Rubén Navarro Méndez (born 6 June 1978) is a Spanish retired footballer who played as a striker.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Rubén Navarro Méndez | ||
| Date of birth | 6 June 1978 | ||
| Place of birth | Sallent, Spain | ||
| Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Striker | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Sallent | |||
| Valencia | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1996–1999 | Valencia B | 74 | (21) |
| 1997–1999 | Valencia | 6 | (0) |
| 1999–2001 | Numancia | 55 | (17) |
| 2001–2007 | Alavés | 178 | (43) |
| 2007–2009 | Hércules | 55 | (22) |
| 2009–2011 | Gimnàstic | 40 | (6) |
| 2011–2012 | Leganés | 32 | (12) |
| Total | 440 | (121) | |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
He amassed La Liga totals of 147 games and 31 goals over seven seasons, representing Valencia, Numancia and Alavés. He added 187 matches and 57 goals in the Segunda División, in a 15-year professional career.
Navarro was born in Sallent de Llobregat, Barcelona, Catalonia. A product of Valencia CF's youth system, he first appeared in La Liga on 15 June 1997 in a 2–1 home win against Real Oviedo,[1] but could never settle at his first club, moving to CD Numancia where he played two years; he scored ten league goals in his first season in Soria in spite of injury problems, helping barely avoid top-flight relegation.[2]
Subsequently, Navarro joined Deportivo Alavés after the side's runner-up exploits in the UEFA Cup.[3] He was an important attacking element for six years, three spent in the Segunda División; in three of those campaigns, he netted in double digits.[4]
Navarro signed with another team in the second tier for 2007–08, Hércules CF.[5] On 5 April 2009, as they eventually narrowly missed on promotion, he scored a hat-trick against Sevilla Atlético in an 8–0 home rout.[6]
In late June 2009, Navarro returned to his native region after nearly 15 years, signing as a free agent with Gimnàstic de Tarragona for two years.[7] On 2 September 2011, after two seasons of irregular use after which he did not have his contract renewed and was released, the 33-year-old joined CD Leganés in the Segunda División B.[8]
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