Carlos Soler

Carlos Soler Barragán (born 2 January 1997) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a central or right midfielder for Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain and the Spain national team.

For the wheelchair fencer, see Carlos Soler Márquez.
In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Soler and the second or maternal family name is Barragán.
Carlos Soler
Soler with Valencia in 2020
Personal information
Full name Carlos Soler Barragán[1]
Date of birth (1997-01-02) 2 January 1997
Place of birth Valencia, Spain
Height 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)[2]
Position(s) Midfielder
Team information
Current team
 Paris Saint-Germain
Number 28
Youth career
2001–2005 Bonrepòs
2005–2015 Valencia
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2015–2016 Valencia B 39 (3)
2016–2022 Valencia 182 (31)
2022– Paris Saint-Germain 33 (4)
International career‡
2016 Spain U19 3 (0)
2017–2019 Spain U21 20 (4)
2021 Spain Olympic 7 (1)
2021– Spain 14 (4)
Medal record
Men's football
Representing  Spain
Olympic Games
Silver medal – second placeTokyo 2020Team
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 19:21, 22 October 2023 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 20:21, 6 December 2022 (UTC)

Soler began his professional career at Valencia, making 226 appearances, scoring 36 goals and winning the Copa del Rey in 2019. He joined Paris Saint-Germain in 2022 for an €18 million fee, and won Ligue 1 in his first season.

Internationally, Soler won a silver medal with the Spanish Olympic team in the 2020 tournament. He made his senior debut in 2021 and was chosen for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Club career

Early career

Born in Valencia, Soler was first introduced to football by taking shots at half-time at the age of four during games for Bonrepòs, his brother's team. Impressed by his power, the club wanted him; he was initially too shy and only joined when his grandfather gave him a Game Boy for attending.[3] He joined hometown club Valencia's youth setup four years later in 2005, initially as a prolific striker, but later being pushed back to be an attacking midfielder and then a central midfielder.[4]

Valencia

Soler made his senior debut with the reserves on 3 May 2015, starting in a 1–0 Segunda División B away loss against Cornellà.[5] He scored his first senior goal on 13 December, netting his team's second in a 2–2 draw at Badalona.[6] The following 12 March he renewed his contract for two more years with the option of as many more,[7] and was an unused substitute in the main squad's 2–1 home win against Athletic Bilbao for the season's UEFA Europa League.[8]

On 10 December 2016 Soler made his first team – and La Liga – debut, replacing Mario Suárez in a 3–2 loss against Real Sociedad at the Anoeta Stadium.[9] He scored his first goal in the category the following 21 January, netting the first in a 2–0 Valencian Community derby win against Villarreal at the Estadio de la Cerámica.[10] He was sent off on 4 February in a 4–0 loss to Eibar at the Mestalla Stadium for a tussle with Gonzalo Escalante during a corner kick routine, conceding a penalty.[11]

In January 2018, Soler signed his third new contract with Valencia in little over a year, tying him to the club until 2021 and increasing his release clause to €80 million.[12] He totalled 51 appearances in 2018–19, including 13 in his debut European season in the UEFA Champions League and Europa League; he scored in group-stage wins over Young Boys and Manchester United in the former.[13][14] He played seven games in the season's Copa del Rey as Valencia won their first honour for 11 years, and assisted Rodrigo's winner in the 2–1 final victory over Barcelona on 25 May 2019.[15]

On 17 December 2019, Soler signed a four-year contract extension, keeping him at the club until 2023, with his release clause set at €150 million.[16] The following 8 November, he scored the first hat-trick of his career in a 4–1 league win over Real Madrid, with all three goals coming from penalties; only two La Liga players had ever scored such a treble before.[17] He finished 2020–21 as Valencia's top scorer with 12 goals, all bar one in the league season and seven from the spot.[18]

In 2021–22, Soler was again Valencia's league top scorer with 11, joint with Gonçalo Guedes.[19] In the Copa del Rey, he played six games and scored the opener in a 2–1 win at Cartagena in the last 32 on 5 January;[20] he featured for all 120 minutes of the final against Real Betis and scored the first attempt in a penalty shootout that his team lost.[21]

Paris Saint-Germain

On 1 September 2022, Soler signed for Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) on a five-year contract. The initial transfer fee was €18 million, potentially rising by €3 million.[22] He made his debut five days later as a late-match substitute in a 2–1 Champions League home win over Juventus,[23] and on 18 September he played his first league game off the bench in a 1–0 win at Lyon.[24]

Soler scored his first goal for PSG on 25 October 2022, concluding a 7–2 Champions League win against Maccabi Haifa at the Parc des Princes. He went on to start in the final group stage match against Juventus, a 2–1 victory; however, PSG lost out on top spot to Benfica.[25][26] On 29 October, he scored his first Ligue 1 goal to open PSG's account in a 4–3 home win over Troyes, while also winning a penalty that Mbappé scored.[27] He finished his first season as a Ligue 1 champion.[28]

International career

Soler was part of the Spanish Olympic team that took part in the delayed 2020 tournament in Japan, finishing with a silver medal.[29] Later in August 2021, he was called up to the senior team for matches against Sweden, Georgia and Kosovo.[30] He made his debut on 2 September away to the Swedes, scoring a volley after four minutes in a 2–1 loss,[31] and three days later he netted again in a 4–0 win over Georgia in Badajoz.[32]

Luis Enrique called Soler up for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.[33] On 23 November, in Spain's opener against Costa Rica, he came on for Pedri after 57 minutes and scored in a 7–0 victory.[34] In the last 16 against Morocco, he came off the bench in a goalless draw before having his attempt saved by Yassine Bounou in a penalty shootout defeat.[35]

Personal life

Soler started a degree in sports journalism, which he did not finish. He regularly watched the Premier League on Canal+ as a child and learned the English language.[3]

Career statistics

Club
As of match played 21 October 2023[36][37]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League Cup Europe Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Valencia B 2014–15 Segunda División B 20———20
2015–16 Segunda División B 282———282
2016–17 Segunda División B 91———91
Total 393———393
Valencia 2016–17 La Liga 23330——263
2017–18 La Liga 33140——371
2018–19 La Liga 3127013[lower-alpha 1]2—514
2019–20 La Liga 282305[lower-alpha 2]11[lower-alpha 3]0373
2020–21 La Liga 321121——3412
2021–22 La Liga 321161——3812
2022–23 La Liga 3100—0031
Total 182312521831022636
Paris Saint-Germain 2022–23 Ligue 1 263326[lower-alpha 2]1—356
2023–24 Ligue 1 7100000071
Total 334326100427
Career total 254382842441030746
  1. Six appearances and two goals in UEFA Champions League, seven appearances in UEFA Europa League
  2. Appearances in UEFA Champions League
  3. Appearance in Supercopa de España

International
As of match played 6 December 2022[38]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National teamYearAppsGoals
Spain 202142
2022102
Total144
Scores and results list Spain's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Soler goal.[38]
List of international goals scored by Carlos Soler
No. Date Venue Cap Opponent Score Result Competition
12 September 2021Friends Arena, Solna, Sweden1 Sweden1–01–22022 FIFA World Cup qualification
25 September 2021Nuevo Vivero, Badajoz, Spain2 Georgia2–04–02022 FIFA World Cup qualification
312 June 2022La Rosaleda, Málaga, Spain9 Czech Republic1–02–02022–23 UEFA Nations League A
423 November 2022Al Thumama Stadium, Doha, Qatar13 Costa Rica6–07–02022 FIFA World Cup

Honours

Valencia

Paris Saint-Germain

Spain U21

Spain U23

References
  1. "Squad List: Men's Olympic Football Tournament Tokyo 2020: Spain (ESP)" (PDF). FIFA. 22 July 2021. p. 16. Retrieved 29 August 2021.
  2. "FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™: List of Players: Spain" (PDF). FIFA. 15 November 2022. p. 27. Archived (PDF) from the original on 18 December 2022. Retrieved 22 November 2022.
  3. Lowe, Sid (22 April 2022). "Valencia's Carlos Soler: 'You're comparing me to Cazorla, Mata and Silva? Nah'". The Guardian. Retrieved 26 May 2022.
  4. "Carlos Soler, el futbolista total" [Carlos Soler, the complete footballer] (in Spanish). Diario de Mestalla. 22 June 2015. Retrieved 22 December 2016.
  5. "El Valencia Mestalla se aprieta en la clasificación" [Valencia Mestalla tighten up on the table] (in Spanish). Vavel. 3 May 2015. Retrieved 22 December 2016.
  6. "Tablas entre Badalona y Valencia Mestalla" [Draw between Badalona and Valencia Mestalla] (in Spanish). LaSegundaB. 13 December 2015. Archived from the original on 30 June 2017. Retrieved 22 December 2016.
  7. "El Valencia renueva a Carlos Soler, su gran promesa" [Valencia renew Carlos Soler, their great prospect] (in Spanish). Levante-EMV. 12 March 2016. Retrieved 22 December 2016.
  8. Bryan, Mark (18 March 2016). "Gary Neville sent to the stands as Valencia crash out to Bilbao". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
  9. "Ni caso a Prandelli" [Not even Prandelli] (in Spanish). Marca. 10 December 2016. Retrieved 22 December 2016.
  10. "La Liga: Valencia beat Villarreal to ease La Liga relegation worries". Sky Sports. 21 January 2017. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
  11. "Soler sent off for Valencia after reacting to being attacked". Diario AS. 4 February 2017. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
  12. "Carlos Soler amplía su contrato hasta 2021 y sube su cláusula a 80 millones" [Carlos Soler extends his contract to 2021 and increases his release clause to 80 million]. Sport (in Spanish). 16 May 2017. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
  13. "Soler stars as Valencia boost Champions League last-16 hopes". Reuters. 7 November 2018. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
  14. Dawson, Rob (12 December 2018). "Fred, Phil Jones fall flat as Man United squander opportunity to win Group H at Valencia". ESPN FC. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
  15. "Gameiro and Rodrigo on target as Valencia edge Barcelona to win Copa del Rey". Express & Star. 25 May 2019. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
  16. "Soler renews with Valencia and his release clause goes up". Marca. 17 December 2019. Retrieved 19 December 2019.
  17. "Valencia 4-1 Real Madrid: Carlos Soler scores a hat-trick of penalties". BBC Sport. 8 November 2020. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
  18. Calabuig, Pascu (18 May 2021). "Carlos Soler, a la altura de la historia" [Carlos Soler, equalling history]. Super Deporte (in Spanish). Retrieved 26 May 2022.
  19. "Benzema toma el relevo de Messi como máximo goleador de la liga española" [Benzema replaces Messi as top scorer in the Spanish league] (in Spanish). Pulso. 22 May 2022. Retrieved 26 May 2022.
  20. "1-2. El Valencia sufre para ganar con un gol de Cheryshev en el minuto 93" [1.2. Valencia suffer to win with a goal by Cheryshev in the 93rd minute] (in Spanish). EFE. 5 January 2022. Retrieved 26 May 2022.
  21. "Real Betis beat Valencia to lift Copa Del Rey trophy". The Statesman. 25 April 2022. Retrieved 26 May 2022.
  22. "Official | PSG sign Valencia midfielder Carlos Soler on a 5-year deal". Get French Football News. 1 September 2022. Retrieved 6 September 2022.
  23. "Debut for Carlos Soler". Paris Saint-Germain F.C. 6 September 2022. Retrieved 6 September 2022.
  24. "OL - PSG, le résumé du match" [OL - PSG, match report]. L'Équipe (in French). 18 September 2022. Retrieved 15 October 2022.
  25. Marzal, Miguel (3 November 2022). "Polémicas declaraciones de Mbappé sobre Carlos Soler" [Mbappé's controversial remarks about Carlos Soler]. Levante-EMV (in Spanish). Retrieved 17 July 2023.
  26. "Mbappe takes a shot at Carlos Soler: He's no Neymar, but PSG did all we could". Marca. 3 November 2022. Retrieved 17 July 2023.
  27. Opoczynski, David (29 October 2022). "Carlos Soler après la victoire difficile du PSG contre Troyes (4-3) : «Ça montre que nous avons du caractère »" [Carlos Soler after PSG's difficult victory against Troyes (4-3): "It shows that we have character"]. Le Parisien (in French). Retrieved 17 July 2023.
  28. "PSG clinches record-breaking 11th French Ligue 1 title". France 24. 27 May 2023. Retrieved 27 August 2023.
  29. "At 38, Alves helps Brazil to soccer gold by beating Spain". The Seattle Times. 7 August 2021. Retrieved 30 August 2021.
  30. McDougall, Andrew (26 August 2021). "Luis Enrique: I would love Guardiola to coach Spain". Marca. Retrieved 30 August 2021.
  31. "Sweden 2–1 Spain". BBC Sport. 2 September 2021. Retrieved 2 September 2021.
  32. Bell, Arch (5 September 2021). "Spain get their groove back against Georgia". Marca. Retrieved 6 September 2021.
  33. "Spain at the 2022 World Cup: who is in Luis Enrique's 26-man squad?". Reuters. 14 November 2022. Retrieved 18 November 2022.
  34. Bevan, Chris (23 November 2022). "Spain 7–0 Costa Rica". BBC Sport. Retrieved 6 December 2022.
  35. Hafez, Shamoon (6 December 2022). "Morocco 0–0 Spain". BBC Sport. Retrieved 6 December 2022.
  36. Carlos Soler at Soccerway. Retrieved 22 December 2016.
  37. "Carlos Soler". SofaScore. Retrieved 6 October 2019.
  38. "Carlos Soler". EU-Football.info. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
  39. "Copa del Rey final: Valencia end Barcelona's double dream". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 25 May 2019. Retrieved 16 March 2020.
  40. "Spain U21 2–1 Germany U21". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 30 June 2019. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
  41. "Under-21 2017 - History - Spain". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 29 August 2017. Retrieved 16 March 2020.
  42. "Under-21 2017 - History - Matches". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 29 August 2017. Retrieved 16 March 2020.
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