Juanfran was loaned out to RCD Espanyol for 2005–06[5] and, although the Catalan side barely avoided relegation, he featured heavily throughout the campaign, scoring on 22 March 2006 in a 1–1 draw at Athletic Bilbao.[6] He started his career as a winger.[7]
Osasuna
Juanfran signed with CA Osasuna[8] after a deal that allowed Osasuna to get the player without having to pay a transfer fee and with per-set price of €10 million,[9] adding several specifics, which included a possibility of a January 2007 recall by Madrid who also retained a buying option at the end of the season. He played his first game for the Navarrese on 24 September 2006 in a 2–0 away victory over RC Celta de Vigo, and scored the second goal of the match.[10] Additionally, he appeared in nine games and netted once[11] in their semi-final run in the UEFA Cup.
In 2008–09, Juanfran was again ever-present in Osasuna's lineups. On 31 May 2009, in the last matchday, he scored from 30 yards in a 2–1 home defeat of former side Real Madrid, which kept the club in the top flight for another year.[12] In the following campaign, as the former fared better in the league by finishing 12th, he scored a career-best four goals.
On 11 January 2011, Juanfran signed for Atlético Madrid until June 2015 for a fee of just over €4 million.[13] He made his official debut two days later, starting in a 3–1 away loss against his first professional club Real Madrid in the quarter-finals of the Copa del Rey.[14]
Juanfran scored his first goal for Atlético on 21 May 2011, in a 4–3 win at RCD Mallorca – the last game of the season – dedicating it to his father who had died two weeks beforehand.[15] In 2011–12 he began being regularly played as a right-back, by both Gregorio Manzano and his successor, Diego Simeone.[16][17] In the Europa League final, which his team won 3–0 against Bilbao, he played in that position;[18] after the match, he dedicated the triumph to his late father, saying "My baby son Oliver is here with me; the only words he knows are 'mama' and 'Atleti',I dedicate this win to my family and to my dad, who passed away last year. I know he's up there looking down on us celebrating now."[19]
On 24 May 2014, Juanfran played all 120 minutes of the Champions League final, lost 4–1 to Real Madrid at the Estádio da Luz.[20] He signed a contract extension one month later, running until 2018.[21]
Juanfran started both legs of the round-of-16 Champions League tie against PSV Eindhoven; on 15 March 2016, in the second match, he took the decisive penalty in the 8–7 shootout win (0–0 on aggregate).[22][23] In the final of the competition, also decided on penalties after a 1–1 draw in Milan, he was the only player to fail to convert in an eventual defeat to his former club Real Madrid.[24]
Juanfran left Atlético upon the expiration of his contract on 30 June 2019, having made 355 appearances and won seven trophies for the club.[25]
São Paulo
On 3 August 2019, Juanfran joined São Paulo FC on a contract running until December 2020.[26] He became the second Spanish footballer to play for the Brazilian club, after Fernando Carazzo Castro in 1936.[27] He made his debut in the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A fifteen days later, a 1–0 home victory over Ceará Sporting Club.[28]
In February 2021 – with his second season having overrun due to the COVID-19 pandemic – Juanfran was released, having totalled 56 games for the Tricolor.[29] Having retired, he returned to Spain and joined the Intercity futsal club in his hometown in July.[30]
On 16 November 2013, Juanfran scored his only goal, playing the entire 2–1 friendly victory in Equatorial Guinea.[37] However, this match was ruled invalid by FIFA as they had not been notified early enough that the referee would be from Equatorial Guinea.[38]
Juanfran was named in Spain's 30-man provisional squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup,[39] and was also included in the final list.[40] With the country already eliminated, he made his tournament debut in the last group game against Australia, playing the whole 90 minutes and assistingDavid Villa for the first goal of a 3–0 win.[41]
Juanfran featured in the roster for Euro 2016, where he played all of his team's four games. After two years in the international wilderness, in October 2018 the 33-year-old stated that he was still available for selection by the national side.[42]
Style of play
A former winger, Juanfran usually played as a right-back. While an accomplished defender, he was also known for his ability to get forward and provide accurate crosses for teammates inside the box.[43]
Personal life
Juanfran married Verónica Sierras, with whom he had two children, Óliver and Alexia.[44][45]
Career statistics
Club
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition[46][47]
^Ugalde, Iñaki (23 March 2006). "Yeste llega al rescate" [Yeste comes to the rescue]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). Retrieved 13 March 2014.
^Varela, Javier (8 June 2014). "Juanfran, el lateral con alma de extremo" [Juanfran, the full-back with the soul of a winger] (in Spanish). La Rioja. Retrieved 29 March 2018.
^Portillo, Miguel (25 June 2005). "España se despide del Mundial sub'20" [Spain say goodbye to the under'20 World Cup]. El Mundo (in Spanish). Retrieved 14 January 2019.
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