Sergio Ballesteros
Ballesteros in action for Levante in 2011
Personal information
Full name Sergio Martínez Ballesteros
Date of birth (1975-09-04) 4 September 1975
Place of birth Burjassot, Spain
Height 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)
Position(s) Centre-back
Youth career
Levante
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1994–1996 Levante 36 (4)
1996 → Tenerife (loan) 6 (0)
1996–2000 Tenerife 86 (4)
2000–2001 Rayo Vallecano 36 (2)
2001–2004 Villarreal 81 (1)
2004–2008 Mallorca 103 (1)
2008–2013 Levante 174 (3)
Total 522 (15)
International career
1996–1998 Spain U21 12 (0)
1997 Spain U23 3 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Sergio Martínez Ballesteros (born 4 September 1975) is a Spanish former footballer who played as a central defender.

He started and finished his 19-year professional career with Levante,[1] amassing La Liga totals of 387 games and eight goals over 15 seasons. He also represented in the competition Tenerife (four years), Rayo Vallecano, Villarreal (three) and Mallorca (four).

Club career

Born in Burjassot, Valencian Community, Ballesteros came through the ranks of local Levante UD. In January 1996 he moved on loan to the Canary Islands' CD Tenerife, making his La Liga debut on 3 January in a 2–0 home win against Racing de Santander.[2] After making the move permanent he went on to become an important defensive player, also starting to garner a reputation as a tough, sometimes to excess, central defender: in the 1998–99 season, as Tenerife ranked second-bottom, he was sent off twice in just eight appearances.[3][4]

For the 2000–01 campaign, Ballesteros moved to Rayo Vallecano in Madrid, collecting ten yellow cards in his only season and playing all the games and minutes in the team's quarter-final run in the UEFA Cup.[5] He subsequently spent three years at Villarreal CF, being an important defensive element as the club consolidated in the main division.

From 2004 to 2008, Ballesteros represented RCD Mallorca also in the top flight,[6] receiving eight additional marching orders in 113 first-team appearances.[7][8] In July 2008 the 33-year-old was deemed surplus to requirements and released, re-joining Levante, recently relegated to the Segunda División, after 13 years.[9]

Veteran Ballesteros rarely missed a match for the Granotas the following seasons, playing 34 matches in 2010–11 (one goal, against CA Osasuna in a 2–1 home win)[10] as the team finally retained their top-flight status. He fared even better the following campaign – also finding the net once, at Rayo Vallecano in a 2–1 victory[11]– to help the side finish sixth and qualify for the Europa League for the first time ever.[5]

Ballesteros was again a starter and team captain in 2012–13. However, late into the campaign, he, alongside Juanlu and Gustavo Munúa, was accused by teammate José Barkero of lack of commitment during a 0–4 home loss to Deportivo de La Coruña, which led to several match fixing allegations.[12][13]

Honours

Villarreal

Spain U21

References

  1. ↑ Martínez, Alberto (19 August 2012). "Ballesteros, el más antiguo del lugar" [Ballesteros, oldest one around]. Las Provincias (in Spanish). Retrieved 26 October 2013.
  2. ↑ Castañeda, Álvaro (4 January 1996). "El Tenerife empieza a convencer" [Tenerife begin to convince]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). Retrieved 18 April 2017.
  3. ↑ Lizarraga, José Luis (4 September 2003). "Ballesteros: "Si fuera guapo como Beckham, no dirían que soy duro"" [Ballesteros: "If i was good looking like Beckham, they would not call me tough"]. El Periódico Mediterráneo (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 22 January 2013. Retrieved 10 February 2013.
  4. ↑ Padilla, Luis (14 February 2018). "Ballesteros renueva por nueve años" [Ballesteros renews for nine years]. Atlántico Hoy (in Spanish). Retrieved 30 July 2022.
  5. 1 2 Mínguez, Javi (21 November 2012). "El talismán Sergio Ballesteros, al asalto de las eliminatorias" [Talisman Sergio Ballesteros, out to conquer ties]. Diario AS (in Spanish). Retrieved 30 July 2022.
  6. ↑ "Ficha al central Peña y traspasa a Ballesteros al Mallorca" [Stopper Peña signed and Ballesteros transferred to Mallorca]. Diario AS (in Spanish). 26 August 2004. Retrieved 30 July 2022.
  7. ↑ "Las cinco expulsiones" [The five ejections]. Diario AS (in Spanish). 3 October 2005. Retrieved 18 April 2017.
  8. ↑ Estepa, Javier (27 October 2007). "Ballesteros bate el récord... de rojas" [Ballesteros breaks record... for red cards]. Marca (in Spanish). Retrieved 18 April 2017.
  9. ↑ "El Levante se hace con Ballesteros y Molinero" [Levante get Ballesteros and Molinero]. El Periódico de Aragón (in Spanish). 30 August 2008. Retrieved 20 February 2018.
  10. ↑ "Levante boost survival hopes". ESPN Soccernet. 27 February 2011. Retrieved 10 February 2013.
  11. ↑ "Levante maintain impressive start". ESPN Soccernet. 21 September 2011. Retrieved 10 February 2013.
  12. ↑ "Incendio en el vestuario del Levante por las acusaciones de amaño entre jugadores" [Fire in Levante locker room for match-fixing accusations between players]. Libertad Digital (in Spanish). 1 May 2013. Retrieved 5 June 2013.
  13. ↑ "Levante thrown into doubt". Football España. 6 May 2013. Retrieved 5 June 2013.
  14. ↑ "El Villarreal jugará la UEFA por primera vez en su historia" [Villarreal will play UEFA for the first time in their history]. Diario Córdoba (in Spanish). 27 August 2003. Retrieved 30 July 2022.
  15. ↑ "El Villarreal vuelve a la UEFA tras ganar la Intertoto" [Villarreal return to UEFA after winning the Intertoto]. El Mundo (in Spanish). 23 August 2004. Retrieved 30 July 2022.
  16. ↑ "Príncipes" [Princes]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). 1 June 1998. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
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