Pau López
Quick Facts
Biography
Pau López Sabata (Catalan pronunciation: [ˈpaw ˈlopəs], born 13 December 1994), known simply as Pau, is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for English club Tottenham Hotspur on loan from RCD Espanyol.
Club career
Born in Girona, Catalonia, Pau joined RCD Espanyol's youth setup in 2007, aged 12. He made his senior debuts with the B-team in the 2013–14 season, in Segunda División B.
On 12 June 2014, Pau signed a new four-year deal with the Pericos, being also promoted to the main squad. He played his first match as a professional on 17 December, starting in a 1–0 home win against Deportivo Alavés for the campaign's Copa del Rey and being first-choice in the tournament as his team reached the semifinals for the first time in nine years.
Pau's debut in La Liga occurred on 1 February 2015, after starter Kiko Casilla was sent off in the 40th minute of the fixture at Sevilla FC for handling Iago Aspas' shot outside of the penalty area, and he conceded once in an eventual 2–3 defeat. After the latter's departure to Real Madrid in the summer, he became first-choice.
On 6 January 2016, during an away fixture against FC Barcelona for the domestic cup, Pau repeatedly stamped on Lionel Messi after the two players became entangled, in an action that eluded the referee but was caught on camera. On 31 August, he joined Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur on a season-long loan deal.
International career
Pau made his international debut on 26 December 2015, having a Man of the match performance for Catalonia in a 0–1 friendly loss to the Basque Country. On 28 March 2016, he played his first game with the Spanish under-21 team, in a 1–0 win against Norway at the Estadio Nueva Condomina.
On 17 May 2016, Pau and Espanyol teammate Marco Asensio were called up to the full side for an international friendly against Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Career statistics
- As of match played 15 May 2016
Club | Season | League | Cup | League Cup | Other | Total | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
Espanyol B | 2013–14 | Segunda División B | 35 | 0 | — | — | — | 35 | 0 | |||
Espanyol | 2014–15 | La Liga | 2 | 0 | 8 | 0 | — | — | 10 | 0 | ||
2015–16 | La Liga | 36 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 38 | 0 | |||
Total | 38 | 0 | 10 | 0 | — | — | 48 | 0 | ||||
Tottenham Hotspur (loan) | 2016–17 | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Career total | 73 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 83 | 0 |