Esteban Granero
Encyclopedia
Esteban Félix Granero Molina (born 2 July 1987 in Madrid
) is a Spanish
footballer who plays for Real Madrid
.
A versatile element, known as El Pirata (the pirate), he can play as an attacking midfielder or behind the strikers. His best attributes are passing, technique, and shooting.
when he was just eight years old, and quickly began displaying his footballing talent. In one season, he scored 83 goals in the Under-10 division, and in 1999, captained the Under-12 B team that won the International Football-7 tournament held in the Palau Sant Jordi
in Barcelona
by defeating FC Barcelona
1–0 with his extra time
goal. He was also named the best player of the competition.
Granero, alongside teammates Juan Mata
and Alberto Bueno
, won the Copa de Campeones Juvenil de Fútbol
in 2006, an under-19 official youth tournament in Spain organized by the Royal Spanish Football Federation. He then joined the club's C squad
, at the age of 17, standing out for his talent and passing skills, and going on to receive the Números 1 Don Balón award as the "Most Valuable Player" of the fourth division
Group 7 in 2005–06, an accolade bestowed by Don Balón
magazine, one of the founding members of European Sports Magazines
. That same season, he made his first appearance with Real Madrid Castilla
in a match against Albacete Balompié
, during which he had a goal assist
.
Granero made the definitive jump to Castilla in 2006–07's second division
, and slowly earned the confidence of coach Míchel until finally becoming an unquestionable starter. He would eventually fail to make the transition into the first team, as fellow cantera
players Rubén de la Red
, Javi García
and Adrián González and, on August 31, the last day of the transfer window, Granero moved to Getafe CF
(also in Madrid
) on a one-year loan. De la Red also joined Getafe, albeit in a different deal.
After the season's end, in which himself and de la Red were instrumental in the team's campaign, which included a quarterfinals run in the UEFA Cup, Granero returned to Real Madrid. However, on July 13, 2008, he joined Getafe permanently, with Real keeping a re-buy option on the player.
On 21 July 2009, Real Madrid exercised their buyback option, in a reported €
4 million deal, and Granero scored three goals during the pre-season. His first official one came in his first start, the opener in a 3–0 La Liga
away success against RCD Espanyol
, on 12 September 2009. In his first season
, where the Merengues eventually came out empty in silverware, he alternated the bench with starts, with irregular performances.
In the 2010–11 season
, after Real Madrid purchased two players in his position, Sami Khedira
and Mesut Özil
, Granero was limited mainly to substitute appearances. On 16 January 2011, he came from the bench to score against UD Almería
, in a 1–1 away draw against the bottom-placed team.
Granero's situation worsened in 2011–12
, with even Fábio Coentrão
- another compatriot of manager José Mourinho
who was signed in the off-season, originally a winger - being preferred over him as central midfielder.
to the 2006 UEFA European Under-19 Football Championship
, Granero made his debut for the under-21s
on 6 February 2007 in a friendly match against England
(2–2).
He appeared for the nation at the 2009 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship
, in an eventual group stage exit.
Getafe
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
) is a Spanish
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 Real Madrid
Real Madrid C.F.
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol , commonly known as Real Madrid, is a professional football club based in Madrid, Spain. The club have won a record 31 La Liga titles, the Primera División of the Liga de Fútbol Profesional , 18 Copas del Rey, 8 Spanish Super Cups, 1 Copa Eva Duarte and 1 Copa de la...
.
A versatile element, known as El Pirata (the pirate), he can play as an attacking midfielder or behind the strikers. His best attributes are passing, technique, and shooting.
Club career
Granero joined the youth ranks of Real MadridReal Madrid C.F.
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol , commonly known as Real Madrid, is a professional football club based in Madrid, Spain. The club have won a record 31 La Liga titles, the Primera División of the Liga de Fútbol Profesional , 18 Copas del Rey, 8 Spanish Super Cups, 1 Copa Eva Duarte and 1 Copa de la...
when he was just eight years old, and quickly began displaying his footballing talent. In one season, he scored 83 goals in the Under-10 division, and in 1999, captained the Under-12 B team that won the International Football-7 tournament held in the Palau Sant Jordi
Palau Sant Jordi
Palau Sant Jordi is an indoor sporting arena and multi-purpose installation that is part of the Olympic Ring complex located in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain...
in Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
by defeating FC Barcelona
FC Barcelona
Futbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....
1–0 with his extra time
Overtime (sports)
Overtime or extra time is an additional period of play specified under the rules of a sport to bring a game to a decision and avoid declaring the match a tie or draw. In most sports, this extra period is only played if the game is required to have a clear winner, as in single-elimination...
goal. He was also named the best player of the competition.
Granero, alongside teammates Juan Mata
Juan Manuel Mata
Juan Manuel Mata García is a Spanish footballer who plays for Chelsea. He is mainly a left winger, but can also play on the right wing or as an attacking midfielder....
and Alberto Bueno
Alberto Bueno
Alberto Bueno Calvo is a Spanish footballer who plays for Real Valladolid. He mainly operates as a second striker, but can also appear as a left winger.-Real Madrid:...
, won the Copa de Campeones Juvenil de Fútbol
Copa de Campeones Juvenil de Fútbol
The Copa de Campeones de Juvenil is the tournament created by the RFEF to determine the overall youth champion of Spain.-Champions:- Copa de Campeones 2008/09 :May 4-10: Estadio Municipal Francisco Bonet, Almuñecar, Granada- Teams :...
in 2006, an under-19 official youth tournament in Spain organized by the Royal Spanish Football Federation. He then joined the club's C squad
Real Madrid C
Real Madrid C is a Spanish association football team that plays in the Tercera División. It is the second reserve team of Real Madrid. They play their home games at La Ciudad del Real Madrid in Valdebebas outside the city of Madrid...
, at the age of 17, standing out for his talent and passing skills, and going on to receive the Números 1 Don Balón award as the "Most Valuable Player" of the fourth division
Tercera División
Tercera División is the fourth level of the Spanish football league system. The top three are the Primera División, often referred to as "La Liga" in English, the Segunda División, and Segunda División B.-Current Format:...
Group 7 in 2005–06, an accolade bestowed by Don Balón
Don Balón
Don Balón was a Spanish weekly sports magazine specialising in Spanish and international football. It was distributed on five continents....
magazine, one of the founding members of European Sports Magazines
European Sports Magazines
European Sports Magazines is a European association of football related publications.-ESM Members:The members of this group elect each month a European "Team of the Month", and annually a European "Team of the Year"....
. That same season, he made his first appearance with Real Madrid Castilla
Real Madrid Castilla
Real Madrid Castilla is a Spanish football team that plays in the Segunda División B. It is the reserve team of Real Madrid. They play their home games at Alfredo di Stéfano Stadium....
in a match against Albacete Balompié
Albacete Balompié
Albacete Balompié, S.A.D. is a Spanish football team based in Albacete, in the autonomous community of Castile-La Mancha. Founded on August 2, 1940, it currently plays in Segunda División B, holding home matches at Estadio Carlos Belmonte, with a 17,300-seat capacity.-History:The club was founded...
, during which he had a goal assist
Assist (football)
In association football, an assist is a contribution by a player which helps to score a goal. Statistics for assists made by players may be kept officially by the organisers of a competition, or unofficially by, for example, journalists or organisers of fantasy football competitions...
.
Granero made the definitive jump to Castilla in 2006–07's 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:...
, and slowly earned the confidence of coach Míchel until finally becoming an unquestionable starter. He would eventually fail to make the transition into the first team, as fellow cantera
Cantera
Cantera, literally meaning "quarry" in Spanish, is a term used in Spain to refer to youth academies and farm teams organized by sports clubs. It is also used to refer to the geographical area that clubs recruit players from. The term is widely used in football but is also applied to other sports...
players Rubén de la Red
Rubén De la Red
Rubén de la Red Gutiérrez is a retired Spanish footballer who played as a central midfielder.He made a name for himself at Getafe after emerging through Real Madrid's cantera...
, Javi García
Francisco Javier García
Francisco Javier "Javi" García Fernández is a Spanish footballer who plays for S.L. Benfica in Portugal...
and Adrián González and, on August 31, the last day of the transfer window, Granero moved to Getafe CF
Getafe CF
Getafe Club de Fútbol is a Spanish La Liga football club based in Getafe, a city in the Madrid metropolitan area, founded in 1946 and refounded in 1983.In the top level since 2004-05, it holds home games at the Coliseum Alfonso Pérez....
(also in Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
) on a one-year loan. De la Red also joined Getafe, albeit in a different deal.
After the season's end, in which himself and de la Red were instrumental in the team's campaign, which included a quarterfinals run in the UEFA Cup, Granero returned to Real Madrid. However, on July 13, 2008, he joined Getafe permanently, with Real keeping a re-buy option on the player.
On 21 July 2009, Real Madrid exercised their buyback option, in a reported €
Euro
The euro is the official currency of the eurozone: 17 of the 27 member states of the European Union. It is also the currency used by the Institutions of the European Union. The eurozone consists of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg,...
4 million deal, and Granero scored three goals during the pre-season. His first official one came in his first start, the opener in a 3–0 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...
away success against RCD Espanyol
RCD Espanyol
Reial Club Deportiu Espanyol de Barcelona is a sports club based in Barcelona, Spain. It is best known for its football team. Espanyol currently play in the Estadi Cornellà-El Prat with seats for 40,500 spectators. It was inaugurated on 2 August 2009...
, on 12 September 2009. In his first season
2009–10 La Liga
- Personnel and sponsoring :- Before the start of the season :- During the season :-League table:||rowspan=1 style="background-color:#F9F9F9;"|||rowspan=1 style="background-color:#F9F9F9;"|...
, where the Merengues eventually came out empty in silverware, he alternated the bench with starts, with irregular performances.
In the 2010–11 season
2010–11 La Liga
The 2010–11 La Liga season was the 80th since its establishment. The campaign began on 28 August 2010 and ended on 21 May 2011. A total of 20 teams contested the league, 17 of which already contested in the 2009–10 season and three of which were promoted from the Segunda División...
, after Real Madrid purchased two players in his position, Sami Khedira
Sami Khedira
Sami Khedira is a German footballer currently playing for Real Madrid and the German national team. Khedira moved to Real Madrid from VfB Stuttgart in 2010...
and Mesut Özil
Mesut Özil
Mesut Özil is a footballer who plays for Spanish La Liga club Real Madrid and for the German national team. Özil has been a youth national team member since 2006, and a member of the German national team since 2009. He gained international attention during the 2010 FIFA World Cup and was nominated...
, Granero was limited mainly to substitute appearances. On 16 January 2011, he came from the bench to score against 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...
, in a 1–1 away draw against the bottom-placed team.
Granero's situation worsened in 2011–12
2011–12 La Liga
The 2011–12 La Liga season is the 81st since its establishment. Barcelona are the defending champions, having won their 21st La Liga title in the previous season for the third time in a row. The campaign began on 27 August 2011, and will end on 13 May 2012...
, with even Fábio Coentrão
Fábio Coentrão
Fábio Alexandre da Silva Coentrão is a Portuguese footballer who plays for Real Madrid in Spain, and the Portuguese national team.Mainly a left back, he can also operate as a left winger, and occasionally as a central midfielder....
- another compatriot of manager José Mourinho
José Mourinho
José Mário dos Santos Félix Mourinho is a Portuguese football manager and the current manager of Real Madrid. He is commonly known as "The Special One".Mourinho is regarded by some players, coaches and critics as the best ever coach in football....
who was signed in the off-season, originally a winger - being preferred over him as central midfielder.
International career
After having helped SpainSpain 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:...
to the 2006 UEFA European Under-19 Football Championship
2006 UEFA European Under-19 Football Championship
The UEFA U-19 Championship 2006 Final Tournament was held in Poland between 18 July and 29 July 2006. The top three teams in each group qualified for the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup. Players born after 1 January 1987 were allowed to participate in this competition.-Qualifications:There were two...
, Granero made his debut for the under-21s
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 6 February 2007 in a friendly match against England
England national under-21 football team
England's national Under-21 football team, also known as England Under-21s or England U21, is considered to be the feeder team for the England national football team....
(2–2).
He appeared for the nation at the 2009 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship
2009 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship
The 2009 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship began on 15 June 2009, and was the 17th UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship. This was the first tournament after the competition reverted to a two-year format, following the single-year 2006-07 competition, which allowed the change to...
, in an eventual group stage exit.
Club
Last update: 22 November 2011.| Club | Season | League | Cup | Europe UEFA The Union of European Football Associations , almost always referred to by its acronym UEFA is the administrative and controlling body for European association football, futsal and beach soccer.... |
Total | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Assists | Apps | Goals | Assists | Apps | Goals | Assists | Apps | Goals | Assists | ||
| Getafe Getafe CF Getafe Club de Fútbol is a Spanish La Liga football club based in Getafe, a city in the Madrid metropolitan area, founded in 1946 and refounded in 1983.In the top level since 2004-05, it holds home games at the Coliseum Alfonso Pérez.... |
2007–08 | 27 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 9 | 3 | 1 | 42 | 9 | 4 |
| 2008–09 | 35 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 39 | 5 | 4 | |
| Real Madrid Real Madrid C.F. Real Madrid Club de Fútbol , commonly known as Real Madrid, is a professional football club based in Madrid, Spain. The club have won a record 31 La Liga titles, the Primera División of the Liga de Fútbol Profesional , 18 Copas del Rey, 8 Spanish Super Cups, 1 Copa Eva Duarte and 1 Copa de la... |
2009–10 | 31 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 36 | 3 | 5 |
| 2010–11 2010–11 Real Madrid C.F. season The 2010–11 season was Real Madrid Club de Fútbols 80th season in La Liga. This article shows player statistics and all matches that the club played during the 2010–11 season.-Coaching staff:-Kit:|||... |
19 | 1 | 2 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 32 | 2 | 2 | |
| 2011–12 2011–12 Real Madrid C.F. season The 2011–12 season is the 108th season in Real Madrid Club de Fútbols history and their 81st consecutive season in La Liga, the top division of Spanish football. It covers a period from 1 July 2011 to 30 June 2012... |
3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | |
| Career totals | Spain | 115 | 13 | 13 | 18 | 3 | 1 | 20 | 3 | 1 | 153 | 19 | 15 |
Club
Real Madrid- Copa del ReyCopa del ReyThe Copa del Rey is an annual football cup competition for Spanish football teams. Its full name is Campeonato de España – Copa de Su Majestad el Rey de Fútbol ....
: 2010–112010–11 Copa del ReyThe 2010–11 Copa del Rey was the 107th staging of the Copa del Rey. The competition began on August 21, 2010 and ended on April 20, 2011 with the final, held at the Estadio Mestalla in Valencia, in which Real Madrid lifted the trophy for the eighteenth time in their history with a 1–0 victory over...
Getafe
- Copa del ReyCopa del ReyThe Copa del Rey is an annual football cup competition for Spanish football teams. Its full name is Campeonato de España – Copa de Su Majestad el Rey de Fútbol ....
: Runner-up 2007–08
Country
- 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...
: 20062006 UEFA European Under-19 Football ChampionshipThe UEFA U-19 Championship 2006 Final Tournament was held in Poland between 18 July and 29 July 2006. The top three teams in each group qualified for the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup. Players born after 1 January 1987 were allowed to participate in this competition.-Qualifications:There were two...