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Joaquín (footballer, born 1981)

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For other footballers named Joaquín, seeJoaquín.
In thisSpanish name,the first or paternalsurnameisSánchezand the second or maternal family name isRodríguez.

Joaquín
Joaquín withBetisin 2022
Personal information
Full name Joaquín Sánchez Rodríguez[1]
Date of birth (1981-07-21)21 July 1981(age 42)[1]
Place of birth El Puerto de Santa María,Spain[1]
Height 1.79 m (5 ft 10 in)[1]
Position(s) 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 professionalfootballerwho played as aright winger.

He was best known for his pace and acceleration, as well as excellentdribblingandcrossingability. During his career, he was mainly associated withBetisandValencia,appearing in a joint-record 622La Ligamatches over 20 seasons and scoring 77 goals while winning theCopa del Reywith both clubs (twice with the former). He also representedMálagain the competition, signing withFiorentinafrom Italy in 2013.[2]

Joaquín wascappedforSpainon 51 occasions, representing the nation in twoWorld CupsandEuro 2004.

Club career[edit]

Betis[edit]

Joaquín was born inEl Puerto de Santa María,Province of Cádiz.In1999–2000he 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 teamthefollowing season,making his professional debut on 3 September 2000 and having an immediate impact – 38 matches and three goals – as theAndalusiansreturned toLa Ligaafter one year out.[3]

Subsequently, Joaquín collected well over 200 official appearances for Betis in the next five years,assistingand scoring alike. During2004–05he 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 Stadiumon 11 June 2005, he featured the full 90 minutes plusextra timeof 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 overChelseaon 1 November 2005 and a 0–0 draw againstLiverpoolatAnfieldlate 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 Leónstated 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.

Valencia[edit]

Joaquín playing forValenciain 2010

Joaquín was meant to joinValencia CFin 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 Balompiéas 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 signingto 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 theChemade 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 VillatoFC 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 Madridto win 2–1,[14]eventually finishing third andqualifying for the Champions League.

Málaga[edit]

Joaquín in action againstLevantein 2011

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 Milanin theChampions League group stage.[19]

Fiorentina[edit]

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 Zürichin theEuropa League playoff round.[21]

Joaquín's first goal for theViolacame as asubstituteon 20 October 2013, in a 4–2 home win overSerie AchampionsJuventus FC,[22]and his second ofthe league seasonwas the only in a victory atSSC Napolithe following 23 March.[23]He also played a part in the team's run tothe finalof theCoppa Italia,netting in a 2–0 home win overAC ChievoVeronain the last 16.[24]

Return to Betis[edit]

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 CFon 15 September 2019,[27]marking his 400th appearance for the green-and-whites – he also drew level withJulio Cardeñosaas 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 Stéfanoin 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 surpassingRaúlas the outfield player with the most games in the competition; onlygoalkeeperAndoni Zubizarretaremained ahead of him, on 622.[33]On 15 September 2022, after scoring in the 3–2 defeat ofPFC Ludogorets Razgradin 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 Leagueafter a sixth-place finish.[37][38]

International career[edit]

Joaquín made his debut for theSpain national teamon 13 February 2002 againstPortugal,in a 1–1friendlyplayed 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 told in a Spanish radio interview:"Right now, the national team is a mess, chaos andLuisdoesn'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][40]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 CupandEuro 2012trophies.

Personal life[edit]

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 betweenCádizandSevillewhen Joaquín was in Betis' youth system. El Chino died in 2002, and since then Joaquín has dedicated most of his achievements to him remembered him as his mentor.[44]

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.[45]

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.[46]One year later, he appeared in theKings Leaguecup 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.[47]

Career statistics[edit]

Club[edit]

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition[48][49]
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
  1. ^IncludesCopa del Rey,Coppa Italia
  2. ^abAppearances inUEFA Cup
  3. ^Eight appearances inUEFA Champions League,four appearances in UEFA Cup
  4. ^abAppearance(s) inSupercopa de España
  5. ^abcdAppearances in UEFA Champions League
  6. ^abcdefAppearances inUEFA Europa League

International[edit]

Appearances and goals by national team and year[50]
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
Scores and results list Spain's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Joaquín goal.[50]
List of international goals scored by Joaquín
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,Salamanca,Spain China 3–0 3–0 Friendly

Honours[edit]

Betis

Valencia

Fiorentina

Individual

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^abcd"JOAQUÍN Sánchez Rodríguez".El Mundo(in Spanish).Retrieved24 September2019.
  2. ^McTear, Euan (21 September 2018)."Joaquín: Real Betis player, captain, shareholder, legend".Tifo Football.Retrieved10 April2019.
  3. ^Galván, Álvaro (21 November 2020)."Joaquín, a un partido de los 800"[Joaquín, one match from 800].ABC(in Spanish).Retrieved13 March2021.
  4. ^ab"Dani delivers for Betis".UEFA. 11 June 2005.Retrieved22 December2014.
  5. ^"Real Betis 1–0 Chelsea".BBC Sport.1 November 2005.Retrieved13 March2021.
  6. ^"Liverpool 0–0 Real Betis".BBC Sport. 23 November 2005.Retrieved13 March2021.
  7. ^"León dice que Joaquín se entregará al Betis"[León says Joaquín will commit to Betis].Marca(in Spanish). 26 July 2006.Retrieved27 July2006.
  8. ^"Lopera soltará a Joaquín por 18 millones y Regueiro"[Lopera will let Joaquín go for 18 million and Regueiro].Marca(in Spanish). 18 August 2006.Retrieved8 April2014.
  9. ^"Lopera intenta ceder a Joaquín al Albacete"[Lopera tries to loan Joaquín to Albacete].Diario AS(in Spanish). 25 August 2006.Retrieved8 April2014.
  10. ^"Joaquín ficha por el Valencia"[Joaquín signs for Valencia].El Mundo(in Spanish). 24 August 2006.Retrieved8 April2014.
  11. ^"Joaquín:" La Liga es muy larga y tendré mi ocasión ""[Joaquín: "The League is very long and I will have my chance" ].Marca(in Spanish). 9 September 2009.Retrieved19 May2016.
  12. ^"El segundo de Emery contesta a Joaquín:" Que piense si ha merecido la continuidad que reclama ""[Emery's sidekick answers Joaquín: "Maybe he should think if he deserves the opportunity he is crying out for" ].Marca(in Spanish). 26 April 2010.Retrieved19 May2016.
  13. ^"Valencia shrug off departures".ESPN Soccernet.28 August 2010. Archived fromthe originalon 24 October 2012.Retrieved7 March2011.
  14. ^"Joaquin shines to pile misery on Atletico".ESPN Soccernet. 12 February 2011. Archived fromthe originalon 24 October 2012.Retrieved7 March2011.
  15. ^"Joaquin adds to Malaga acquisitions".FIFA. 24 June 2011. Archived fromthe originalon 30 June 2011.Retrieved4 July2011.
  16. ^"Sevilla see off Malaga".ESPN Soccernet. 28 August 2011. Archived fromthe originalon 2 November 2012.Retrieved31 August2011.
  17. ^"Malaga ease to victory".ESPN Soccernet. 12 September 2011. Archived fromthe originalon 2 November 2012.Retrieved25 September2011.
  18. ^"Malaga leave it late".ESPN Soccernet. 20 October 2012.Retrieved28 October2012.
  19. ^Hunter, Graham (24 October 2012)."Joaquín keeps Málaga perfect at Milan's expense".UEFA.Retrieved28 October2012.
  20. ^"Joaquin signs for Fiorentina".Football Italia. 13 June 2013.Retrieved14 June2013.
  21. ^"Fiorentina-Grasshopper 0–1: Ben Khalifa spaventa il Franchi ma è la 'Viola' a staccare il pass per la fase a gironi"[Fiorentina-Grasshopper 0–1: Ben Khalifa scares the Franchi but it's the 'Viola' who go through to group stage] (in Italian).Goal.29 August 2013.Retrieved8 April2014.
  22. ^"Fiorentina 4–2 Juventus".BBC Sport. 30 October 2013.Retrieved13 February2015.
  23. ^"Napoli 0–1 Fiorentina: Joaquin downs 10-man hosts".Goal. 23 March 2014.Retrieved13 February2015.
  24. ^"Fiorentina 2–0 Chievo".Sky Sports.8 January 2014.Retrieved13 February2015.
  25. ^Rincón, Jaime (31 August 2015)."Joaquín bound for Betis".Marca.Retrieved31 August2015.
  26. ^Davis, Matt (11 April 2019)."Joaquin: Real Betis icon on 'love story' with boyhood club, & his next chapter at age 37".BBC Sport.Retrieved11 April2019.
  27. ^Díaz, Juan Carlos (15 September 2019)."A penalty and a point apiece for Real Betis and Getafe".Marca.Retrieved16 September2019.
  28. ^Morán, Miguel Ángel; Kostopoulos, Panos (16 September 2019)."Joaquin celebrates appearances record with a goal against Getafe".Marca.Retrieved16 September2019.
  29. ^Rodríguez, Toni (8 December 2019)."Así hizo Joaquín su primer hat-trick a los 38 años"[This is how Joaquín got his first hat-trick at the age of 38].Diario AS(in Spanish).Retrieved8 December2019.
  30. ^"Joaquín becomes oldest player to score LaLiga hat-trick".Diario AS.8 December 2019.Retrieved8 December2019.
  31. ^Martin, Richard; Radnedge, Christian (8 December 2019)."Joaquin hits milestone La Liga hat-trick aged 38".The New York Times.Retrieved8 December2019.
  32. ^"Joaquín renueva con el Real Betis hasta 2021"[Joaquín renews with Real Betis until 2021] (in Spanish). Real Betis. 26 December 2019.Retrieved26 December2019.
  33. ^"Joaquín y su extraordinario récord en una temporada amarga"[Joaquín and his extraordinary record in a bitter season].ABC(in Spanish). 17 July 2020.Retrieved2 January2021.
  34. ^"He's not a grandad, just a 41-year-old kid: Joaquin becomes the oldest-ever player to score in Europa League".Mozzart Sport. 16 September 2022.Retrieved4 November2022.
  35. ^Barlow, Ruairidh (19 April 2023)."Spain and Real Betis legend Joaquin Sanchez announces retirement after 23 seasons".Football España.Retrieved19 April2023.
  36. ^Volcano, Carlos (19 April 2023)."WATCH: Real Betis great Joaquin announces retirement".Tribal Football.Retrieved19 April2023.
  37. ^Estrada, Daniel (28 May 2023)."Betis remontó ante el Girona y clasificó a Europa League; Andrés Guardado entró de cambio"[Betis came from behind against Girona and qualified for the Europa League; Andrés Guardado came on as a substitute].Récord(in Spanish).Retrieved4 June2023.
  38. ^Silva, Samuel (4 June 2023)."Las últimas horas del profesional Joaquín"[The last hours of Joaquín the professional] (in Spanish).Relevo.Retrieved4 June2023.
  39. ^Suárez, Orfeo (13 February 2002)."Portugal sujeta a España en Montjuïc"[Portugal hold Spain at Montjuïc].El Mundo(in Spanish).Retrieved19 May2018.
  40. ^ab"Korean dream lives on".BBC Sport. 22 June 2002.Retrieved13 November2017.
  41. ^Hayward, Paul (23 June 2002)."Korean miracle spoilt by refereeing farce".The Daily Telegraph.London.Retrieved17 November2017.
  42. ^Modia, Iván (20 May 2004)."Sáez selects Spain squad".UEFA.Retrieved7 May2016.
  43. ^Tynan, Gordon (6 October 2006)."Joaquin unsettles Spain with 'chaos' theory".The Independent.Archivedfrom the original on 9 June 2022.Retrieved6 February2009.
  44. ^Lowe, Sid (23 September 2010)."Valencia fatalism gives way to optimism".The Guardian.Retrieved23 September2010.
  45. ^Delmás, Alejandro (30 May 2006)."17. Joaquín Sánchez, un junco fino de cintura"[17. Joaquín Sánchez, a rush with a thin waist].Diario AS(in Spanish).Retrieved13 June2014.
  46. ^"Audience record for" El Novato "in Spain".Italy 24 Press News. 6 October 2022.Retrieved3 November2022.
  47. ^Calvo, Daniel (14 October 2023)."Joaquín tras su partido en la Kings Cup:" Me he visto muy mal, pero la afición ha sido increíble ""[Joaquín after his Kings Cup match: "I think I was terrible, but the fans were incredible" ].Marca(in Spanish).Retrieved15 October2023.
  48. ^abc"Joaquín".Soccerway.Retrieved8 February2015.
  49. ^JoaquínatESPN FC
  50. ^ab"Joaquín".European Football.Retrieved27 December2016.
  51. ^"Real Betis 1–1 Valencia (5–4 on pens): Real Betis win Copa del Rey final on penalties".BBC Sport. 23 April 2022.Retrieved23 April2022.
  52. ^"2002 FIFA World Cup Korea/Japan: Report and statistics"(PDF).FIFA. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 11 July 2009.Retrieved18 January2015.
  53. ^Leme de Arruda, Marcelo."FIFA XI´s Matches – Full Info".RSSSF.Archivedfrom the original on 17 November 2015.Retrieved26 October2015.
  54. ^Pla Díaz, Emilio."Spain – Footballer of the Year".RSSSF.Retrieved21 June2022.

External links[edit]

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