Xavi Torres

Xavier "Xavi" Torres Buigues (born 21 November 1986) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for CD Lugo.

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Torres and the second or maternal family name is Buigues.

Xavi Torres
Torres playing with Levante in 2012
Personal information
Full name Xavier Torres Buigues
Date of birth (1986-11-21) 21 November 1986
Place of birth Xàbia, Spain
Height 1.84 m (6 ft 1⁄2 in)
Position(s) Defensive midfielder
Club information
Current team
 Lugo
Number 2
Youth career
1994–2006 Villarreal
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2005–2006 Villarreal B
2006–2007 Alicante 36 (4)
2007–2009 Barcelona B 59 (5)
2009 Barcelona 2 (0)
2009–2012 Málaga 11 (1)
2010–2012 → Levante (loan) 69 (5)
2012–2013 Getafe 35 (0)
2013–2016 Betis 48 (2)
2016–2017 Sporting Gijón 17 (0)
2017–2018 Perth Glory 24 (4)
2018–2019 Elche 29 (6)
2019–2020 Al-Arabi 32 (6)
2020– Lugo 2 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 4 October 2020

Formed at Barcelona, he went on to amass La Liga totals of 156 games and six goals over eight seasons, with that club, Málaga, Levante, Getafe, Betis and Sporting de Gijón.

Club career

Early years

Born in Xàbia, Alicante, Valencian Community, Torres played his youth career at Villarreal CF where he finished his formation in 2006. He made his senior debut at another club in the region, Alicante CF, in the 2006–07 edition of Segunda División B.

Barcelona

Torres signed for FC Barcelona in July 2007 (after Villarreal had rebought him from Alicante),[1] spending the vast majority of his two-year spell with the reserve team, which he helped return to the third level in his debut campaign as the Catalans were coached by young Pep Guardiola.

Torres made his La Liga debut on 17 May 2009, appearing for the already crowned champions in a 1–2 away loss against RCD Mallorca. After the match, the player said that he was very grateful to Guardiola – promoted to first-team manager the previous summer – for giving him an opportunity to play in the main squad;[2][3] it would be the first of two appearances.

Málaga

On 12 June 2009, Málaga CF signed Torres on a free transfer for four seasons.[4] He scored his first goal with the Andalusians on 30 August, closing the score at 3–0 against Atlético Madrid in the 89th minute, in the season's opener.[5]

Torres made his Málaga debut as a starter on 13 September 2009, in a 0–1 defeat at Deportivo de La Coruña, being replaced by Victor Obinna in the 84th minute.[6] However, he appeared rarely in his first year and, on 7 June 2010, was loaned to recently-promoted side Levante UD.[7] His first competitive match for the latter took place on 28 August, when he played the entire 1–4 home loss against Sevilla FC.[8]

Levante

In early December 2010, Torres was linked with a potential move to Everton,[9] but nothing came of it. He rarely missed a game for Levante – being the second most used player in the squad – as the Valencian team finally retained their top-division status. In July 2011, the move was extended for a further season.[10]

Torres scored his first goal for the Granotas on 20 November 2011, in a 2–3 away defeat against Atlético Madrid.[11] He ended the campaign with five,[12][13][14][15] as they finished sixth and qualified to the UEFA Europa League for the first time ever.

Getafe

On 31 May 2012, Levante activated the €300.000 buying option it had on Torres, offering the player a four-year contract[16] which he refused.[17] On 1 August, after lengthy negotiations, he signed a four-year deal with fellow league side Getafe CF for a fee of approximately €500,000.[18]

Torres started in most of his league appearances for the Madrid outskirts club (37 official games during the season), his first being on 26 August 2012 in a 2–1 home victory over Real Madrid where he featured the 90 minutes.[19]

Betis

On 7 August 2013, Torres signed for four seasons with Real Betis.[20] He scored his first competitive goal 22 days later, the last in a 6–0 home rout of FK Baumit Jablonec in the Europa League playoff round.[21] In December, however, he suffered an Achilles tendon injury in a game against HNK Rijeka in the same competition and was sidelined for the rest of the campaign,[22] which ended with relegation to the second tier.

Later career

Torres terminated his contract with Betis on 15 August 2016, and joined Sporting de Gijón on a one-year deal shortly after.[23] One year and ten days later, after suffering relegation, the 30-year-old moved abroad for the first time in his career, on a one-year contract at Australian club Perth Glory FC.[24]

On 31 July 2018, Torres returned to Spain and its second division after agreeing to a contract with Elche CF.[25] In August 2019, he went back overseas to sign for Al-Arabi SC of the Kuwaiti Premier League, under his former Levante manager Juan Ignacio Martínez.[26]

On 14 September 2020, free agent Torres moved to second-tier CD Lugo on a one-year deal.[27]

Career statistics
As of match played on 21 December 2017
Club statistics
Club Season League Cup Continental Other Total
Division AppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Alicante 2006–07[28] Segunda División B33410—4[lower-alpha 1]0384
Barcelona B 2008–09[28] Segunda División B261———261
Barcelona 2008–09[28] La Liga2000000020
Málaga 2009–10[28] La Liga11140——151
Levante (loan) 2010–11[28] La Liga35030——380
2011–12[28] La Liga34530——375
Total 69560——755
Getafe 2012–13[28] La Liga35020——370
Betis 2013–14[28] La Liga100106[lower-alpha 2]1—171
2014–15[28] Segunda División26220——282
2015–16[28] La Liga12020——140
Total 4825061—593
Sporting Gijón 2016–17[28] La Liga17020——190
Perth Glory 2017–18[29] A-League11200——112
Career total 25215200614028216
  1. Appearances in Promotion Play-offs
  2. Appearances in UEFA Europa League

Honours

Barcelona

Betis

Al-Arabi

References
  1. "El Villarreal repesca a Xavi Torres para vendérselo al Barcelona" [Villarreal buy back Xavi Torres to sell him to Barcelona] (in Spanish). La Verdad. 19 July 2007. Retrieved 9 November 2018.
  2. El Mallorca desluce la celebración del Barça (Mallorca darken Barça celebration); El Mundo, 17 May 2009 (in Spanish)
  3. Xavi Torres thrilled with Barcelona debut Archived 21 May 2009 at the Wayback Machine; Tribal Football, 18 May 2009
  4. Malaga sign Barcelona's Xavi Torres; The Guardian, 12 June 2009
  5. Málaga 3–0 Atlético Madrid; ESPN Soccernet, 30 August 2009
  6. Filipe strike enough for Depor; ESPN Soccernet 13 September 2009
  7. Xavi Torres, al Levante (Xavi Torres, to Levante); Marca, 7 July 2010 (in Spanish)
  8. "El Sevilla levanta el ánimo" [Sevilla lift the spirits] (in Spanish). El Mundo. 28 August 2010. Retrieved 22 September 2017.
  9. English eyes on Torres; Sky Sports, 6 December 2010
  10. "Xavi Torres: "Desde el año pasado siempre dije que esta es mi casa"" [Xavi Torres: "Since last year I have said that this is my home"] (in Spanish). Marca. 21 July 2011. Retrieved 22 September 2017.
  11. Atletico edge Levante in thriller; ESPN Soccernet, 20 November 2011
  12. Lidón, Inma (5 March 2012). "Tres zarpazos de Champions" [Three Champions blows] (in Spanish). El Mundo. Retrieved 22 September 2017.
  13. "Fútbol | Levante 1–0 Villarreal – El Levante se impone al Villarreal en el descuento (1–0)" [Football | Levante 1–0 Villarreal – Levante down Villarreal in injury time (1–0)] (in Spanish). RTVE. 18 March 2012. Retrieved 22 September 2017.
  14. "Real Sociedad 1–3 Levante: Los granotas ganan en Anoeta con la ley del mínimo esfuerzo" [Real Sociedad 1–3 Levante: Frogs win at Anoeta with bare minimums] (in Spanish). Vavel. 21 March 2012. Retrieved 22 September 2017.
  15. Ros, Cayetano (28 April 2012). "El Levante es pura dinamita" [Levante are pure dynamite] (in Spanish). El País. Retrieved 22 September 2017.
  16. El Levante ejerce la opción de compra por Xavi Torres (Levante exercise buying option on Xavi Torres); Diario AS, 31 May 2012 (in Spanish)
  17. Xavi Torres vuelve al Málaga por ahora (Xavi Torres returns to Málaga for the time being) Archived 2 July 2012 at the Wayback Machine; El Desmarque, 28 June 2012 (in Spanish)
  18. Xavi Torres ficha por cuatro temporadas (Xavi Torres signs for four seasons); Mundo Deportivo, 1 August 2012 (in Spanish)
  19. El Madrid no aprende (Madrid do not learn); Marca, 26 August 2012 (in Spanish)
  20. "El Betis ficha a Xavi Torres" [Betis sign Xavi Torres] (in Spanish). Marca. 7 August 2013. Retrieved 22 September 2017.
  21. "Real Betis 6–0 FK Jablonec: A la Europa League por la puerta grande con Rubén Castro" [Real Betis 6–0 FK Jablonec: To the Europa League through the front door with Rubén Castro] (in Spanish). Goal. 29 August 2013. Retrieved 28 March 2014.
  22. "Xavi Torres se rompe el tendón de Aquiles del pie izquierdo" [Xavi Torres fractures Achilles tendon in left foot] (in Spanish). Marca. 13 December 2013. Retrieved 28 March 2014.
  23. "Xavi Torres llega a Gijón procedente del Betis" [Xavi Torres arrives in Gijón from Real Betis] (in Spanish). Sporting Gijón. 15 August 2016. Retrieved 16 August 2016.
  24. Miller, Dale (25 August 2017). "Perth Glory coup as Xavi Torres agrees to one-year deal". The West Australian. Retrieved 26 August 2017.
  25. Marín, David (31 July 2018). "Xavi Torres regresa de Australia y ficha por el Elche" [Xavi Torres returns from Australia and signs for Elche] (in Spanish). Marca. Retrieved 22 August 2018.
  26. "Xavi Torres signs for Al Arabi Sporting Club Kuwait" (in Spanish). Xàbia.com. 18 August 2019. Retrieved 31 October 2019.
  27. "Xavi Torres, nuevo jugador del CD Lugo" [Xavi Torres, new player of CD Lugo] (in Spanish). CD Lugo. 14 September 2020. Retrieved 18 September 2020.
  28. "Xavi Torres: Xavier Torres Buigues". BDFutbol. Retrieved 31 December 2017.
  29. "Xavi Torres". Soccerway. Retrieved 31 December 2017.
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