Rubén Navarro

Rubén Navarro Méndez (born 6 June 1978) is a Spanish retired footballer who played as a striker.

This article is about the Spanish footballer. For the Argentine footballer, see Rubén Marino Navarro.
In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Navarro and the second or maternal family name is Méndez.
Rubén Navarro
Personal information
Full name Rubén Navarro Méndez
Date of birth (1978-06-06) 6 June 1978
Place of birth Sallent, Spain
Height 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Position(s) Striker
Youth career
Sallent
Valencia
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1996–1999 Valencia B 74 (21)
1997–1999 Valencia 6 (0)
1999–2001 Numancia 55 (17)
2001–2007 Alavés 178 (43)
2007–2009 Hércules 55 (22)
2009–2011 Gimnàstic 40 (6)
2011–2012 Leganés 32 (12)
Total 440 (121)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

He amassed La Liga totals of 147 games and 31 goals over seven seasons, representing Valencia, Numancia and Alavés. He added 187 matches and 57 goals in the Segunda División, in a 15-year professional career.

Club career

Navarro was born in Sallent de Llobregat, Barcelona, Catalonia. A product of Valencia CF's youth system, he first appeared in La Liga on 15 June 1997 in a 2–1 home win against Real Oviedo,[1] but could never settle at his first club, moving to CD Numancia where he played two years; he scored ten league goals in his first season in Soria in spite of injury problems, helping barely avoid top-flight relegation.[2]

Subsequently, Navarro joined Deportivo Alavés after the side's runner-up exploits in the UEFA Cup.[3] He was an important attacking element for six years, three spent in the Segunda División; in three of those campaigns, he netted in double digits.[4]

Navarro signed with another team in the second tier for 2007–08, Hércules CF.[5] On 5 April 2009, as they eventually narrowly missed on promotion, he scored a hat-trick against Sevilla Atlético in an 8–0 home rout.[6]

In late June 2009, Navarro returned to his native region after nearly 15 years, signing as a free agent with Gimnàstic de Tarragona for two years.[7] On 2 September 2011, after two seasons of irregular use after which he did not have his contract renewed and was released, the 33-year-old joined CD Leganés in the Segunda División B.[8]

References
  1. Karpin dio la última alegría (Karpin provided the last joy); ABC, 16 June 1997 (in Spanish)
  2. Breve enciclopedia numantina (Brief numantina encyclopedia); Desde Soria, 29 May 2013 (in Spanish)
  3. El Alavés alcanza un acuerdo con Rubén Navarro (Alavés reach agreement with Rubén Navarro); Diario AS, 19 July 2001 (in Spanish)
  4. El 9 albiazul vuelve a ser sinónimo de gol (White-and-blue 9 equals goal again); Mundo Deportivo, 11 August 2020 (in Spanish)
  5. Rubén Navarro firma con el Hércules por dos temporadas (Rubén Navarro signs with Hércules for two seasons); El Correo, 22 August 2007 (in Spanish)
  6. El Hércules manda un mensaje en forma de goleada (Hércules send message with goals galore); Marca, 5 April 2009 (in Spanish)
  7. Rubén Navarro y Roberto García firman por el Nástic (Rubén Navarro and Roberto García sign with Nástic); Marca, 22 June 2009 (in Spanish)
  8. Rubén Navarro: "Llego con muchas ganas al Leganés" (Rubén Navarro: "I arrive full of illusion to Leganés"); Resultados Fútbol, 2 September 2011 (in Spanish)
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