Javi Venta

Javier 'Javi' Rodríguez Venta (born 13 December 1975) is a Spanish retired professional footballer who played as a right back.

This article uses Spanish naming customs: the first or paternal family name is Rodríguez and the second or maternal family name is Venta.

Javi Venta
Venta in action for Levante
Personal information
Full name Javier Rodríguez Venta
Date of birth (1975-12-13) 13 December 1975
Place of birth Pola de Siero, Spain
Height 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Playing position(s) Right back
Youth career
1981–1992 Romanón
1992–1995 Oviedo
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1995–1997 Oviedo B
1996–1997 → Marino (loan) 20 (0)
1997–1999 Gimnástica 66 (3)
1999–2010 Villarreal 182 (1)
1999–2000 → Onda (loan)
2000–2001 → Racing Ferrol (loan) 39 (0)
2001–2002 → Tenerife (loan) 29 (1)
2010–2012 Levante 59 (0)
2012–2013 Villarreal 15 (0)
2013 Brentford 1 (0)
Total 411 (5)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

He amassed La Liga totals of 270 matches and two goals during 11 seasons, mainly with Villarreal (eight years). He also appeared in the competition with Tenerife and Levante, and had a brief abroad spell in England with Brentford.

Football career

Early years

Venta was born in Pola de Siero, Asturias. After playing his early career with modest Spanish clubs he was bought in 1999 by Villarreal CF, but would spend the next three seasons with the farm team (CD Onda) and on loan stints.[1]

He made his La Liga debut in the latter predicament in the 2001–02 season, playing 29 league games for CD Tenerife who ranked second from bottom.

Villarreal / Levante

In 2002–03 Venta returned to Villarreal and went on to become a steady first-choice throughout the season. In the 2004–05 campaign he appeared in 32 matches, as the Valencian side achieved a club-high third place; he was subsequently named by Spain manager Luis Aragonés in his provisional 27-man squad for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, but he did not make the final cut.[2]

In late April 2010, it was announced that both the 34-year-old Venta and Robert Pires would be leaving Villarreal.[3] During three years he constantly fought for first-choice status with Ángel López, with both appearing in roughly the same number of games.[4][5] In late August he signed for one year with Levante UD, returned to the top division after a two-year absence.[6]

Venta started in 25 of his 26 appearances in his second season, totalling 2,224 minutes of action as Levante finished sixth and qualified to the UEFA Europa League for the first time in its history. He did not have an offer to renew his expiring contract, however,[7] and returned to Villarreal for a second stint.[8]

Brentford

On 11 July 2013, aged 37, Venta moved abroad for the first time in his career, joining Football League One club Brentford on a one-year deal[9] with an option to extend to a second season depending on appearances.[10] He scored his only goal for the club in a 5–3 win against AFC Wimbledon for the season's Football League Trophy on 3 September, which also marked his fourth and final overall appearance;[11] he had his contract terminated by mutual consent on the 30th, and returned to Spain for personal reasons.[12]

Honours

Villarreal

References
  1. "Javi Venta" (in Spanish). Historia Racinguista. 27 June 2009. Retrieved 15 July 2013.
  2. "Luis Aragonés llama a Marchena y descarta a Morientes para el Mundial" [Luis Aragonés calls Marchena and cuts Morientes for World Cup]. Diario Córdoba (in Spanish). 16 May 2006. Retrieved 15 July 2013.
  3. "Javi Venta deja el Villarreal después de once temporadas" [Javi Venta leaves Villarreal after eleven seasons]. Levante-EMV (in Spanish). 29 April 2010. Retrieved 15 July 2013.
  4. "Ángel: "Tengo ganas de jugar y no salir más del once titular"" [Ángel: "I'm looking forward to playing and staying in the starting XI for good"]. Marca (in Spanish). 27 November 2009. Retrieved 2 January 2016.
  5. Pérez, Javier (23 October 2011). "Javi Venta, un lateral bien caro" [Javi Venta, quite an expensive fullback]. El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 15 July 2013.
  6. Martínez, Alberto (21 August 2010). "Javi Venta cree en este Levante" [Javi Venta believes in this Levante]. Las Provincias (in Spanish). Retrieved 15 July 2013.
  7. Martínez, Alberto; Molins, José (18 May 2012). "Javi Venta no seguirá en el Levante" [Javi Venta will not continue with Levante]. Las Provincias (in Spanish). Retrieved 3 December 2013.
  8. "El Villarreal ficha al lateral asturiano Javi Venta" [Villarreal signs Asturian full-back Javi Venta]. La Nueva España (in Spanish). 2 June 2012. Retrieved 3 December 2013.
  9. "Javi Venta: Brentford sign veteran Spanish defender". BBC Sport. 11 July 2013. Retrieved 11 July 2013.
  10. "Bees sign Javi Venta". Brentford F.C. 11 July 2013. Retrieved 11 July 2013.
  11. "Brentford 5–3 Wimbledon". BBC Sport. 3 September 2013. Retrieved 3 September 2013.
  12. "Javi Venta departs". Brentford F.C. 30 September 2013. Retrieved 30 September 2013.
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