Juanmi

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Juanmi came through the youth ranks at Málaga, starting in its reserves and making his first-team debut in 2010, also spending time on loan at Racing de Santander in 2013. In La Liga, he also represented Real Sociedad, Betis, Cádiz and Getafe, totalling over 300 games and 60 goals and winning the Copa del Rey in 2022. He spent one season in the Premier League with Southampton, and another in the Saudi Pro League with Al-Riyadh. Juanmi won the European Championship with Spain under-19s in 2011 and 2012, and made his senior international debut in 2015.

In Their Own Story

On 8 September 2022, Juanmi suffered a left-ankle ligament break in a Europa League group game against HJK. He returned to action in December in friendly matches during the FIFA World Cup, and was fully recovered from setbacks by the end of January. Having fallen out of favour with Manuel Pellegrini following the signing of Ayoze Pérez, Juanmi joined newly promoted Saudi Pro League side Al-Riyadh on a one-year loan on 20 August 2023. He scored his only goal on 5 October, in a 2–2 home draw with Al Shabab; this broke his eight-month drought. The following February, he returned to Spain and its top tier after agreeing to a loan deal with Cádiz until June. He netted in each half of a victory against Atlético Madrid on 9 March, ending a 23-match winless run. After returning to Betis, still under the same manager, Juanmi continue to feature sparingly; he did score a last-minute goal to help the hosts defeat Celje 2–1 in the league phase of the UEFA Conference League.

Reader's Guide

Juanmi is a forward who has played for multiple La Liga clubs, including Málaga, Real Sociedad, Betis, Cádiz, and Getafe, as well as Southampton in the Premier League and Al-Riyadh in the Saudi Pro League. He won the Copa del Rey with Betis in 2022 and the UEFA European Under-19 Championship with Spain in 2011 and 2012.

Did You Know?

• Juanmi made his first-team debut for Málaga at age 16, scoring in a Copa del Rey match against Getafe.
• He scored a hat-trick for Betis against Levante in November 2021.
• Juanmi was sent off in a 2017 match for lifting his shirt to show a tribute to a leukemia sufferer.
• He played in Betis's 2022 Copa del Rey final win over Valencia.