Iván Cuéllar Explained

Iván Cuéllar
Full Name:Iván Cuéllar Sacristán[1]
Birth Date:27 May 1984
Birth Place:Mérida, Spain
Height:1.87 m
Position:Goalkeeper
Currentclub:Mallorca
Clubnumber:25
Youthclubs1:Real Madrid
Youthyears2:2001–2002
Youthclubs2:Mérida
Youthyears3:2002–2003
Youthclubs3:Atlético Madrid
Years1:2002
Caps1:1
Goals1:0
Years2:2003–2005
Caps2:17
Goals2:0
Years3:2005–2008
Caps3:8
Goals3:0
Years4:2007–2008
Clubs4:→ Eibar (loan)
Caps4:38
Goals4:0
Years5:2008–2017
Caps5:199
Goals5:0
Years6:2017–2021
Caps6:123
Goals6:0
Years7:2021–2023
Caps7:35
Goals7:0
Years8:2023–
Caps8:1
Goals8:0
Nationalyears1:2006
Nationalcaps1:4
Nationalgoals1:0
Nationalyears2:2005
Nationalcaps2:3
Nationalgoals2:0
Club-Update:17:44, 26 May 2024 (UTC)

Iván Cuéllar Sacristán (born 27 May 1984), nicknamed Pichu,[2] is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for RCD Mallorca.

Formed at Atlético Madrid, he spent most of his career with Sporting de Gijón, where he made 247 total appearances.[3]

Club career

Atlético Madrid

Cuéllar was born in Mérida, Extremadura, and earned his nickname "Pichu" – local dialect for a young boy – from a cousin.[2] He spent time at Real Madrid before continuing his development at hometown club Mérida UD, where he made his senior debut aged 17 in a 1–0 loss away to Granada CF in Segunda División B.[4] After completing his formation at Atlético Madrid, he made his first appearance for the first team in the last matchday of the 2004–05 season, in a 2–2 draw against neighbours Getafe CF.[5]

In 2006–07, benefitting from the forced absence of starter Leo Franco,[2] Cuéllar played a further seven games, including a 0–6 home defeat to FC Barcelona on 20 May 2007.[6]

Sporting Gijón

After a season-long loan at Segunda División club SD Eibar,[7] featuring in all the matches save four, Cuéllar was released by Atlético (as another youth graduate in the same position, Ismael Falcón) and joined Sporting de Gijón in August 2008, on a four-year contract.[8] After Sergio Sánchez conceded 19 goals in the season's first four games he became the starter but, following a collision with Athletic Bilbao's Carlos Gurpegui during a 3–0 away defeat on 14 December, suffered a serious ankle injury which rendered him unavailable for four months.[9]

In mid-November 2009, as he was second choice to Juan Pablo, Cuéllar suffered another severe injury, damaging his knee in training and being lost for the vast majority of the campaign.[9] His first appearance after recovering would take place on 22 September 2010, as manager Manuel Preciado rested the vast majority of the starters for a Wednesday match at Barcelona – in a week where all the teams played three matches – which ended in a 1–0 loss.[10]

In January 2013, after the departure of Juan Pablo to Maccabi Tel Aviv FC, Cuéllar became the starter. He won the Ricardo Zamora Trophy for best goalkeeper in 2014–15, conceding 21 goals in 36 appearances as the Asturians returned to La Liga.[11] At the end of the season, he extended his contract until 2018.[12]

Leganés

Cuéllar ended his nine-year association with the El Molinón-based team in July 2017, and the 33-year-old signed for CD Leganés also in the top tier.[13] As Jon Ander Serantes was nursing a serious injury, he took the number one position and went on to record a club and personal best clean sheet of over 500 minutes that was broken by Sevilla FC in October.[14]

Return to Sporting

On 29 August 2021, Cuéllar returned to Sporting on a two-year contract.[15] He was second-choice to Diego Mariño and did not play until 20 March when he profited from the latter's injury to play in a 1–1 draw at Leganés; he then had a run of ten consecutive games in which he kept only two clean sheets but never conceded more than once, as the team narrowly avoided relegation.[16] [17]

Mallorca

On 28 August 2023, Cuéllar signed a one-year deal with top-tier RCD Mallorca, in order to provide competition for Dominik Greif and Predrag Rajković.[18] [19]

Career statistics

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
ClubSeasonLeagueNational cupOtherTotal
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Atlético Madrid2003–04La Liga0000—00
2004–051000—10
2005–060000—00
2006–077020—90
Total8020—100
Eibar (loan)2007–08Segunda División38000—380
Sporting Gijón2008–09La Liga18000—180
2009–100020—20
2010–1113020—150
2011–121020—30
2012–13Segunda División23040—270
2013–144000020420
2014–1536000—360
2016–17La Liga32000—320
2017–1836000—360
Total1990100202110
Leganés2017–18La Liga35000—350
2018–1934020—360
2019–2027010—280
2020–21Segunda División2700000270
Total123030001260
Sporting Gijón2021–22Segunda División10000—100
2022–2325010—260
Total35010—360
Mallorca2023–24La Liga1010—20
Career total4040170204230

Honours

Spain U23

2005[20]

Individual

Ricardo Zamora Trophy/Best Goalkeeper 2014–15[11]

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: Pichu. Diario AS. es. 7 September 2023. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20230907083505/https://resultados.as.com/resultados/ficha/deportista/pichu/15132/. 7 September 2023.
  2. News: Pichu, en tus manos. Pichu, in your hands. Mundo Deportivo. Walter. Zimmermann. es. 8 January 2007. 11 January 2019. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20190111232435/https://www.mundodeportivo.com/20070108/pichu-en-tus-manos_52244038617.html. 11 January 2019.
  3. Web site: Pichu Cuéllar no entiende su salida del Sporting: "No me dicen nada concreto". Pichu Cuéllar does not understand his departure from Sporting: "I'm not being told anything in specific". El Desmarque. Álvaro. Vega. es. 29 May 2023. 7 September 2023. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20230907083507/https://www.eldesmarque.com/futbol/sporting-de-gijon/20230529/pichu-cuellar-no-entiende-su-salida-del-sporting-no-me-dicen-nada-concreto_40225058.html. 7 September 2023.
  4. News: El portero del futuro. The goalkeeper of the future. El Periódico Extremadura. es. 24 September 2004. 7 July 2018. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20180707041835/http://www.elperiodicoextremadura.com/noticias/deportes/portero-futuro_132860.html. 7 July 2018.
  5. Web site: Atlético: Cuéllar: “Debutar en Liga ha sido mi mejor regalo de cumpleaños”. Atlético: Cuéllar: "Making League debut was my best birthday present". Noticias. es. 30 May 2005. 22 September 2012.
  6. News: El Barça saca los colores al Atlético. Barça obliterate Atlético. Marca. Fran. Villalobos. es. 20 May 2007. 22 September 2012. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20100210160325/http://archivo.marca.com/edicion/marca/futbol/1a_division/cronica/es/desarrollo/996478.html. 10 February 2010.
  7. News: Iván Cuéllar es el primer portero que ficha el Eibar para la temporada 07–08. Iván Cuéllar is the first goalkeeper signed by Eibar for the 07–08 season. El Correo. J. F.. Garitaonandia. es. 7 August 2007. 29 June 2018. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20180629131343/http://www.elcorreo.com/vizcaya/20070807/deportes/guipuzcoa/ivan-cuellar-primer-portero-20070807.html. 29 June 2018.
  8. News: Iván Cuéllar ficha por el Sporting para las cuatro próximas campañas. Iván Cuéllar signs for Sporting for the next four seasons. El Correo. es. 26 June 2008. 29 June 2018. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20180629130946/http://www.elcorreo.com/vizcaya/20080626/deportes/guipuzcoa/ivan-cuellar-ficha-sporting-20080626.html. 29 June 2018.
  9. News: El colmo de la desgracia. It does not get any worse. El Comercio. es. 4 June 2010. 22 September 2012. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20130211020255/http://sporting.elcomercio.es/noticias/2010-06-04/colmo-desgracia-20100604.html. 11 February 2013.
  10. Web site: Villa to the rescue for Barca. ESPN Soccernet. 22 September 2010. 22 September 2012. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20240430153547/https://www.espn.com/soccer/?soccernet=true&cc=5739. 30 April 2024.
  11. Web site: Iván Cuéllar, 2014/15 Liga Adelante Best Goalkeeper. La Liga. 30 November 2015. 30 November 2015. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20190702235341/http://www.laliga.es/en/news/ivan-cuellar-201415-liga-adelante-best-goalkeeper. 2 July 2019.
  12. Web site: El Sporting renueva los contratos de Iván Cuéllar y Juan Muñiz. Sporting renew the contracts of Iván Cuéllar and Juan Muñiz. Sporting Gijón. es. 8 July 2015. 9 July 2015. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20160304071356/http://www.realsporting.com/webrsg/index.php/template/actualidad/5761-el-sporting-renueva-los-contratos-de-ivan-cuellar-y-juan-muniz. 4 March 2016.
  13. News: Cuéllar: "Es un proyecto ilusionante, de futuro, de crecimiento". Cuéllar: "It is an exciting project, of future, of growth. Marca. es. 21 July 2017. 18 January 2018. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20180118122548/http://www.marca.com/futbol/leganes/2017/07/21/5971fe0746163f6b3a8b4690.html. 18 January 2018.
  14. News: Leganes went 500 minutes without conceding. Marca. Javi. Carrasco. Sam. Leveridge. 29 October 2017. 18 January 2018. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20180118122618/http://www.marca.com/en/football/spanish-football/2017/10/29/59f5f56cca4741d8668b4629.html. 18 January 2018.
  15. Web site: Iván Cuéllar regresa al Sporting. Iván Cuéllar returns to Sporting. Sporting Gijón. es. 29 August 2021. 30 August 2021. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20210829182807/https://www.realsporting.com/noticia/ivan-cuellar-regresa-al-sporting. 29 August 2021.
  16. Web site: Cuéllar busca completar la mejora. Cuéllar seeks to complete upgrade. Killer Asturias. Borja. Fernández. es. 21 May 2022. 6 September 2022. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20240430153527/https://killerasturias.com/index.php/noticias/cuellar-busca-completar-la-mejora. 30 April 2024.
  17. News: Seriedad y caras largas en el regreso de Fuenlabrada. Seriousness and long faces on the return from Fuenlabrada. El Comercio. Carlos. Amado. es. 23 May 2022. 6 September 2022. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20220523061636/https://www.elcomercio.es/sporting/seriedad-caras-largas-20220523000716-ntvo.html. 23 May 2022.
  18. Web site: El RCD Mallorca ficha a Iván 'Pichu' Cuéllar. RCD Mallorca sign Iván 'Pichu' Cuéllar. RCD Mallorca. es. 28 August 2023. 28 August 2023. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20230828133611/https://www.rcdmallorca.es/noticias/el-rcd-mallorca-ficha-a-ivan-pichu-cuellar. 28 August 2023.
  19. News: Cuéllar, de descarte del Sporting a la final de la Copa del Rey con Mascarell. Cuéllar, from Sporting surplus to the King's Cup final with Mascarell. La Voz de Asturias. Dani. Souto. es. 28 February 2024. 12 April 2024. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20240228175130/https://www.lavozdeasturias.es/noticia/sporting1905/2024/02/28/cuellar-descarte-sporting-final-copa-rey-mascarell/00031709128740570563847.htm. 28 February 2024.
  20. Web site: Mediterranean Games 2005 (Spain). RSSSF. Erik. Garin. 3 February 2023. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20230401175216/https://rsssf.org/tablesm/medgames05.html. 1 April 2023.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Iván Cuéllar".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2024, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.