Xavi Valero

Vicente Javier 'Xavi' Valero Verchili (born 28 February 1973), is a Spanish former football goalkeeper and current goalkeeping coach for Premier League team West Ham United.

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Valero and the second or maternal family name is Verchili.
Xavi Valero
Valero as goalkeeping coach of Napoli in 2014
Personal information
Full name Vicente Javier Valero Verchili
Date of birth (1973-02-28) 28 February 1973
Place of birth Castellón de la Plana, Spain
Position(s) Goalkeeper
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1995–1996 Castellón 21 (0)
1996–1997 Mallorca B 3 (0)
1997–2000 Mallorca 1 (0)
2000–2002 Logroñés 57 (0)
2002–2003 Castellón 66 (0)
2003–2004 Real Murcia 3 (0)
2004–2005 Córdoba 4 (0)
2005 Real Murcia 3 (0)
2005–2006 Wrexham 3 (0)
2006–2007 Recreativo de Huelva 2 (0)
Gramenet 2 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Football career

Player

Valero was born in Castellón de la Plana in the Valencian Community. He played 67 games in Segunda División, winning promotion with RCD Mallorca (1997), Real Murcia (2003) and Recreativo de Huelva in 2006, despite not being first-choice in any of those campaigns. He also represented Córdoba CF in that division, and played 92 Segunda División B matches, mainly for his hometown club CD Castellón.[1]

Released by Córdoba in 2004 but still training with the club, Valero moved abroad for the only time as a player in January 2005, to sign a one-month non-contract deal with Wrexham in Football League One.[2] Manager Denis Smith signed him based on video footage.[2] As first-choice Andy Dibble had a thigh injury, Valero made his debut on 11 January in a 2–2 draw at Peterborough United.[2][3] He made two more league appearances for the Red Dragons, as well as a 2–1 win in the FAW Premier Cup quarter-finals away to Haverfordwest County on 18 January, and shared teams with compatriot striker Juan Ugarte.[4]

Goalkeeping coach

After retiring from playing, Valero took his coaching badges, gaining a Masters in Goalkeeper Coaching from the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) and a Master of Sports Psychology UNED in Madrid.[5]

After José Ochotorena decided to return to Spain to work with Valencia, Rafael Benítez appointed Valero head goalkeeping coach of Liverpool in July 2007.[5] He was praised by Liverpool striker Fernando Torres as one of the biggest reasons for his goals; during training, he instructed the players on how goalkeepers in future games react to one-on-one situations.[6]

Valero remained in Benítez's coaching staff at Inter Milan, Napoli and Real Madrid.[7] In June 2018, he was named as goalkeeping coach as part of Manuel Pellegrini's staff at West Ham United.[8]

References
  1. "Valero". BDFutbol. Retrieved 14 May 2020.
  2. "El of a task for Dragons' new keeper". Wales Online. 11 January 2005. Retrieved 14 May 2020.
  3. "Peterborough 2-2 Wrexham". BBC Sport. 11 January 2005. Retrieved 14 May 2020.
  4. "Haverfordwest 1-2 Wrexham". BBC Sport. 18 January 2005. Retrieved 14 May 2020.
  5. Eaton, Paul (14 July 2007). "Reds appoint new goalkeeping coach". Liverpool F.C. Archived from the original on 6 October 2014. Retrieved 2 October 2014.
  6. Wanner, Derek (5 June 2008). "Torres: Premiership defenders are dodgy!". Goal.com. Retrieved 30 June 2018.
  7. Burt, Jason (28 December 2018). "Behind the scenes at West Ham: How goalkeeping coach Xavi Valero keeps 'two number ones' happy". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 14 May 2020.
  8. "Manuel Pellegrini names West Ham backroom staff". Sky Sports. 30 June 2018. Retrieved 30 June 2018.

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