Antonio López Guerrero
Encyclopedia
For other people also named Antonio Lopez, see Antonio Lopez (disambiguation).


Antonio López Guerrero (anˈtonjo ˈlopeθ ɣeˈreɾo; born 13 September 1981) is a Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...

 footballer who plays for Atlético Madrid of the Spanish first division
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...

, mainly as a left defender.

Club career

A product of Atlético Madrid's youth system, López was born in Benidorm
Benidorm
Benidorm is a coastal town and municipality located in the comarca of Marina Baixa, in the province of Alicante, Valencian community, Spain, by the Western Mediterranean....

, Province of Alicante, and first appeared for the main side of the club in 2000–01, whilst the Colchoneros were in the second level
Segunda División
The Segunda División is the lower tier of the two professional football leagues in Spain. From the season 2008-09 onwards, the name of the league is Liga Adelante.-History:...

, and contributed with 20 matches the following season for a 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...

 return, after a two-year hiatus.

Subsequently, he was loaned for two seasons to fellow top division side CA Osasuna
CA Osasuna
Club Atlético Osasuna, known as Osasuna, is a Spanish football team based in Iruñea-Pamplona, in the autonomous community of Navarre.Founded in 1920, it currently plays in the Spanish first division, holding home games at the 19,553-capacity Estadio Reyno de Navarra...

, where he missed only five combined league games. During his Navarre
Navarre
Navarre , officially the Chartered Community of Navarre is an autonomous community in northern Spain, bordering the Basque Country, La Rioja, and Aragon in Spain and Aquitaine in France...

 spell, López scored twice, in 2002–03, most notably in a 1–0 home success against RCD Espanyol
RCD Espanyol
Reial Club Deportiu Espanyol de Barcelona is a sports club based in Barcelona, Spain. It is best known for its football team. Espanyol currently play in the Estadi Cornellà-El Prat with seats for 40,500 spectators. It was inaugurated on 2 August 2009...

, on 15 December 2002.

In his second spell with Atlético, López quickly gained first-choice status. However, during 2007–08, he lost his position to Mariano Pernía, and would end serving more time at right-back, due to injuries to teammates Giourkas Seitaridis and Juan Valera
Juan Valera Espín
Juan Valera Espín is a Spanish footballer who plays for Getafe CF in the Spanish first division. He operates as a midfielder or defender, on the right side of the pitch.-Club career:...

. When selected, he was the side's undisputed captain.

On 15 March 2009, López scored the winner through a rare header, as Atlético came from behind 0–2 to beat Villarreal CF
Villarreal CF
Villarreal Club de Fútbol, S.A.D. , usually abbreviated to Villarreal CF or just Villarreal, is a Spanish Primera División football club based in Vila-real, a city in the province of Castellón within the Valencian Community...

 at home. After the coach change, with former club player Abel Resino
Abel Resino
Abel Resino Gómez , sometimes just Abel, is a retired Spanish footballer who played as a goalkeeper, and a current coach....

 taking over for 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 was made the starter, but an injury made Pernía finish the season in the starting XI.

Benefitting from a road accident to Pernía in the summer, López played most of 2009–10
2009–10 La Liga
- Personnel and sponsoring :- Before the start of the season :- During the season :-League table:||rowspan=1 style="background-color:#F9F9F9;"|||rowspan=1 style="background-color:#F9F9F9;"|...

; on 2 January 2010, again with his head – but in the last minute
Last-minute goal
The term "last-minute goal" is used in sport, primarily association football, to describe a goal scored very late in a game. It may not necessarily refer to a goal scored in the actual final minute...

 – he scored against Sevilla FC
Sevilla FC
Sevilla Fútbol Club S.A.D. is a Spanish professional football club based in Seville, Spain that plays in the Spanish La Liga championship.They are one of the most successful clubs in Spanish football having won a 1 La Liga title, 5 Spanish "Copa del Rey" Cups, 1 Spanish Super Cup and 2 UEFA...

 at home to make it 2–1; on 1 April he scored in the same fashion, making it 2–1 at Valencia CF
Valencia CF
Valencia Club de Fútbol is a Spanish football club based in Valencia, Spain. They play in La Liga and are one of the most successful and biggest clubs in Spanish Football and European Football. Valencia have won six La Liga titles, seven Copa del Rey trophies, two Fairs Cups which was the...

 for the UEFA Europa League (eventually 2–2), a competition which Atlético won in Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...

, with López playing the entire 120 minutes of the 2–1 win against Fulham
Fulham F.C.
Fulham Football Club is a professional English Premier League club based in southwest London Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. Founded in 1879, they play in the Premier League, their 11th current season...

, and lifting the trophy as captain.

International career

López made his debut with Spain
Spain national football team
The Spain national football team represents Spain in international association football and is controlled by the Royal Spanish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Spain. The current head coach is Vicente del Bosque...

 on 30 March 2005, in a 2006 FIFA World Cup
2006 FIFA World Cup
The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which won the right to host the event in July 2000. Teams representing 198 national football associations from all six...

 qualifier
2006 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA)
Listed below are the dates and results for the 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification rounds for UEFA teams. A total of 51 teams took part, divided in 8 Groups - five groups of 6 teams each and three groups of 7 teams each - competing for 13 places in the World Cup...

 in Belgrade
Belgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...

 (Serbia and Montenegro 0 – Spain 0). During the successful campaign, on 12 October he scored his first international goal, at San Marino
San Marino national football team
The San Marino national football team is the national football team of San Marino, controlled by the San Marino Football Federation...

 (6–0), hitting home from 25 metres in the first minute.

Supposed to backup Asier del Horno
Asier del Horno
Asier del Horno Cosgaya is a Spanish professional footballer who plays for Levante UD mainly as a left defender.-Athletic Bilbao:...

 during the final stages, López would not benefit from the Basque
Basque people
The Basques as an ethnic group, primarily inhabit an area traditionally known as the Basque Country , a region that is located around the western end of the Pyrenees on the coast of the Bay of Biscay and straddles parts of north-central Spain and south-western France.The Basques are known in the...

's injury days before the tournament started, as Argentine
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...

-born Pernía (then at Getafe CF
Getafe CF
Getafe Club de Fútbol is a Spanish La Liga football club based in Getafe, a city in the Madrid metropolitan area, founded in 1946 and refounded in 1983.In the top level since 2004-05, it holds home games at the Coliseum Alfonso Pérez....

) would be promoted to first-choice. He would only appear against Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia national football team
Saudi Arabia national football team is the national team of Saudi Arabia and is controlled by the Saudi Arabia Football Federation...

 in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

, with Spain being eliminated in the round of 16.
International Goals
# Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1. 12 October 2005 Stadio Olimpico
Stadio Olimpico (San Marino)
Stadio Olimpico is a multi-purpose stadium in Serravalle, San Marino. It is currently used mostly for football matches. It is the national stadium of San Marino, and is also used by the club San Marino Calcio, which plays in the Italian football league. The Stadio Olimpico was also used by...

, Serravalle, San Marino
San Marino
San Marino, officially the Republic of San Marino , is a state situated on the Italian Peninsula on the eastern side of the Apennine Mountains. It is an enclave surrounded by Italy. Its size is just over with an estimated population of over 30,000. Its capital is the City of San Marino...

 
0–1 0–6 2006 World Cup qualification

Honours

Atlético Madrid
  • UEFA Intertoto Cup
    UEFA Intertoto Cup
    The UEFA Intertoto Cup, also abbreviated as UI Cup and originally called the International Football Cup, was a summer football competition for European clubs that had not qualified for one of the two major UEFA competitions, the Champions League and the UEFA Cup. The competition was discontinued...

    : 2007
  • UEFA Europa League: 2009–10
  • UEFA Super Cup: 2010
    2010 UEFA Super Cup
    The 2010 UEFA Super Cup was the 35th UEFA Super Cup organised by the European football governing body UEFA. It took place at the Stade Louis II in Monaco on 27 August 2010. It was contested by Internazionale, who won the 2009–10 UEFA Champions League, and Atlético Madrid, who won the 2009–10 UEFA...

  • Second Division
    Segunda División
    The Segunda División is the lower tier of the two professional football leagues in Spain. From the season 2008-09 onwards, the name of the league is Liga Adelante.-History:...

    : 2001–02
  • Spanish Cup
    Copa del Rey
    The Copa del Rey is an annual football cup competition for Spanish football teams. Its full name is Campeonato de España – Copa de Su Majestad el Rey de Fútbol ....

    : Runner-up 2009–10
    2009–10 Copa del Rey
    The 2009–10 Copa del Rey was the 106th staging of the Copa del Rey. The competition began on August 22, 2009 and concluded on May 19, 2010 with the final held at the Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona, in which Sevilla FC lifted the trophy for the fifth time in their history with a 2–0 victory over...


External links

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