Víctor Vázquez (footballer, born 1987)

Born in Barcelona, Catalonia, Vázquez joined the youth system of FC Barcelona at the age of 11. At La Masia, he was part of the iconic class of 1987 team, playing alongside future first team players Cesc Fàbregas, Lionel Messi and Gerard Piqué,[4] and being considered at one point to be the best player of the group, ahead of Messi.[5] He progressed through the youth ranks,[6] making his debut for the first team on 12 April 2008 after coming on as a substitute for Santiago Ezquerro in the final 15 minutes in a 2–2 La Liga away draw against Recreativo de Huelva.[7] Pep Guardiola called him for the team's pre-season in the following campaign,[8] where he appeared in three official games, but none in the domestic league.

Vázquez started and finished the 3–2 home loss to FC Shakhtar Donetsk on 9 December 2008, in the last UEFA Champions League group stage match,[9] but was again mainly registered with the reserves. On 8 February of the following year he suffered a serious knee injury in a game with the latter, going on to miss the remainder of the season in Segunda División B.[10]

Due to the lengthy calendar in 2009–10, many first-team players were given breaks towards the end of the year. Thus, on 29 December 2009, four Barça B players were called by Guardiola: Thiago, Gai Assulin, Jonathan dos Santos and Vázquez;[11] all returned to where they had come from the following month.

On 7 December 2010, after coming from the bench for fellow youth graduate Jeffrén Suárez, who suffered an early injury, Vázquez scored his first goal for Barcelona's first team, contributing to a 2–0 home win against FC Rubin Kazan for the Champions League group stage, as the hosts had already secured the first place in their group.[12][13]

In late April 2011, after 14 years at the Camp Nou (including youth years), Vázquez agreed to join Club Brugge KV,[14] and a three-year contract was signed the following month.[15][16] In March 2013 he extended his link until 2016, being considered a key player and essential to the further development of the squad according to sporting director Arnar Grétarsson.[17]

At the end of the 2014–15 season, after again being first choice as his team won the regular season in the Belgian Pro League, eventually finishing second, and also capturing the Belgian Cup, Vázquez was voted the Belgian Professional Footballer of the Year.[18] He also helped his side to a quarter-final run in the UEFA Europa League in his last year with the club and, across all competitions, made 173 appearances over five seasons, scored 25 goals and provided 50 assists, including seven goals and four assists in 33 matches in the latter tournament.[19]

On 30 December 2015, Cruz Azul signed Vázquez to a three-year contract for US$1.5 million.[20] His time in Mexico was largely unsuccessful, however,[4] and he only made a limited number of appearances before leaving;[21] he played 23 competitive games during his spell at the Estadio Azul, scoring once and providing one assist.[19]

Vázquez transferred to Canadian club Toronto FC on 20 February 2017.[22] He scored his first goal on 18 March in a 2–0 away win over the Vancouver Whitecaps FC.[23] Throughout his first season in Major League Soccer, he drew praise in the media for adding depth to his new team's attacking play, courtesy of his vision and distribution,[24][25] and formed a notable partnership in midfield with captain Michael Bradley, who was in turn freed from much of the team's creative responsibilities and played more of a defensive role, while still sharing some of the playmaking duties with the Spaniard;[10][26] Vázquez's playmaking ability and link-up play with forwards Sebastian Giovinco and Jozy Altidore[10] saw him finish as the second highest assist provider of the regular season (16) while also notching eight goals,[27] as Toronto captured the Canadian Championship[28] followed by the Supporters' Shield for most points in the league, after a 4–2 home win over New York Red Bulls on 30 September in which he scored from an injury time penalty.[29][30]

In Toronto's last match of the regular season on 22 October 2017, a 2–2 away draw to Atlanta United FC, the former club broke the league's point record of 68 points, set by LA Galaxy in 1998, by one point.[31] Eight days later, in the first leg of the Eastern Conference semi-finals in the play-offs, Vázquez scored the opening goal in a 2–1 away win over the New York Red Bulls.[32] On 29 November, in the return leg of the Eastern final against Columbus Crew SC, at BMO Field, he missed a penalty in the 26th minute, but later set up the only goal of the match scored by Altidore, which saw his side emerge conference winners for the second consecutive year and earn a place in the MLS Cup Final.[33][34] On 9 December, in the decisive match played at the same venue, he was involved in Altidore's opener and subsequently scored the final goal in a 2–0 win over the Seattle Sounders FC for an unprecedented domestic treble.[35]

Vázquez's second season at the club was less successful however, as he struggled with injuries, collecting eight goals and nine assists in 21 MLS appearances and totalling matches 26 across all competitions.[36] Although Toronto defended their Canadian Championship title,[37] and even reached the final of the CONCACAF Champions League in 2018, with him starting in the second leg,[36][38] they missed out on the playoffs for the first time in four years.[39]

On 15 January 2019, Vázquez signed with Al-Arabi SC of the Qatar Stars League.[40][41] At the end of the season, he transferred to Umm Salal SC in the same competition.[42]

Vázquez returned to the Belgian top division in August 2020, joining K.A.S. Eupen on a two-year contract.[43] Two months later, he asked to be released for personal reasons and left the club.[44]

On 16 March 2021, Vázquez returned to MLS by signing with LA Galaxy, reuniting with former Toronto head coach Greg Vanney.[45] He made his debut on 18 April against Inter Miami CF,[46] and scored his first goal on 22 July in a 2–2 away draw with Real Salt Lake.[47]

In November 2022, Toronto FC claimed the negotiation rights to Vázquez at the 2022 MLS Re-Entry Draft.[48] The following month, he signed a one-year contract with an option for a further season to return to the club.[49]