD Almería players
Sevilla FC players
Valencia CF players
Cádiz CF players
Premier League players
Manchester City F.C. players
Middlesbrough F.C. players
Süper Lig players
Beşiktaş J.K. footballers
UAE Pro League players
Al-Nasr SC (Dubai) players
Spain under-21 international footballers
Spain international footballers
UEFA Euro 2012 players
UEFA European Championship-winning players
Spanish expatriate footballers
Expatriate footballers in England
Expatriate footballers in Turkey
Expatriate footballers in the United Arab Emirates
Spanish expatriate sportspeople in England
Spanish expatriate sportspeople in Turkey
Spanish expatriate sportspeople in the United Arab Emirates