Juanlu (footballer born 1980)

Juan Luis Gómez López, aka Juanlu (born 8 May 1980), is a Spanish footballer who plays for Levante UD in the Spanish first division, as a left midfielder.

Football career

Born in Málaga, Andalusia, Juanlu began his career at amateurs CD Mármol Macael before moving to UD Almería, in Segunda División. He made 38 league appearances for Almería, scoring seven goals. During his time at the Andalusia side, he also had a loan stint at Alicante CF (third level) where he made 15 league appearances, netting once.

In 2004–05, Juanlu made his top flight debut, playing in 27 league contests for CD Numancia (two goals, netting against Real Betis in the league opener, on August 28, 2004, in a 1–1 home draw), before moving to Betis upon Numancia's relegation.

During his time at Betis, Juanlu was loaned to Albacete Balompié (January–June 2006) and CA Osasuna. Unhappy at his lack of first team opportunities at the Seville outfit, he showed satisfaction upon his move to Navarre: "I am happy because this deal is good for everyone, especially for me because I've joined a team that's in the Champions League qualifying round." He was relatively used in the league, and added six matches with two goals in the UEFA Cup (including the only in the second leg of the quarterfinals, against Bayer 04 Leverkusen).

On July 2007, again on loan,...
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