Joaquín (footballer, born 1981)

Joaquín Sánchez Rodríguez (Spanish pronunciation: [xoaˈkin ˈsantʃeθ roˈðɾiɣeθ]; born 21 July 1981), known mononymously as Joaquín, is a Spanish former professional footballer who played as a right winger.

For other footballers named Joaquín, see Joaquín.
In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Sánchez and the second or maternal family name is Rodríguez.

Joaquín
Joaquín with Betis in 2022
Personal information
Full name Joaquín Sánchez Rodríguez[1]
Date of birth (1981-07-21) 21 July 1981[1]
Place of birth El Puerto de Santa María, Spain[1]
Height 1.79 m (5 ft 10 in)[1]
Position(s) Winger
Youth career
Los Frailes
San Luis
1997–1999 Betis
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1999–2000 Betis B 27 (2)
2000–2006 Betis 218 (32)
2006–2011 Valencia 158 (18)
2011–2013 Málaga 57 (6)
2013–2015 Fiorentina 49 (4)
2015–2023 Betis 227 (24)
Total 736 (86)
International career
1999–2000 Spain U18 4 (0)
2001 Spain U21 7 (0)
2002–2007 Spain 51 (4)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

He was best known for his pace and acceleration, as well as excellent dribbling and crossing ability. During his career, he was mainly associated with Betis and Valencia, appearing in a joint-record 622 La Liga matches over 20 seasons and scoring 77 goals while winning the Copa del Rey with both clubs (twice with the former). He also represented Málaga in the competition, signing with Fiorentina from Italy in 2013.[2]

Joaquín was capped for Spain on 51 occasions, representing the nation in two World Cups and Euro 2004.

Club career

Betis

Joaquín was born in El Puerto de Santa María, Province of Cádiz. In 1999–2000 he started his senior career, appearing regularly for Real Betis B (after spending two years in the youth ranks) as it was eventually relegated from the Segunda División B. He moved to the first team the following season, making his professional debut on 3 September 2000 and having an immediate impact – 38 matches and three goals – as the Andalusians returned to La Liga after one year out.[3]

Subsequently, Joaquín collected well over 200 official appearances for Betis in the next five years, assisting and scoring alike. During 2004–05 he played all the games, scoring five times, and added three goals in the campaign's Copa del Rey; as the final of the latter was played at the Vicente Calderón Stadium on 11 June 2005, he featured the full 90 minutes plus extra time of the 2–1 win against CA Osasuna.[4]

Joaquín appeared in all six group-stage matches in the following season's UEFA Champions League, including the 1–0 victory over Chelsea on 1 November 2005 and a 0–0 draw against Liverpool at Anfield late in the same month (third-place finish, UEFA Cup relegation).[5][6] On the domestic front, he scored three goals from 35 appearances for the 14th-placed side.

In late July 2006, following a conversation with Joaquín, Betis chairman Pepe León stated that the player had convinced him that he would stay at the club for another year. "It has surprised me a lot,” he admitted. “I came to convince him and on the contrary, he has convinced me", he further added.[7] In mid-August, the player caused shock at the club by declaring in a press conference his intentions to leave.

Valencia
Joaquín playing for Valencia in 2010

Joaquín was meant to join Valencia CF in early August 2006 for €18 million, in a swap deal that also included Mario Regueiro.[8] However, some difficulties in the payment appeared, along with the Uruguayan's insistence in remaining at Valencia, with the transfer thus being delayed.

Joaquín was loaned to Albacete Balompié as punishment by Betis owner Manuel Ruiz de Lopera, due to the player taking a certain percentage of the transfer fee. Lopera used a clause in his contract whereby he could be loaned to any club if it was decided by Betis (Joaquín travelled to his new club's facilities using his own transport and, to prove that he did so, had himself photographed by operatives working nearby. The switch was subsequently cancelled).[9]

In late August 2006, Joaquín officially moved to Valencia for €25 million, making him the club's most expensive signing to that date as the player penned a five-year contract, with the choice of a further one-year extension.[10] In his first year, he played 35 matches and scored five goals as the Che made it to the Champions League's qualifying rounds.

Joaquín began facing stiff competition for a starting berth in 2009–10, being challenged by younger Pablo Hernández. During the course of the campaign – they also played in the UEFA Europa League – both players received roughly the same number of minutes and scored a similar total of goals.[11][12]

With the departure of David Villa to FC Barcelona, Joaquín was given the No. 7 shirt for 2010–11. He led the scoring charts after the first round, netting twice in a 3–1 win at Málaga CF.[13] On 12 February 2011 he scored another brace, helping Valencia come from behind at Atlético Madrid to win 2–1,[14] eventually finishing third and qualifying for the Champions League.

Málaga
Joaquín in action against Levante in 2011

On 24 June 2011, Joaquín signed with Málaga for three years, for a fee of €4 million.[15] He made his debut for the club on 28 August in a 2–1 away loss against Sevilla FC,[16] and opened his scoring account by netting twice in another local derby, a 4–0 home defeat of Granada CF.[17]

In two home games in October 2012 separated by only four days, Joaquín scored to give his team the final win, on both occasions after having missed a penalty: he started against Real Valladolid (2–1)[18] then netted the match's only against AC Milan in the Champions League group stage.[19]

Fiorentina

On 13 June 2013, aged nearly 32, Joaquín moved abroad for the first time, agreeing a three-year deal with Italy's ACF Fiorentina.[20] He made his competitive debut for his new team on 29 August, starting in a 1–0 home loss against Grasshopper Club Zürich in the Europa League playoff round.[21]

Joaquín's first goal for the Viola came as a substitute on 20 October 2013, in a 4–2 home win over Serie A champions Juventus FC,[22] and his second of the league season was the only in a victory at SSC Napoli the following 23 March.[23] He also played a part in the team's run to the final of the Coppa Italia, netting in a 2–0 home win over AC ChievoVerona in the last 16.[24]

Return to Betis

On 31 August 2015, Joaquín returned to Betis by signing a three-year contract.[25] In 2017, he acquired a 2% share in his first club.[26]

Joaquín found the net in a 1–1 draw against Getafe CF on 15 September 2019,[27] marking his 400th appearance for the green-and-whites – he also drew level with Julio Cardeñosa as the player with most Spanish top-tier appearances for Betis with 307.[28] On 8 December, he scored an 18-minute hat-trick (the first of his long career)[29] in a 3–2 home win over Athletic Bilbao, becoming the oldest player ever to achieve the feat in La Liga at the age of 38 years and 140 days, breaking the previous record of 37 years set by Alfredo Di Stéfano in 1964.[30][31] At the end of the year, he agreed to an extension until 2021.[32]

On 16 July 2020, in a 2–1 home loss to Deportivo Alavés, Joaquín made his 551st Spanish top-division appearance, thereby surpassing Raúl as the outfield player with the most games in the competition; only goalkeeper Andoni Zubizarreta remained ahead of him, on 622.[33] On 15 September 2022, after scoring in the 3–2 defeat of PFC Ludogorets Razgrad in the group stage, he became the oldest player to achieve the feat in the history of the Europa League at 41 years and 56 days.[34]

On 19 April 2023, Joaquín announced that he would retire at the end of the season.[35][36] He eventually equalled Zubizarreta's record, and helped Betis to qualify for the Europa League after a sixth-place finish.[37][38]

International career

Joaquín made his debut for the Spain national team on 13 February 2002 against Portugal, in a 1–1 friendly played in Barcelona.[39] Brilliant club form for Betis saw him get called up for that year's FIFA World Cup, where he appeared twice: in his second match, the quarter-finals against co-hosts South Korea, he was involved in a couple of debatable decisions, including one incident where the linesman raised his flag for a goal kick as Joaquín was crossing a ball to Fernando Morientes, who was denied a golden goal – the argument was that the ball had crossed the line. However, replays showed that it did not; the game then went to penalties, and he was chosen to take his team's fourth attempt – despite carrying an injury – which was blocked by Lee Woon-jae.[40][41]

Joaquín played again for the nation through their premature exit at UEFA Euro 2004,[42] also being selected for the 2006 World Cup. He totalled five appearances, but was not first choice at either competition, only starting twice overall.

During the early stages of the Euro 2008 qualification campaign, Spain lost 3–2 against Northern Ireland. After the match, Joaquín told in a Spanish radio interview: "Right now, the national team is a mess, chaos and Luis doesn't know how to handle it in these difficult moments. I know that what I'm saying is not going to help me get back into the national team, but it's what I feel." He later commented, "The only thing I wanted to say is that these are not clear times for the national squad after losing to Northern Ireland .... but it was not my intention to attack the team or Luis Aragonés".[43][40] Subsequently, he failed to be selected again as the national side went on to record 35 consecutive games without defeat, winning a record 15 consecutive times and lifting the Euro 2008, 2010 World Cup and Euro 2012 trophies.

Personal life

Joaquín grew up in a big family, with eight brothers and sisters in total. As the third child, he had two elder brothers. Three of the eight children in this family are or have been engaged in football: besides Joaquín, his elder brother Lucas played for Cádiz CF, and his brother Ricardo also played in Betis' youth ranks.

Growing up, Joaquín wanted to be a bullfighter. Joaquín's uncle, nicknamed "El Chino", firmly believed in Joaquín's talent and paid for his daily round trip between Cádiz and Seville when Joaquín was in Betis' youth system. El Chino died in 2002, and since then Joaquín has dedicated most of his achievements to him remembered him as his mentor.[44]

After the 2005 domestic cup conquest, Joaquín married Susana Saborido on 8 July. The trophy was present at the ceremony, as was the entire Betis squad.[45]

In October 2022, after a long and successful presence on television and social media, he made his debut as a TV host in prime time, with El novato, an interview program with popular personalities with a wide audience since its inception.[46] One year later, he appeared in the Kings League cup finals held at the La Rosaleda Stadium, home of his former club Málaga; he chose to represent Los Troncos FC, playing in the semi-final and contributing an assist on the opening goal as his team went on to beat Aniquiladores FC 2–0 and advance to the decisive match against Ultimate Móstoles later that day.[47]

Career statistics

Club
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition[48][49]
Club Season League National cup[lower-alpha 1] Europe Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Betis B 1999–2000 Segunda División B 27200——272
Betis 2000–01 Segunda División 38310——393
2001–02 La Liga 34410——354
2002–03 La Liga 379325[lower-alpha 2]1—4512
2003–04 La Liga 36831——399
2004–05 La Liga 38590——475
2005–06 La Liga 3533012[lower-alpha 3]01[lower-alpha 4]0513
Total 218322031711025636
Valencia 2006–07 La Liga 355308[lower-alpha 5]0—465
2007–08 La Liga 343847[lower-alpha 5]0—497
2008–09 La Liga 314314[lower-alpha 2]12[lower-alpha 4]0406
2009–10 La Liga 2824113[lower-alpha 6]4—457
2010–11 La Liga 304305[lower-alpha 5]1—385
Total 158182163762021830
Málaga 2011–12 La Liga 23220——252
2012–13 La Liga 3441110[lower-alpha 5]3—458
Total 57631103007010
Fiorentina 2013–14 Serie A 262516[lower-alpha 6]2—375
2014–15 Serie A 232308[lower-alpha 6]0—342
Total 49481142—717
Betis 2015–16 La Liga 30120——321
2016–17 La Liga 28310——293
2017–18 La Liga 35410——364
2018–19 La Liga 306716[lower-alpha 6]0—437
2019–20 La Liga 34822——3610
2020–21 La Liga 27230——302
2021–22 La Liga 2105210[lower-alpha 6]0—372
2022–23 La Liga 220107[lower-alpha 6]100301
Total 227242252310027230
Betis total 445564284021052866
Career total 7368674161011330914115
  1. Includes Copa del Rey, Coppa Italia
  2. Appearances in UEFA Cup
  3. Eight appearances in UEFA Champions League, four appearances in UEFA Cup
  4. Appearance(s) in Supercopa de España
  5. Appearances in UEFA Champions League
  6. Appearances in UEFA Europa League

International
Appearances and goals by national team and year[50]
National teamYearAppsGoals
Spain 200290
200382
200490
200592
200670
200790
Total514
Scores and results list Spain's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Joaquín goal.[50]
List of international goals scored by Joaquín
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
12 April 2003Antonio Amilivia, León, Spain Armenia3–03–0UEFA Euro 2004 qualifying
26 September 2003D. Afonso Henriques, Guimarães, Portugal Portugal2–03–0Friendly
39 February 2005Juegos Mediterráneos, Almería, Spain San Marino1–05–02006 FIFA World Cup qualification
426 March 2005El Helmántico, Salamanca, Spain China3–03–0Friendly

Honours

Betis

Valencia

Fiorentina

Individual

See also

References
  1. "JOAQUÍN Sánchez Rodríguez". El Mundo (in Spanish). Retrieved 24 September 2019.
  2. McTear, Euan (21 September 2018). "Joaquín: Real Betis player, captain, shareholder, legend". Tifo Football. Retrieved 10 April 2019.
  3. Galván, Álvaro (21 November 2020). "Joaquín, a un partido de los 800" [Joaquín, one match from 800]. ABC (in Spanish). Retrieved 13 March 2021.
  4. "Dani delivers for Betis". UEFA. 11 June 2005. Retrieved 22 December 2014.
  5. "Real Betis 1–0 Chelsea". BBC Sport. 1 November 2005. Retrieved 13 March 2021.
  6. "Liverpool 0–0 Real Betis". BBC Sport. 23 November 2005. Retrieved 13 March 2021.
  7. "León dice que Joaquín se entregará al Betis" [León says Joaquín will commit to Betis]. Marca (in Spanish). 26 July 2006. Retrieved 27 July 2006.
  8. "Lopera soltará a Joaquín por 18 millones y Regueiro" [Lopera will let Joaquín go for 18 million and Regueiro]. Marca (in Spanish). 18 August 2006. Retrieved 8 April 2014.
  9. "Lopera intenta ceder a Joaquín al Albacete" [Lopera tries to loan Joaquín to Albacete]. Diario AS (in Spanish). 25 August 2006. Retrieved 8 April 2014.
  10. "Joaquín ficha por el Valencia" [Joaquín signs for Valencia]. El Mundo (in Spanish). 24 August 2006. Retrieved 8 April 2014.
  11. "Joaquín: "La Liga es muy larga y tendré mi ocasión"" [Joaquín: "The League is very long and I will have my chance"]. Marca (in Spanish). 9 September 2009. Retrieved 19 May 2016.
  12. "El segundo de Emery contesta a Joaquín: "Que piense si ha merecido la continuidad que reclama"" [Emery's sidekick answers Joaquín: "Maybe he should think if he deserves the opportunity he is crying out for"]. Marca (in Spanish). 26 April 2010. Retrieved 19 May 2016.
  13. "Valencia shrug off departures". ESPN Soccernet. 28 August 2010. Archived from the original on 24 October 2012. Retrieved 7 March 2011.
  14. "Joaquin shines to pile misery on Atletico". ESPN Soccernet. 12 February 2011. Archived from the original on 24 October 2012. Retrieved 7 March 2011.
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  16. "Sevilla see off Malaga". ESPN Soccernet. 28 August 2011. Archived from the original on 2 November 2012. Retrieved 31 August 2011.
  17. "Malaga ease to victory". ESPN Soccernet. 12 September 2011. Archived from the original on 2 November 2012. Retrieved 25 September 2011.
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  29. Rodríguez, Toni (8 December 2019). "Así hizo Joaquín su primer hat-trick a los 38 años" [This is how Joaquín got his first hat-trick at the age of 38]. Diario AS (in Spanish). Retrieved 8 December 2019.
  30. "Joaquín becomes oldest player to score LaLiga hat-trick". Diario AS. 8 December 2019. Retrieved 8 December 2019.
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  33. "Joaquín y su extraordinario récord en una temporada amarga" [Joaquín and his extraordinary record in a bitter season]. ABC (in Spanish). 17 July 2020. Retrieved 2 January 2021.
  34. "He's not a grandad, just a 41-year-old kid: Joaquin becomes the oldest-ever player to score in Europa League". Mozzart Sport. 16 September 2022. Retrieved 4 November 2022.
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  39. Suárez, Orfeo (13 February 2002). "Portugal sujeta a España en Montjuïc" [Portugal hold Spain at Montjuïc]. El Mundo (in Spanish). Retrieved 19 May 2018.
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  46. "Audience record for "El Novato" in Spain". Italy 24 Press News. 6 October 2022. Retrieved 3 November 2022.
  47. Calvo, Daniel (14 October 2023). "Joaquín tras su partido en la Kings Cup: "Me he visto muy mal, pero la afición ha sido increíble"" [Joaquín after his Kings Cup match: "I think I was terrible, but the fans were incredible"]. Marca (in Spanish). Retrieved 15 October 2023.
  48. "Joaquín". Soccerway. Retrieved 8 February 2015.
  49. Joaquín at ESPN FC
  50. "Joaquín". European Football. Retrieved 27 December 2016.
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  54. Pla Díaz, Emilio. "Spain – Footballer of the Year". RSSSF. Retrieved 21 June 2022.
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