Rubén Suárez

Rubén Suárez Estrada (Spanish pronunciation: [ruˈβen ˈswaɾeθ]; born 19 February 1979) is a Spanish footballer. Mainly an attacking midfielder, he can also play as a second striker.

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

Rubén Suárez
Suárez in action for Levante in 2011
Personal information
Full name Rubén Suárez Estrada
Date of birth (1979-02-19) 19 February 1979
Place of birth Gijón, Spain
Height 1.67 m (5 ft 5 1⁄2 in)
Playing position(s) Midfielder
Youth career
Sporting Gijón
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1997–2002 Sporting B 77 (25)
1998–2004 Sporting Gijón 104 (11)
2004–2008 Elche 93 (13)
2008–2012 Levante 127 (37)
2012–2013 Guizhou Renhe 13 (1)
2013 Almería 19 (1)
2013–2014 Skoda Xanthi 14 (0)
2014–2015 Castellón 38 (16)
2015–2016 Torrevieja 25 (5)
2016–2017 Torre Levante 35 (9)
2017–2019 Acero 26 (1)
National team
1997–1998 Spain U18 5 (0)
1998–1999 Spain U20 12 (1)
1999 Spain U21 1 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 19 May 2019

He appeared in 283 Segunda División matches over 13 seasons, scoring a combined 49 goals for Sporting de Gijón, Elche, Levante and Almería. He added 61 games and 13 goals in La Liga with the two last clubs, and also competed professionally in China and Greece.

Club career

Born in Gijón, and a product of local Sporting de Gijón's famed youth academy, Mareo, Suárez played six seasons with the Asturians' first team in Segunda División. He stayed in the level afterwards, with four additional years at Elche CF.

In July 2008, Suárez joined Levante UD also in that tier. In his first year he finished as the side's top scorer at 12, mainly due to the serious fibula injury to Alexandre Geijo.[1]

In the 2009–10 season, Suárez repeated the feat (again scoring in double digits), as the Valencians returned to La Liga after a two-year absence.[2] On 28 August 2010, at the ripe age of 31 years, six months and nine days, he made his debut in the top division, opening the score at home against Sevilla FC, through a penalty kick, in an eventual 1–4 defeat.[3]

In late June 2012, aged 33, Suárez had his first adventure abroad, signing with Chinese Super League club Guizhou Renhe F.C. and reuniting with former Levante teammates Rafa Jordà and Nano, after contributing with eight goals in less than 1,000 minutes of play to Levante's first-ever qualification to the UEFA Europa League after a sixth-place finish in the league.[4][5]

On 3 January 2013, Suárez returned to his country, signing with second level's UD Almería for 18 months.[6]

International career

Suárez played in all the matches for Spain at the 1999 FIFA World Youth Championship held in Nigeria, netting in a 3–1 group stage win against Honduras (the only game where he did not appear from the bench) as the national team won the tournament.[7] Later in that year, he earned one cap for the under-21 team.[8]

Personal life

Suárez's father, Secundino, was also a footballer. A defender, he too played for Sporting Gijón.[9][2]

Honours
Spain U20

References
  1. "La inversión más rentable del Levante" [Levante's most profittable investment]. Las Provincias (in Spanish). 11 May 2009. Retrieved 30 November 2017.
  2. "Rubén, el hijo de Cundi, es la estrella" [Rubén, the son of Cundi, is the star]. Diario AS (in Spanish). 25 September 2010. Retrieved 30 November 2017.
  3. "Sevilla see off new boys". ESPN Soccernet. 28 August 2010. Retrieved 1 March 2011.
  4. ""Xavi ya era igual hace 13 años"" [“Xavi was the same he is now 13 years ago”]. El País (in Spanish). 13 April 2012. Retrieved 30 November 2017.
  5. "Rubén Suárez se va al fútbol chino" [Rubén Suárez goes to Chinese football]. La Nueva España (in Spanish). 22 June 2012. Retrieved 21 December 2012.
  6. "Rubén Suárez ficha por el Almería, centro campista de mucha experiencia" [Rubén Suárez signs for Almería, much-experienced midfielder.] (in Spanish). Liga de Fútbol Profesional. 3 January 2013. Archived from the original on 17 February 2013. Retrieved 30 November 2017.CS1 maint: BOT: original-url status unknown (link)
  7. "España bate a Honduras y se medirá a Estados unidos en octavos de final" [Spain beat Honduras and will face the United States in last-16]. El Mundo (in Spanish). 12 April 1999. Retrieved 30 November 2017.
  8. "España 2–1 Israel" [Spain 2–1 Israel] (in Spanish). UEFA. 9 October 1999. Retrieved 30 November 2017.
  9. "Ruben Suárez, un debut tardío" [Ruben Suárez, a late debut] (in Spanish). Notas de Fútbol. 8 September 2010. Retrieved 21 December 2012.
  10. "Qué fue de los campeones del mundo sub20" [What happened to the under-20 world champions]. Marca (in Spanish). 17 April 2009. Retrieved 3 May 2017.
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