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 countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

former

beach soccer Beach soccer, also known as beach football, sand football or sand soccer, is a variant of association football played on a beach or some form of sand between two teams of five players each. Association football has long been played informally on ...

player who played as a forward. He represented Spain at the

FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup The FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup is an international beach soccer competition contested by the national teams of the member associations of FIFA, the sport's global governing body. The tournament was preceded by the Beach Soccer World Championshi ...

2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...

2015 2015 was designated by the United Nations as: * International Year of Light * International Year of Soil __TOC__ Events January * January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...

and

2021 Like the year 2020, 2021 was also heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the emergence of multiple Variants of SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19 variants. The major global rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, which began at the end of 2020, continued ...

. 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 world's 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. As of 2023, he is head coach of

Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...

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 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...

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 . The club was founded in 1886 an ...

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

osteoarthritis Osteoarthritis is a type of degenerative joint disease that results from breakdown of articular cartilage, joint cartilage and underlying bone. A form of arthritis, it is believed to be the fourth leading cause of disability in the world, affect ...

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 Monto ...

, he was soon selected for the

Catalonia Catalonia is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a ''nationalities and regions of Spain, nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia of 2006, Statute of Autonomy. Most of its territory (except the Val d'Aran) is situate ...

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 The Royal Spanish Football Federation (; RFEF) is the governing body of football in Spain. Founded on 29 September 1913, it is based in La Ciudad del Fútbol of Las Rozas, a municipality near Madrid. RFEF organizes the national cup competitio ...

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 fro ...

, scoring his country's only goal in the final. 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 northeastern coast of 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 c ...

(Spain),

Kristall The Kristall () (77KST, TsM-T, 11F77T) module was the fourth module and the third major addition to ''Mir''. As with previous modules, its configuration was based on the 77K (TKS) module, and was originally named "Kvant 3". It was launched on Ma ...

(

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

Lokomotiv Moscow FC Lokomotiv Moscow (, ) is a Russian professional association football, football club based in Moscow. Lokomotiv have won the Russian Premier League on three occasions; the Soviet Cup twice; and the Russian Cup (football), Russian Cup a record ...

(Russia),

Flamengo Clube de Regatas do Flamengo (; ), more commonly referred to as simply Flamengo, is a Brazilian multi sports club based in Rio de Janeiro, in the neighborhood of Gávea. It was founded and named after the Flamengo, Rio de Janeiro, Flamengo n ...

(

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

KP Łódź KP Łódź is a professional beach soccer team based in Łódź, Poland. Honours Polish competitions *Ekstraklasa (beach soccer), Ekstraklasa :* ''Winners:'' 2014, 2017, 2019 :* ''Runners-up:'' 2016 *Polish Beach Soccer Cup :* ''Winners:'' 2 ...

(Poland), Falfala Kfar Qassem (

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

), Tokyo Verdy (

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

), Catania (

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

) and Artur Music (

Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...

). He tasted international success in the 2015

Mundialito de Clubes The Mundialito de Clubes () is an international club beach soccer competition contested between top men's clubs from around the world. The tournament is loosely similar to the FIFA Club World Cup in association football, however participating team ...

2015 Euro Winners Cup The 2015 Euro Winners Cup was the third edition of Euro Winners Cup, a beach soccer annual tournament, held in Catania, Italy, from 2–7 June 2015. The tournament brought together club champions of many domestic beach soccer leagues across Europ ...

2017 Mundialito de Clubes The 2017 Mundialito de Clubes was the fifth edition of the ''Mundialito de Clubes'' (Club World Cup in English), a biennial international club beach soccer competition contested between top men's clubs from across the world (existing clubs and tea ...

and 2019 World Winners Cup with each of the first four clubs respectively. He regularly won top scorer and best player awards at the events in which he played; he 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

Datinha Luiz Alberto do Nascimento Braga (born 12 April 1988), known better as Datinha, is a Brazilian beach soccer player who currently plays as a defender. A versatile player, he has previously been designated as a forward and a midfielder during his ...

. 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 (: metatarsi) are a group of five long bones in the midfoot, located between the tarsal bones (which form the heel and the ankle) and the phalanges ( toes). Lacking individual names, the metatarsal bones are ...

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 language, Tahitian , ; ) is the largest island of the Windward Islands (Society Islands), Windward group of the Society Islands in French Polynesia, an overseas collectivity of France. It is located in the central part of t ...

. A month later, in a shock announcement on social media and still shy of 30 years old, 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 of his retirement, he was named as the new head coach of the

regional team. After a successful campaign as coach of San Javier in the

2022 Women's Euro Winners Cup The 2022 Women's Euro Winners Cup was the seventh edition of the Women's Euro Winners Cup (WEWC), an annual continental beach soccer tournament for women's top-division European clubs. The championship is the sport's version of the UEFA Women's Ch ...

, Llorenç was then appointed as head coach of Denmark men's national team in 2023 following fruitful negotiations with captain Casper Dorph.Llorenç Gómez appointed as Denmark manager
Beach Soccer Worldwide. 24 April 2023. Retrieved 11 January 2024. Llorenç has also founded his own annual youth beach soccer tournament, the "Llorenç Beach Soccer Cup", with the backing of

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

(BSWW).

Style of play

Llorenç was 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 or 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 ...

s.“I will never forget the day I won the Best Player award”
Beach Soccer Worldwide. 29 August 2019. Retrieved 3 October 2020. He was a forward but known to be versatile and so could 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 former professional Association football, footballer who played as an attacking midfielder or left winger. Widely reg ...

. Llorenç is left-footed.

Personal life

Llorenç was born in

Sant Cugat del Vallès Sant Cugat del Vallès () is a town and municipality north of Barcelona, Catalonia. Known as ''Castrum Octavianum'' in antiquity (which means ''the castle of Octavianus'') and as ''Pins del Vallès'' during the Second Spanish Republic, it is nam ...

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 stringed musical instrument that is usually fretted (with Fretless guitar, some exceptions) and typically has six or Twelve-string guitar, twelve strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming ...

.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 The UEFA coaching licences are documents testifying credentials of manager (association football), managers/ coach (sport), coaches among members of UEFA. The governing body for association football, football in Europe mandates several licences, e ...

. In addition, Llorenç owns his own sports brand, "Enzo10", and was signed with

adidas Adidas AG (; stylized in all lowercase since 1949) is a German athletic apparel and footwear corporation headquartered in Herzogenaurach, Bavaria, Germany. It is the largest sportswear manufacturer in Europe, and the second largest in the ...

. Llorenç supports

RCD Espanyol Reial Club Deportiu Espanyol de Barcelona (; "Royal Spanish Sports Club of Barcelona"), commonly known as RCD Espanyol, is a Spanish professional sports club based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. The club competes in La Liga, the top tier of Spa ...

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

**Runner-up (1):

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

**Runner-up (2):

2014 The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...

2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...

**Third place (1):

2019 This was the year in which the first known human case of COVID-19 was documented, preceding COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic which was declared by the World Health Organization the following year. Up to that point, 2019 had been described as ...

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

European Games The European Games is a continental multi-sport event in the Olympic tradition contested by athletes from countries served by national Olympic committees within the European Olympic Committees (EOC), the regional association for such committ ...

: **Silver medal (1):

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

* Mundialito: **Winner (1):

**Runner-up (1):

Club

National

''Leagues won'' *Liga Nacional (Spain): 2012 *

Superliga Superliga (''super league'') may refer to: Sports Superliga can refer to different sports leagues: Association football *Albanian Superliga, the Albanian top-flight men's division * Argentine Superliga, the Argentine top-flight men's division *D ...

(Russia): 2015 *Swiss League: 2017 *

Ekstraklasa (; meaning "Extra Class" in Polish), officially known as PKO Bank Polski Ekstraklasa due to its Sponsor (commercial), sponsorship by PKO Bank Polski, is a professional association football league in Poland and the highest level of the Polish foo ...

(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 The Euro Winners Cup (EWC) is an annual, continental beach soccer club competition contested between top-division European teams; the clubs that are their country's national league/cup champions (and, for some nations, one or more runners-up) from ...

: **Winner (1):

**Winner (2): 2015,

2017 2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly. Events January * January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...

*World Winners Cup **Winner (1): 2019 *

Copa Libertadores The CONMEBOL Libertadores, also known as Copa Libertadores de América (), is an annual continental club football competition organized by CONMEBOL since 1960. It is the highest level of competition in South American club football. The tournam ...

**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:

(2): **Top scorer:

2020 The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...

*Liga Nacional (Spain; 4): **Best player: 2012 **Top scorer: 2012, 2013, 2017 *

(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

Llorenc Gomez
profile at Beach Soccer Russia (in Russian) {{DEFAULTSORT:Gomez, Llorenc 1991 births Living people Spanish men's footballers Spanish beach soccer players Men's 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 21st-century Spanish sportsmen Spanish expatriate sportspeople in Ukraine