Antonio Manuel Luna Rodríguez (born 17 March 1991) is a Spanish 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 lea ...
who plays as a
left-back
In the sport of association football, a defender is an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield player whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring.
Defenders fall into four main categ ...
.
Formed at
Sevilla
Seville ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Spanish autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the River Guadalquivir, in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula.
Seville ...
, where he won the
Copa del Rey
The , commonly known as , or (in English) the Spanish Cup or King's Cup, and formerly known as Copa del Presidente de la República (1932–1936) and Copa del Generalísimo (1939–1976), is an annual knockout football competition in Spanis ...
in his second professional game in
2010
The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...
, he also represented
Almería
Almería (, , ) is a city and municipalities in Spain, municipality of Spain, located in Andalusia. It is the capital of the province of Almería, province of the same name. It lies in southeastern Iberian Peninsula, Iberia on the Mediterranean S ...
,
Mallorca
Mallorca, or Majorca, is the largest of the Balearic Islands, which are part of Spain, and the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, seventh largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.
The capital of the island, Palma, Majorca, Palma, i ...
,
Eibar
Eibar (, ) is a city and municipality within the province of Gipuzkoa, in the Autonomous Community of Euskadi. It is the capital of the '' eskualde / comarca'' of Debabarrena.
Eibar has 27,138 inhabitants ( Eustat, 2018). Its chief industry is ...
and
Levante in
La Liga
The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Primera División, commonly known as the Primera División or La Liga, and officially known as LaLiga EA Sports for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Spain and the highest ...
, totalling 125 games. He had one season at
Aston Villa
Aston Villa Football Club (commonly referred to as simply Villa) is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club, founded in 1874, compete in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. The team have p ...
in the
Premier League
The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...
, as well as playing in Italy and Greece.
Club career
Sevilla
Born in
Son Servera
Son Servera () is a municipality in northeast Majorca, in the Balearic Islands, Spain.
Founded in 1300 by James I of Aragon
James I the Conqueror ( Catalan/Valencian: ''Jaume I or Jaume el Conqueridor''; Aragonese: ''Chaime I'' ''o Conquerido ...
,
Mallorca
Mallorca, or Majorca, is the largest of the Balearic Islands, which are part of Spain, and the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, seventh largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.
The capital of the island, Palma, Majorca, Palma, i ...
, Luna finished his youth career in
Andalusia
Andalusia ( , ; , ) is the southernmost autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in Peninsular Spain, located in the south of the Iberian Peninsula, in southwestern Europe. It is the most populous and the second-largest autonomou ...
with
Sevilla FC
Sevilla Fútbol Club () is a Spanish professional association football, football club based in Seville, Andalusia, that competes in La Liga, the Spanish football league system, top flight of Spanish football. The club was formed on 25 January ...
, making his senior debut with
the reserves in the
Segunda División B
Segunda División B (English: 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 ...
. On 15 and 19 May 2010, he appeared in his first two official games with the first team in the absence of the injured
Fernando Navarro, and both were decisive ones: in the first, he featured the full 90 minutes as his team won 3–2 away against
UD Almería
Unión Deportiva Almería, S.A.D. () is a List of football clubs in Spain, Spanish professional football club based in Almería, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. Founded on 26 July 1989 and known as ''Almería Club de Fútbol'' until 2001 ...
in
the last round
''The Last Round'' () is a 1976 Italian crime film directed by Stelvio Massi.
Cast
*Carlos Monzón: Marco Russo
* Luc Merenda: Rico Manzetti
* Leonora Fani: Nina
*Mariangela Giordano: Lisa's Mother
*Gianni Dei: Beny Manzetti
* Giampiero Albertin ...
, finally edging
RCD Mallorca
Real Club Deportivo Mallorca, Sociedad Anónima Deportiva, S.A.D. (, , ''Royal Sporting Club Mallorca''), commonly known as Real Mallorca or RCD Mallorca, is a Spanish professional association football, football club based in Palma de Mallorca, ...
for the last
qualification position for the
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League (UCL) is an annual club association football competition organised by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) that is contested by List of top-division football clubs in UEFA countries, top-divisio ...
. The second was a 2–0 victory over
Atlético Madrid
Club Atlético de Madrid, S.A.D. (; meaning "Athletic Club of Madrid"), commonly referred to as Atlético Madrid or simply Atlético, is a Spanish professional football club based in Madrid that plays in La Liga. The club play their home game ...
in
the final of the
Copa del Rey
The , commonly known as , or (in English) the Spanish Cup or King's Cup, and formerly known as Copa del Presidente de la República (1932–1936) and Copa del Generalísimo (1939–1976), is an annual knockout football competition in Spanis ...
, again playing the full match.
Luna was loaned to neighbouring Almería on 19 January 2011, until the end of
the campaign. He was regularly utilised, as the club suffered top-flight relegation after a four-year stay.
After returning to Sevilla, Luna took part in 14 league matches in
2011–12, his first full season. He scored his first goal as a professional in a 2–1 away defeat to
Málaga CF
Málaga Club de Fútbol (, ''Málaga Football Club''), or simply Málaga, is a club based in Málaga, Andalusia, Spain, who compete in Segunda División, the second tier of the Spanish football league system, Spanish league system, following the ...
on 29 January 2012, playing as a
left midfielder
In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. ...
.
On 25 November 2012, Luna was
sent off
In sports, an ejection (also known as dismissal, sending-off, disqualification, or early shower) is the removal of a participant from a contest due to a violation of the sport's rules. The exact violations that lead to an ejection vary depending ...
despite being an unused substitute in a 4–0 loss at Atlético Madrid, in which his teammates
Federico Fazio
Federico Julián Fazio (born 17 March 1987) is an Argentine former professional footballer who played as a central defender.
Fazio began his career at Ferro Carril Oeste, signing for Sevilla in 2007. He made 204 official appearances for the latt ...
and
Ivan Rakitić
Ivan Rakitić (; born 10 March 1988) is a Croatian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for HNL club Hajduk Split.
Rakitić started his professional career at Basel and spent two seasons with them before he was signed by Schalke ...
were also dismissed. He spent the second half of the
2012–13 season on loan to Mallorca in his native
Balearic Islands
The Balearic Islands are an archipelago in the western Mediterranean Sea, near the eastern coast of the Iberian Peninsula. The archipelago forms a Provinces of Spain, province and Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Spain, ...
, eventually meeting the same fate as with Almería.
[
]
Aston Villa
On 20 June 2013, Aston Villa
Aston Villa Football Club (commonly referred to as simply Villa) is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club, founded in 1874, compete in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. The team have p ...
announced the signing of Luna on a three-year deal. He started and scored on his Premier League
The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...
debut with the club, a 3–1 win at Arsenal
An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...
on 17 August.
On 5 August 2014, Luna was loaned to Serie A
The Serie A (), officially known as Serie A Enilive in Italy and Serie A Made in Italy abroad for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Italy and the highest tier of the Italian football league system. Establish ...
side Hellas Verona FC
Hellas Verona Football Club, commonly referred to as simply Hellas Verona (), is an Italian professional Association football, football List of football clubs in Italy, club based in Verona, Veneto, that currently plays in Serie A. The team won ...
in a season
A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's axial tilt, tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperat ...
-long loan. In February of the following year, having not made a single appearance, he was loaned to Spezia Calcio
Spezia Calcio is an Italian professional Association football, football club based in La Spezia, Liguria, currently competing in the Serie B. Spezia Calcio was founded in 1906 by the Swiss banker Hermann Hurni (or Hurny in some documents), who ...
in Serie B
The Serie B (), officially known as Serie BKT for sponsorship reasons, is the second-highest division in the Italian football league system after the Serie A. It has been operating for over ninety years since the 1929–30 season. It had b ...
for the second half of the campaign. In only his second match for his new team, he was sent off
In sports, an ejection (also known as dismissal, sending-off, disqualification, or early shower) is the removal of a participant from a contest due to a violation of the sport's rules. The exact violations that lead to an ejection vary depending ...
in a 3–2 home defeat of Modena FC
Modena Football Club 2018, commonly referred to as Modena, is an Italian football club based in Modena, Emilia-Romagna. The club was founded in 1912, and refounded in 2018, having spent the majority of its existence playing in Serie B. They pla ...
.
Eibar
Luna signed a two-year deal with SD Eibar
Sociedad Deportiva Eibar (in ) is a Spanish football league teams, Spanish professional football club based in Eibar, Gipuzkoa, in the autonomous Basque Country (autonomous community), Basque Country.
Founded on 30 November 1940, the men’s te ...
on 9 July 2015, after terminating his contract with Aston Villa. He made his debut for the Basques
The Basques ( or ; ; ; ) are a Southwestern European ethnic group, characterised by the Basque language, a Basque culture, common culture and shared genetic ancestry to the ancient Vascones and Aquitanians. Basques are indigenous peoples, ...
on 24 August, assisting goals by Adrián and Gonzalo Escalante as they began the new top-tier season with a 3–1 away victory against Granada CF
Granada Club de Fútbol (), known simply as Granada or ''"Graná"'', is a professional List of football clubs in Spain, Spanish football club based in the city of Granada, in the autonomous community of Andalusia, that currently plays in Segunda ...
.
He totalled 46 appearances in his two seasons at the club, scoring in a 3–2 win at Sporting de Gijón
Real Sporting de Gijón, S.A.D. (), commonly known as Real Sporting, Sporting Gijón, or simply Sporting is a Spanish professional association football, football club from Gijón, Principality of Asturias. Founded on 1 July 1905, it plays in the ...
on 15 January 2017.
Levante
On 11 June 2017, Luna joined newly promoted side Levante UD
Levante Unión Deportiva, S.A.D. () is a List of football clubs in Spain, Spanish football club in Valencia, in the Valencian Community, namesake autonomous community.
Founded on 6 September 1909, the club will compete in La Liga for the 2025– ...
for four years. On 29 August 2019, he was loaned to Segunda División
The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Segunda División, commonly known as Segunda División or La Liga 2, and officially known as LaLiga HyperMotion for sponsorship reasons, is the men's second professional association football division of the Spa ...
's Rayo Vallecano
Rayo Vallecano de Madrid, S.A.D. (), often abbreviated to Rayo (Spanish for "thunderbolt"), is a Spanish professional football club based in the Villa de Vallecas district of Madrid. The club competes in La Liga, the top flight of Spanish foot ...
for one year.
Luna terminated his contract on 29 September 2020.
Girona
On 30 September 2020, Luna agreed to a one-year deal with Girona FC
Girona Futbol Club, Sociedad Anónima Deportiva, S.A.D. ( ) is a Spanish professional Football team, football club based in Girona, Catalonia, Spain. Founded on 23 July 1930, the team plays in La Liga, to which they gained promotion in the 2022 ...
in the second division. A backup to Enric Franquesa, he featured in 21 competitive matches as they missed out promotion in the play-offs.
Cartagena
On 7 July 2021, Luna signed a two-year contract with FC Cartagena
Fútbol Club Cartagena, S.A.D. is a Spanish football team based in Cartagena, in the Region of Murcia, Spain. Founded in 1995 it currently plays in Segunda División, holding home games at '' Estadio Cartagonova'', with a capacity of 15,105 sp ...
also in the second tier. He scored on his debut on 16 August, albeit in a 3–1 home loss to his former club Almería.
With four muscular injuries, Luna played only 13 times for ''Efesé'' – four as a starter – while receiving negative attention for his high salary and poor conduct.
Volos
On 16 July 2022, Luna terminated his deal at Cartagena and moved to the third foreign country of his career, signing for Volos F.C. of Super League Greece
The Super League Greece 1 (), or Stoiximan Super League for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Greece and the highest level of the Greek football league system. The league was formed on 16 July 2006 and repla ...
. His former employers did not make any statement on his exit.
Personal life
In October 2016, Luna and teammate Sergi Enrich
Sergi Enrich Ametller (born 26 February 1990) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a forward for Huesca, on loan from Real Zaragoza.
He made 197 total appearances for Eibar, scoring 39 goals. In La Liga, he also represented Mallor ...
apologised when a sex tape
Amateur pornography is a category of pornography that features models, actors or non-professionals performing without pay, or actors for whom this material is not their only paid modeling work. Reality pornography is professionally made pornogra ...
involving them and a woman went viral
The word ''Viral'' means "relating to viruses" (small infectious agents).
It may also refer to:
Viral behavior, or virality
Memetic behavior likened that of a virus, for example:
* Viral marketing, the use of existing social networks to spre ...
on the Internet. Due to the woman's lack of consent to filming, they were given two-year prison sentences in January 2021, suspended due to their lack of prior criminal records.
In popular culture
Aston Villa fans nicknamed Luna 'Tony Moon', a direct translation of his name from 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 countries in the Americas
**Spanish cuisine
**Spanish history
**Spanish culture
...
into English. Manager Paul Lambert
Paul Lambert (born 7 August 1969) is a Scottish professional football manager and former player who was most recently the manager of Ipswich Town.
Lambert played as a midfielder and won the Scottish Cup in 1987 with St Mirren as a 17-year-o ...
admitted that he did not understand the nickname.
Luna was referenced in the 19th Jack Reacher
Jack Reacher is the protagonist of a series of crime thriller novels by British author Lee Child, a 2012 film adaptation, its 2016 sequel, and a television series on Amazon Prime Video. In the stories, Jack Reacher was a major in the U.S. ...
novel ''Personal'' by Lee Child
James Dover Grant (born 29 October 1954), primarily known by his pen name Lee Child, is a British author who writes Thriller (genre), thriller novels, and is best known for his ''Jack Reacher (book series), Jack Reacher'' novel series. The boo ...
, an Aston Villa fan. There, character Casey Nice described him as a friend of hers, adding "I call him Tony Moon".
Honours
Sevilla
*Copa del Rey
The , commonly known as , or (in English) the Spanish Cup or King's Cup, and formerly known as Copa del Presidente de la República (1932–1936) and Copa del Generalísimo (1939–1976), is an annual knockout football competition in Spanis ...
: 2009–10
References
External links
*
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Luna, Antonio
1991 births
Living people
People from Son Servera
21st-century Spanish sportsmen
Spanish men's footballers
Footballers from Mallorca
Men's association football fullbacks
La Liga players
Segunda División players
Segunda División B players
Sevilla Atlético players
Sevilla FC players
UD Almería players
RCD Mallorca players
SD Eibar footballers
Levante UD footballers
Rayo Vallecano players
Girona FC players
FC Cartagena footballers
Premier League players
Aston Villa F.C. players
Serie B players
Hellas Verona FC players
Spezia Calcio players
Super League Greece players
Volos F.C. players
Liga I players
FC Dinamo București players
Spain men's youth international footballers
Spanish expatriate men's footballers
Expatriate men's footballers in England
Expatriate men's footballers in Italy
Expatriate men's footballers in Greece
Expatriate men's footballers in Romania
Spanish expatriate sportspeople in England
Spanish expatriate sportspeople in Italy
Spanish expatriate sportspeople in Greece
Spanish expatriate sportspeople in Romania