Álvaro Giménez

Álvaro Giménez Candela (born 19 May 1991), sometimes known simply as Álvaro, is a Spanish footballer who plays as a forward for Segunda División club Mallorca, on loan from Cádiz of La Liga.

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Giménez and the second or maternal family name is Candela.
Álvaro Giménez
Personal information
Full name Álvaro Giménez Candela[1]
Date of birth (1991-05-19) 19 May 1991[1]
Place of birth Elche,[1] Spain
Height 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)[1]
Position(s) Forward
Club information
Current team
 Mallorca (on loan from Cádiz)
Number 7
Youth career
Elche
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2007–2009 Elche B 44 (21)
2007–2008 Elche 7 (0)
2010 Valencia B 2 (0)
2010–2011 Torrellano Illice 34 (13)
2011–2013 Mallorca B 28 (6)
2011–2013 Mallorca 13 (2)
2013–2014 Elche B 6 (1)
2013–2016 Elche 58 (2)
2016–2018 Alcorcón 61 (8)
2018–2019 Almería 39 (20)
2019–2020 Birmingham City 24 (3)
2020 → Cádiz (loan) 13 (1)
2020– Cádiz 11 (2)
2021– → Mallorca (loan) 1 (0)
National team
2008 Spain U17 3 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 21:54, 5 February 2021 (UTC)

He began his senior career with Elche and played for Valencia B and Torrellano Illice before making his top-flight debut with Mallorca. A return to Elche preceded spells with Alcorcón and Almería, with whom he was the 2018–19 Segunda División top scorer with 20 goals. He spent the first half of the 2019–20 season with Birmingham City of the English Championship before returning to Spain on loan at Cádiz. After helping them gain promotion to the top flight, his loan was made permanent. In international football, he represented Spain at U17 level.

Club career

Born in Elche, Alicante, Valencian Community, Giménez was a product of hometown club Elche CF's youth system. He made his debut for the first team on 22 September 2007 in a 1–2 away loss against Real Sociedad,[2] and played six more Segunda División matches with the main squad in that season.

In January 2010, Álvaro signed with neighbouring Valencia CF who had already tried to acquire the player the previous year.[3][4] He was assigned to the B-team, appearing rarely as they suffered relegation from the third level.

Álvaro returned to his hometown for the 2010–11 campaign, performing consistently at amateurs Torrellano Illice CF in division four. On 4 July 2011, he joined RCD Mallorca B in the third tier,[5] being promoted to the main squad shortly after[6] and making his La Liga debut on 29 October in a 0–5 loss at FC Barcelona.[7]

Álvaro's first two goals in the top flight earned the Balearic Islands side four points, as he scored against Athletic Bilbao (1–1, home)[8] and Sporting de Gijón (3–2, away)[9] – on both occasions, he was fielded by manager Joaquín Caparrós in the starting XI. However, in August 2012, he underwent surgery to correct a pubalgia ailment,[10] being sidelined until November.

Álvaro moved to Elche CF in summer 2013, being initially assigned to the reserves in the third division. In October, he suffered a serious knee injury[11] which sidelined him until May of the following year.

On 19 August 2014, Álvaro signed a new two-year deal with the Franjiverdes and was promoted to the first team.[12] On 29 June 2016, he moved to AD Alcorcón of the second tier after agreeing to a two-year contract.[13]

On 2 July 2018, free agent Álvaro joined another Segunda División club, UD Almería, on a two-year contract.[14] He finished the campaign as the division's top goalscorer with 20 goals;[15] highlights included a hat-trick in a 5–3 home defeat of his former club Elche on 12 May 2019.

Having activated Álvaro's €1.5 million release clause, English Championship club Birmingham City signed him on 6 August 2019 on a three-year contract.[16] He had a difficult debut, coming into the visit to Nottingham Forest after an hour with his side two goals down and struggling.[17] He started the next match, at home to Barnsley three days later, and won the ball that led to Lukas Jutkiewicz's opening goal before controlling a lofted pass from Steve Seddon on his chest and lobbing the goalkeeper to complete a 2–0 win.[18] With no goals to show for all his hard work, by mid-November Álvaro had lost his place to Kerim Mrabti.[19] With Jutkiewicz rested for the 27 November visit to Sheffield Wednesday, Álvaro opened the scoring in a 1–1 draw with a goal that head coach Pep Clotet hoped would restore "calm and confidence" to the player.[20] He scored again ten days later in a win away at Reading, but soon lost form and made his last appearance for the club on 1 January 2020.[21][22]

On the final day of the January 2020 transfer window, Álvaro signed for 2019–20 Segunda División leaders Cádiz CF on loan until 30 June, with the intention of making the move permanent.[23] He made four first-team appearances without scoring in the month before football in Spain was suspended because of the COVID-19 pandemic.[24][25] He scored in his first match after the resumption, a late equaliser at home to Rayo Vallecano,[24] and his loan spell was extended to cover the remainder of the season.[26] Having achieved promotion to the top flight, Cádiz duly took up their option, at a fee of €2.7 million,[27] and Álvaro signed a three-year contract.[28]

Having begun the season in self-isolation because of contact with someone who had tested positive for COVID-19, Álvaro was not selected in the matchday squad when he did become available, amid speculation that he might leave on loan.[29] Included on the bench for the visit of Granada the day before the transfer window closed, he came on at half-time, and within three minutes had attempted and failed with an overhead kick that ended up as an assist for Iván Alejo's equalising goal.[30] A week later, he was a late substitute as Cádiz won 1–0 away to previously unbeaten Real Madrid to go level on points at the top of the table.[31] On his first start, on 28 November away to Elche, Álvaro headed the equalising goal and had a second disallowed for what he felt was an involuntary handball.[32] He opened the scoring in the next match, making sure a likely own goal crossed the line, as Cádiz went on to beat Barcelona 2–1.[33]

Álvaro's omission from the squad to face Sevilla in January coupled with the arrival of Ivan Šaponjić, a player of similar style, served as a reminder that although Cádiz were not going to force him out, it might be in the interest of both club and player if a suitable move could be found.[34] On 31 January, he signed for RCD Mallorca, his former club, on loan for the remainder of the 2020–21 season.[35]

Career statistics
As of match played 3 February 2021
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National Cup[lower-alpha 1] Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Elche 2007–08[36] Segunda División70——70
2008–09[37] Segunda División0010—10
2009–10[38] Segunda División0000—00
Total 7010—80
Valencia Mestalla 2009–10[38] Segunda División20——20
Torrellano Illice 2009–10 Tercera División——
Mallorca B 2011–12[39] Segunda División B164——164
2012–13[40] Segunda División B122——122
Total 286——286
Mallorca 2011–12[39] La Liga12220—142
2012–13[40] La Liga1010—20
Total 13230—162
Elche 2013–14[41] La Liga2000—20
2014–15[42] La Liga17020—190
2015–16[43] Segunda División39210—402
Total 58230—612
Elche Ilicitano 2013–14[41] Segunda División B61——61
AD Alcorcón 2016–17[44] Segunda División32252—374
2017–18[45] Segunda División29610—306
Total 61862—6710
Almería 2018–19[46] Segunda División392000—3920
Birmingham City 2019–20[22] Championship24310—253
Cádiz (loan) 2019–20[24] Segunda División13100—131
Cádiz 2020–21[24] La Liga11230—142
Total 24330—273
Mallorca (loan) 2020–21[24] Segunda División10——10
Career total 26345172—28047
  1. Includes Copa del Rey, FA Cup

References
  1. "Álvaro Giménez". Cádiz CF. Archived from the original on 11 October 2020. Retrieved 11 October 2020.
  2. La Real da un paso al frente (Real take one step forward); Mundo Deportivo, 23 September 2007 (in Spanish)
  3. Álvaro Giménez, del filial del Elche CF, en la agenda del Valencia CF (Álvaro Giménez, from Elche B, in Valencia CF's notebook); Join Futbol, 10 March 2009 (in Spanish)
  4. Álvaro Jiménez espera noticias (Álvaro Jiménez waits for news); Las Provincias, 5 November 2009 (in Spanish)
  5. El Mallorca B ficha a Alvaro Jimenez del Torrellano (Mallorca B sign Alvaro Jimenez from Torrellano); Fútbol Balear, 4 July 2011 (in Spanish)
  6. Las Navidades soñadas (A dream Christmas); RCD Mallorca, 24 December 2011 (in Spanish)
  7. Messi to the fore once again; ESPN Soccernet, 29 October 2011
  8. Bilbao scrap for Mallorca point; ESPN Soccernet, 4 December 2011
  9. Mallorca claim crucial victory; ESPN Soccernet, 21 March 2012
  10. Álvaro, intervenido con éxito (Álvaro, successfully operated); RCD Mallorca, 23 August 2012 (in Spanish)
  11. Alvaro Giménez se pierde la temporada por una lesión grave de rodilla (Alvaro Giménez misses the season due to a serious knee injury); Mundo Deportivo, 15 October 2013 (in Spanish)
  12. El Elche C.F. renueva a Álvaro hasta 2016 (Elche C.F. renews Álvaro until 2016); Elche CF, 19 August 2014 (in Spanish)
  13. Álvaro Giménez, nuevo jugador de la A.D. Alcorcón (Álvaro Giménez, new player of A.D. Alcorcón); AD Alcorcón, 29 June 2016 (in Spanish)
  14. El Almería ficha a Álvaro Giménez para reforzar el ataque rojiblanco (Almería sign Álvaro Giménez to bolster red-and-white attack); UD Almería, 2 July 2018 (in Spanish)
  15. "Álvaro Giménez, un Pichichi atípico" [Álvaro Giménez, an atypical top scorer]. Marca (in Spanish). 10 June 2019. Retrieved 31 January 2020.
  16. "Alvaro Gimenez: Birmingham City sign Almeria striker on three-year deal". BBC Sport. 6 August 2019. Retrieved 7 August 2019.
  17. Dicken, Alex (17 August 2019). "'Absolutely rinsed' – Player ratings after Birmingham City are humbled by Nottingham Forest". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 17 August 2019.
  18. Dick, Brian (20 August 2019). "Birmingham City 2 Barnsley 0 Report: Lukas Jutkiewicz and Alvaro Gimenez give Pep Clotet first St Andrew's win". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 21 August 2019.
  19. Dick, Brian (15 November 2019). "Camp, Colin and Bellingham – How Birmingham City's players rate this season". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 31 January 2020.
    Dick, Brian (5 November 2019). "'Goal gaping' – The Birmingham City player who has been given a golden opportunity since Leeds loss". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 31 January 2020.
  20. "Pep faces difficult choices ahead of Millwall". Birmingham City F.C. 28 November 2019. Retrieved 31 January 2020.
    Dick, Brian (28 November 2019). "'We knew' – Pep Clotet reveals how Birmingham City unlocked Sheffield Wednesday". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 31 January 2020.
  21. Dick, Brian; Husband, Ben (30 January 2020). "Birmingham City summer signing set to make January switch – reports". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 31 January 2020.
  22. "Games played by Alvaro in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 31 January 2020.
  23. "Alvaro Gimenez leaves Blues for Cadiz". Birmingham City F.C. 31 January 2020. Retrieved 31 January 2020.
  24. "Álvaro Giménez". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 3 February 2021.
  25. Lowe, Sid; Jackson, Jamie (12 March 2020). "Real Madrid players in quarantine and La Liga suspended due to coronavirus". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 23 June 2020.
  26. "Gimenez sees Spanish loan spell extended". Birmingham City F.C. 23 June 2020. Retrieved 23 June 2020.
  27. Sprung, Shlomo (8 October 2020). "Cadiz, Elche, Huesca execs discuss La Liga transfer window strategies". Forbes SportsMoney. Retrieved 11 October 2020.
  28. "Alejo, Choco, Malbasic, Pombo y Álvaro continuarán de amarillo" [Alejo, Choco, Malbasic, Pombo and Álvaro will stay in yellow] (in Spanish). Cádiz CF. 22 July 2020. Retrieved 3 August 2020.
  29. Jiménez, Francisco José (17 September 2020). "La UD Las Palmas se interesa por Álvaro Giménez" [UD Las Palmas are interested in Álvaro Giménez]. El Desmarque (in Spanish). Retrieved 11 October 2020.
    R.D. (25 September 2020). "El mercado de fichajes, casi un 'top secret'" [The transfer market, almost a 'top secret']. Diario de Cádiz (in Spanish). Retrieved 11 October 2020.
  30. Martos, José Ángel (4 October 2020). "Conan frena al Granada" [Conan stops Granada]. La Gaceta de Granada (in Spanish). Retrieved 11 October 2020.
  31. "Cadiz make magic in Madrid". Marca English. 17 October 2020. Retrieved 18 October 2020.
  32. "Álvaro Giménez returns to Elche and scores". Cádiz CF. 28 November 2020. Retrieved 1 December 2020.
  33. "Cádiz 2–1 Barcelona". BBC Sport. 6 December 2020. Retrieved 6 December 2020.
  34. J.J.N. (22 January 2021). "La difícil situación de Álvaro Giménez en el Cádiz CF: no es descartable su marcha" [Álvaro Giménez's difficult situation at Cádiz CF: his departure can't be ruled out]. Diario de Cádiz (in Spanish). Retrieved 31 January 2021.
  35. "Álvaro Giménez joins on loan from Cádiz CF". RCD Mallorca. 31 January 2021. Retrieved 31 January 2021.
  36. "Álvaro: Álvaro Giménez Candela: Matches 2007–08". BDFutbol. Retrieved 11 August 2019.
  37. "Álvaro: Álvaro Giménez Candela: Matches 2008–09". BDFutbol. Retrieved 11 August 2019.
  38. "Álvaro: Álvaro Giménez Candela: Matches 2009–10". BDFutbol. Retrieved 11 August 2019.
  39. "Álvaro: Álvaro Giménez Candela: Matches 2011–12". BDFutbol. Retrieved 11 August 2019.
  40. "Álvaro: Álvaro Giménez Candela: Matches 2012–13". BDFutbol. Retrieved 11 August 2019.
  41. "Álvaro: Álvaro Giménez Candela: Matches 2013–14". BDFutbol. Retrieved 11 August 2019.
  42. "Álvaro: Álvaro Giménez Candela: Matches 2014–15". BDFutbol. Retrieved 11 August 2019.
  43. "Álvaro: Álvaro Giménez Candela: Matches 2015–16". BDFutbol. Retrieved 11 August 2019.
  44. "Álvaro: Álvaro Giménez Candela: Matches 2016–17". BDFutbol. Retrieved 11 August 2019.
  45. "Álvaro: Álvaro Giménez Candela: Matches 2017–18". BDFutbol. Retrieved 11 August 2019.
  46. "Álvaro: Álvaro Giménez Candela: Matches 2018–19". BDFutbol. Retrieved 11 August 2019.
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