.jpg) Joaquín withBetis in 2022 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Joaquín Sánchez Rodríguez[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1981-07-21)21 July 1981 (age 44)[1] | ||
| Place of birth | El Puerto de Santa María, Spain[1] | ||
| Height | 1.79 m (5 ft 10 in)[1] | ||
| Position | Winger | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Los Frailes | |||
| San Luis | |||
| 1997–1999 | Betis | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1999–2000 | Betis B | 27 | (2) |
| 2000–2006 | Betis | 218 | (32) |
| 2006–2011 | Valencia | 158 | (18) |
| 2011–2013 | Málaga | 57 | (6) |
| 2013–2015 | Fiorentina | 49 | (4) |
| 2015–2023 | Betis | 227 | (24) |
| Total | 736 | (86) | |
| International career | |||
| 1999–2000 | Spain U18 | 4 | (0) |
| 2001 | Spain U21 | 7 | (0) |
| 2002–2007 | Spain | 51 | (4) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Joaquín Sánchez Rodríguez (Spanish pronunciation:[xoaˈkinˈsantʃeθroˈðɾiɣeθ]; born 21 July 1981), known mononymously asJoaquín, is a Spanish former professionalfootballer who played as aright winger.
He was best known for his pace and acceleration, as well as excellentdribbling andcrossing ability. During his career, he was mainly associated withBetis andValencia, appearing in a joint-record 622La Liga matches over 20 seasons and scoring 77 goals while winning theCopa del Rey with both clubs (twice with the former). He also representedMálaga in the competition, signing withFiorentina from Italy in 2013.[2]
Joaquín wascapped forSpain on 51 occasions, representing the nation in twoWorld Cups andEuro 2004.
Joaquín was born inEl Puerto de Santa María,Province of Cádiz. In1999–2000 he started his senior career, appearing regularly forReal Betis B (after spending two years in the youth ranks) as it was eventually relegated from theSegunda División B. He moved tothe first team thefollowing season, making his professional debut on 3 September 2000 and having an immediate impact – 38 matches and three goals – as theAndalusians returned toLa Liga after one year out.[3]
Subsequently, Joaquín collected well over 200 official appearances for Betis in the next five years,assisting and scoring alike. During2004–05 he played all the games, scoring five times, and added three goals inthe campaign'sCopa del Rey; as the final of the latter was played at theVicente Calderón Stadium on 11 June 2005, he featured the full 90 minutes plusextra time of the 2–1 win againstCA Osasuna.[4]
Joaquín appeared in all six group-stage matches inthe following season'sUEFA Champions League, including the 1–0 victory overChelsea on 1 November 2005 and a 0–0 draw againstLiverpool atAnfield late in the same month (third-place finish,UEFA Cuprelegation).[5][6] Onthe domestic front, he scored three goals from 35 appearances for the 14th-placed side.
In late July 2006, following a conversation with Joaquín, Betis chairmanPepe León stated that the player had convinced him that he would stay at the club for another year. "It has surprised me a lot,” he admitted. “I came to convince him and on the contrary, he has convinced me", he further added.[7] In mid-August, the player caused shock at the club by declaring in a press conference his intentions to leave.
Joaquín was meant to joinValencia CF in early August 2006 for€18 million, in a swap deal that also includedMario Regueiro.[8] However, some difficulties in the payment appeared, along with theUruguayan's insistence in remaining at Valencia, with the transfer thus being delayed.
Joaquín was loaned toAlbacete Balompié as punishment by Betis ownerManuel Ruiz de Lopera, due to the player taking a certain percentage of the transfer fee. Lopera used a clause in his contract whereby he could be loaned to any club if it was decided by Betis (Joaquín travelled to his new club's facilities using his own transport and, to prove that he did so, had himself photographed by operatives working nearby. The switch was subsequently cancelled).[9]
In late August 2006, Joaquín officially moved to Valencia for €25 million, making himthe club's most expensive signing to that date as the player penned a five-year contract, with the choice of a further one-year extension.[10] Inhis first year, he played 35 matches and scored five goals as theChe made it to theChampions League's qualifying rounds.
Joaquín began facing stiff competition for a starting berth in2009–10, being challenged by youngerPablo Hernández. During the course of the campaign – they also played in theUEFA Europa League – both players received roughly the same number of minutes and scored a similar total of goals.[11][12]
With the departure ofDavid Villa toFC Barcelona, Joaquín was given the No. 7 shirt for2010–11. He led the scoring charts after the first round, netting twice in a 3–1 win atMálaga CF.[13] On 12 February 2011 he scored another brace, helping Valencia come from behind atAtlético Madrid to win 2–1,[14] eventually finishing third andqualifying for the Champions League.
On 24 June 2011, Joaquín signed with Málaga for three years, for a fee of €4 million.[15] He made his debut for the club on 28 August in a 2–1 away loss againstSevilla FC,[16] and opened his scoring account by netting twice in anotherlocal derby, a 4–0 home defeat ofGranada CF.[17]
In two home games in October 2012 separated by only four days, Joaquín scored to give his team the final win, on both occasions after having missed apenalty: he started againstReal Valladolid (2–1),[18] then netted the match's only againstAC Milan in theChampions League group stage.[19]
On 13 June 2013, aged nearly 32, Joaquín moved abroad for the first time, agreeing a three-year deal with Italy'sACF Fiorentina.[20] He made his competitive debut for his new team on 29 August, starting in a 1–0 home loss againstGrasshopper Club Zürich in theEuropa League playoff round.[21]
Joaquín's first goal for theViola came as asubstitute on 20 October 2013, in a 4–2 home win overSerie A championsJuventus FC,[22] and his second ofthe league season was the only one in a victory atSSC Napoli the following 23 March.[23] He also played a part in the team's run tothe final of theCoppa Italia, netting in a 2–0 home win overAC ChievoVerona in the last 16.[24]
On 31 August 2015, Joaquín returned to Betis by signing a three-year contract.[25] In 2017, he acquired a 2% share in his first club.[26]
Joaquín found the net in a 1–1 draw againstGetafe CF on 15 September 2019,[27] marking his 400th appearance for the green-and-whites – he also drew level withJulio Cardeñosa as the player with most Spanish top-tier appearances for Betis with 307.[28] On 8 December, he scored an 18-minutehat-trick (the first of his long career)[29] in a 3–2 home win overAthletic Bilbao, becoming the oldest player ever to achieve the feat in La Liga at the age of 38 years and 140 days, breaking the previous record of 37 years set byAlfredo Di Stéfano in 1964.[30][31] At the end of the year, he agreed to an extension until 2021.[32]
On 16 July 2020, in a 2–1 home loss toDeportivo Alavés, Joaquín made his 551st Spanish top-division appearance, thereby surpassingRaúl as the outfield player with the most games in the competition; onlygoalkeeperAndoni Zubizarreta remained ahead of him, on 622.[33] On 15 September 2022, after scoring in the 3–2 defeat ofPFC Ludogorets Razgrad in thegroup stage, he became the oldest player to achieve the feat in the history of the Europa League at 41 years and 56 days.[34]
On 19 April 2023, Joaquín announced that he would retire at the end ofthe season.[35][36] He eventually equalled Zubizarreta's record, and helped Betis toqualify for the Europa League after a sixth-place finish.[37][38]
Joaquín made his debut for theSpain national team on 13 February 2002 againstPortugal, in a 1–1friendly played inBarcelona.[39] Brilliant club form for Betis saw him get called up forthat year'sFIFA World Cup, where he appeared twice: in his second match, the quarter-finals against co-hostsSouth Korea, he was involved in a couple of debatable decisions, including one incident where the linesman raised his flag for a goal kick as Joaquín was crossing a ball toFernando Morientes, who was denied a golden goal – the argument was that the ball had crossed the line. However, replays showed that it did not; the game then went topenalties, and he was chosen to take his team's fourth attempt – despite carrying an injury – which was blocked byLee Woon-jae.[40][41]
Joaquín played again for the nation through their premature exit atUEFA Euro 2004,[42] also being selected for the2006 World Cup. He totalled five appearances, but was not first-choice at either competition, only starting twice overall.
During the early stages of theEuro 2008qualification campaign, Spain lost 3–2 againstNorthern Ireland. After the match, Joaquín said in a Spanish radio interview: "Right now, the national team is a mess, chaos andLuis doesn't know how to handle it in these difficult moments. I know that what I'm saying is not going to help me get back into the national team, but it's what I feel." He later commented, "The only thing I wanted to say is that these are not clear times for the national squad after losing to Northern Ireland .... but it was not my intention to attack the team or Luis Aragonés".[43] Subsequently, he failed to be selected again as the national side went on to record 35 consecutive games without defeat, winning a record 15 consecutive times and lifting the Euro 2008,2010 World Cup andEuro 2012 trophies.[44][45][46]
Joaquín grew up in a big family, with eight brothers and sisters in total. As the third child, he had two elder brothers. Three of the eight children in this family are or have been engaged in football: besides Joaquín, his elder brother Lucas played forCádiz CF, and his brother Ricardo also played in Betis' youth ranks.
Growing up, Joaquín wanted to be abullfighter. Joaquín's uncle, nicknamed "El Chino", firmly believed in Joaquín's talent and paid for his daily round trip betweenCádiz andSeville when Joaquín was in Betis' youth system. El Chino died in 2002, and since then Joaquín has dedicated most of his achievements to him, remembering him as his mentor.[47]
After the 2005 domestic cup conquest, Joaquín married Susana Saborido on 8 July. The trophy was present at the ceremony, as was the entire Betis squad.[48]
In October 2022, after a long and successful presence on television and social media, he made his debut as a TV host in prime time, withEl novato, an interview program with popular personalities with a wide audience since its inception.[49] One year later, he appeared in theKings League cup finals held at theLa Rosaleda Stadium, home of his former club Málaga; he chose to represent Los Troncos FC, playing in the semi-final and contributing an assist on the opening goal as his team went on to beat Aniquiladores FC 2–0 and advance to the decisive match against Ultimate Móstoles later that day.[50]
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | Europe | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Betis B | 1999–2000 | Segunda División B | 27 | 2 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 27 | 2 | ||
| Betis | 2000–01 | Segunda División | 38 | 3 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 39 | 3 | ||
| 2001–02 | La Liga | 34 | 4 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 35 | 4 | |||
| 2002–03 | La Liga | 37 | 9 | 3 | 2 | 5[b] | 1 | — | 45 | 12 | ||
| 2003–04 | La Liga | 36 | 8 | 3 | 1 | — | — | 39 | 9 | |||
| 2004–05 | La Liga | 38 | 5 | 9 | 0 | — | — | 47 | 5 | |||
| 2005–06 | La Liga | 35 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 12[c] | 0 | 1[d] | 0 | 51 | 3 | |
| Total | 218 | 32 | 20 | 3 | 17 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 256 | 36 | ||
| Valencia | 2006–07 | La Liga | 35 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 8[e] | 0 | — | 46 | 5 | |
| 2007–08 | La Liga | 34 | 3 | 8 | 4 | 7[e] | 0 | — | 49 | 7 | ||
| 2008–09 | La Liga | 31 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 4[b] | 1 | 2[d] | 0 | 40 | 6 | |
| 2009–10 | La Liga | 28 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 13[f] | 4 | — | 45 | 7 | ||
| 2010–11 | La Liga | 30 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 5[e] | 1 | — | 38 | 5 | ||
| Total | 158 | 18 | 21 | 6 | 37 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 218 | 30 | ||
| Málaga | 2011–12 | La Liga | 23 | 2 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 25 | 2 | ||
| 2012–13 | La Liga | 34 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 10[e] | 3 | — | 45 | 8 | ||
| Total | 57 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 70 | 10 | ||
| Fiorentina | 2013–14 | Serie A | 26 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 5[f] | 2 | — | 36 | 5 | |
| 2014–15 | Serie A | 23 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 8[f] | 0 | — | 34 | 2 | ||
| Total | 49 | 4 | 8 | 1 | 14 | 2 | — | 70 | 7 | |||
| Betis | 2015–16 | La Liga | 30 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 32 | 1 | ||
| 2016–17 | La Liga | 28 | 3 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 29 | 3 | |||
| 2017–18 | La Liga | 35 | 4 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 36 | 4 | |||
| 2018–19 | La Liga | 30 | 6 | 7 | 1 | 6[f] | 0 | — | 43 | 7 | ||
| 2019–20 | La Liga | 34 | 8 | 2 | 2 | — | — | 36 | 10 | |||
| 2020–21 | La Liga | 27 | 2 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 30 | 2 | |||
| 2021–22 | La Liga | 21 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 10[f] | 0 | — | 37 | 2 | ||
| 2022–23 | La Liga | 22 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 7[f] | 1 | 0 | 0 | 30 | 1 | |
| Total | 227 | 24 | 22 | 5 | 23 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 272 | 30 | ||
| Betis total | 445 | 56 | 42 | 8 | 40 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 528 | 66 | ||
| Career total | 736 | 86 | 74 | 16 | 101 | 13 | 3 | 0 | 913 | 115 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spain | 2002 | 9 | 0 |
| 2003 | 8 | 2 | |
| 2004 | 9 | 0 | |
| 2005 | 9 | 2 | |
| 2006 | 7 | 0 | |
| 2007 | 9 | 0 | |
| Total | 51 | 4 | |
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 April 2003 | Antonio Amilivia,León, Spain |  Armenia | 3–0 | 3–0 | UEFA Euro 2004 qualifying |
| 2 | 6 September 2003 | D. Afonso Henriques,Guimarães, Portugal |  Portugal | 2–0 | 3–0 | Friendly |
| 3 | 9 February 2005 | Juegos Mediterráneos,Almería, Spain |  San Marino | 1–0 | 5–0 | 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 4 | 26 March 2005 | El Helmántico,Villares de la Reina, Spain |  China | 3–0 | 3–0 | Friendly |
Betis
Valencia
Fiorentina
Individual
Spain squads | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||||||||
