Juanfran

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Juanfran joined Atlético Madrid on 11 January 2011, signing until June 2015 for a fee of just over €4 million. 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. He 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. In 2011–12 he began being regularly played as a right-back, by both Gregorio Manzano and his successor, Diego Simeone. In the Europa League final, which his team won 3–0 against Athletic, he played in that position; 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.' 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. He signed a contract extension one month later, running until 2018. 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). 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. Juanfran left Atlético upon the expiration of his contract on 30 June 2019, having made 355 appearances and won seven trophies for the club.

In Their Own Story

On 15 March 2016, in the second leg of the round-of-16 Champions League tie against PSV Eindhoven, the score was 0–0 on aggregate after extra time. Juanfran stepped up to take the decisive penalty in the 8–7 shootout win, sending Atlético through. Months later, 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. Earlier, on 24 May 2014, he had played all 120 minutes of the Champions League final, lost 4–1 to Real Madrid at the Estádio da Luz. In the 2012 Europa League final, which his team won 3–0 against Athletic, he played as a right-back; 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.'

Reader's Guide

Juanfran signed for Atlético Madrid on 11 January 2011 for a fee of just over €4 million. He made his official debut two days later, starting in a 3–1 away loss against Real Madrid in the quarter-finals of the Copa del Rey. He 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. In 2011–12 he began being regularly played as a right-back, by both Gregorio Manzano and his successor, Diego Simeone. He won the UEFA Europa League in 2011–12 and 2017–18, the UEFA Super Cup in 2012 and 2018, the Copa del Rey in 2012–13, La Liga in 2013–14, and the Supercopa de España in 2014. He also finished as runner-up in the UEFA Champions League in 2013–14 and 2015–16. He left Atlético upon the expiration of his contract on 30 June 2019, having made 355 appearances and won seven trophies for the club.

Did You Know?

• Juanfran scored his first goal for Atlético Madrid on 21 May 2011, dedicating it to his father who had died two weeks beforehand.
• In the 2016 Champions League final, Juanfran was the only player to fail to convert his penalty in the shootout loss to Real Madrid.
• Juanfran took the decisive penalty in the 8–7 shootout win against PSV Eindhoven in the 2015–16 Champions League round of 16.
• He made 355 appearances for Atlético Madrid across all competitions.
• Juanfran won seven major titles with Atlético Madrid, including the 2014 La Liga championship and the 2012 and 2018 Europa League tournaments.