Jesús Vallejo

Spanish footballer (born 1997)
Jesús Vallejo
Vallejo in 2022
Personal information
Full name Jesús Vallejo Lázaro[1]
Date of birth (1997-01-05) 5 January 1997 (age 27)[2]
Place of birth Zaragoza, Spain
Height 1.84 m (6 ft 0 in)[2]
Position(s) Centre-back
Team information
Current team
Granada
(on loan from Real Madrid)
Number 5
Youth career
2007–2008 CD Oliver
2008–2014 Zaragoza
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2014–2015 Zaragoza 31 (1)
2015– Real Madrid 18 (1)
2015–2016 → Zaragoza (loan) 20 (0)
2016–2017 → Eintracht Frankfurt (loan) 25 (1)
2019–2020Wolverhampton Wanderers (loan) 2 (0)
2020–2021 → Granada (loan) 32 (0)
2023– → Granada (loan) 3 (0)
International career
2013 Spain U16 1 (0)
2013–2014 Spain U17 6 (0)
2014–2015 Spain U19 11 (2)
2015–2019 Spain U21 22 (0)
2021 Spain U23 5 (0)
Medal record
Men's football
Representing  Spain
Olympic Games
Silver medal – second place 2020 Team
Representing  Spain
UEFA European Under-21 Championship
Winner 2019
Runner-up 2017
Representing  Spain
UEFA European Under-19 Championship
Winner 2015
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 22:38, 1 February 2024 (UTC)

Jesús Vallejo Lázaro (born 5 January 1997) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for La Liga club Granada, on loan from Real Madrid.

He started his career with Zaragoza. In 2015 the 18-year-old signed for Real Madrid, being consecutively loaned to Zaragoza, Eintracht Frankfurt, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Granada and being a reserve player during his spell.

Vallejo was a youth international for Spain, winning the 2019 European Under-21 Championship and conquering silver with the Olympic team in 2020.

Club career

Zaragoza

Born in Zaragoza, Aragon, Vallejo joined Real Zaragoza's youth setup in 2008, aged 11.[3] On 26 July 2013, after impressing in the Juvenil squad, he signed a new deal with the club.[4]

On 23 August 2014, before even having appeared for the reserves, Vallejo made his professional debut, starting in a 0–0 draw at Recreativo de Huelva in the Segunda División.[5] On 26 December, he further extended his contract until 2019.[6]

Vallejo scored his first professional goal on 5 April 2015, the last in the 1–1 away draw against CD Tenerife.[7] He was appointed team captain by manager Ranko Popović for that match, and remained in the role afterwards.[8]

Real Madrid

On 31 July 2015, Vallejo signed a six-year contract with Real Madrid for a rumoured 6 million fee, being immediately loaned back to Zaragoza for one year.[9][10] The following summer, he moved abroad after agreeing to a one-year loan deal with German club Eintracht Frankfurt.[11]

Vallejo celebrating the 2018 UEFA Champions League with Real Madrid

Vallejo's maiden appearance in the Bundesliga took place on 27 August 2016, as he came as a late substitute in a 1–0 home win over FC Schalke 04.[12] He scored his first goal also from the bench, contributing to a 2–2 draw to RB Leipzig also at the Commerzbank-Arena in the last match of the season.[13]

On 7 July 2017, Vallejo was unveiled as a Real Madrid player and member of the first team squad for the upcoming campaign. He was handed the number 3 shirt, previously worn by Pepe.[14] His official debut took place on 26 October, when he started and was sent off in the last minute of a 2–0 away win against CF Fuenlabrada in the Copa del Rey.[15] His maiden appearance in La Liga occurred ten days later, when he partnered Sergio Ramos in the 3–0 home defeat of UD Las Palmas.[16]

Profiting from injury to Nacho and suspension to Ramos,[17] Vallejo made his debut in the UEFA Champions League on 11 April 2018, playing the entire 1–3 home loss to Juventus F.C. in the second leg of the quarter-finals, which still qualified to the last-four 4–3 on aggregate.[18] It was his only appearance,[19] as Madrid won their third consecutive and 13th overall title in the tournament.[20]

On 27 July 2019, Vallejo moved to English Premier League side Wolverhampton Wanderers on a season-long loan.[21][22] He made his competitive debut on 15 August, in a 4–0 home win against FC Pyunik in the third qualifying round in the UEFA Europa League.[23] He played his first Premier League match on 14 September, featuring the full 90 minutes in the 5–2 loss to Chelsea also at Molineux.[24] He made one further league appearance, but was not used again except for an EFL Cup tie in a side consisting largely of reserve players.[25]

At the start of the January transfer window, Wolves' head coach Nuno Espírito Santo confirmed that Vallejo was likely to leave and added that the defender "had moments that he played, moments that he performed well, and some moments he didn't perform well ... Clearly it didn't work out".[26] On 24 January 2020, he was loaned to Granada CF of the Spanish top tier until June;[27][28] on 18 August, the move was extended for another year,[29][30] and he featured 12 times in the Andalusians' quarter-final run in the Europa League[31] for a total of 37 over the campaign.[32]

Due to suspensions and injuries, Vallejo started in the 4–0 home victory over RCD Espanyol on 30 April 2022 as Real Madrid clinched their 35th league title, partnering Casemiro in central defence.[33][34][35] He played only eight competitive matches during the season, however.[36]

On 15 July 2023, Vallejo returned to Granada on a season-long loan.[37][38]

International career

On 7 March 2013, Vallejo appeared with the Spain under-16 team in a friendly with Hungary.[39] He earned his first cap for the under-21s on 26 March 2015 at the age of 18, starting in the 2–0 win against Norway in Cartagena in another exhibition game.[40][41]

Selected for the 2017 Under-21 European Championship finals by manager Albert Celades,[42] Vallejo played four times for the eventual runners-up.[43][44] Even though he was not part of the squad of 23 for the 2018 FIFA World Cup finals, he was picked by full side head coach Julen Lopetegui for a friendly with Switzerland to be held on 3 June.[45]

Vallejo was one of 22 players selected by the under-23 team for the 2020 Summer Olympics, delayed until the summer of 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[46]

Career statistics

As of match played 3 January 2024[47]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National Cup League Cup Continental Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Zaragoza 2014–15 Segunda División 29 1 3[a] 0 32 1
Real Madrid 2017–18 La Liga 7 0 4 0 1[b] 0 0 0 12 0
2018–19 La Liga 5 1 1 0 1[b] 0 0 0 7 1
2021–22 La Liga 5 0 1 0 2[b] 0 0 0 8 0
2022–23 La Liga 1 0 1 0 1[b] 0 1[c] 0 4 0
Total 18 1 7 0 5 0 1 0 31 1
Zaragoza (loan) 2015–16 Segunda División 20 0 20 0
Eintracht Frankfurt (loan) 2016–17 Bundesliga 25 1 2 0 27 1
Wolverhampton Wanderers (loan) 2019–20 Premier League 2 0 0 0 2 0 3[d] 0 7 0
Granada (loan) 2019–20 La Liga 11 0 3 0 0 0 14 0
2020–21 La Liga 21 0 4 0 12[d] 0 37 0
2023–24 La Liga 3 0 0 0 3 0
Total 35 0 7 0 12 0 54 0
Career total 130 3 16 0 2 0 20 0 4 0 172 3
  1. ^ Appearances in Segunda División play-offs
  2. ^ a b c d Appearances in UEFA Champions League
  3. ^ Appearance in FIFA Club World Cup
  4. ^ a b Appearances in UEFA Europa League

Honours

Real Madrid

Spain U19

Spain U21

Spain U23

Individual

  • UEFA European Under-21 Championship Team of the Tournament: 2019[60]

References

  1. ^ "Acta del partido celebrado el 07 de noviembre de 2015, en Palma de Mallorca" [Minutes of the match held on 7 November 2015, in Palma de Mallorca] (in Spanish). Royal Spanish Football Federation. 7 November 2015. Retrieved 15 June 2019.
  2. ^ a b "Jesús Vallejo". Eurosport. Retrieved 25 January 2020.
  3. ^ "El octavo capitán" [The eighth captain]. Heraldo de Aragón (in Spanish). 11 May 2015. Retrieved 22 February 2023.
  4. ^ "El juvenil Jesús Vallejo amplía su vinculación con el Real Zaragoza" [Youth player Jesús Vallejo extends his link with Real Zaragoza] (in Spanish). Real Zaragoza. 26 July 2013. Retrieved 27 August 2014.
  5. ^ "Poca puntería en el Nuevo Colombino" [Poor aiming at the Nuevo Colombino]. Marca (in Spanish). 23 August 2014. Retrieved 27 August 2014.
  6. ^ Gaudioso, Sonia (26 December 2014). "El Zaragoza renueva a Vallejo, central de futuro y... presente" [Zaragoza renew with Vallejo, stopper for the future and... the present]. Marca (in Spanish). Retrieved 16 March 2015.
  7. ^ "Tenerife y Zaragoza se reparten goles y méritos para ganar" [Tenerife and Zaragoza share goals and merits to win]. Marca (in Spanish). 5 April 2015. Retrieved 7 April 2015.
  8. ^ Gaudioso, Sonia (17 June 2015). "Vallejo, con Derecho a soñar" [Vallejo, with the Law/Right (both mean "Derecho" in English) to dream]. Marca (in Spanish). Retrieved 17 June 2015.
  9. ^ "El Real Madrid ficha al jugador del Real Zaragoza Jesús Vallejo" [Real Madrid sign Zaragoza player Jesús Vallejo] (in Spanish). Real Zaragoza. 31 July 2015. Retrieved 31 July 2015.
  10. ^ "Official statement: Jesus Vallejo". Real Madrid CF. 31 July 2015. Retrieved 31 July 2015.
  11. ^ "Eintracht Frankfurt leiht Jesús Vallejo von Real Madrid aus" [Eintracht Frankfurt get Jesús Vallejo loan from Real Madrid] (in German). Eintracht Frankfurt. 12 July 2016. Archived from the original on 29 June 2019. Retrieved 14 July 2016.
  12. ^ Walsh, Jonathan (27 August 2016). "Eintracht Frankfurt 1–0 Schalke 04: Meier makes the difference for the Eagles". Vavel. Retrieved 31 July 2017.
  13. ^ "Vallejo und Blum: Joker retten Frankfurts Generalprobe" [Vallejo and Blum: Jokers save Frankfurt's dress rehearsal] (in German). Kicker. 20 May 2017. Retrieved 31 July 2017.
  14. ^ "Vallejo is presented at the Santiago Bernabéu". Real Madrid CF. 7 July 2017. Retrieved 7 July 2017.
  15. ^ Cerezo, Hugo (26 October 2017). "Vallejo debutó a lo Woodgate: roja en su primer partido com el Madrid" [Woodgate-like debut for Vallejo: red in his first game with Madrid]. Marca (in Spanish). Retrieved 27 October 2017.
  16. ^ Sánchez, Jesús (5 November 2017). "El Madrid cierra la hemorragia" [Madrid stop the bleeding]. Marca (in Spanish). Retrieved 5 November 2017.
  17. ^ Siguero, Santiago (10 April 2018). "Vallejo back in full training ahead of Juventus call-up". Marca. Retrieved 12 April 2018.
  18. ^ Hafez, Shamoon (11 April 2018). "Real Madrid 1–3 Juventus". BBC Sport. Retrieved 12 April 2018.
  19. ^ "Así llegan Real Madrid y Liverpool a la final de la Champions" [That is how Real Madrid and Liverpool arrive to the Champions final] (in Spanish). RCN Radio. 25 May 2018. Retrieved 29 May 2018.
  20. ^ "Madrid beat Liverpool to complete hat-trick". UEFA. 26 May 2018. Retrieved 28 May 2018.
  21. ^ "Vallejo joins from Real Madrid". Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. 27 July 2019. Retrieved 27 July 2019.
  22. ^ "Official announcement: Vallejo". Real Madrid CF. 27 July 2019. Retrieved 27 July 2019.
  23. ^ Rose, Gary (15 August 2019). "Europa League: Wolves beat Pyunik 4–0 for an 8–0 aggregate win". BBC Sport. Retrieved 15 August 2019.
  24. ^ Johnston, Neil (14 September 2019). "Wolverhampton Wanderers 2–5 Chelsea". BBC Sport. Retrieved 24 October 2019.
  25. ^ Sutcliffe, Steve (30 October 2019). "Aston Villa 2–1 Wolverhampton Wanderers". BBC Sport. Retrieved 24 January 2020.
  26. ^ "Nuno's update on Jota, Boly, Traore and Vallejo". Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. 3 January 2020. Retrieved 24 January 2020.
  27. ^ "Vallejo joins Granada CF". Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. 24 January 2020. Retrieved 24 January 2020.
  28. ^ "Comunicado | Vallejo se incorpora como cedido hasta final de temporada" [Announcement | Vallejo added on loan until end of the season] (in Spanish). Granada CF. 24 January 2020. Retrieved 25 January 2020.
  29. ^ "Comunicado | Granada CF y Real Madrid acuerdan la cesión de Vallejo por una temporada" [Announcement | Granada CF and Real Madrid agree to Vallejo loan for one season] (in Spanish). Granada CF. 18 August 2020. Retrieved 18 August 2020.
  30. ^ "Official announcement: Vallejo". Real Madrid CF. 18 August 2020. Retrieved 18 August 2020.
  31. ^ "El Granada sigue haciendo historia y pasa a cuartos de la Europa League pese a perder ante el Molde" [Granada continue to make history and reach quarter-finals of the Europa League in spite of losing to Molde] (in Spanish). Antena 3. 18 March 2021. Retrieved 13 May 2022.
  32. ^ Castro Picón, Jorge (9 June 2021). "Vallejo se prepara para volver" [Vallejo gets ready to return]. Diario AS (in Spanish). Retrieved 13 May 2022.
  33. ^ a b "Jesús Vallejo: titularidad y título a la vista" [Jesús Vallejo: start and title on the horizon]. Heraldo de Aragón (in Spanish). 29 April 2022. Retrieved 2 May 2022.
  34. ^ Sánchez Tavero, Fernando (29 April 2022). ""Mañana jugará Vallejo en defensa y tal vez Casemiro"" ["Vallejo will play in defence tomorrow and maybe Casemiro"]. Diario AS (in Spanish). Retrieved 13 May 2022.
  35. ^ a b Westwood, James (30 April 2022). "Real Madrid clinch 35th La Liga title with four games to spare after victory over Espanyol". Goal. Retrieved 30 April 2022.
  36. ^ Hernández Molina, Víctor (14 June 2022). "El exzaragocista Jesús Vallejo no quiere moverse del Real Madrid" [Former Zaragoza man Jesús Vallejo wants to stay put at Real Madrid] (in Spanish). El Desmarque. Retrieved 28 June 2022.
  37. ^ "Official announcement: Vallejo". Real Madrid CF. 15 July 2023. Retrieved 15 July 2023.
  38. ^ "Comunicado oficial | Jesús Vallejo, nuevo jugador del Granada CF" [Official announcement | Jesús Vallejo, new Granada CF player] (in Spanish). Granada CF. 15 July 2023. Retrieved 15 July 2023.
  39. ^ "El zaragocista Jesús Vallejo titular en el España – Hungría Sub-16" [Zaragoza's Jesús Vallejo starts in Spain – Hungary Under-16] (in Spanish). Real Zaragoza. 7 March 2013. Retrieved 27 August 2014.
  40. ^ "España-Noruega: Partidazo de Deulofeu y gol Munir (2–0)" [Spain-Norway: Big game from Deulofeu and Munir goal (2–0)] (in Spanish). Eurosport. 26 March 2015. Retrieved 31 July 2017.
  41. ^ "Jesús Vallejo sube un nuevo peldaño en su carrera con su debut en la Sub-21" [Jesús Vallejo climbs another step with Under-21 debut] (in Spanish). Real Zaragoza. 27 March 2015. Retrieved 31 July 2017.
  42. ^ "Spain reveal U21 Championship squad". Football España. 19 May 2017. Retrieved 31 July 2017.
  43. ^ Dunne, Robbie (20 June 2017). "Portugal 1–3 Spain: UEFA Under 21 Euro match report, Spain advance to semi-finals". Diario AS. Retrieved 31 July 2017.
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  47. ^ "Jesús Vallejo". Soccerway. Retrieved 3 August 2017.
  48. ^ Mann, Mantej (6 May 2023). "Real Madrid 2–1 Osasuna". BBC Sport. Retrieved 7 May 2023.
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  50. ^ Mctear, Euan (16 January 2022). "Modric and Benzema fire Real Madrid to the Supercopa title". Marca. Retrieved 29 May 2022.
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  55. ^ "Real Madrid 5–3 Al-Hilal". BBC Sport. 11 February 2023. Retrieved 11 February 2023.
  56. ^ Haslam, Andrew (19 July 2015). "Spain see off Russia for seventh Under-19 crown". UEFA. Retrieved 7 June 2022.
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  58. ^ "Germany U21 1–0 Spain U21". BBC Sport. 30 June 2017. Retrieved 24 October 2019.
  59. ^ Johnson, Jonathan (7 August 2021). "Tokyo Olympics: Brazil defend gold medal, down Spain in extra time of men's soccer final". CBS Sports. Retrieved 7 August 2021.
  60. ^ "Official Under-21 Team of the Tournament". UEFA. 1 July 2019. Retrieved 2 January 2023.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Jesús Vallejo.
  • Real Madrid profile
  • Jesús Vallejo at BDFutbol Edit this at Wikidata
  • Jesús Vallejo – UEFA competition record (archive) Edit this at Wikidata
  • Jesús Vallejo at Soccerway Edit this at Wikidata
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Spain men's football squad2020 Summer Olympics – Silver medalists
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