Rubén Navarro (Spanish footballer)

Rubén Navarro
Personal information
Full name	Rubén Navarro Méndez
Date of birth	6 June 1978 (age 46)
Place of birth	Sallent, Spain
Height	1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Position(s)	Striker
Youth career
	Sallent
	Valencia
Senior career*
Years	Team
1996–1999	Valencia B
1997–1999	Valencia
1999–2001	Numancia
2001–2007	Alavés
2007–2009	Hércules
2009–2011	Gimnàstic
2011–2012	Leganés
Total
	*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Template:Spanish name 2 Rubén Navarro Méndez (born 6 June 1978) is a Spanish retired footballer who played as a striker.

He amassed La Liga totals of 147 games and 31 goals over the course of seven seasons, representing Valencia, Numancia and Alavés. He added in 187/57 Segunda División, in a 15-year professional career.

Football career

Navarro was born in Sallent de Llobregat, Barcelona, Catalonia. A product of Valencia CF's youth system, he first appeared in La Liga on 15 June 1997 in a 2–1 home win against Real Oviedo,^[1] but could never settle at his first club, moving to CD Numancia where he played two years. In his first season at Soria he scored ten league goals, helping it barely avoid top flight relegation.

Subsequently, Navarro joined Deportivo Alavés after the side's runner-up exploits in the UEFA Cup,^[2] and was an important attacking element during six years, three spent in the second division. In three of those campaigns, he netted in double digits.

For 2007–08, Navarro signed with another team in the second level, Hércules CF.^[3] On 5 April 2009, as they eventually narrowly missed on promotion, he scored a hat-trick against Sevilla Atlético in an 8–0 home routing.^[4]

In late June 2009, Navarro returned to his native region after nearly 15 years, signing as a free agent with Gimnàstic de Tarragona for two years. On 2 September 2011, after two seasons of irregular use after which he did not have his contract renewed and was released, the 33-year-old joined CD Leganés in division three.^[5]

References

^ Karpin dio la última alegría (Karpin provided the last joy); ABC, 16 June 1997 Template:Es icon
^ El Alavés alcanza un acuerdo con Rubén Navarro (Alavés reaches agreement with Rubén Navarro); Diario AS, 19 July 2001 Template:Es icon
^ Rubén Navarro firma con el Hércules por dos temporadas (Rubén Navarro signs with Hércules for two seasons); El Correo, 22 August 2007 Template:Es icon
^ El Hércules manda un mensaje en forma de goleada (Hércules sends message with goals galore); Marca, 5 April 2009 Template:Es icon
^ Rubén Navarro: "Llego con muchas ganas al Leganés" (Rubén Navarro: "I arrive full of illusion to Leganés"); Resultados Fútbol, 2 September 2011 Template:Es icon

External links

Rubén Navarro at BDFutbol
Stats and bio at CiberChe Template:Es icon
Rubén Navarro at ESPN FC
Rubén Navarro at Soccerway

[1] Karpin dio la última alegría (Karpin provided the last joy); ABC, 16 June 1997 Template:Es icon

[2] El Alavés alcanza un acuerdo con Rubén Navarro (Alavés reaches agreement with Rubén Navarro); Diario AS, 19 July 2001 Template:Es icon

[3] Rubén Navarro firma con el Hércules por dos temporadas (Rubén Navarro signs with Hércules for two seasons); El Correo, 22 August 2007 Template:Es icon

[4] El Hércules manda un mensaje en forma de goleada (Hércules sends message with goals galore); Marca, 5 April 2009 Template:Es icon

[5] Rubén Navarro: "Llego con muchas ganas al Leganés" (Rubén Navarro: "I arrive full of illusion to Leganés"); Resultados Fútbol, 2 September 2011 Template:Es icon

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