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Fernando Llorente

Published: Friday 20 January 2012, 14.52CET
Athletic Club
Published: Friday 20 January 2012, 14.52CET

Fernando Llorente

Athletic Club

UEFA honours
UEFA European Championship: 
winner 2012
UEFA Europa League: runner-up 2012

• Born in Pamplona, Llorente joined Athletic at 11 and played for various youth and nursery teams, including a productive spell at feeder club CD Baskonia, before making his Liga debut on 16 January 2005; in his second game, a Copa del Rey tie against UD Lanzarote three days later, he scored a hat-trick.

• Took the much revered No9 shirt before the 2005/06 season but struggled with injuries and loss of form for the next two years before cementing his place in 2007/08 and becoming the club's top scorer with 11 league goals.

• Remained Athletic's leading marksman for the next three campaigns, with increased goal tallies of 13, 14 and 18; also struck eight goals in 11 UEFA Europa League matches in 2009/10, including six in the group stage.

• The joint second top scorer (behind Lionel Messi), with five goals, at the 2005 FIFA U-20 World Cup in the Netherlands, he did not become a senior international until a November 2008 friendly against Chile; scored his first goal, on his second appearance, in a 2-0 triumph over England three months later.

• A member of Spain's 2010 FIFA World Cup-winning squad, he appeared just once in South Africa − as a game-changing substitute in the last-16 defeat of Portugal − and scored three goals in his first two UEFA EURO 2012 qualifiers, two against Lithuania in Salamanca and the winner against Scotland in Glasgow.

• Led the line with distinction as Athletic reached the 2012 UEFA Europa League final, scoring in both round of 16 matches against Manchester United FC and twice in the quarter-final first leg at FC Schalke 04; that summer was an unused member of the Spain squad that retained their UEFA European Championship trophy.

Last updated: 05/07/12 16.55CET

Related information

Player profiles

http://www.uefa.com/news/newsid=1743646.html#fernando+llorente

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