Javi Venta

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Rodríguezand the second or maternal family name is Venta.

Javi Venta

Venta in action for Levante
Personal information
Full name	Javier Rodríguez Venta [1]
Date of birth	(1975-12-13) 13 December 1975 (age 47) [1]
Place of birth	Pola de Siero, Spain [1]
Height	1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) [1]
Position(s)	Right-back
Youth career
1981–1992	Romanón
1992–1995	Oviedo
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1995–1997	Oviedo B
1996–1997	→ Marino (loan)	20	(0)
1997–1999	Gimnástica	66	(3)
1999–2010	Villarreal	182	(1)
1999–2000	→ Onda (loan)
2000–2001	→ Racing Ferrol (loan)	39	(0)
2001–2002	→ Tenerife (loan)	29	(1)
2010–2012	Levante	59	(0)
2012–2013	Villarreal	15	(0)
2013	Brentford	1	(0)
Total		411	(5)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Javier 'Javi' Rodríguez Venta (born 13 December 1975) is a Spanish retired professional footballer who played as a right-back.

He amassed La Liga totals of 270 matches and two goals over 11 seasons, mainly with Villarreal (eight years). He also appeared in the competition with Tenerife and Levante, and had a brief abroad spell in England with Brentford.

Club career

Early years

Venta was born in Pola de Siero, Asturias. After playing his early career with modest Spanish clubs he was bought in 1999 by Villarreal CF, but would spend the next three seasons with the farm team (CD Onda) and on loan stints. ^[2]

He made his La Liga debut in the latter predicament in the 2001–02 season, playing 29 league games for CD Tenerife who ranked second-bottom.

Villarreal and Levante

In 2002–03, Venta returned to Villarreal and went on to become a steady first-choice throughout the season. In the 2004–05 campaign he appeared in 32 matches as the Valencian side achieved a club-high third place; he was subsequently named by Spain manager Luis Aragonés in his provisional 27-man squad for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, but he did not make the final cut. ^[3]

In late April 2010, it was announced that both the 34-year-old Venta and Robert Pires would be leaving Villarreal. ^[4] During three years he constantly fought for first-choice status with Ángel López, with both appearing in roughly the same number of games. ^{[5] [6]} In late August he signed for one year with Levante UD, returned to the top division after a two-year absence. ^[7]

Venta started in 25 of his 26 appearances in his second season, totalling 2,224 minutes of action as Levante finished sixth and qualified for the UEFA Europa League for the first time in its history. He did not have an offer to renew his expiring contract, however, ^[8] and returned to Villarreal for a second stint. ^[9]

Brentford

On 11 July 2013, aged 37, Venta moved abroad for the first time in his career, joining Football League One club Brentford on a one-year deal ^[10] with an option to extend to a second season depending on appearances. ^[11] He scored his only goal for the club in a 5–3 win against AFC Wimbledon in that season's Football League Trophy on 3 September, which also marked his fourth and final overall appearance; ^[12] he had his contract terminated by mutual consent on the 30th, and returned to Spain for personal reasons. ^[13]

Honours

Villarreal

• UEFA Intertoto Cup: 2003, ^[14] 2004 ^[15]

References

1. "JAVIer Rodríguez VENTA". El Mundo (in Spanish). Retrieved 9 August 2022.
2. "Javi Venta" (in Spanish). Historia Racinguista. 27 June 2009. Retrieved 15 July 2013.
3. "Luis Aragonés llama a Marchena y descarta a Morientes para el Mundial" [Luis Aragonés calls Marchena and cuts Morientes for World Cup]. Diario Córdoba (in Spanish). 16 May 2006. Retrieved 15 July 2013.
4. "Javi Venta deja el Villarreal después de once temporadas" [Javi Venta leaves Villarreal after eleven seasons]. Levante-EMV (in Spanish). 29 April 2010. Retrieved 15 July 2013.
5. "Ángel: "Tengo ganas de jugar y no salir más del once titular"" [Ángel: "I'm looking forward to playing and staying in the starting XI for good"]. Marca (in Spanish). 27 November 2009. Retrieved 2 January 2016.
6. Pérez, Javier (23 October 2011). "Javi Venta, un lateral bien caro" [Javi Venta, quite an expensive fullback]. El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 15 July 2013.
7. Martínez, Alberto (21 August 2010). "Javi Venta cree en este Levante" [Javi Venta believes in this Levante]. Las Provincias (in Spanish). Retrieved 15 July 2013.
8. Martínez, Alberto; Molins, José (18 May 2012). "Javi Venta no seguirá en el Levante" [Javi Venta will not continue with Levante]. Las Provincias (in Spanish). Retrieved 3 December 2013.
9. "El Villarreal ficha al lateral asturiano Javi Venta" [Villarreal signs Asturian full-back Javi Venta]. La Nueva España (in Spanish). 2 June 2012. Retrieved 3 December 2013.
10. "Javi Venta: Brentford sign veteran Spanish defender". BBC Sport. 11 July 2013. Retrieved 11 July 2013.
11. "Bees sign Javi Venta". Brentford F.C. 11 July 2013. Archived from the original on 15 July 2013. Retrieved 11 July 2013.
12. "Brentford 5–3 Wimbledon". BBC Sport. 3 September 2013. Retrieved 3 September 2013.
13. "Javi Venta departs". Brentford F.C. 30 September 2013. Archived from the original on 29 May 2016. Retrieved 30 September 2013.
14. "El Villarreal jugará la UEFA por primera vez en su historia" [Villarreal will play UEFA for the first time in their history]. Diario Córdoba (in Spanish). 27 August 2003. Retrieved 9 August 2022.
15. "El Villarreal vuelve a la UEFA tras ganar la Intertoto" [Villarreal return to UEFA after winning the Intertoto]. El Mundo (in Spanish). 23 August 2004. Retrieved 9 August 2022.

External links

• Javi Venta at BDFutbol
• Javi Venta at Soccerbase
• Javi Venta at Soccerway