Aarón Ñíguez
Encyclopedia
Aarón Ñíguez Esclápez simply Aarón, is a Spanish
footballer who plays for UD Almería
as a midfielder
.
A product of Valencia CF
's youth system, he was capped
by Spain
at various youth levels
.
's youth system, Aarón made his first-team debut on 5 December 2006 against A.S. Roma
, in the season's UEFA Champions League
. He came on as a substitute and played 27 minutes in the 1–0 away defeat, and spent his first professional season with the B club in the third division
, appearing regularly but suffering relegation.
After starting the 2007–08 season on loan with second division
side Xerez CD
, Aarón switched in the January transfer window
to Iraklis FC in Greece
. He scored his first goal for the Thessaloniki
side on 16 March 2008, with a penalty kick
, in a 1–0 win against Panionios FC, after his acrobatic bicycle kick
was blocked by an opponent's hand.
club Rangers
on a two-year loan deal, with an option to buy. He made his official debut for the team in the 7–1 defeat of Hamilton Academical
on 6 December, coming on as a second-half substitute and immediately creating a goal for compatriot Nacho Novo
. He scored his first competitive goal for Rangers in a Scottish Cup tie against Third Division side Forfar Athletic
, and was booked for removing his shirt in celebration; his second goal also came in the Cup, against Hamilton from the penalty spot, in what was his first start for the club.
On 7 June 2009, it was announced that the two-year loan would be terminated and Ñíguez returned to Valencia on the 30th.
in the second division, appearing in less than one third of the matches during the season
due to a serious anterior cruciate ligament
injury. For 2010–11
, in the same predicament, he moved to another club in that level, Recreativo de Huelva
.
In July 2011, Aarón terminated his contract with Valencia, and signed a five-year deal with another side in division two, UD Almería
.
for Spain's U-17
, finishing as the fourth top scorer in the tournament with two goals. He was also a key member of the U-19 side
that won the following year's European Championship
, beating Greece
in the final.
Ñíguez made his debut for the U21s
on 18 November 2008, in a 1–4 friendly loss to Portugal
.
|2006–07||Valencia B||Segunda División B
||29||4||-||-||N/A||N/A||-||-||29||4
|-
|2006–07||Valencia
||La Liga
||-||-||2||0||N/A||N/A||1||0||3||0
|-
|2007–08||Xerez
||Segunda División
||8||0||1||0||N/A||N/A||-||-||9||0
|-
|-
|2007–08||Iraklis||Superleague Greece||12||3||2||1||-||-||-||-||14||4
|-
|-
|2008–09||Rangers
||Scottish Premier League
||3||0||2||2||-||-||-||-||5||2
|-
|2009–10
||Celta
||Segunda División
||11||0||2||0||N/A||N/A||-||-||13||0
|-
|2010–11
||Recreativo
||Segunda División
||28||5||2||0||N/A||N/A||-||-||30||5
|76||9||7||0||-||-||1||0||84||9
|12||3||2||1||-||-||-||-||14||4
|3||0||2||2||-||-||-||-||5||2
|91||12||9||3||-||-||1||0||103||15
Spain U19
Spain U20
– including the 1984–85 season in La Liga
– as a striker.
His older brother, Jony
(another midfielder), was also brought up at Valencia, spending almost his entire senior career in the lower leagues. The youngest, Saúl
, was brought up at Atlético Madrid.
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
footballer who plays for UD Almería
UD Almería
Unión Deportiva Almería, S.A.D. is a Spanish football club based in Almería, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. Founded in 1989 as Almería Club de Fútbol, it currently plays in Segunda División, holding home games at Estadio de los Juegos Mediterráneos, with a 22,000-seat...
as a midfielder
Midfielder
A midfielder is an association football position. Some midfielders play a more defensive role, while others blur the boundaries between midfielders and forwards. The number of midfielders a team uses during a match may vary, depending on the team's formation and each individual player's role...
.
A product of Valencia CF
Valencia CF
Valencia Club de Fútbol is a Spanish football club based in Valencia, Spain. They play in La Liga and are one of the most successful and biggest clubs in Spanish Football and European Football. Valencia have won six La Liga titles, seven Copa del Rey trophies, two Fairs Cups which was the...
's youth system, he was capped
Cap (sport)
In sports, a cap is a metaphorical term for a player's appearance on a select team, such as a national team. The term dates from the practice in the United Kingdom of awarding a cap to every player in an international match of association football...
by Spain
Spain national football team
The Spain national football team represents Spain in international association football and is controlled by the Royal Spanish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Spain. The current head coach is Vicente del Bosque...
at various youth levels
Spain national youth football team
The Spain national under-16 football team represents Spain in international football at this age level and is controlled by Royal Spanish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Spain.-FIFA U-16 World Cup Championship Record:...
.
Early career
A product of Valencia CFValencia CF
Valencia Club de Fútbol is a Spanish football club based in Valencia, Spain. They play in La Liga and are one of the most successful and biggest clubs in Spanish Football and European Football. Valencia have won six La Liga titles, seven Copa del Rey trophies, two Fairs Cups which was the...
's youth system, Aarón made his first-team debut on 5 December 2006 against A.S. Roma
A.S. Roma
Associazione Sportiva Roma, commonly referred to as simply Roma, is a professional Italian football club based in Rome. Founded by a merger in 1927, Roma have participated in the top-tier of Italian football for all of their existence but one season in the early 50s...
, in the season's UEFA Champions League
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
. He came on as a substitute and played 27 minutes in the 1–0 away defeat, and spent his first professional season with the B club in the third division
Segunda División B
Segunda División B is the third level of the Spanish football league system. It is administered by the RFEF. The top two levels are La Liga, also referred to as the Primera División, and the Segunda División. Immediately below Segunda División B is the Tercera Division...
, appearing regularly but suffering relegation.
After starting the 2007–08 season on loan with second division
Segunda División
The Segunda División is the lower tier of the two professional football leagues in Spain. From the season 2008-09 onwards, the name of the league is Liga Adelante.-History:...
side Xerez CD
Xerez CD
Xerez Club Deportivo, S.A.D., usually just Xerez, is a Spanish football team based in Jerez de la Frontera, Province of Cádiz, in the autonomous community of Andalusia...
, Aarón switched in the January transfer window
Transfer window
The transfer window is the period during the year in which a football club can transfer players from other countries into their playing staff. Such a transfer is completed by registering the player into the new club through FIFA...
to Iraklis FC in Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
. He scored his first goal for the Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki , historically also known as Thessalonica, Salonika or Salonica, is the second-largest city in Greece and the capital of the region of Central Macedonia as well as the capital of the Decentralized Administration of Macedonia and Thrace...
side on 16 March 2008, with a penalty kick
Penalty kick
A penalty kick is a type of direct free kick in association football, taken from twelve yards out from goal and with only the goalkeeper of the defending team between the penalty taker and the goal.Penalty kicks are performed during normal play...
, in a 1–0 win against Panionios FC, after his acrobatic bicycle kick
Bicycle kick
A Bicycle kick or Scissor kick is a physical move made by throwing the body up into the air, making a shearing movement with the legs to get one leg in front of the other without holding on to the ground. The move can either be done backwards or sideways...
was blocked by an opponent's hand.
Rangers
On 13 August 2008, Aarón joined Scottish Premier LeagueScottish Premier League
The Scottish Premier League , also known as the SPL , is a professional league competition for association football clubs in Scotland...
club Rangers
Rangers F.C.
Rangers Football Club are an association football club based in Glasgow, Scotland, who play in the Scottish Premier League. The club are nicknamed the Gers, Teddy Bears and the Light Blues, and the fans are known to each other as bluenoses...
on a two-year loan deal, with an option to buy. He made his official debut for the team in the 7–1 defeat of Hamilton Academical
Hamilton Academical F.C.
Hamilton Academical Football Club, often known as Hamilton Academical, or Accies, are a Scottish football club from Hamilton in South Lanarkshire. They were established in 1874 from the school football team at Hamilton Academy. They remain the only professional club in British football to have...
on 6 December, coming on as a second-half substitute and immediately creating a goal for compatriot Nacho Novo
Nacho Novo
Ignacio Javier "Nacho" Gómez Novo is a Spanish association footballer who plays for La Liga side Sporting Gijón.Novo formerly played for Huesca in Spain then moved to Scotland with Raith Rovers and Dundee. In July 2004, he moved to Rangers for £450,000. During his first season at the club he...
. He scored his first competitive goal for Rangers in a Scottish Cup tie against Third Division side Forfar Athletic
Forfar Athletic F.C.
Forfar Athletic Football Club are a Scottish semi-professional football club from the town of Forfar, Angus. They are members of the Scottish Football League and currently play in the Second Division...
, and was booked for removing his shirt in celebration; his second goal also came in the Cup, against Hamilton from the penalty spot, in what was his first start for the club.
On 7 June 2009, it was announced that the two-year loan would be terminated and Ñíguez returned to Valencia on the 30th.
Return to Spain
On 30 August 2009, still on loan from Valencia, Aarón joined Celta de VigoCelta de Vigo
Real Club Celta de Vigo , simply referred to as Celta Vigo, is a Spanish professional football club based in Vigo, Galicia, currently playing in the Segunda División. It was founded on March 28, 1923 following the merger of Real Vigo Sporting and Real Fortuna Foot-ball Club.Nicknamed Los Celestes ,...
in the second division, appearing in less than one third of the matches during the season
2009–10 Segunda División
The 2009–10 Segunda División was made up of the following teams:-League table:||rowspan=15 style="background-color:#F9F9F9;"|-2009–10 Results:To read this table, the home team is listed in the left-hand column....
due to a serious anterior cruciate ligament
Anterior cruciate ligament
The anterior cruciate ligament is a cruciate ligament which is one of the four major ligaments of the human knee. In the quadruped stifle , based on its anatomical position, it is referred to as the cranial cruciate ligament.The ACL originates from deep within the notch of the distal femur...
injury. For 2010–11
2010–11 Segunda División
-Personnel and sponsorship:-Managerial changes:-League table:||style="background-color:#F9F9F9;"|||rowspan=11 style="background-color:#F9F9F9;"|-Positions by round:Source: -Results:...
, in the same predicament, he moved to another club in that level, Recreativo de Huelva
Recreativo de Huelva
Real Club Recreativo de Huelva, S.A.D. is a Spanish football club based in Huelva, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. Founded on 23 December 1889, it is the oldest football team in Spain, and currently plays in the second division, holding home games at Estadio Nuevo Colombino, which has a...
.
In July 2011, Aarón terminated his contract with Valencia, and signed a five-year deal with another side in division two, UD Almería
UD Almería
Unión Deportiva Almería, S.A.D. is a Spanish football club based in Almería, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. Founded in 1989 as Almería Club de Fútbol, it currently plays in Segunda División, holding home games at Estadio de los Juegos Mediterráneos, with a 22,000-seat...
.
International career
Aarón played in the 2006 UEFA European Football Championship2006 UEFA European Under-17 Football Championship
-Group B:---------------------Semifinals:-----Third Place Playoff:-Final:-Goalscorers:-References:**-External links:*...
for Spain's U-17
Spain national under-17 football team
The Spain national under-17 football team represents Spain in international football at this age level and is controlled by Royal Spanish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Spain....
, finishing as the fourth top scorer in the tournament with two goals. He was also a key member of the U-19 side
Spain national under-19 football team
The Spain national under-19 football team represents Spain in international football at this age level and is controlled by Royal Spanish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Spain.-UEFA European Under-19 Championship Record:...
that won the following year's European Championship
2007 UEFA European Under-19 Football Championship
-Group B:-------------------------Knockout stage:-Semi-finals:---------Final:-----Teams:-Top goalscorers:-External links:* at uefa.com...
, beating Greece
Greece national football team
The Greece national football team represents Greece in association football and is controlled by the Hellenic Football Federation, the governing body for football in Greece. Greece's home ground is Karaiskakis Stadium in Piraeus and their head coach is Fernando Santos...
in the final.
Ñíguez made his debut for the U21s
Spain national under-21 football team
The Spain national under-21 football team, is the national under-21 football team of Spain and is controlled by the Royal Spanish Football Federation. The team, nicknamed La Rojita , competes in the biannual European Under-21 Football Championship.Following the realignment of UEFA's youth...
on 18 November 2008, in a 1–4 friendly loss to Portugal
Portugal national under-21 football team
The Portugal national under-21 football team is the national under-21 football team of Portugal and is controlled by the Portuguese Football Federation . They are nicknamed "Esperanças." Esperança means hope, thus they are Portugal's hopes for the future...
.
Club
|-|2006–07||Valencia B||Segunda División B
Segunda División B
Segunda División B is the third level of the Spanish football league system. It is administered by the RFEF. The top two levels are La Liga, also referred to as the Primera División, and the Segunda División. Immediately below Segunda División B is the Tercera Division...
||29||4||-||-||N/A||N/A||-||-||29||4
|-
|2006–07||Valencia
Valencia CF
Valencia Club de Fútbol is a Spanish football club based in Valencia, Spain. They play in La Liga and are one of the most successful and biggest clubs in Spanish Football and European Football. Valencia have won six La Liga titles, seven Copa del Rey trophies, two Fairs Cups which was the...
||La Liga
La Liga
The Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...
||-||-||2||0||N/A||N/A||1||0||3||0
|-
|2007–08||Xerez
Xerez CD
Xerez Club Deportivo, S.A.D., usually just Xerez, is a Spanish football team based in Jerez de la Frontera, Province of Cádiz, in the autonomous community of Andalusia...
||Segunda División
Segunda División
The Segunda División is the lower tier of the two professional football leagues in Spain. From the season 2008-09 onwards, the name of the league is Liga Adelante.-History:...
||8||0||1||0||N/A||N/A||-||-||9||0
|-
|-
|2007–08||Iraklis||Superleague Greece||12||3||2||1||-||-||-||-||14||4
|-
|-
|2008–09||Rangers
Rangers F.C.
Rangers Football Club are an association football club based in Glasgow, Scotland, who play in the Scottish Premier League. The club are nicknamed the Gers, Teddy Bears and the Light Blues, and the fans are known to each other as bluenoses...
||Scottish Premier League
Scottish Premier League
The Scottish Premier League , also known as the SPL , is a professional league competition for association football clubs in Scotland...
||3||0||2||2||-||-||-||-||5||2
|-
|2009–10
2009–10 Segunda División
The 2009–10 Segunda División was made up of the following teams:-League table:||rowspan=15 style="background-color:#F9F9F9;"|-2009–10 Results:To read this table, the home team is listed in the left-hand column....
||Celta
Celta de Vigo
Real Club Celta de Vigo , simply referred to as Celta Vigo, is a Spanish professional football club based in Vigo, Galicia, currently playing in the Segunda División. It was founded on March 28, 1923 following the merger of Real Vigo Sporting and Real Fortuna Foot-ball Club.Nicknamed Los Celestes ,...
||Segunda División
Segunda División
The Segunda División is the lower tier of the two professional football leagues in Spain. From the season 2008-09 onwards, the name of the league is Liga Adelante.-History:...
||11||0||2||0||N/A||N/A||-||-||13||0
|-
|2010–11
2010–11 Segunda División
-Personnel and sponsorship:-Managerial changes:-League table:||style="background-color:#F9F9F9;"|||rowspan=11 style="background-color:#F9F9F9;"|-Positions by round:Source: -Results:...
||Recreativo
Recreativo de Huelva
Real Club Recreativo de Huelva, S.A.D. is a Spanish football club based in Huelva, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. Founded on 23 December 1889, it is the oldest football team in Spain, and currently plays in the second division, holding home games at Estadio Nuevo Colombino, which has a...
||Segunda División
Segunda División
The Segunda División is the lower tier of the two professional football leagues in Spain. From the season 2008-09 onwards, the name of the league is Liga Adelante.-History:...
||28||5||2||0||N/A||N/A||-||-||30||5
|76||9||7||0||-||-||1||0||84||9
|12||3||2||1||-||-||-||-||14||4
|3||0||2||2||-||-||-||-||5||2
|91||12||9||3||-||-||1||0||103||15
Spain U20
Spain U21
Honours
Rangers FC- Scottish Premier LeagueScottish Premier LeagueThe Scottish Premier League , also known as the SPL , is a professional league competition for association football clubs in Scotland...
: 2008–09 - Scottish CupScottish CupThe Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,, commonly known as the Scottish Cup or the William Hill Scottish Cup for sponsorship purposes, is the main national cup competition in Scottish football. It is a knockout cup competition run by and named after the Scottish Football Association.The...
: 2008–09
Spain U19
- UEFA U-19 ChampionshipUEFA European Under-19 Football ChampionshipThe European Under 19 Football Championship is an annual football competition organised by the sport's European governing body, UEFA. The competition has been held since 1948. It was originally called the FIFA junior tournament, until it was taken over by UEFA in 1955...
: 20072007 UEFA European Under-19 Football Championship-Group B:-------------------------Knockout stage:-Semi-finals:---------Final:-----Teams:-Top goalscorers:-External links:* at uefa.com...
Spain U20
- Mediterranean GamesMediterranean GamesThe Mediterranean Games are a multi-sport games held every four years, mainly for nations bordering the Mediterranean Sea, where Europe, Africa and Asia meet. The idea was proposed at the 1948 Summer Olympics by Muhammed Taher Pasha, chairman of the Egyptian Olympic Committee, and they were first...
: 2009Football at the 2009 Mediterranean GamesThe football competition at the 2009 Mediterranean Games took place between June 25 and July 5, 2009 and were contested by 12 teams.-System:The 12 teams will be divided into four groups of three teams. Teams are awarded three points for a win and one for a draw. No points are awarded for a defeat....
Personal
Ñíguez comes from a football family: his father, José Antonio (aka Boria), played several years with Elche CFElche CF
Elche Club de Fútbol, S.A.D. is a Spanish football team based in Elche, Alicante, in the Valencian Community. Founded in 1923, it currently plays in the Spanish second division, holding home matches at Estadio Manuel Martínez Valero, with a capacity of 38,750 seats.-Recent seasons:-Season to...
– including the 1984–85 season in La Liga
La Liga
The Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...
– as a striker.
His older brother, Jony
Jonathan Ñíguez
Jonathan Ñíguez Esclápez, aka Jony , is a Spanish professional footballer who plays for CD Guadalajara in Segunda División, as a midfielder.-Personal:...
(another midfielder), was also brought up at Valencia, spending almost his entire senior career in the lower leagues. The youngest, Saúl
Saúl Ñíguez
Saúl Ñíguez Esclápez , simply Saúl, is a Spanish footballer who plays for Atlético Madrid B as a midfielder.-Football career:...
, was brought up at Atlético Madrid.