Rafael López Gómez
Encyclopedia
Rafael López Gómez aka Rafa, is a Spanish
footballer who plays for Getafe CF
in the Spanish first division
, as a defender
.
's youth system, Rafa made his debut with the first team on 8 February 2004, in a 0–2 away defeat against RCD Espanyol
. He only managed, however, six first team appearances in his first two professional seasons.
After a season-long loan at SD Eibar
, in the second division
, he returned to help Valladolid regain La Liga
status in 2007, playing 21 matches in the following campaign.
In early July 2008, Rafa agreed to join Getafe CF
on a Bosman transfer
. He would spend most of his first season as left back, replacing out-of-form Lucas Licht, who was sold shortly after.
In the 2009–10 season
, Rafa was mostly first-choice, benefitting from consecutive injuries from Mario. With 27 games and two goals from the player, the Madrid
team finished sixth and qualified to the UEFA Europa League for the second time in its history.
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 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....
in the Spanish first division
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 defender
Defender (association football)
Within the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to prevent the opposition from attacking....
.
Football career
A product of Real ValladolidReal Valladolid
Real Valladolid Club de Fútbol, S.A.D. is a Spanish football club based in Valladolid, in the autonomous community of Castile and León, from where the nickname Pucela is derived....
's youth system, Rafa made his debut with the first team on 8 February 2004, in a 0–2 away defeat 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...
. He only managed, however, six first team appearances in his first two professional seasons.
After a season-long loan at SD Eibar
SD Eibar
Sociedad Deportiva Eibar, S.A.D. is a Spanish football team from Eibar, Gipuzkoa, in the autonomous community of Basque Country. Founded on 30 November 1940, it currently plays in Segunda División B....
, in the 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:...
, he returned to help Valladolid regain 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...
status in 2007, playing 21 matches in the following campaign.
In early July 2008, Rafa agreed to join 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....
on a Bosman transfer
Bosman ruling
Union Royale Belge des Sociétés de Football Association ASBL v Jean-Marc Bosman is a 1995 European Court of Justice decision concerning freedom of movement for workers, freedom of association, and direct effect of article 39 of the EC Treaty...
. He would spend most of his first season as left back, replacing out-of-form Lucas Licht, who was sold shortly after.
In the 2009–10 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;"|...
, Rafa was mostly first-choice, benefitting from consecutive injuries from Mario. With 27 games and two goals from the player, the 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...
team finished sixth and qualified to the UEFA Europa League for the second time in its history.