Víctor Ruiz Torre (; born 25 January 1989) is a Spanish former professional footballer who played as a centre-back.
Club career Espanyol Born in Esplugues de Llobregat, Barcelona, Catalonia, Ruiz arrived in Espanyol's youth system in 2006 at the age of 17, from neighbouring Cornellà. In the 2008–09 season, he made his senior debut, helping the reserve side to win their Tercera División group and subsequently promote in the playoffs.
Ruiz made his debut with the first team on 6 December 2009, starting and being booked in a 4–0 home loss against Racing de Santander. Coach Mauricio Pochettino fielded him in a further 21 La Liga games that campaign, with the team finally finishing 11th; he added two goals, against Málaga (2–1 away defeat) and Atlético Madrid (3–0, home).
Napoli and Valencia In 2010–11, Ruiz played all the minutes for Espanyol in the first 15 rounds. On 31 January 2011, he was sold to Napoli for €6 million cash in a four-and-a-half-year contract, with the Italians also ceding the sporting rights to Jesús Dátolo who was playing with the Spaniards on loan.SSC Napoli SpA bilancio (financial report and accounts) on 30 June 2011, PDF purchased from Italian CCIAA (in Italian)
Ruiz returned to his country on 30 August 2011, after signing a five-year deal with Valencia for €8 million.SSC Napoli SpA bilancio (financial report and accounts) on 30 June 2012, PDF purchased from Italian CCIAA (in Italian) He made his official debut on 10 September, playing the full 90 minutes in a 1–0 home victory over Atlético Madrid.
On 12 December 2013, Ruiz was sent off in a 1–1 home draw against Kuban Krasnodar in the group stage of the UEFA Europa League, for a professional foul on Djibril Cissé.
Villarreal On 1 July 2015, following a one-year loan there, Ruiz transferred to Villarreal also in the Valencian Community for an initial €2.7 million, potentially rising to €3 million. He played his first competitive match for them in his second spell on 23 August, when he started and finished the 1–1 draw at Real Betis.
Ruiz scored his first league goal for Villarreal on 7 April 2017, in a 3–1 home defeat of Athletic Bilbao where he also received his marching orders after a straight red card with 15 minutes left.
Beşiktaş and Betis On 7 August 2019, Ruiz joined Beşiktaş on a three-year contract. He returned to the Spanish top flight one year later, however, with the free agent signing a one-year deal with Betis.
Ruiz agreed to an extension until 2023 at the Estadio Benito Villamarín on 4 June 2021; at its conclusion, he left. In between, he won the 2021–22 edition of the Copa del Rey for his first major honour, but contributed only three matches to this feat.
Return to Espanyol On 20 September 2023, Ruiz returned to his first professional club Espanyol on a one-year deal.
International career Shortly after making his debut with Espanyol, Ruiz was called to the Spain under-21 team by manager Luis Milla. On 8 February 2011, in the last minutes of a 2–1 friendly win over Denmark, he was sent off for punching Nicki Bille, who celebrated his goal in front of Ruiz's face.
Career statistics + Appearances and goals by club, season and competitionClubSeasonLeagueNational cupContinentalTotalDivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsEspanyol2009–10La Liga22200—2222010–11La Liga15030—180Total3723000402Napoli2010–11Serie A60001070Valencia2011–12La Liga22071813722012–13La Liga26050203302013–14La Liga1111070191Total591131171893Villarreal (loan)2014–15La Liga2503080360Villarreal2015–16La Liga350201405102016–17La Liga28120603612017–18La Liga27220503422018–19La Liga22010100330Total13731004301903Beşiktaş2019–20Süper Lig2302010260Betis2020–21La Liga27240—3122021–22La Liga18030202302022–23La Liga1001030140Total5528050682Espanyol2023–24Segunda División1500010160Career total332836168143610
Honours Espanyol B Tercera División: 2008–09
Betis Copa del Rey: 2021–22
Spain U21 UEFA European Under-21 Championship: 2011
Individual UEFA La Liga Team of the Season: 2015–16
References
External links
CiberChe biography and stats