Borja López Explained

Borja López
Fullname:Borja López Menéndez[1]
Birth Date:2 February 1994
Birth Place:Gijón, Spain
Height:1.92 m
Position:Centre-back
Currentclub:Zulte Waregem
Youthclubs1:Llano 2000
Youthclubs2:Xeitosa
Years1:2011–2013
Caps1:10
Goals1:0
Years2:2013
Caps2:19
Goals2:0
Years3:2013–2016
Caps3:1
Goals3:0
Years4:2014
Clubs4:Rayo Vallecano (loan)
Caps4:3
Goals4:0
Years5:2015
Clubs5:Deportivo La Coruña (loan)
Caps5:0
Goals5:0
Years6:2015–2016
Clubs6:Arouca (loan)
Caps6:0
Goals6:0
Years7:2016–2017
Caps7:25
Goals7:2
Years8:2016
Caps8:0
Goals8:0
Years9:2017–2019
Caps9:51
Goals9:2
Years10:2019–2022
Caps10:62
Goals10:2
Years11:2022–
Caps11:19
Goals11:1
Years12:2024
Clubs12:Leganés (loan)
Caps12:1
Goals12:0
Nationalyears1:2012
Nationalcaps1:2
Nationalgoals1:0
Nationalyears2:2013
Nationalcaps2:8
Nationalgoals2:0
Nationalyears3:2012
Nationalcaps3:4
Nationalgoals3:0
Club-Update:20:01, 3 June 2024 (UTC)

Borja López Menéndez (pronounced as /es/; born 2 February 1994) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a central defender for Belgian club S.V. Zulte Waregem.

He had two spells with Sporting de Gijón, totalling 81 games and two goals in the Segunda División as well as making three appearances for Rayo Vallecano in La Liga, and one for Barcelona on their way to winning the Copa del Rey in 2016–17. Abroad, he featured in a lone Ligue 1 match for Monaco while also playing in Croatia and Belgium.

Club career

Sporting Gijón

Born in Gijón, Asturias, López was a Sporting de Gijón youth graduate. On 18 December 2011 he made his senior debut for the B side, against Getafe CF B, and he went on to play one more Segunda División B match during the season, against UB Conquense.

López made his first-team debut on 1 November 2012, featuring the full 90 minutes in a 1–0 home win over CA Osasuna in the round of 32 of the Copa del Rey.[2] He made his Segunda División debut on the 16th, again starting but in a 2–3 home loss to SD Ponferradina.[3]

On 31 January 2013, López was promoted to the Asturians' main squad alongside Luis Hernández.[4]

Monaco

On 2 August 2013, López signed a four-year contract with high-spending AS Monaco FC of Ligue 1 for a 2.2 million fee.[5] He played three games for the principality team, his sole in the league being 20 minutes as a substitute for Marcel Tisserand in a 2–2 draw at FC Sochaux-Montbéliard on 20 October.[6]

López was loaned to La Liga's Rayo Vallecano in late January 2014, until the end of the season.[7] He made his debut in the competition on 29 March, starting the 5–0 defeat at Real Madrid.[8]

On 29 January 2015, López moved to Deportivo de La Coruña on loan until June.[9] On 4 July, in the same situation, he joined Portuguese Primeira Liga club F.C. Arouca.[10]

Barcelona

On 29 January 2016, López joined FC Barcelona on a two-and-a-half-year deal, and was assigned to the reserves in the third division.[11] His only official appearance for the main squad took place on 30 November, when he played the entire 1–1 away draw with Hércules CF in the domestic cup.[12]

Later career

On 30 June 2017, López switched teams and countries again after signing for HNK Hajduk Split in Croatia.[13] On 6 August 2019, he returned to his first club Sporting on a free transfer.[14]

López agreed to a three-year contract at S.V. Zulte Waregem of the Belgian Pro League in June 2022.[15] On 1 February 2024, after making no appearances in the first half of the campaign, he returned to Spain and its second tier with CD Leganés, on loan.[16]

Career statistics

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
ClubSeasonLeagueNational CupLeague CupContinentalOtherTotal
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Sporting Gijón B2010–11Segunda División B0000
2011–122020
2012–138080
Total100100
2012–13Segunda División19020210
2013–14Ligue 110001020
2014–1500001010
Total10002030
Rayo Vallecano (loan)2013–14La Liga300030
Deportivo (loan)2014–15La Liga000000
Arouca (loan)2015–16Primeira Liga00003030
Barcelona B2015–16Segunda División B100100
2016–1715220172
Total25220272
Barcelona2016–17La Liga0010000010
Hajduk Split2017–18Croatian Football League2823050362
2018–192301040280
2019–2000001010
Total51240100652
Sporting Gijón2019–20Segunda División12210132
2020–2133021351
2021–2217040210
Total62271561
Zulte Waregem2022–23Belgian Pro League19120211
2023–24Challenger Pro League000000
Total19120211
Career total190712150100202178

Honours

Barcelona

2016–17[12]

Leganés

2023–24

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Acta del partido celebrado el 05 de enero de 2013, en Huelva. Minutes of the match held on 5 January 2013, in Huelva. Royal Spanish Football Federation. Spanish. 5 January 2013. 14 June 2019.
  2. http://www.marca.com/2012/11/01/futbol/copa_rey/1351800770.html El Molinón sigue siendo un fortín (El Molinón still a fortress)
  3. http://www.marca.com/2012/11/16/futbol/2adivision/1353103828.html Los bercianos se adueñan de El Molinón (Bercians take over El Molinón)
  4. http://www.realsporting.com/wrsg/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2373&Itemid=186 Borja pasa a llevar el dorsal 20; Luis Hernández, el 2, y se van cedidos Iñigo Rodríguez y Raúl Rodrigo (Borja changes to number 20; Luis Hérnandez, 2, and Iñigo Rodríguez and Raúl Rodrigo leave on loan)
  5. http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/12691/8851493/ligue-1-monaco-sign-spain-under-19-international-borja-lopez-from-sporting-gijon Ligue 1: Monaco sign Spain under-19 international Borja Lopez from Sporting Gijon
  6. News: Résultat et résumé Sochaux – Monaco, Ligue 1, 10e journée, Dimanche 20 Octobre 2013. Sochaux – Monaco result and report, Ligue 1, 10th matchday, Sunday 20 October 2013. L'Équipe. French. 20 October 2014. 13 January 2023.
  7. http://www.rayoherald.com/45533-el-monaco-confirma-la-cesion-de-borja-lopez-al-rayo-vallecano.html Borja López, cedido por el Mónaco al Rayo Vallecano (Borja López, loaned by Mónaco to Rayo Vallecano)
  8. News: Goles para aguantar el chaparrón. Goals to stem storm. Marca. Spanish. 29 March 2014. 2 June 2014.
  9. http://canaldeportivo.com/servlet/es.iris.servlets.Noticias?accion=4&ver=1&nid=29613&mid=12 Borja López aterriza mañana en A Coruña (Borja López lands tomorrow in A Coruña)
  10. Web site: Borja Lopéz chega por empréstimo do Mónaco. Borja López arrives on loan from Mónaco. F.C. Arouca. Portuguese. 4 July 2015. 4 July 2015. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20150705201943/http://www.fcarouca.eu/noticias_detalhe.php?noticia=112. 5 July 2015.
  11. Web site: Borja López signs for FC Barcelona B. FC Barcelona. 29 January 2016. 4 September 2019.
  12. News: Otro petardazo del Barça. Another firecracker from Barça. Marca. Spanish. 30 November 2016. 4 September 2019.
  13. News: Borja López se marcha al Hajduk Split. Borja López goes to Hajduk Split. Sport. Spanish. 30 June 2017. 4 September 2019.
  14. Web site: Borja López ya es nuevo jugador del Sporting. Borja López is already a new player of Sporting. Sporting Gijón. Spanish. 6 August 2019. 4 September 2019. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20220920170704/https://www.realsporting.com/noticia/borja-lopez-ya-es-nuevo-jugador-del-sporting. 20 September 2022.
  15. Web site: Borja López is trots om boer te zijn. Borja López is proud to be a farmer. Zulte Waregem. Dutch. 15 June 2022. 22 August 2022.
  16. Web site: El C.D. Leganés fortalece su defensa con la llegada de Borja López. C.D. Leganés bolster their defense with the arrival of Borja López. CD Leganés. Spanish. 1 February 2024. 1 February 2024.