Mario González (footballer, born 1996)

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is González and the second or maternal family name is Gutiérrez.

Mario González Gutiérrez (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈmaɾjo ɣonˈθaleθ]; born 25 February 1996) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays for Ekstraklasa club Lech Poznań, on loan from Los Angeles FC. Mainly a forward, he can also play as a winger.

Mario González

González training with Tenerife
Personal information
Full name	Mario González Gutiérrez
Date of birth	(1996-02-25) 25 February 1996 (age 28)
Place of birth	Villarcayo, Spain
Height	1.84 m (6 ft 0 in)
Position(s)	Forward, winger
Team information
Current team	Lech Poznań (on loan from Los Angeles FC)
Number	77
Youth career
	Villarcayo Nela
	Burgos
	Atlético Madrid
2012–2015	Villarreal
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2014–2016	Villarreal C	57	(25)
2015–2019	Villarreal B	86	(16)
2016–2017	Villarreal	4	(0)
2019–2020	Clermont	18	(3)
2020–2021	Villarreal	0	(0)
2020–2021	→ Tondela (loan)	27	(15)
2021–2023	Braga	14	(2)
2022	→ Tenerife (loan)	16	(6)
2022–2023	→ OH Leuven (loan)	22	(13)
2023–	Los Angeles FC	11	(1)
2024	→ Sporting Gijón (loan)	18	(2)
2024–2025	→ Famalicão (loan)	16	(2)
2025–	→ Lech Poznań (loan)	0	(0)
International career
2013	Spain U17	3	(1)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 02:13, 2 February 2025 (UTC)

Club career

Villarreal

Born in Villarcayo de Merindad de Castilla la Vieja, Province of Burgos, Castile and León, González joined Villarreal CF's youth system in 2012.^[1] On 30 August 2014, he made his senior debut for the C team, starting in a 3–1 home loss against CD Castellón in the Tercera División.

González scored his first senior goal on 5 October 2014, the third in a 4–0 home victory over FC Jove Español San Vicente. He added a brace against Orihuela CF on 14 December,^[2] two more against Benigànim and Ontinyent CF in the following season,^[3][4] and a hat-trick in a 6–1 rout of CD Acero on 28 November 2015.^[5]

González made his first-team debut on 17 August 2016, coming on as a second-half substitute for Rafael Santos Borré in a 2–1 home loss to AS Monaco FC in the play-off round of the UEFA Champions League.^[6] His first match in La Liga was three days later, when he replaced Alexandre Pato in the 1–1 draw at Granada CF.^[7]

In July 2019, González signed a one-year deal with French Ligue 2 club Clermont Foot.^[8] A year later, after exercising an option in his contract, he returned to Villarreal on a two-year deal.^[9]

González went on loan to Portugal's C.D. Tondela in the summer of 2020.^[10] He scored a career-best 15 times during his spell (ranking fourth in the Primeira Liga individual charts for the campaign), including three in 12 minutes in a 3–2 away win against Moreirense FC.^[11][12]

Braga

On 1 July 2021, González joined S.C. Braga of the same country and league on a four-year contract, for a reported €1.5 million.^[13][14] The following 31 January, he returned to his home country after agreeing to a six-month loan with CD Tenerife.^[15]

González was loaned to Belgian Pro League side Oud-Heverlee Leuven for 2022–23, with an option to buy.^[16] Although he scored 15 goals in 24 appearances in all competitions, the clause was not exercised and he returned to the Estádio Municipal de Braga.^[17]

Los Angeles FC

On 22 July 2023, Braga sold González to Major League Soccer club Los Angeles FC for a reported fee of €2.3 million.^[18][19] He scored his only goal on 26 August, in a 2–1 defeat at Charlotte FC.^[20]

González returned to the Spanish Segunda División in January 2024, on a five-month loan at Sporting de Gijón.^[21] On 2 August that year, also on loan, he joined F.C. Famalicão with a purchase option.^[22]

On 11 February 2025, González was loaned to Ekstraklasa club Lech Poznań until the end of the season.^[23]

Career statistics

As of match played 5 January 2025^[24][25][26]

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

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
Villarreal C	2013–14	Tercera División	5	1	—		—		—		—		5	1
	2014–15	Tercera División	24	9	—		—		—		—		24	9
	2015–16	Tercera División	28	15	—		—		—		—		28	15
	Total		57	25	—		—		—		—		57	25
Villarreal B	2015–16	Segunda División B	10	0	—		—		—		—		10	0
	2016–17	Segunda División B	32	5	—		—		—		—		32	5
	2017–18	Segunda División B	22	4	—		—		—		6[c]	0	28	4
	2018–19	Segunda División B	22	7	—		—		—		2[c]	1	24	8
	Total		86	16	—		—		—		8	1	94	17
Villarreal	2016–17	La Liga	2	0	0	0	—		1[d]	0	—		3	0
	2017–18	La Liga	2	0	0	0	—		1[e]	0	—		3	0
	Total		4	0	0	0	—		2	0	—		6	0
Clermont	2019–20	Ligue 2	18	3	1	0	2	1	—		—		21	4
Villarreal	2020–21	La Liga	0	0	0	0	—		0	0	—		0	0
Tondela (loan)	2020–21	Primeira Liga	27	15	1	0	—		—		—		28	15
Braga	2021–22	Primeira Liga	14	2	3	1	1	0	6[e]	1	1[f]	0	25	4
Tenerife (loan)	2021–22	Segunda División	16	6	0	0	—		—		4[g]	0	20	6
OH Leuven (loan)	2022–23	Belgian Pro League	22	13	2	2	—		—		—		24	15
Los Angeles FC	2023	Major League Soccer	8	1	0	0	—		—		4[h]	0	12	1
Sporting Gijón (loan)	2023–24	Segunda División	18	2	0	0	—		—		2[g]	0	20	2
Famalicão (loan)	2024–25	Primeira Liga	16	2	2	0	—		—		—		18	2
Lech Poznań (loan)	2024–25	Ekstraklasa	0	0	—		—		—		—		0	0
Career total			286	85	9	3	3	1	8	1	19	1	325	91

1. Includes Coupe de France, Taça de Portugal and Belgian Cup
2. Includes Coupe de la Ligue and Taça da Liga
3. Appearances in Segunda División B play-offs
4. Appearance in UEFA Champions League
5. Appearances in UEFA Europa League
6. Appearance in Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira
7. Appearances in Segunda División play-offs
8. Three appearances in MLS Cup playoffs, one appearance in Leagues Cup

Honours

Individual

• Primeira Liga Forward of the Month: April 2021^[12]

References

1. Fernández, Dani (30 March 2013). "Mario González, un goleador internacional en Villarreal" [Mario González, an international goalscorer at Villarreal] (in Spanish). Marcadorint. Retrieved 20 August 2016.
2. Roca, Juan Francisco (14 December 2014). "Mario González dispara al Villarreal C" [Mario González propels Villarreal C] (in Spanish). Golsmedia. Retrieved 19 May 2021.
3. Roca, Juan Francisco (19 October 2015). "El Villarreal C llega al gol 500" [Villarreal C reach 500th goal]. Levante-EMV (in Spanish). Retrieved 19 May 2021.
4. Roca, Juan Francisco (13 December 2015). "Nadie frena a este Villarreal C" [No one stops this Villarreal C] (in Spanish). Golsmedia. Retrieved 19 May 2021.
5. "El Villarreal C deslumbra ante el Acero (1–6)" [Villarreal C amaze against Acero (1–6)] (in Spanish). Villarreal CF. 28 November 2015. Retrieved 19 May 2021.
6. "Monaco grab advantage with victory at Villarreal". UEFA. 17 August 2016. Retrieved 19 May 2021.
7. Callero, Borja Luis (20 August 2016). "Empate justo en Los Cármenes" [Fair draw at the Los Cármenes]. Marca (in Spanish). Retrieved 20 August 2016.
8. Le Bihan, Eric (16 July 2019). "Mercato: l'attaquant espagnol Mario González (Villarreal) 8e recrue du Clermont Foot" [Transfer market: Spanish forward Mario González (Villarreal) 8th addition of Clermont Foot] (in French). France Bleu. Retrieved 22 September 2020.
9. "El Villarreal repesca al delantero Mario González del Clermont francés" [Villarreal bring back forward Mario González from France's Clermont]. El Periódico Mediterráneo (in Spanish). 5 July 2020. Retrieved 22 September 2020.
10. "Mario González é auriverde" [Mario González is white-and-green] (in Portuguese). C.D. Tondela. 15 September 2020. Retrieved 22 September 2020.
11. "Imparável: o hat-trick de Mario González em 12 minutos no Moreirense-Tondela" [Unstoppable: Mario González's 12-minute hat-trick in Moreirense-Tondela]. O Jogo (in Portuguese). 17 April 2021. Retrieved 19 May 2021.
12. "Espanhol Mario González, do Tondela, eleito melhor avançado do mês" [Spaniard Mario González, of Tondela, voted best forward of the month] (in Portuguese). EFE. 18 May 2021. Retrieved 19 May 2021.
13. Rocha, Pedro (1 July 2021). "Mario González oficializado no Braga e com contrato de quatro épocas" [Mario González confirmed at Braga and with four-season contract]. O Jogo (in Portuguese). Retrieved 25 July 2023.
14. "Mario González assina por quatro épocas pelo Sp. Braga" [Mario González signs for four seasons with Sp. Braga]. Público (in Portuguese). 1 July 2021. Retrieved 13 July 2021.
15. "Mario González, nuevo refuerzo ofensivo para el CD Tenerife" [Mario González, new attacking addition for CD Tenerife] (in Spanish). CD Tenerife. 31 January 2022. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
16. "Mario González cedido ao OH Leuven" [Mario González loaned to OH Leuven] (in Portuguese). S.C. Braga. 24 August 2022. Retrieved 25 July 2023.
17. Cadima, Pedro (30 June 2023). "Mario González foi a surpresa no início da pré-época do Braga" [Mario González was the surprise at the beginning of Braga's pre-season]. O Jogo (in Portuguese). Retrieved 25 July 2023.
18. "Mario González sai do Braga e vai jogar na MLS" [Mario González leaves Braga and will play in MLS]. O Jogo (in Portuguese). 22 July 2023. Retrieved 25 July 2023.
19. "LAFC acquires Mario González from Sporting Clube de Braga". Los Angeles FC. 22 July 2023. Retrieved 22 July 2023.
20. "Arfield's first career goal lifts Charlotte over LAFC 2–1". CBS News. 26 August 2023. Retrieved 31 January 2024.
21. "Mario González, nuevo jugador del Real Sporting" [Mario González, new Real Sporting player] (in Spanish). Sporting Gijón. 17 January 2024. Retrieved 18 January 2024.
22. "LAFC loans forward Mario González to F.C. Famalicão of Portugal". Los Angeles FC. 2 August 2024. Retrieved 2 August 2024.
23. Świderski, Damian (11 February 2025). "„Kolejorz" wreszcie ma napastnika. Mario Gonzalez grał w kilku silnych ligach" ["Railwayman" finally have a striker. Mario González has played in several strong leagues] (in Polish). Gol 24. Retrieved 11 February 2025.
24. Mario González at Soccerway
25. Mario González at BeSoccer
26. Mario González at LaPreferente.com (in Spanish)

External links

• Mario González at BDFutbol
• Mario González – UEFA competition record (archive)