Ezequiel Calvente

Ezequiel Calvente Criado (born 12 January 1991), known simply as Ezequiel, is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a left winger for CD Huétor Tájar.

Club career

Ezequiel was born in Melilla. After playing in every youth rank at Real Betis, he made his first-team debut as a second-half substitute in a 4–1 home win against Granada CF in the Segunda División. Three days later, he started in a 2–1 home victory over UD Salamanca in the second round of the Copa del Rey, and signed a professional contract the following day until July 2014.

On 29 January 2012, Ezequiel was loaned to CE Sabadell FC of the second division until June. In late July, after an unsuccessful trial with Borussia Mönchengladbach, he moved, still on loan, to another club in Germany and the Bundesliga, SC Freiburg, which had the option of signing him permanently at the end of the campaign. After only two substitute appearances, and five for the reserves, he spent the next season on loan at division two side Recreativo de Huelva.

In January 2015, after months as a free agent, Ezequiel signed for F.C. Penafiel. After roughly 300 minutes of action and relegation from the Primeira Liga, he switched countries again in August when he joined Hungary's Békéscsaba 1912 Előre. On 5 July 2016, he was loaned to Szombathelyi Haladás also in the Nemzeti Bajnokság I after his team's descent.

International career

On 24 July 2010, whilst representing Spain's under-19 at the 2010 UEFA European Championship, Ezequiel scored from a penalty kick against Italy in the group stage. It was described by British newspaper The Guardian as being "on an altogether higher plane of spot-kick audacity", as the player kicked it with what looked to be his standing leg, fooling the goalkeeper into going the other way; the national side eventually finished in second position in France.