Javi Navarro

Francisco Javier "Javi" Vicente Navarro (born 6 February 1974) is a Spanish retired footballer.
During his professional career the tough central defender represented mainly Valencia and Sevilla, achieving great team success with the latter – five major titles, including two UEFA Cups.
Over the course of 15 seasons, greatly hindered by injuries, he amassed La Liga totals of 224 games and three goals.

A product of hometown Valencia CF's youth system, Valencia-born Navarro made his first-team debuts during the 1993–94 season (four La Liga games) and, after a loan stint with CD Logroñés, also in the top flight, returned for the 1995–96 campaign, playing in 19 matches as Valencia finished runner-up. He suffered a serious knee injury the following year, being out of action for almost three years and moving to neighbours Elche CF in 2000–01 upon his recovery.

After that single season in the second division, Navarro signed in July 2001 with Sevilla FC, where he proceeded to form a dreaded centre-back partnership with Pablo Alfaro for the next five years. On 20 March 2005 he brutally impacted with his elbow on RCD Mallorca's Juan Arango, leaving the Venezuelan unconscious on the pitch.

After being one of Sevilla's most important players throughout the team's conquests from 2005 to 2007 (two UEFA Cups, one UEFA Super Cup and one Spanish Cup), Navarro was sidelined for two years with another severe knee injury, eventually retiring from the game at the end of the 2008–09 season, aged 35.

In late June 2010 Navarro returned to Sevilla, being named manager Antonio Álvarez's assistant.

At the age of 32 years and nine months, Navarro made his international debut for Spain in a friendly 0–1 loss against Romania on 15 November 2006 in Cádiz, becoming the third-oldest debutant for the national team after former Real Madrid's Ferenc Puskás (34) and Vicente Engonga (32 and 11 months).

Previously he appeared with the nation at the 1996 Summer Olympics, reaching the quarterfinals.

Club

Valencia

• Copa del Rey: 1998–99
• Supercopa de España: 1999
• UEFA Intertoto Cup: 1998

Sevilla

• UEFA Cup: 2005–06, 2006–07
• UEFA Super Cup: 2006
• Copa del Rey: 2006–07
• Supercopa de España: 2007

Country

Spain U-21

• UEFA European Under-21 Championship: Runner-up 1996

• Italia ya ganó un Europeo a España en el 1996 (Italy has already won European Championships against Spain in 1996); Orgullo Bianconero, 18 June 2013 (Spanish)