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Pablo Álvarez (footballer, born 1980)

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Pablo Álvarez
Álvarez in 2012
Personal information
Full name Pablo Álvarez Núñez
Date of birth (1980-05-14) 14 May 1980 (age 44)
Place of birth Oviedo, Spain
Height 1.74 m (5 ft 9 in)
Position(s) Midfielder
Youth career
1989–1998 Lugo
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1998–2001 Sporting Gijón B 52 (6)
2001–2006 Sporting Gijón 161 (25)
2006–2012 Deportivo La Coruña 85 (5)
2008Racing Santander (loan) 18 (1)
2012–2014 Lugo 47 (4)
2014 Langreo 12 (0)
2015 New York City 8 (0)
2015Wilmington Hammerheads (loan) 3 (0)
2016 Langreo 5 (2)
2016–2018 Llanera 20 (10)
Total 411 (53)
International career
2005–2008 Galicia 3 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Pablo Álvarez Núñez (born 14 May 1980) is a Spanish former professional footballer who played as a right midfielder.

Club career

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Born in Oviedo, Asturias, Álvarez started his professional career at neighbouring Sporting de Gijón, making his first-team debut on 19 May 2001 in a 1–2 home defeat against Real Betis in the Segunda División[1] and going on to appear in 168 games in all competitions.[2] At Gijón, he earned the nickname Tibu (diminutive of Tiburón, shark in Spanish) for his goal celebrations, in which he pretended to have a shark's fin in his head.[3]

Álvarez signed for Deportivo de La Coruña on a Bosman transfer in August 2006. On 3 February 2007, he played his first league match for Depor, making his La Liga debut against RCD Mallorca aged nearly 27.[4] He had suffered a serious leg injury while still at the service of Sporting in April 2006,[5] and was eventually loaned to Racing de Santander in December of the following year until the end of the season.[6]

Having been relatively used in a Cantabria side that achieved a first-ever qualification for the UEFA Cup – netting in a 2–0 away victory over CA Osasuna on 13 January 2008[7]– Álvarez returned to Galicia and Deportivo. Scarcely played during 2008–09, he profited from a rare start to score the game's only goal at Athletic Bilbao, on 18 April 2009;[8] he made his debut in European competition on 18 February that year, featuring the full 90 minutes of a 3–0 away loss against AaB Fodbold in the UEFA Cup,[9] and was sent off in the second leg in a 6–1 aggregate score.[10]

In summer 2012, aged 32, Álvarez joined second-division CD Lugo on a two-year contract, returning to the club after playing youth football there for nearly a decade.[11] On 2 September 2014, he signed with UP Langreo in the third tier;[12] however, only six months later, he moved abroad for the first time in his career, agreeing to a deal at New York City FC following a trial period.[13]

International career

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Álvarez participated in the resurrection of the unofficial Galician national team in December 2005, playing their first game after 75 years against Uruguay.[14]

Honours

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Deportivo

References

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  1. ^ Díaz, Mario (20 May 2001). "El Betis gana con comodidad" [Betis win easily]. El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 16 February 2014.
  2. ^ Zautúa, Israel (19 November 2024). "Pablo Álvarez: "Veo al Dépor como un equipo en pleno crecimiento"" [Pablo Álvarez: "I see Dépor as a team in full growth"] (in Spanish). DxT Campeón. Retrieved 29 March 2025.
  3. ^ Pichel, Marcos (6 February 2013). "El "tiburón", corazón rojiblanco" [The "shark", red-and-white heart]. La Voz de Galicia (in Spanish). Retrieved 16 April 2015.
  4. ^ "El Depor hace daño de penalti" [Depor hurt from the penalty spot]. El Mundo (in Spanish). 3 February 2007. Retrieved 16 February 2014.
  5. ^ Gómez, Pablo (23 April 2006). "Pablo Álvarez se rompe la pierna y estará ocho meses de baja" [Pablo Álvarez breaks leg and will miss eight months]. La Voz de Galicia (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 12 April 2013. Retrieved 16 February 2014.
  6. ^ "Pablo Álvarez ya entrenó con el Racing" [Pablo Álvarez already trained with Racing]. El Diario Montañés (in Spanish). 28 December 2007. Retrieved 16 February 2014.
  7. ^ "Osasuna 0–2 Racing Santander". ESPN Soccernet. 13 January 2008. Archived from the original on 25 October 2012. Retrieved 22 May 2011.
  8. ^ "Athletic Bilbao 0–1 Deportivo La Coruña". ESPN Soccernet. 18 April 2009. Archived from the original on 25 October 2012. Retrieved 22 May 2011.
  9. ^ Aldunate, Ramiro (18 February 2009). "El Deportivo se inmola" [Deportivo set themselves on fire]. Marca (in Spanish). Retrieved 16 February 2014.
  10. ^ "Ni rastro de la remontada" [Not a trace of a comeback]. Marca (in Spanish). 26 February 2009. Retrieved 16 February 2014.
  11. ^ Pichel, Marcos (18 July 2012). "Pablo Álvarez firma dos cursos por el Lugo" [Pablo Álvarez signs for two campaigns with Lugo]. La Voz de Galicia (in Spanish). Retrieved 16 February 2014.
  12. ^ Martínez, G.; Menor, Santy (2 September 2014). "Pablo Álvarez jugará en el Langreo, el Marino ficha a Pastor y el Avilés, a Berna" [Pablo Álvarez will play in Langreo, Marino sign Pastor and Avilés, Berna]. El Comercio (in Spanish). Retrieved 2 September 2014.
  13. ^ "New York City FC sign veteran midfielder Pablo Alvarez". New York City. 6 March 2015. Retrieved 6 March 2015.
  14. ^ Bernardo, Julio (30 December 2005). "Apoteosis en San Lázaro" [Apotheosis at San Lázaro]. Faro de Vigo (in Spanish). Retrieved 1 April 2020.
  15. ^ "El Deportivo campeón histórico de Segunda" [Deportivo historic Segunda champions]. La Opinión A Coruña (in Spanish). 3 June 2012. Retrieved 29 March 2025.
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