Efrain Juárez
Encyclopedia
Efraín Juárez Valdez is a Mexican
footballer who currently plays as a right back for La Liga
club Real Zaragoza
on loan from Celtic, and the Mexico national team
.
, playing a key role in defense, he was snapped up by Barcelona
along with national teammate Jorge Hernández
in 2006. Without very much support and very few minutes given in the Barcelona B team
, he returned to Pumas Morelos and it took some time for coach Ricardo Ferretti
to call him to Pumas. Competing for a position in the right wing with Fernando Espinoza, he quickly became a starter in Ferretti's team. With Ferretti's decision to give continuity to its team, Juárez renewed his contract facing the Clausura 2009 tournament.. Pumas finished champions, beating Pachuca.
club Celtic
. On 26 July a £4 million transfer was agreed and Juárez signed a four-year contract with The Hoops, making him the first ever Mexican player to play in the SPL.
Juárez made his Celtic debut in a 3-0 Champions League defeat away to Braga
. He scored his first goal for the club in the return fixture at Celtic Park
with a header. He then scored his second goal, again at Celtic Park, in a Europa League qualifying first leg match against Utrecht two weeks later. Juárez was close to agreeing a loan move to Serie A
side Brescia Calcio
in the January 2011 transfer window but the deal fell through. He had since fallen out of favour with the first team and his agent admitted that Juárez may need to move on in the summer of 2011 to receive first team football.
side Real Zaragoza
, were he would be re-united with former Mexico national team
coach Javier Aguirre
. He made his debut for Zaragoza in a 6-0 loss against Real Madrid
. He then scored his first goal for the club in a 4-3 defeat to newly promoted Real Betis
.
against Guatemala
. Juárez played a part of the team that won the 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup
. In the Gold Cup, he mainly played at right back. He started and completed all games played in the competition. Thanks to his great performance, he quickly gained a spot on the national team. Juárez scored for Mexico against Costa Rica
during a penalty shootout.
On 11 June 2010, Juárez became the first player to be booked at the 2010 World Cup
in Mexico's opening match against South Africa
. He also played in Mexico's 2-0 victory over France
on 17 June, when he was replaced by Javier Hernandez on 55 minutes, who later himself went on to score.
On 22 September 2010, it was announced that Juarez and Mexico teammate Carlos Vela
banned from international duty for six months for their involvement in a party in Monterrey
following a game with Colombia
two weeks earlier.
Juarez scored his first goal for the national team in the 5-0 win against El Salvador
in the opening match of the 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup
on 5 June.
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| 1. || 5 June 2011 || Cowboys Stadium, Arlington
, United States
|| || align=center|1–0 || align=center|5–0 || 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup
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| 2008–09
||rowspan="2"|UNAM
||rowspan="2"|Primera División
||41||0||||||||||2||1||43||1
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|2009–10
||25||0||||||||||4||0||29||0
|-
|-
|2010–11
||Celtic
||SPL
||13||0||1||0||2||0||4||2||21||2
|-
|-
|2011–12
||Zaragoza
||La Liga
||13||1||0||0||colspan="2"|–||–||–||13||1
66||0||colspan="2"|–||colspan="2"|–||6||1||72||1
13||0||1||0||2||0||4||2||20||2
13||1||0||0||0||0||0||0||13||1
92||1||1||0||2||0||10||3||105||4
Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
footballer who currently plays as a right back for La Liga
La Liga
The Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...
club Real Zaragoza
Real Zaragoza
Real Zaragoza, S.A.D. is a Spanish association football team from Zaragoza in Spain. Founded on 18 March 1932, Real Zaragoza have spent the majority of their 78 year history in the Spanish top-flight. Real Zaragoza are Spain's 9th highest ranked team in overall league points...
on loan from Celtic, and the Mexico national team
Mexico national football team
The Mexican national football team represents Mexico in association football and is governed by the Mexican Football Federation , the governing body for football in Mexico. Mexico's home stadium is the Estadio Azteca and their head coach is José Manuel de la Torre...
.
Club Universidad Nacional
Juárez joined the Pumas youth system at the age of thirteen. After winning the 2005 under-17 World Championship2005 FIFA U-17 World Championship
The 2005 FIFA U-17 World Championship was held in the cities of Lima, Trujillo, Chiclayo, Piura and Iquitos in Peru between 16 September and 2 October 2005. Players born after 1 January 1988 could participate in this tournament...
, playing a key role in defense, he was snapped up by Barcelona
FC Barcelona
Futbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....
along with national teammate Jorge Hernández
Jorge Hernández (footballer)
Jorge Hernández González is a Mexican football midfielder who currently plays for Atlante F.C..-Career:...
in 2006. Without very much support and very few minutes given in the Barcelona B team
FC Barcelona B
Futbol Club Barcelona B is a Spanish football team. They are the reserve team of FC Barcelona. Reserve teams in the Spanish football league system play in the same football pyramid as their senior team rather than a separate league. However reserve teams cannot play in the same division as their...
, he returned to Pumas Morelos and it took some time for coach Ricardo Ferretti
Ricardo Ferretti
Ricardo Ferretti de Oliveira, commonly known as Tuca, is a football coach, who has coached Pumas UNAM, Chivas, UANL Tigres, Toluca, and Morelia He played with Atlas. He is nicknamed "El Tuca", and is known for his aggressive style on the bench.After retiring as a player, Ferretti started to work...
to call him to Pumas. Competing for a position in the right wing with Fernando Espinoza, he quickly became a starter in Ferretti's team. With Ferretti's decision to give continuity to its team, Juárez renewed his contract facing the Clausura 2009 tournament.. Pumas finished champions, beating Pachuca.
Celtic
On 17 July 2010, Pumas accepted a bid for Juárez from Scottish Premier LeagueScottish Premier League
The Scottish Premier League , also known as the SPL , is a professional league competition for association football clubs in Scotland...
club Celtic
Celtic F.C.
Celtic Football Club is a Scottish football club based in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, which currently plays in the Scottish Premier League. The club was established in 1887, and played its first game in 1888. Celtic have won the Scottish League Championship on 42 occasions, most recently in the...
. On 26 July a £4 million transfer was agreed and Juárez signed a four-year contract with The Hoops, making him the first ever Mexican player to play in the SPL.
Juárez made his Celtic debut in a 3-0 Champions League defeat away to Braga
SC Braga
Sporting Clube de Braga , commonly known as Sporting de Braga or just Braga, is a Portuguese sports club, from the city of Braga. Its football team plays at the AXA Stadium, also known as The Quarry, which was built for UEFA Euro 2004...
. He scored his first goal for the club in the return fixture at Celtic Park
Celtic Park
Celtic Park is a football stadium in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, which is the home ground of Celtic FC. Celtic Park, an all-seater stadium with a capacity of 60,832, is the largest football stadium in Scotland and the sixth-largest stadium in the United Kingdom, after Murrayfield, Old Trafford,...
with a header. He then scored his second goal, again at Celtic Park, in a Europa League qualifying first leg match against Utrecht two weeks later. Juárez was close to agreeing a loan move to Serie A
Serie A
Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
side Brescia Calcio
Brescia Calcio
Brescia Calcio , known simply as Brescia, is the largest football club in the Lombard city of Brescia, where it was founded in 1911.In the 2009–10 season, in the return leg of the Serie B playoff final, they defeated Torino 2-1 at home , returning to Serie A after a 5-year absence...
in the January 2011 transfer window but the deal fell through. He had since fallen out of favour with the first team and his agent admitted that Juárez may need to move on in the summer of 2011 to receive first team football.
Real Zaragoza (loan)
On 26 July 2011 after weeks of speculation, Juárez was loaned out to La LigaLa Liga
The Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...
side Real Zaragoza
Real Zaragoza
Real Zaragoza, S.A.D. is a Spanish association football team from Zaragoza in Spain. Founded on 18 March 1932, Real Zaragoza have spent the majority of their 78 year history in the Spanish top-flight. Real Zaragoza are Spain's 9th highest ranked team in overall league points...
, were he would be re-united with former Mexico national team
Mexico national football team
The Mexican national football team represents Mexico in association football and is governed by the Mexican Football Federation , the governing body for football in Mexico. Mexico's home stadium is the Estadio Azteca and their head coach is José Manuel de la Torre...
coach Javier Aguirre
Javier Aguirre
Javier Aguirre Onaindía , popularly nicknamed El Vasco , is a Mexican football manager and former midfielder. He was also a member of the Mexico national team and later became manager in two different occasions, but resigned after the 2010 FIFA World Cup...
. He made his debut for Zaragoza in a 6-0 loss against Real Madrid
Real Madrid
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol , commonly known as Real Madrid, is a professional football club based in Madrid, Spain. The club have won a record 31 La Liga titles, the Primera División of the Liga de Fútbol Profesional , 18 Copas del Rey, 8 Spanish Super Cups, 1 Copa Eva Duarte and 1 Copa de la...
. He then scored his first goal for the club in a 4-3 defeat to newly promoted Real Betis
Real Betis
Real Betis Balompié S.A.D. is a Spanish football club based in Seville, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. Founded on 12 September 1907, it currently plays in La Liga, holding home games at Estadio Benito Villamarín....
.
International career
On 28 June 2009, Juárez made his first international cap with the Mexico senior teamMexico national football team
The Mexican national football team represents Mexico in association football and is governed by the Mexican Football Federation , the governing body for football in Mexico. Mexico's home stadium is the Estadio Azteca and their head coach is José Manuel de la Torre...
against Guatemala
Guatemala national football team
The Guatemala national football team is the association football team representing the country of Guatemala and is controlled by the Federación Nacional de Fútbol de Guatemala. Founded in 1919, it affiliated to FIFA in 1946, and it is a member of CONCACAF....
. Juárez played a part of the team that won the 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup
2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup
The 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup was the tenth edition of the Gold Cup competition, and the twentieth association football championship of North America, Central America and the Caribbean . It was contested from 3 July to 26 July 2009 in the United States. This competition was the fourth tournament...
. In the Gold Cup, he mainly played at right back. He started and completed all games played in the competition. Thanks to his great performance, he quickly gained a spot on the national team. Juárez scored for Mexico against Costa Rica
Costa Rica national football team
The Costa Rica national football team, nicknamed La Sele, is the national team of Costa Rica and is controlled by the Federación Costarricense de Fútbol. Costa Rica is the third most successful team in CONCACAF after Mexico and the United States...
during a penalty shootout.
On 11 June 2010, Juárez became the first player to be booked at the 2010 World Cup
2010 FIFA World Cup
The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010...
in Mexico's opening match against South Africa
South Africa national football team
The South Africa national football team represents South Africa in association football and is controlled by the South African Football Association, the governing body for football in South Africa. South Africa's home ground is Soccer City, known as FNB Stadium due to a naming rights deal, in...
. He also played in Mexico's 2-0 victory over France
France national football team
The France national football team represents the nation of France in international football. It is fielded by the French Football Federation , the governing body of football in France, and competes as a member of UEFA, which encompasses the countries of Europe...
on 17 June, when he was replaced by Javier Hernandez on 55 minutes, who later himself went on to score.
On 22 September 2010, it was announced that Juarez and Mexico teammate Carlos Vela
Carlos Vela
Carlos Alberto Vela Garrido is a Mexican association football player, currently playing as a striker for La Liga club Real Sociedad on loan from Arsenal. He also plays for the Mexico national football team. He started his career at Mexican club C.D...
banned from international duty for six months for their involvement in a party in Monterrey
Monterrey
Monterrey , is the capital city of the northeastern state of Nuevo León in the country of Mexico. The city is anchor to the third-largest metropolitan area in Mexico and is ranked as the ninth-largest city in the nation. Monterrey serves as a commercial center in the north of the country and is the...
following a game with Colombia
Colombia national football team
The Colombian national football team represents Colombia in international football competitions and is controlled by the Colombian Football Federation. It is a member of the CONMEBOL...
two weeks earlier.
Juarez scored his first goal for the national team in the 5-0 win against El Salvador
El Salvador national football team
El Salvador's national football team represents El Salvador in international football and is sanctioned by the Federación Salvadoreña de Fútbol . In 1899, Santa Ana and San Salvador met for the first hosted football game in El Salvador...
in the opening match of the 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup
2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup
The 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup was the 11th edition of the CONCACAF Gold Cup competition and 21th CONCACAF regional championship overall in CONCACAF's fifty years of existence...
on 5 June.
International goals
- Scores and results list Mexico's goal tally first
|-
| 1. || 5 June 2011 || Cowboys Stadium, Arlington
Arlington, Texas
Arlington is a city in Tarrant County, Texas within the Dallas–Fort Worth metropolitan area. According to the 2010 census results, the city had a population of 365,438, making it the third largest municipality in the Metroplex...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
|| || align=center|1–0 || align=center|5–0 || 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup
2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup
The 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup was the 11th edition of the CONCACAF Gold Cup competition and 21th CONCACAF regional championship overall in CONCACAF's fifty years of existence...
|-
|}
Club
|-| 2008–09
Primera División de México Clausura 2009
The 2009 Primera División Clausura was the second football tournament of the Mexican Primera División 2008−2009 season. The tournament began on January 16th, 2009 and ended on May 31st, 2009. Necaxa was relegated to the Primera División A after being in last place of the relegation table. On May...
||rowspan="2"|UNAM
Club Universidad Nacional
Club Universidad Nacional A.C., more commonly known as Pumas de la UNAM, or just Pumas, is a Mexican professional football club based in Mexico City...
||rowspan="2"|Primera División
Primera División de México
The Primera División Profesional , known simply as the Primera División, is the top level of the Mexican football league system and is administered by the Mexican Football Federation. It was established in 1943 and as of 2011 has 18 clubs. Up to June 2011, it was divided into three groups competing...
||41||0||||||||||2||1||43||1
|-
|2009–10
2009–10 Primera División de México season
The 2009–10 Primera División de México season is the 63rd professional season of Mexico's top-flight football league, and 13th season in which the Apertura and Clausura system is used...
||25||0||||||||||4||0||29||0
|-
|-
|2010–11
2010–11 Scottish Premier League
The 2010–11 Scottish Premier League was the thirteenth season of the Scottish Premier League, the highest division of Scottish football. It commenced on 14 August 2010 and ended on 15 May 2011...
||Celtic
Celtic F.C.
Celtic Football Club is a Scottish football club based in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, which currently plays in the Scottish Premier League. The club was established in 1887, and played its first game in 1888. Celtic have won the Scottish League Championship on 42 occasions, most recently in the...
||SPL
Scottish Premier League
The Scottish Premier League , also known as the SPL , is a professional league competition for association football clubs in Scotland...
||13||0||1||0||2||0||4||2||21||2
|-
|-
|2011–12
2011–12 La Liga
The 2011–12 La Liga season is the 81st since its establishment. Barcelona are the defending champions, having won their 21st La Liga title in the previous season for the third time in a row. The campaign began on 27 August 2011, and will end on 13 May 2012...
||Zaragoza
Real Zaragoza
Real Zaragoza, S.A.D. is a Spanish association football team from Zaragoza in Spain. Founded on 18 March 1932, Real Zaragoza have spent the majority of their 78 year history in the Spanish top-flight. Real Zaragoza are Spain's 9th highest ranked team in overall league points...
||La Liga
La Liga
The Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...
||13||1||0||0||colspan="2"|–||–||–||13||1
66||0||colspan="2"|–||colspan="2"|–||6||1||72||1
13||0||1||0||2||0||4||2||20||2
13||1||0||0||0||0||0||0||13||1
92||1||1||0||2||0||10||3||105||4
International
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mexico Mexico national football team The Mexican national football team represents Mexico in association football and is governed by the Mexican Football Federation , the governing body for football in Mexico. Mexico's home stadium is the Estadio Azteca and their head coach is José Manuel de la Torre... |
|||
| 2009 | 9 | 0 | |
| 2010 | 16 | 0 | |
| 2011 | 13 | 1 | |
| Total | 38 | 1 | |
Club
Club Universidad Nacional- Primera DivisiónPrimera División de MéxicoThe Primera División Profesional , known simply as the Primera División, is the top level of the Mexican football league system and is administered by the Mexican Football Federation. It was established in 1943 and as of 2011 has 18 clubs. Up to June 2011, it was divided into three groups competing...
: (1): Clausura 2009Primera División de México Clausura 2009The 2009 Primera División Clausura was the second football tournament of the Mexican Primera División 2008−2009 season. The tournament began on January 16th, 2009 and ended on May 31st, 2009. Necaxa was relegated to the Primera División A after being in last place of the relegation table. On May...
International
Mexico U-17- 2005 U-17 World Championship2005 FIFA U-17 World ChampionshipThe 2005 FIFA U-17 World Championship was held in the cities of Lima, Trujillo, Chiclayo, Piura and Iquitos in Peru between 16 September and 2 October 2005. Players born after 1 January 1988 could participate in this tournament...
Mexico
- CONCACAF Gold CupCONCACAF Gold CupThe CONCACAF Gold Cup is the main association football competition of the men's national football teams governed by CONCACAF, determining the regional champion of North America, Central America, and the Caribbean.The Gold Cup is held every two years and when it does not fall the same year as an...
(2): 20092009 CONCACAF Gold CupThe 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup was the tenth edition of the Gold Cup competition, and the twentieth association football championship of North America, Central America and the Caribbean . It was contested from 3 July to 26 July 2009 in the United States. This competition was the fourth tournament...
, 20112011 CONCACAF Gold CupThe 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup was the 11th edition of the CONCACAF Gold Cup competition and 21th CONCACAF regional championship overall in CONCACAF's fifty years of existence...