Óscar López (footballer, born 1980)

Óscar López Hernández (born 11 May 1980) is a Spanish retired footballer. A defender, he played in all the back-four positions (mainly left back).

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is López and the second or maternal family name is Hernández.

Óscar López
Personal information
Full name Óscar López Hernández
Date of birth (1980-05-11) 11 May 1980
Place of birth Cerdanyola, Spain
Height 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Position(s) Defender
Youth career
1989–1998 Barcelona
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1997–2001 Barcelona C 47 (4)
2000–2004 Barcelona B 93 (5)
2003–2006 Barcelona 8 (0)
2004–2005 → Lazio (loan) 14 (0)
2005–2006 → Betis (loan) 18 (0)
2006–2010 Betis 1 (0)
2007–2008 → Gimnàstic (loan) 15 (0)
2010–2011 Numancia 17 (1)
2011–2012 Go Ahead Eagles 7 (1)
Total 220 (11)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

His professional career, started with Barcelona, was marred by injuries.

Club career

Born in Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Catalonia, López was a product of the FC Barcelona cantera. He appeared for the club's C and B-sides, being given his senior debut by Radomir Antić in a 3–1 win over Recreativo de Huelva on 25 May 2003[1] and adding a further seven appearances over the course of that and the following seasons. His first taste of European football came on 15 October 2003, in an 8–0 rout of FK Matador Púchov in the UEFA Cup.[2]

However, López failed to establish himself in the main squad, and was subsequently loaned to S.S. Lazio for 2004–05. He made 14 Serie A appearances, played twice in the Italian Cup and three times in the UEFA Cup, but struggled to earn a regular starting position, and the Rome club decided against buying the player at the end of the campaign.

López returned to Spain in 2005 and went on loan to Real Betis,[3] making his debut against Barcelona in a 2–1 win for the second leg of the Spanish Supercup.[4] He managed to be relatively used during the season, with 25 official matches – appearing in two European competitions – and, after that, was bought in a four-year deal.[5]

In January 2007, López began a six-month loan stint with La Liga strugglers Gimnàstic de Tarragona, where he sustained a serious knee injury which would have him unregistered for almost a year,[6] although the move was extended for 2007–08. Upon his return to Andalusia in July 2008, he was told to look for a new team; unable to do so, he spent the following year training with the club, although not registered at all.

On 4 February 2010, being completely ostracized at Betis, López was finally released, and joined Segunda División's CD Numancia.[7][8] He scored his first goal ever as a professional on 16 May in a 1–1 home draw against Rayo Vallecano,[9] as the Sorians eventually failed to return to the top tier; in June 2011, aged 31, he was released.

On 23 December 2011, Dutch Eerste Divisie club Go Ahead Eagles announced the signing of López, who signed until June 2012 with an option for an extra year.[10]

References
  1. Kluivert embellece un partido apagado (Kluivert embellishes dull match); El País, 26 May 2003 (in Spanish)
  2. Ronaldinho también es clave en Europa (Ronaldinho is also key in Europe); Diario AS, 15 October 2003 (in Spanish)
  3. Betis opt for López loan; UEFA, 3 August 2005
  4. El Barça no deja escapar la Supercopa (Barça do not let Supercup get away); El Mundo, 21 August 2005 (in Spanish)
  5. El Barça traspasa a Óscar López al Betis (Barça sell Óscar López to Betis); Marca, 29 June 2006 (in Spanish)
  6. Óscar López vuelve a romperse la rodilla (Óscar López shatters knee again); Marca, 14 September 2007 (in Spanish)
  7. Óscar López rescinde el contrato con el Betis y se va al Numancia (Óscar López terminates contract with Betis and goes to Numancia); ABC, 2 February 2010 (in Spanish)
  8. Breve enciclopedia numantina (Brief numantina encyclopedia); Desde Soria, 29 May 2013 (in Spanish)
  9. Un entretenido empate que no sirve ninguno de los dos (Entertaining draw that suits no one); Marca, 16 May 2010 (in Spanish)
  10. Go Ahead Eagles verrast met aantrekken ex-Barca-speler Oscar Lopez (Go Ahead Eagles surprise with signing of former Barça player Oscar Lopez); Go Ahead Eagles, 23 December 2011 (in Dutch)
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