_-_28_(cropped).jpg) Mallo withCelta in 2018 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Hugo Mallo Novegil[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1991-06-22)22 June 1991 (age 34)[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Marín, Spain | ||
| Height | 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)[1] | ||
| Position | Right-back | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Porvir | |||
| Pontevedra | |||
| 1999–2009 | Celta | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2009–2023 | Celta | 396 | (10) |
| 2023–2024 | Internacional | 14 | (1) |
| 2024–2025 | Aris | 20 | (1) |
| International career | |||
| 2010 | Spain U19 | 3 | (0) |
| 2011 | Spain U20 | 6 | (0) |
| 2011–2012 | Spain U21 | 3 | (0) |
| 2016 | Galicia | 1 | (0) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 23:05, 31 May 2025 (UTC) | |||
Hugo Mallo Novegil (born 22 June 1991) is a Spanish professionalfootballer who plays as aright-back.
He spent most of his professional career withCelta, making 449 competitive appearances including a club record of 309 inLa Liga.[2]
Born inMarín, Pontevedra,Galicia, Mallo played youth football for three local clubs, finishing his development withRC Celta de Vigo.[3] He was immediately inserted in the first-team setup, appearing in 25Segunda División games in hisfirst season, starting with a 2–1 home loss againstCD Numancia on 29 August 2009 in which he came on as a half-timesubstitute forRoberto Lago.[4] The following 3 April, again from the bench, he wassent off for conceding apenalty kick with a foul onJuan Domínguez which resulted in the only goal ofReal Unión's visit toBalaídos.[5]
On 16 October 2010, Mallo scored his first career goal in a 2–2 draw atVillarreal CF B.[6] He started in all 34 matches he appeared in the2011–12 campaign, as the side finished second and returned toLa Liga after five years; he made his debut in the competition on 18 August 2012, in a 0–1 home defeat toMálaga CF.[7]
On 9 January 2013, during a 4–0Copa del Rey loss atReal Madrid (5–2 aggregate), Mallo – who was not being challenged – suffered ananterior cruciate ligament to his leftknee, going on to be sidelined for the rest ofthe season.[8] He scored his first top-flight goal on 23 May 2015, opening the team's account in a 3–2 home win overRCD Espanyol.[9]
Mallo scored in theGalician derby on 23 October 2016, setting Celta up for a 4–1 victory against local rivalsDeportivo de La Coruña.[10] He played 12 games in arun to the semi-finals of theUEFA Europa League, his debut continental campaign; in the second leg of the last 16, he scored in a 2–0 away defeat of Russia'sFC Krasnodar (4–1 aggregate).[11]
On 5 May 2018, Mallo made his 300th competitive appearance in another local derby, putting him sixth in their all-time veterans.[12] That August, he turned down a move toPremier League newcomersFulham,[13] instead signing a new five-year contract with abuyout clause of €50 million.[14] On 24 November 2019 he moved joint-fourth on the list with a 350th appearance atVillarreal CF, and at 28 he became the youngest player to reach that figure for the club.[15]
By the time that he turned 30 in June 2021, Mallo had beatenAleksandr Mostovoi's record of 235 top-tier games for Celta.[16] On 15 August that year, his added-time foul onLuis Suárez in a 2–1 home loss toAtlético Madrid caused a brawl which resulted in dismissals for himself, opponentMario Hermoso andAtléti fitness coach Óscar Ortega.[17] He returned from suspension 13 days later in a 1–0 defeat at the same venue toAthletic Bilbao, his 400th match.[18]
Mallo left on 8 June 2023, after his contract expired; at the time of his departure, he was the club player with the most appearances in the main division at 309.[19]
On 14 August 2023, the 32-year-old Mallo moved abroad for the first time in his career, signing a contract withCampeonato Brasileiro Série A sideSC Internacional until December 2024.[20] Signed by former Celta managerEduardo Coudet, he made his debut five days later as a 62nd-minute substitute forVitão in a 1–0 home loss toFortaleza Esporte Clube, becoming thePorto Alegre club's first European in over a century and first Spaniard.[21][22]
Mallo's first goal came on 27 September 2023 in thefirst leg of the semi-finals of theCopa Libertadores away to compatriotsFluminense FC at theMaracanã Stadium, a 2–2 draw with the eventual champions.[23] He played both legs of the tie at the expense ofFabricio Bustos, but then suffered a left-thigh muscle injury that ended his campaign.[24]
On 1 August 2024, Mallo joinedAris Thessaloniki F.C. ofSuper League Greece on a two-year deal.[25]
Mallo earned threecaps forSpain atunder-19 level in 2010. In their run to second place at the2010 UEFA European Championship, he played in the suspendedMartín Montoya's absence in the final group game, a 3–0 win againstItaly inFlers, Orne.[26]
Julen Lopetegui named Mallo in theunder-20 squad for the2011 FIFA World Cup in Colombia. He played all five games of a quarter-final campaign.[27]
In September 2011, Mallo made his firstunder-21 appearances in home and away wins overGeorgia inEuropean qualification. He then lost his place to Montoya, missed the2012 Olympics and was edged from even his substitute place underLuis Milla for a year until being recalled againstItaly in November 2012, his final international.[28]
Mallo played for theunofficial Galicia team on 20 May 2016, in a 1–1 draw withVenezuela atRiazor.[29]
On 30 January 2024, Mallo was ordered to stand trial inBarcelona's Criminal Court number 19 for allegations that he inappropriately touched the breasts of a woman who wore a parakeet costume while working as an Espanyol mascot. The incident, which was caught on film, took place in a Celta match at theCornellà-El Prat Stadium on 24 April 2019; due to the penal code which was in force at the time, he could be charged with sexual abuse rather than sexual assault, with the trial being scheduled to start on 11 July 2024.[30]
The accuser, who remained anonymous and used the alias "Ms. Ana," previously testified about the incident while appearing before the Court of First Instance and Instruction Number 2 ofCornellà de Llobregat on 27 June 2019. On 25 September, the court would give the case a provisional dismissal. However, on 14 November, it would deny Mallo a "free dismissal" which would have closed the case. On 31 May 2021, the Ninth Section of the Provincial Court of Barcelona revoked the court's dismissal; he maintained his innocence, claiming that he did not know the gender of the person in the parakeet costume at the time of the incident and that he greeted Espanyol's mascots and players normally.[30]
| Club | Season | League | National Cup | International | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Celta | 2009–10 | Segunda División | 25 | 0 | 5 | 0 | — | — | 30 | 0 | ||
| 2010–11 | 28 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 2[a] | 0 | 30 | 1 | |||
| 2011–12 | 34 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 37 | 0 | ||||
| 2012–13 | La Liga | 17 | 0 | 4 | 0 | — | — | 21 | 0 | |||
| 2013–14 | 33 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 35 | 0 | ||||
| 2014–15 | 28 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 29 | 1 | ||||
| 2015–16 | 34 | 1 | 7 | 0 | — | — | 41 | 1 | ||||
| 2016–17 | 23 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 12[b] | 1 | — | 41 | 3 | |||
| 2017–18 | 34 | 0 | 4 | 0 | — | — | 38 | 0 | ||||
| 2018–19 | 35 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 35 | 1 | ||||
| 2019–20 | 27 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 29 | 0 | ||||
| 2020–21 | 31 | 3 | 1 | 1 | — | — | 32 | 4 | ||||
| 2021–22 | 21 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 23 | 1 | ||||
| 2022–23 | 26 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 28 | 0 | ||||
| Celta total | 396 | 10 | 39 | 1 | 12 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 449 | 12 | ||
| Internacional | 2023 | Série A | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3[c] | 1 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 1 |
| Career total | 402 | 10 | 39 | 1 | 15 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 458 | 13 | ||
Spain U19