José Luis García Vayá (born 11 August 1998), commonly known as Pepelu, is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder for La Liga club Valencia.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | José Luis García Vayá | ||
| Date of birth | 11 August 1998 | ||
| Place of birth | Dénia, Spain | ||
| Height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Central midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Valencia | ||
| Number | 18 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Dénia | |||
| 2012–2014 | Levante | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2014–2019 | Levante B | 90 | (14) |
| 2015–2023 | Levante | 72 | (1) |
| 2017–2018 | → Hércules (loan) | 30 | (0) |
| 2019–2020 | → Tondela (loan) | 33 | (2) |
| 2020–2021 | → Vitória Guimarães (loan) | 30 | (1) |
| 2023– | Valencia | 38 | (7) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2014–2015 | Spain U17 | 15 | (2) |
| 2016 | Spain U18 | 2 | (0) |
| 2016–2017 | Spain U19 | 7 | (0) |
| 2016 | Spain U20 | 6 | (0) |
| 2019 | Spain U21 | 3 | (0) |
|
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 04:51, 18 August 2024 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 8 July 2023 | |||
Club career
editLevante
editEarly years
editBorn in Dénia, Alicante, Valencian Community, Pepelu joined Levante's youth setup in 2012, after starting it out at Dénia. On 24 June 2014, while still a youth, he renewed his contract until 2021,[1] and made his senior debut with the reserve team on 7 September, coming on as a half-time substitute in a Tercera División 1–1 home draw against Castellón.
Pepelu helped the B-team in their promotion to Segunda División B at the end of the season, and scored his first senior goal on 30 August 2015, netting his team's second in a 2–0 home win over Llosetense. On 15 December, he made his first team debut by replacing Juanfran in a 2–1 Copa del Rey away loss against Espanyol.[2]
Loan to Hércules
editIn August 2017, after Levante's B-side suffered relegation to the fourth tier, Pepelu was loaned to Hércules in the third division, for one season.[3] A regular starter, he contributed with 32 matches overall during the campaign.
Loan to Tondela
editUpon returning from loan, Pepelu was a regular starter for the B-side also in the third division, scoring a career-best six goals during the 2018–19 campaign. On 26 July 2019, he moved abroad for the first time in his career after agreeing to a one-year loan deal with Primeira Liga side Tondela.[4]
Pepelu scored his first professional goal on 7 December 2019, netting the opener in a 3–2 away success over Famalicão. The following 26 July, he saved the club from relegation with a late penalty 2–1 winner at Moreirense on the final day.[5]
Loan to Vitória SC
editOn 8 September 2020, Pepelu remained in Portugal for a further campaign, after agreeing to a one-year loan deal with Vitória SC.[6] He was also a first-choice for the club, as they narrowly missed out a continental spot.
Breakthrough
editUpon returning to Levante in July 2021, Pepelu made his La Liga debut on 11 September, replacing Pablo Martínez late into a 1–1 home draw against Rayo Vallecano. He established himself as a regular starter for the side under manager Alessio Lisci,[7] but was unable to prevent the club's relegation to Segunda División.
In June 2022, Pepelu signed a new ten-year contract with Levante running until the summer of 2032.[8] He scored his first goal for the club on 29 April 2023, netting the opener in a 2–0 home win over Deportivo Alavés.
Valencia
editOn 8 July 2023, Pepelu moved to cross-town rivals Valencia CF in the top tier, for €5 million. The player signed a five-year contract, with a release clause of €100 million.[9]
International career
editAfter representing Spain at under-17, under-18, under-19, under-20 and under-21 levels, Pepelu received his first call-up to the full side on 2 September 2024, for two 2024–25 UEFA Nations League matches against Serbia and Switzerland.[10]
Career statistics
editClub
edit- As of match played 17 August 2024[11]
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | League cup[b] | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Levante B | 2015–16 | Segunda División B | 30 | 4 | — | — | — | — | 30 | 4 | ||||
| 2016–17 | 29 | 4 | — | — | — | 2[c] | 0 | 31 | 4 | |||||
| 2018–19 | 31 | 6 | — | — | — | — | 31 | 6 | ||||||
| Total | 90 | 14 | — | — | — | 2 | 0 | 92 | 14 | |||||
| Levante | 2015–16 | La Liga | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | |||
| 2021–22 | 29 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 30 | 0 | |||||
| 2022–23 | Segunda División | 43 | 1 | 4 | 0 | — | — | — | 47 | 1 | ||||
| Total | 72 | 1 | 6 | 0 | — | — | — | 78 | 1 | |||||
| Hércules (loan) | 2017–18 | Segunda División B | 30 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | 32 | 0 | |||
| Tondela (loan) | 2019–20 | Primeira Liga | 33 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 34 | 2 | ||
| Vitória SC (loan) | 2020–21 | Primeira Liga | 30 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 33 | 1 | ||
| Valencia | 2023–24 | La Liga | 37 | 7 | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | 39 | 8 | |||
| 2024–25 | La Liga | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 38 | 7 | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | 40 | 8 | |||||
| Career Total | 293 | 25 | 12 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | 309 | 26 | |||
- ^ Includes Copa del Rey and Taça de Portugal
- ^ Includes Taça da Liga
- ^ Appearances in Segunda División B relegation play-offs
References
edit- ^ "Pepelu amplía su contrato con el Levante UD hasta 2021" [Pepelu extends his contract with Levante UD until 2021] (in Spanish). Levante's official website. 24 June 2014. Retrieved 16 December 2015.
- ^ "Caicedo resuelve la eliminatoria" [Caicedo solves the tie] (in Spanish). Marca. 15 December 2015. Retrieved 16 December 2015.
- ^ "Pepelu, cedido al Hércules" [Pepelu, loaned to Hércules] (in Spanish). Super Deporte. 14 August 2017. Retrieved 8 July 2023.
- ^ "El Levante UD y el CD Tondela acuerdan la cesión de Pepelu" [Levante UD and CD Tondela agree the loan of Pepelu] (in Spanish). Levante UD. 26 July 2019. Retrieved 26 July 2019.
- ^ "PortuGOAL Figure of the Week: Natxo González guides Tondela to traditional final day heroics". PortuGOAL. 27 July 2020. Retrieved 29 July 2020.
- ^ "El Levante UD y el Vitória Sport Clube acuerdan la cesión de Pepelu" [Levante UD and Vitória Sport Clube agree the loan of Pepelu] (in Spanish). Levante UD. 8 September 2020. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
- ^ "Alessio Lisci da con su fórmula" [Alessio Lisci makes it work with his formula] (in Spanish). Diario AS. 27 February 2022. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
- ^ "Pepelu y el Levante UD renuevan su vinculación por diez temporadas" [Pepelu and Levante UD renew their link for ten seasons] (in Spanish). Levante UD. 9 June 2022. Retrieved 10 June 2022.
- ^ "Comunicado oficial | Pepelu" [Official announcement | Pepelu] (in Spanish). Valencia CF. 8 July 2023. Retrieved 8 July 2023.
- ^ "Pepelu: "Being in the Spain senior squad is a dream come true"". Valencia CF. 2 September 2024. Retrieved 3 September 2024.
- ^ Pepelu at Soccerway