Joaquín

Joaquín Sánchez is a footballer for Real Betis Balompié and one of the most important Spanish players in recent years.

Joaquín Sánchez is one of the most important players in Spanish football in recent years. Charismatic, entertaining, and pure spectacle with the ball at his feet, Joaquín is the emblem of Real Betis and has been a key player throughout his career at teams like Valencia, Málaga, and Fiorentina.

Joaquín joined the Betis youth academy in 1997. Two years later, he won the Copa del Rey at the youth level, sharing a dressing room with Dani, Arzu, and Toni Doblas. On September 3, 2000, he made his official debut against Compostela in the Second Division. Betis were promoted to the First Division that year. The 2001-02 season was Joaquín’s first at the top level. His impact was impressive. He played 34 league matches, and Camacho called him up for the 2002 World Cup.

The following seasons confirmed suspicions that Betis had a special player. Joaquín reached his peak, at a team level, in the 2004-05 season. He stood out in the Copa del Rey victory and led the team to fourth place in La Liga.

For the 2006-07 season, Joaquín joined Valencia, and his presentation drew 10,000 fans to Mestalla. He remained at the club for five seasons, winning the 2007-08 Copa del Rey and competing in three editions of the Champions League. He played alongside footballers of the caliber of Mata, Villa, Ayala, and Silva.

At the end of June 2011, he joined Málaga as part of the ambitious project the Andalusian club was preparing. In his first season, he helped them qualify for the Champions League. In the 2012-13 season, he delivered some brilliant performances in the world’s premier club competition. Alongside Caballero, Toulalan, Isco, and Baptista, he reached the quarterfinals and nearly eliminated Borussia Dortmund (the eventual runners-up). In the second leg of that tie, Joaquín scored a spectacular goal.

Having passed his thirties, the player from El Puerto de Santa María was in spectacular form. One of Italy’s giants, Fiorentina, claimed his services in June 2013. Under Montella’s management, the Tuscan club reached the semi-finals of the 2014-15 Europa League and the final of the 2013-14 Coppa Italia. After two seasons in Florence, he returned in the summer of 2015 to the club of his life.

With the senior national team, Joaquín has played 52 times. His appearances for Spain took place between February 13, 2002, the day of his debut, and November 21, 2007. At just 20 years old, he played in the World Cup in Korea and Japan.

Joaquín decided to embrace social media when he joined ImagoSport. At that time, he created profiles on Twitter and Instagram, and within a few weeks, he had amassed over 100,000 followers; a testament to the impact this player from El Puerto de Santa María has online.

Career as a player

• 2000-06. Real Betis Balompié
  • Wins the ‘Don Balón’ Award for Breakthrough Player (2001-02)
  • Call-up and participation with the Spanish National Team in the 2002 World Cup in Korea and Japan
  • King’s Cup Champion 2004-05
  • Call-up and participation with the Spanish National Team in the 2004 European Championship in Portugal
• 2006-2011. Valencia C.F.
  • Call-up and participation with the Spanish National Team in the 2006 World Cup in Germany
  • Champion of the Copa del Rey 2007-08. He scored four goals during the competition.
  • They reached the quarterfinals of the 2006-2007 Champions League after eliminating Inter in the round of 16
  • 30 goals and 31 assists in 215 games wearing the Valencia shirt
• 2011-13. Málaga C.F.
  • Fourth place in the 2011-12 League
  • First in group (ahead of Milan and Zenit) and quarter-finalist of the 2012-13 Champions League (after beating Porto in the round of 16)
  • Ocho goles y diez asistencias en la temporada 2012-13 (en 45 partidos)
• 2013-15. A.C.F. Fiorentina
  • Fourth place in Serie A in the 2013-14 season
  • Finalist Coppa Italia 2013-14
  • Fourth place in Serie A in the 2014-15 season
  • Europa League semi-finalist 2014-15
• 2015-present. Real Betis Balompié
  • In the match against Espanyol, he reached 200 matches in the First Division with Betis (the 19th player in the club’s history to achieve this).
  • He has played over 450 matches in the First Division (he is among the 25 players with the most matches in the history of the competition)
  • He is the active player who has played the most games in the First Division