Fabián Ruiz
Fabián Ruiz Peña (Spanish pronunciation: [faˈβjan rwiθ ˈpeɲa]; born 3 April 1996), simply known as Fabián, is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder for Italian club Napoli and the Spain national team.
![]() Fabián with Spain in 2019 | |||
Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | Fabián Ruiz Peña | ||
Date of birth | 3 April 1996 | ||
Place of birth | Los Palacios y Villafranca, Spain | ||
Height | 1.89 m (6 ft 2 in) | ||
Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
Club information | |||
Current team | Napoli | ||
Number | 8 | ||
Youth career | |||
La Unión Los Palacios | |||
2004–2014 | Betis | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
2014–2016 | Betis B | 23 | (2) |
2014–2018 | Betis | 56 | (3) |
2017 | → Elche (loan) | 18 | (1) |
2018– | Napoli | 74 | (9) |
National team‡ | |||
2015 | Spain U19 | 2 | (0) |
2017–2019 | Spain U21 | 14 | (5) |
2019– | Spain | 7 | (1) |
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 18:48, 06 January 2021 (UTC). ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 6 September 2020 |
Club career
Early years
Born in Los Palacios y Villafranca, Seville, Andalusia, Fabián joined Real Betis' youth setup in 2004, aged eight, after starting it out at EF La Unión de Los Palacios.[1] He was promoted to the reserves in July 2014,[2] and made his senior debut on 21 September, coming on as a second half substitute in a 1–4 home loss against Marbella FC for the Segunda División B championship.[3]
Fabián played his first match as a professional on 16 December, replacing Xavi Torres in the 51st minute of a 1–0 Segunda División away win against CD Lugo.[4] He appeared in six matches during the season, as his side achieved promotion to La Liga as champions.
Fabián made his debut in the main category of Spanish football on 23 August 2015, coming on as a substitute for Alfred N'Diaye in a 1–1 home draw against Villarreal CF.[5]
Elche (loan)
On 23 December of the following year he renewed his contract until 2019, and was immediately loaned to Elche CF in the second level.[6] He scored his first professional goal on 17 March 2017, netting the first in a 3–1 away win against Gimnàstic de Tarragona.
Fabián contributed with 18 appearances for the side, suffering team relegation.
Breakthrough
Upon returning, Fabián became a regular starter under new manager Quique Setién, scoring his first goal in the top tier on 25 September 2017 in a 4–0 home routing of Levante UD. The following 31 January, he renewed his contract until 2023, setting his buyout clause at €30 million.[7]
On 30 April 2018, Fabián scored the winning goal for Betis as they secured UEFA Europa League qualification for the 2018–19 season following a 2–1 home win over Málaga CF.[8]
Napoli
On 5 July 2018, Fabián joined S.S.C. Napoli on a five-year contract until 2023 with Napoli reportedly paying Fabián's €30 million buyout clause.[9][10] He made his debut on 16 September in a Champions League group game away to Red Star Belgrade, playing the full 90 minutes of a goalless draw.[11] Ten days later he played his first Serie A match and first at the Stadio San Paolo, a 3–0 win over Parma Calcio 1913.[12]
International career
After representing Spain at under-19 and under-21 levels, Fabián was called up to the full side by manager Luis Enrique on 15 March 2019, for two UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying matches against Norway and Malta.[13]
He made his debut on 7 June 2019 in a Euro 2020 qualifier against Faroe Islands, as a 74th-minute substitute for Isco.[14]
Style of play
A left-footed central midfielder, Fabián is known for his vision, passing, ball control and dribbling skills, as well as his tactical versatility, and can play in a number of formations, such as 4–4–2, 4–3–3, and 4–2–3–1.[15] He can also play as a defensive midfielder or an attacking midfielder.
Career statistics
Club
- As of match played 29 November 2020[16]
Club | Season | League | Cup | Europe | Other | Total | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
Betis B | 2014–15 | Segunda División B | 19 | 1 | — | 19 | 1 | |||||
2015–16 | 4 | 2 | — | 4 | 2 | |||||||
Total | 23 | 3 | — | 23 | 3 | |||||||
Betis | 2014–15 | Segunda División | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 6 | 0 | |||
2015–16 | La Liga | 12 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 14 | 0 | ||||
2016–17 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 5 | 0 | |||||
2017–18 | 34 | 3 | 1 | 0 | — | 35 | 3 | |||||
Total | 56 | 3 | 4 | 0 | — | 60 | 3 | |||||
Elche (loan) | 2016–17 | Segunda División | 18 | 1 | — | 18 | 1 | |||||
Napoli | 2018–19 | Serie A | 27 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 11 | 1 | — | 40 | 7 | |
2019–20 | 33 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 8 | 0 | — | 46 | 4 | |||
2020–21 | 14 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 1 | ||
Total | 74 | 9 | 7 | 2 | 25 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 106 | 12 | ||
Career total | 171 | 16 | 11 | 2 | 25 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 207 | 19 |
International
- As of match played 6 September 2020
National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
---|---|---|---|
Spain | 2019 | 6 | 1 |
2020 | 1 | 0 | |
Total | 7 | 1 |
International goals
- As of 18 November 2019
No. | Date | Venue | Cap | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 18 November 2019 | Wanda Metropolitano, Madrid, Spain | 6 | ![]() | 1–0 | 5–0 | UEFA Euro 2020 qualification |
Honours
Betis
Napoli
Spain U21
Individual
- UEFA European Under-21 Championship Golden Player: 2019
- UEFA European Under-21 Championship Team of the Tournament: 2019[19]
References
- "Fabián sigue quemando etapas rumbo a la elite" [Fabián keeps on skipping stages towards the elite] (in Spanish). Estadio Deportivo. 20 November 2014. Retrieved 14 December 2014.
- "Fabián y Gavi, dos palaciegos en el futuro del Betis" [Fabián and Gavi, two Palaciegos in Betis' future] (in Spanish). Cuenta con la Cantera. 16 September 2014. Archived from the original on 9 November 2017. Retrieved 14 December 2014.
- "El Marbella golea a domicilio al Betis B" [Marbella thrashes Betis B away from home] (in Spanish). Diario Sur. 21 September 2014. Retrieved 17 December 2014.
- "El Betis derriba el fortín del Lugo y se acerca a zona de ascenso" [Betis breaks down Lugo's fortress and draws near the promotion zone] (in Spanish). Marca. 13 December 2014. Retrieved 17 December 2014.
- "Rubén Castro llega justo a tiempo" [Rubén Castro arrives just in time] (in Spanish). Marca. 24 August 2015. Retrieved 1 September 2015.
- "Fabián extends his contract and goes on loan to Elche CF". Real Betis. 23 December 2016. Archived from the original on 5 August 2017. Retrieved 25 December 2016.
- "El Betis hace oficial la renovación de Fabián Ruiz hasta 2023" [Betis turn official the renewal of Fabián Ruiz until 2023] (in Spanish). Marca. 31 January 2018. Retrieved 15 March 2019.
- "Betis qualify for the Europa League with win over Malaga". Marca. 30 April 2018. Retrieved 5 July 2018.
- "Napoli Confirm Signing of Real Betis Talent Fabian Ruiz on Long Term Contract". Sports Illustrated. 5 July 2018. Retrieved 5 July 2018.
- "Official: Napoli pay Ruiz clause". Football Italia. 5 July 2018. Retrieved 5 July 2018.
- "Le formazioni ufficiali di Stella Rossa-Napoli: Milik titolare, debutta Fabian Ruiz" [Official line-ups for Red Star-Napoli: Milik starter, Fabián Ruiz debuts] (in Italian). Eurosport. 18 September 2018. Retrieved 17 May 2019.
- "Fabian Ruiz, l'esordio al San Paolo: prestazione brillante e priva di errori" [Fabián Ruiz, debut at the San Paolo: brilliant performance and devoid of errors] (in Italian). Napoli Calcio Live. 27 September 2018. Retrieved 17 May 2019.
- "OFFICIAL | Call-up for the first two EURO Qualifier matches". SeFutbol. 15 March 2019. Archived from the original on 27 March 2019. Retrieved 15 March 2019.
- "Faroe Islands v Spain game report". UEFA. 7 June 2019.
- "Chi è davvero Fabian Ruiz" [Who really is Fabian Ruiz]. ultimouomo.com (in Italian). L'Ultimo Uomo. 22 June 2018. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
- Fabián at Soccerway. Retrieved 11 August 2017.
- "Coppa: Napoli beat Juventus on penalties". Football Italia. 17 June 2020.
- "Spain U21 2–1 Germany U21". 30 June 2019. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
- "Official Under-21 Team of the Tournament". UEFA. 1 July 2019. Retrieved 2 July 2019.
External links
- Fabián at BDFutbol
- Fabián at Futbolme (in Spanish)
- Fabián Ruiz at National-Football-Teams.com
- Fabián Ruiz on Instagram