Rafael "Rafa" Jesús Navarro Mazuecos (born 24 February 1994) 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
right-back
In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring.
Defenders fall into four main categories: centre-backs, full-backs, sweepers ...
for Italian
Serie D
The Serie D () is the highest level of semi-professional football in Italy, and the fourth tier of the Italian national league system. It sits beneath the third and lowest fully professional league, Serie C, and feeds in to it through promotion ...
club Ugento.
Club career
Born in
Salteras
Salteras is a city in the Province of Seville, Spain. It has a population of 11,854 inhabitants (2018 INE). It borders Olivares to the west, Gerena to the northwest, Guillena to the north, La Algaba to the northeast, Valencina to the east and ...
,
Seville
Seville ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Spain, Spanish autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the Guadalquivir, River Guadalquivir, ...
,
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 ...
, Navarro represented
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 ...
,
Coria CF
Coria Club de Fútbol is a Spanish football team based in Coria del Río, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. Founded in 1923, it plays in , holding home matches at Estadio Guadalquivir with a capacity of 5,000 seats.
History
In the 2017 ...
and
Real Betis
Real Betis Balompié, known as Real Betis () is a Spanish professional association football, football club based in Seville, Andalusia, Spain. It plays in La Liga, the Spanish football league system, top flight of Spanish football. It plays home ...
as a youth. He made his senior debut with
the latter's B-team on 2 December 2012, starting in a 2–3 home loss against
CD San Roque de Lepe
Club Deportivo San Roque de Lepe, S.A.D. is a Spanish football team based in Lepe, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. Founded in 1956 it plays in , holding home games at ''Estadio Ciudad de Lepe'', with a capacity of 3,512 seats.
Season ...
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 2 August 2013, Navarro signed for
CD Gerena of the
Tercera División
Tercera División () was the fourth tier of the Spanish football league system. Until 1977, it was the third tier of the Spanish football league system. Founded in 1929, it was below the ''Primera División'' (also known as La Liga), the ''Segund ...
. He was an undisputed starter for the club during
the campaign, and subsequently returned to Betis and its reserve team on 4 July 2014.
Navarro featured regularly for Betis B in the following seasons, and renewed his contract with the club until 2020 on 13 June 2016. On 24 August, he was definitely promoted to the main squad and was assigned the number 2 shirt.
Navarro made his professional – and
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 ...
– debut on 23 September 2016, playing the full 90 minutes in a 1–0 home win against
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 ...
. His first goal in the category came on the following 18 March, netting the last in a 2–0 home success over
CA Osasuna
Club Atlético Osasuna (, ''Osasuna Athletic Club''), or simply Osasuna, is a Spanish professional football club based in Pamplona, Navarre. It was founded on 24 October 1920 and plays in La Liga, the top division of Spanish football. The team's ...
.
On 2 July 2018, Navarro signed a three-year contract with fellow top-tier club
Deportivo Alavés
Deportivo Alavés, S.A.D. (; ''Sporting Alavés''), usually known as Alavés, is a List of football clubs in Spain, Spanish football club based in Vitoria-Gasteiz, Álava, in the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of the Basque ...
, being immediately loaned to
Ligue 2
Ligue 2 (, League 2), also known as Ligue 2 BKT due to sponsorship reasons, is a French professional football league. The league serves as the second division of French football and is one of two divisions making up the Ligue de Football Prof ...
side
FC Sochaux-Montbéliard
Football Club Sochaux-Montbéliard (; commonly referred to as FCSM or simply Sochaux) is a Football in France, French association football club based in the city of Montbéliard. The club was founded in 1928 and currently plays in Championnat N ...
for one year. Upon returning, he spent the entire
2019–20 campaign unregistered before joining affiliate side
NK Istra 1961
Nogometni klub Istra 1961 (), commonly referred to as Istra 1961, is a Croatian professional football club based in Pula, that competes in the Croatian First League.
It is a common opinion amongst many people that ''Istra 1961'' was founded i ...
on loan on 5 October 2020.
Career statistics
Club
References
External links
*
Beticopedia profile
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Navarro, Rafa
1994 births
Living people
Footballers from Aljarafe
Spanish men's footballers
Men's association football defenders
La Liga players
Primera Federación players
Segunda División B players
Tercera División players
Betis Deportivo Balompié footballers
CD Internacional de Fútbol Sevilla Dos Hermanas players
Real Betis players
Deportivo Alavés players
UD San Sebastián de los Reyes players
Ligue 2 players
FC Sochaux-Montbéliard players
NK Istra 1961 players
Serie D players
Spanish expatriate men's footballers
Spanish expatriate sportspeople in France
Spanish expatriate sportspeople in Croatia
Spanish expatriate sportspeople in Italy
Expatriate men's footballers in France
Expatriate men's footballers in Croatia
Expatriate men's footballers in Italy
21st-century Spanish sportsmen