He started his career withAthletic Bilbao, working his way through the various youth ranks and, after making his first team debut in 2005, becoming one of the most important offensive players for the club in the following decade. He scored 29 goals in all competitions in the2011–12 season, and was described as a "Bilbao legend".[4][5] He signed withJuventus in 2013, and won theSerie A title twice during his two-year spell there. Subsequently, he spent2015–16 back in Spain withSevilla before moving toSwansea City in 2016 andTottenham Hotspur the following year, reaching the2019 Champions League final with the latter. He retired aged 38, following stints atNapoli,Udinese andEibar.
After scoring four goals for the B's in the first half of the season, Llorente was rewarded with a contract extension until June 2008.[11] On 16 January 2005, he made his first-team andLa Liga debut in a 1–1 home draw againstEspanyol.[12] Three days later, in aCopa del Rey match againstLanzarote, he scored ahat-trick in a6–0 victory.[13] He went on to feature in all but five of the nineteen remaining league games, scoring three goals, and also played in four domestic cup matches and theUEFA Cupround of 32 tie againstAustria Wien.[14]
Before2005–06, Llorente exchanged his squad number of 32 for the number 9 jersey.[15] He scored on the opening day, aBasquederby 3–0 win overReal Sociedad[16] but, throughout the campaign, found goals hard to come by. This could be partly attributed to a series of injuries including aknee strain,[17]gastroenteritis[18] and a muscle injury.[19] He ended the season with just four goals, two in the league and as many in the Cup, both againstHospitalet.[20]
On 13 July 2006, Llorente signed a new contract until June 2011, which included a buy-out clause of between€30 and 50 million.[21] He startedthe season as arguably the club's fourth-choice striker, behindAritz Aduriz,Joseba Etxeberria and veteranIsmael Urzaiz. The team's poor form and lack of goals led to coachFélix Sarriugarte rotating the players, allowing Llorente to force his way back into the side; he ended the campaign with only two goals in 23 matches, although he did score an important one in the closing minutes of a 1–1 draw atValencia.[22]
In preparation for2007–08, Llorente scored six goals in as many pre-season matches, and another againstNumancia in theCaja Duero Trophy. His form led to him becoming Athletic's first-choice forward, and although he started the campaign poorly, he ended it with a total of 11 league goals as the side finished in mid-table. His tally included four goals in two games against Valencia, both impressive wins,[23][24] and further strikes againstBarcelona,[25]Villarreal[26] andAtlético Madrid.[27]
Before2008–09, Llorente was confident of a successful season. "I know that I am capable of scoring goals and having a good year and I want to start this term in the same form that I ended the last one in" he said.[28] Despite the team's modest start he scored 14 league goals – a career-best – with another four inthe Cup, helping his team reachthe final against Barcelona (a 4–1 loss).[29]
In the2009–10 season, Llorente again reached double figures. He led all scorers in theEuropa League for a long period with eight goals, and added fourteen in the league as Athletic eventually finished in eighth place.[30][31]
Llorente (foreground) playing for Athletic Bilbao againstBarcelona in 2012
On 28 August 2010, Llorente scored the first goal of the2010–11 campaign, in a 1–0 win atHércules.[32] His form continued in the next ten league fixtures as he found the net seven times, eventually finishing the season with 18 goals (19 overall) as Athletic qualified for the Europa League.[33]
Between January and February 2012, Llorente scored five goals in two away matches in only four days: he started with a hat-trick in a 3–2 win againstRayo Vallecano,[34] and added two in a 2–1 defeat ofMirandés in theSpanish Cup semi-finals.[35] In the next two matches, both at home, he scored three more, one against Espanyol in the league[36] and two against Mirandés.[37]
In August 2012, Llorente refused to sign a new deal with Athletic Bilbao, fuelling speculation that he might be leaving.[4] Following a 2–0Basque derby loss at Real Sociedad on 29 September, in which he was a latesubstitute, he got into an argument with managerMarcelo Bielsa; two days later he walked out of training early and was sent to practice with the youth squad[43] and, as a result, his relationship with the club's supporters and presidentJosu Urrutia further deteriorated.[44]
On 3 January 2013, Athletic confirmed that Llorente would be holding talks withJuventus.[45] On 21 January, the latter's sporting director,Giuseppe Marotta, stated that he was "very optimistic" that the player would join on 1 July, with Urrutia believed to be unwilling to allow him to leave in the Januarytransfer window.[46] Three days later, the club announced he would sign a four-year deal on 1 July when his contract expired;[47] Juventus also paid his agent €3.038 million.[48]
Llorente scored just five goals in 36 competitive matches inhis final year, playing mainly as a back-up for Aduriz.[49][50]
Llorente officially became a Juventus player on 1 July 2013 after passing a medical at the club.[51][52] He was given the number 14 shirt,[50][53] and scored his first goal inSerie A on 22 September when he started in a 2–1 home win againstHellas Verona.[54]
Llorente found the net in his second and third ever appearances in theUEFA Champions League, both times againstReal Madrid in the2013–14 group stage (a 2–1 away loss, and a 2–2 home draw).[55][56] In November 2013 he spoke critically about his relationship with former manager Bielsa in an exclusive interview withLa Gazzetta dello Sport.[57] On 1 December he scored in injury time, the only goal of the match at home againstUdinese.[58]
Llorente's first two goals of 2014 came on 12 January, from a header and from close range as Juventus defeatedCagliari 4–1 away to extend their winning league run to 11 matches.[59] On 7 April, he scored both of his team's goals in a 2–0 home win overLivorno, guaranteeing at least second place and Champions League qualification.[60] On the final day ofthe season, again against Cagliari, he contributed one goal as Juve won 3–0 and clinched the championship, finishing with a record 102 points.[61]
On 27 August 2015,free agent Llorente signed a three-year contract withSevilla with a buyout clause of €20 million.[63] He made his league debut three days later, playing the full 90 minutes in a 3–0 home defeat against Atlético Madrid.[64] He scored his first goal for the club in a 2–1 loss toCelta, also at theRamón Sánchez Pizjuán Stadium, on 20 September.[65]
On 8 November 2015, after replacing newly signedCiro Immobile for the final 20 minutes of the league game against Real Madrid, Llorente headed home after only four minutes in an eventual 3–2 win.[66] Exactly one month later, also at home, he scored the only goal in a 1–0 victory over his former club Juventus in the final match of theChampions League group stage, which meant Sevilla overtookBorussia Mönchengladbach into third spot andqualification for the Europa League knockout phase.[67] The club went on to win the competition for the third time in a row, with the player being an unused substitute inthe final.[68] He came off the bench during extra time in theCopa del Rey Final four days later, which they lost to Barcelona.[69]
On 4 August 2016, it was announced that Llorente had signed a two-year deal withSwansea City.[70][71] He made hisPremier League debut nine days later, playing the full ninety minutes in a 1–0 away win againstBurnley.[72]
On 26 November 2016, Llorente scored two injury-time goals to help the hosts defeatCrystal Palace 5–4.[73] He also scored twice two matches later, again at theLiberty Stadium, againstSunderland (3–0).[74] He finishedhis first season with 15 goals, as the team avoided relegation.[75]
A fracturedarm sustained while cycling during his summer holiday caused Llorente to miss the opening weeks of the2017–18 campaign.[76]
Llorente scored his first goal for Spurs on 6 December 2017, playing the full 90 minutes in the 3–0 Champions League win overAPOEL after his team had already progressed to the knockout stage as group winners.[82] He made his first league start the following January, scoring in a 2–0 away win against his former club Swansea.[83]
Llorente scored a hat-trick in a 6–1 victory overRochdale in thefifth round of theFA Cup, on 28 February 2018.[84] On 4 January 2019, inthe third round of the next season's competition, he repeated the feat in a 7–0 away rout ofTranmere Rovers,[85] and helped the club record its biggest ever away win.[86] His first league start ofthe season took place 16 days later due to an injury to Kane, when Llorente scored anown goal in a 2–1 away win atFulham.[87] In the following league game, he scored a late winner to help defeatWatford 2–1 atWembley Stadium.[88]
On 13 February 2019, Llorente scored the last goal in a3–0 Champions League win over Borussia Dortmund, only three minutes after coming off the bench;[89] it was his first career goal in the knockout stages of that competition, and 11th in total.[90] On 17 April, in the same competition, he scored what turned out to be the winning goal in the quarter-final fixture againstManchester City (the tie ended 4–4, Tottenham progressing on theaway goals rule).[91] In the second leg of the semi-final away toAjax, he replacedVictor Wanyama at half time and played a crucial role in helping his team come back from a three-goal aggregate deficit to make it 3–3 and progress again in the same fashion.[92][93] Inthe final played inMadrid, he was introduced off the bench with eight minutes remaining and the side already behind, was unable to affect the outcome asLiverpool won 2–0 to take the trophy.[94]
Despite his success in the Champions League, Llorente's contract expired on 30 June 2019 with no official statement from Tottenham on his position.[95] His name was included in their 'released players' list submitted to the Premier League on 7 June 2019 (before he was actually released),[95][96] and his profile was later removed from the first team squad list on the website for the upcoming season.[97]
On 2 September 2019, Llorente joinedNapoli on afree transfer, returning to Italy four years after leaving Juventus.[98][99] He made his league debut againstSampdoria on 14 September, where he provided anassist forDries Mertens within minutes of coming on as a substitute to help the team win 2–0.[100] His first goal for the club came three days later in theChampions League group stage game against Liverpool, scoring in injury time to seal a 2–0 victory.[101]
Llorente continued to be used in the 'super-sub' role, as was previously the case at Tottenham; although he was rarely started, he was often brought on in the second half of matches, to cause problems for tiring opposition defences with his physical presence.[93][102]
On 14 November 2008,senior national team managerVicente del Bosque called Llorente up for afriendly againstChile;[110] he was brought on as a substitute in the 72nd minute of the 3–0 win.[111] He scored his first goal in the 64th minute of a 2–0 friendly win overEngland on 11 February 2009, after coming off the bench.[112] After scoring 14 goals for Athletic in 2008–09, he was named by del Bosque in his 23-man squad for the2009 FIFA Confederations Cup. He was used as a substitute against hostsSouth Africa, and closed a 2–0 victory.[113]
Llorente was not selected during the 2009–10 season, as del Bosque favouredÁlvaro Negredo. He was, however, selected for the2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa as third-choice striker, where he played in one match for the eventual champions, the last thirty minutes of the 1–0round of 16 defeat ofPortugal.[114]
On 8 October 2010, benefiting from an injury toFernando Torres, Llorente started in aEuro 2012qualifier againstLithuania inSalamanca, scoring with two headers in a 3–1 win.[115] Four days later, as a substitute, he scored the winner againstScotland in a 3–2 victory atHampden Park.[116][117] He was selected for the final stages inPoland andUkraine, and was an unused squad member as Spain won another tournament.[118]
Llorente was one of seven players dropped from the final squad for the2014 World Cup.[119] He also represented the unofficialBasque Country team five times, making his debut againstCameroon in 2005 and scoring once againstCatalonia at theCamp Nou the following year. His last appearance was in December 2007.[120]
A tall, large, and physically powerful player, Llorente's main traits were his heading ability and strength in the air, which enabled him to function effectively as atarget-man in the centre of his team's attacking line.[121][122][123][124][125] He was also known for his offensive movement, positional sense, and goalscoring ability inside the penalty area.[121][122][123][126] Additionally, he was also gifted with good technical skills and link-up play, which allowed him to play well with his back to goal and hold up the ball for his teammates in order to create space and scoring opportunities.[121][122][123][126][127][128]
^Gómez Peña, J. (1 March 2012)."Amistoso entre Llorente y Amorebieta" [Friendly between Llorente and Amorebieta].El Correo (in Spanish). Archived fromthe original on 3 October 2019. Retrieved24 July 2017.
^Rodrigálvarez, Eduardo (8 February 2010)."Llorente, el goleador silencioso" [Llorente, the silent scorer].El País (in Spanish). Retrieved1 March 2018.
^"Llorente è bianconero!" [Llorente is white-and-black!] (in Italian). Udinese Calcio. 27 January 2021. Retrieved27 January 2021.
^Specogna, Jessy (2 August 2021)."Llorente verso il ritorno in Spagna" [Back to Spain for Llorente it is] (in Italian). Tutto Udinese. Archived fromthe original on 26 September 2021. Retrieved22 October 2021.
^Sierra, Joel (9 June 2016)."Ganar la Eurocopa sin jugar ni un minuto" [Winning the Eurocup without playing one single minute] (in Spanish). Sphera Sports. Archived fromthe original on 23 January 2018. Retrieved23 January 2018.
^Bedeschi, Stefano (1 March 2017)."Gli eroi in bianconero: Fernando Llorente" [The heroes in black and white: Fernando Llorente] (in Italian). Tutto Juve. Retrieved9 March 2017.
^"2–3. Cabezazo de oro" [2–3. Golden header] (in Spanish). Telecinco. 12 October 2010. Archived fromthe original on 16 October 2010. Retrieved21 October 2010.
^Having played in one match at the start of the title-winning season, by local counting methods he is considered to have contributed to that win sufficiently to be credited with the honour.
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