Pau Torres

Last updated

Pau Torres
Pau Torres 2023.jpg
Torres playing for Aston Villa in 2023
Personal information
Full name Pau Francisco Torres [1]
Date of birth (1997-01-16) 16 January 1997 (age 27) [2]
Place of birth Villarreal, Spain
Height 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in) [2]
Position(s) Centre-back
Team information
Current team
Aston Villa
Number 14
Youth career
2002–2016 Villarreal
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
2016–2018 Villarreal B 59 (2)
2016–2023 Villarreal 136 (10)
2018–2019Málaga (loan) 38 (1)
2023– Aston Villa 40 (2)
International career
2018 Spain U21 1 (0)
2021 Spain U23 7 (0)
2019– Spain 24 (1)
Medal record
Representing Flag of Spain.svg  Spain
Men's Football
UEFA Nations League
Runner-up 2021 Italy
Olympic Games
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 2020 Tokyo Team
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 23:14, 9 November 2024 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 20:15, 16 November 2023 (UTC)

Pau Francisco Torres (born 16 January 1997) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Premier League club Aston Villa and the Spain national team.

Contents

He began his career with Villarreal, making 173 competitive appearances and winning the 2021 Europa League; he was also loaned to Málaga. In July 2023, he signed with Aston Villa. [3]

Torres made his full debut for Spain in 2019, scoring in his first game. He was part of the squads at Euro 2020 and the 2022 World Cup.

Club career

Villarreal

Torres with Villarreal in 2021 Manchester United v Villarreal CF, 29 September 2021 (22) (cropped).jpg
Torres with Villarreal in 2021

Born in Villarreal, Province of Castellón, Valencian Community, [4] Torres played youth football with Villarreal. He made his league debut with the reserves on 21 August 2016, starting in a 1–0 Segunda División B away loss against Cornellà. [5]

Torres scored his first senior goal on 8 October 2016, the first in a 2–2 home draw with Badalona. [6] His maiden competitive appearance for the first team took place on 20 December, when he came on as a late substitute for Víctor Ruiz in the 1–1 home draw against Toledo in the round of 32 of Copa del Rey; [7] by doing so, he became the first player born in Villarreal to debut for the club in 13 years. [8]

Torres played his first match in La Liga on 26 November 2017, replacing fellow youth graduate Manu Trigueros late into a 2–3 home loss to Sevilla. [9] He made his UEFA Europa League debut ten days later, starting and finishing the 0–1 group stage defeat against Maccabi Tel Aviv also at the Estadio de la Cerámica. [10]

On 6 August 2018, Torres was loaned to Málaga for one year. [11] He only missed four Segunda División games during his spell as the side reached the promotion play-offs and, subsequently, was recalled by his parent club. [12]

Torres subsequently cemented his place in Villarreal's starting XI, playing every minute in the league. [13] In October 2019, he was rewarded with a contract extension until 2024, [14] and the same month scored his first goal in the Spanish top tier, opening a 2–1 loss at Osasuna. [15]

Torres contributed nine appearances in the 2020–21 UEFA Europa League as the tournament ended in a first-ever European victory for the team, under manager Unai Emery. [16] This included the final, a penalty shootout win over Manchester United after a 1–1 draw. [17]

Aston Villa

On 12 July 2023, Torres signed for Aston Villa for a reported fee of £31.5 million, [18] rejoining coach Emery. [19] He made his Premier League debut on 12 August, replacing the injured Tyrone Mings during the first half of an eventual 5–1 loss at Newcastle United. [20] He scored his first goal on 8 October, in a 1–1 away draw against Wolverhampton Wanderers. [21]

International career

Torres got his first call up for the Spain national team by Robert Moreno on 4 October 2019, for UEFA Euro 2020 qualifiers against Norway and Sweden. [22] He did not debut until 15 November when he scored in a 7–0 rout of Malta for the already qualified hosts, within a minute of replacing Sergio Ramos; Dani Olmo also scored on his first cap in that game, the first time that two Spaniards did so in exactly 30 years. [23]

Torres was included in Luis Enrique's 24-man squad for the finals. [24] He was also selected for the Olympic team that won a silver medal at the Summer Olympics in Tokyo. [25]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 9 November 2024 [26]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
ClubSeasonLeagueNational cup [a] League cup [b] EuropeOtherTotal
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Villarreal B 2016–17 Segunda División B 342342
2017–18 Segunda División B2506 [c] 0310
Total59260652
Villarreal 2016–17 La Liga 00100010
2017–18 La Liga20301 [d] 060
2019–20 La Liga34220362
2020–21 La Liga332209 [d] 1443
2021–22 La Liga3351012 [e] 11 [f] 0476
2022–23 La Liga341203 [g] 0391
Total136101102521017312
Málaga (loan) 2018–19 Segunda División 381002 [h] 0401
Aston Villa 2023–24 Premier League 29200109 [g] 0392
2024–25 Premier League11000004 [e] 0150
Total4020010130542
Career total27315110103829033217

International

As of match played 16 November 2023 [27]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National teamYearAppsGoals
Spain 201911
202060
202190
202270
202310
Total241
As of match played 15 November 2019.
Spain score listed first, score column indicates score after each Torres goal. [27]
List of international goals scored by Pau Torres
No.DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
115 November 2019 Estadio Ramón de Carranza, Cádiz, SpainFlag of Malta.svg  Malta 3–07–0 UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying

Honours

Villarreal

Spain U23

Spain

Individual

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References

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  4. "Pau Torres cumple 100 partidos con el Villarreal" [Pau Torres celebrates 100 matches with Villarreal] (in Spanish). Onda Cero. 4 November 2021. Retrieved 3 January 2022.
  5. "El Villarreal B se estrenó con derrota en Cornellà con un solitario gol encajado en el minuto 91 (1–0)" [Villarreal B had losing debut in Cornellà with lone goal against in the 91st minute (1–0)] (in Spanish). Castellón Información. 21 August 2016. Retrieved 18 December 2019.
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  13. "Pau Torres, entre los once que han disputado todos los minutos en Liga" [Pau Torres, amongst eleven who have played every minute in League]. La Vanguardia (in Spanish). 7 October 2019. Retrieved 19 December 2019.
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