Fernando Llorente

Fernando Llorente
Llorente playing for Athletic Bilbao in 2010
Personal information
Full name Fernando Javier Llorente Torres[1]
Date of birth (1985-02-26) 26 February 1985 (age 39)[2]
Place of birth Pamplona, Spain
Height 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in)[2]
Position(s) Striker
Youth career
1994–1995 Funes
1995–1996 River Ebro
1996–2003 Athletic Bilbao
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2003–2004 Basconia 33 (12)
2004–2005 Bilbao Athletic 16 (4)
2005–2013 Athletic Bilbao 262 (85)
2013–2015 Juventus 66 (23)
2015–2016 Sevilla 23 (4)
2016–2017 Swansea City 33 (15)
2017–2019 Tottenham Hotspur 36 (2)
2019–2021 Napoli 20 (3)
2021 Udinese 14 (1)
2021–2022 Eibar 19 (2)
Total 522 (151)
International career
2003 Spain U17 3 (2)
2005 Spain U20 4 (5)
2005–2006 Spain U21 9 (5)
2008–2013 Spain 24 (7)
2005–2007 Basque Country 5 (1)
Medal record
Representing  Spain
FIFA World Cup
Winner 2010
UEFA European Championship
Winner 2012
UEFA-CAF Meridian Cup
Winner 2003
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Fernando Javier Llorente Torres (Spanish pronunciation: [feɾˈnando ʎoˈɾente ˈtores]; born 26 February 1985), nicknamed El Rey León ("The Lion King" in Spanish),[3] is a Spanish former professional footballer who played as a striker.

He started his career with Athletic Bilbao, working his way through the various youth ranks and, after making his first team debut in 2005, becoming one of the most important offensive players for the club in the following decade. He scored 29 goals in all competitions in the 2011–12 season, and was described as a "Bilbao legend".[4][5] He signed with Juventus in 2013, and won the Serie A title twice during his two-year spell there. Subsequently, he spent 2015–16 back in Spain with Sevilla before moving to Swansea City in 2016 and Tottenham Hotspur the following year, reaching the 2019 Champions League final with the latter. He retired aged 38, following stints at Napoli, Udinese and Eibar.

A Spain international from 2008 to 2013, Llorente was a member of the squads which won the 2010 World Cup and Euro 2012.

  1. ^ "FIFA World Cup South Africa 2010: List of players" (PDF). FIFA. 4 June 2010. p. 29. Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 June 2010. Retrieved 13 September 2013.
  2. ^ a b "Fernando LLORENTE Torres". El Mundo (in Spanish). Retrieved 20 April 2018.
  3. ^ San Martín, P. P. (26 May 2010). "Un 'rey león' en el área" [A 'lion king' in the box]. Diario AS (in Spanish). Retrieved 12 September 2010.
  4. ^ "Chelsea on high alert after striker Fernando Llorente rejects new deal with Athletic Bilbao". Evening Standard. 9 August 2012. Retrieved 10 August 2012.
  5. ^ Ortiz de Lazcano, Javier (9 October 2015). "Los discípulos de Pichichi" [Pichichi's disciples]. El Correo (in Spanish). Retrieved 11 February 2016.