Javier López Vallejo

Javier López Vallejo (born 22 September 1975) is a Spanish retired footballer who played as a goalkeeper.

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is López and the second or maternal family name is Vallejo.

Javier López Vallejo
López Vallejo in action for Zaragoza (2009)
Personal information
Date of birth (1975-09-22) 22 September 1975
Place of birth Pamplona, Spain
Height 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Position(s) Goalkeeper
Youth career
Osasuna
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1992–1995 Osasuna B 79 (0)
1994–1999 Osasuna 150 (0)
1999–2007 Villarreal 120 (0)
2006–2007 → Recreativo (loan) 30 (0)
2007–2010 Zaragoza 38 (0)
2010 Levadiakos 10 (0)
2010–2011 Kavala 3 (0)
Total 430 (0)
International career
1990–1992 Spain U16 17 (0)
1991 Spain U17 6 (0)
1991–1994 Spain U18 21 (0)
1995 Spain U19 2 (0)
1995 Spain U20 5 (0)
1993–1998 Spain U21 4 (0)
1997 Spain U23 2 (0)
2003–2005 Navarre 3 (0)
2006 Basque Country 1 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Club career

Born in Pamplona, López Vallejo began his career at hometown's CA Osasuna, making his first appearance for the main squad not yet 19 in a 3–0 home win over Sporting de Gijón on 15 May 1994, although the Navarrese had already been relegated from La Liga.[1] He became an undisputed starter from the 1995–96 season onwards.[2]

López Vallejo signed for Villarreal CF in 1999 alongside teammate Jesús Unanua (also a goalkeeper), appearing in all the games during the 1999–2000 campaign as the club returned to the top flight after a one-year absence. He retained first-choice status the following two years.[3]

With the signing of Pepe Reina in 2002 and the subsequent arrival of imports Sebastián Viera and Mariano Barbosa, however, López Vallejo was consecutively demoted to backup and third-choice.[4] In order to search more playing opportunities he joined Recreativo de Huelva in the same league on loan for the 2006–07 season, where he played the majority of the Andalusians' matches.[2]

In 2007–08, López Vallejo signed for Real Zaragoza on a free transfer, where he backed up former Real Madrid player César (two games).[5] As the latter moved to Tottenham Hotspur in August 2008 he became the starter, with the side now in the Segunda División, and was instrumental as they immediately returned to the top tier.[6][7]

López Vallejo started the 2009–10 season on the bench, then became first-choice over Juan Pablo Carrizo.[8] However, he lost his position in January 2010 with the arrival of new coach José Aurelio Gay and, later that month, was released by mutual consent;[9] he immediately found a new team, joining Levadiakos F.C. in Greece alongside his compatriot Kike Sola, from former club Osasuna.[10]

International career

In 1991, López Vallejo helped the Spain under-17s to win the UEFA European Championship in Switzerland (then named under-16).[11] Later that year, in the FIFA World Cup equivalent, he was the starter in a final runner-up position in Italy.[12]

López Vallejo also won caps for the unofficial Navarre[13] and Basque Country regional sides.[14]

Honours

Villarreal

Spain U16

Spain U17

References
  1. El Sadar se despide con fiesta (Party at the Sadar in goodbye); Mundo Deportivo, 16 May 1994 (in Spanish)
  2. López Vallejo, en la órbita del Mallorca (López Vallejo, tracked by Mallorca); Última Hora, 5 April 2007 (in Spanish)
  3. López Vallejo: jugó siete campañas en el Villarreal tras desechar un 'ofertón' del Milán con 17 años (López Vallejo: he played seven campaigns at Villarreal after rejecting 'mammoth offer' from Milan at age 17); Okdiario, 13 October 2021 (in Spanish)
  4. Vallejo, Arzo y Cazorla, a ser profetas en su tierra (Vallejo, Arzo y Cazorla, being prophets in their homeland they must); Diario AS, 10 September 2006 (in Spanish)
  5. El guardaespaldas (The bodyguard); El Periódico de Aragón, 2 August 2007 (in Spanish)
  6. López Vallejo, un año más (López Vallejo, another year); Heraldo de Aragón, 10 July 2009 (in Spanish)
  7. López Vallejo: el portero psicólogo que pudo jugar en el Milan (López Vallejo: the psychologist goalkeeper who could have played for Milan); Cadena COPE, 5 May 2016 (in Spanish)
  8. Se abre la portería (Open goal); Heraldo de Aragón, 17 December 2009 (in Spanish)
  9. Gay: "Había que tomar decisiones aunque fueran impopulares" (Gay: "One had to make decisions even though people might not like it"); Heraldo de Aragón, 21 January 2010 (in Spanish)
  10. López Vallejo y Kike Sola ya brillan en Grecia (López Vallejo and Kike Sola already shining in Greece); Marca, 1 February 2010 (in Spanish)
  11. Javier López Vallejo PORTERO DEL VILLARREAL C. F.: "Lo que peor se lleva es que te consideren un suplente" (Javier López Vallejo VILLARREAL C. F. GOALKEEPER: "The worst thing to handle is having people thinking of you as a backup"); El Periódico Mediterráneo, 13 January 2006 (in Spanish)
  12. ¿Qué fue de los finalistas del Mundial sub17 de España? (What happened to the Spanish under17 World Cup finalists?); Sports Illustrated, 26 October 2017 (in Spanish)
  13. Navarra, sin rival en su estreno como selección (Navarra, no opposition in their debut as national team); Diario AS, 28 December 2003 (in Spanish)
  14. Euskadi se da un festín a costa de la Serbia de Clemente (Euskadi throw feast at the expense of Clemente's Serbia); 20 minutos, 27 December 2006 (in Spanish)
  15. El Villarreal jugará la UEFA por primera vez en su historia (Villarreal will play UEFA for the first time in their history); Diario Córdoba, 27 August 2003 (in Spanish)
  16. Villarreal vuelve a la UEFA tras ganar la Intertoto (Villarreal return to UEFA after winning the Intertoto); El Mundo, 23 August 2004 (in Spanish)
  17. European U-16 Championship 1991; at RSSSF
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