Sotero López
Personal information
Full name Sotero López Clemente
Date of birth (1972-08-12) 12 August 1972
Place of birth Albacete, Spain
Height 1.81 m (5 ft 11 in)
Position(s) Left back/centre back
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1990–1996 Albacete Balompié 83 (0)
1991 → Ibiza (loan)
1996–1998 Logroñés 23 (0)
1999–2001 Yeclano
2001–2002 Algeciras CF 24 (0)
2002–2004 Palamós 51 (1)
2004–2005 Mérida UD
2005–2006 Puertollano
2006–2007 Motril
2007–2008 Quintanar del Rey
Total 181 (1)
International career
1993 Spain U21 1 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Sotero López Clemente (born 12 August 1972) is a Spanish former footballer who could play as a left back or centre back.[1]

He began his career with Albacete Balompié, and played 104 La Liga matches for that club and Logroñés during the 1990s. He made one appearance in the Spain Under-21 national side in 1993.[2]

Club career

Albacete Balompié

Sotero was born in Albacete in the autonomous community of Castilla–La Mancha, and began his career with local club Albacete Balompié.[2] He made his debut in the third round of the 1990–91 Copa del Rey, in a 3–3 away draw with Águilas on 8 November, which was his only appearance of that season.[3] He wasn't involved as Albacete won the Segunda División, and earned promotion to La Liga for the first time in their history.[4] He spent the first part of the following season on loan at Ibiza, who ultimately won their group in that year's Tercera División. His spell at Ibiza included a stunning 11–0 home win over Cala d'Or in the first round of the Copa del Rey on 25 August.[5]

On his return to Albacete, he made his La Liga debut in a 3–1 away loss to Real Burgos at Estadio El Plantío on 26 April. He kept his place for his home debut a week later, in a 1–0 win over Real Mallorca at Estadio Carlos Belmonte. He ultimately played six matches for Albacete that season.[5] He continued to be used as a fringe player over the next two seasons, making 18 appearances in all competitions in 1992–93,[2] as Albacete escaped relegation thanks only to a playoff victory over Real Mallorca,[6] and just seven the following year.[2]

1994–95 would be Sotero's best season for the club.[2] He played 46 matches in all competitions[7] in what was a rather mixed year for Albacete. They reached the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey before eventually losing to Valencia,[8] but 17th in the league meant they once again faced a relegation playoff. Sotero played in both legs of the 5–2 aggregate defeat by Salamanca,[7] although an administration scandal involving Sevilla and Celta Vigo ultimately earned them a reprieve from relegation.[9]

He was used somewhat more sparingly the following season, making 23 appearances. In Albacete's last league match of the year, against Atlético Madrid at Vicente Calderón Stadium, Sotero was sent off with eight minutes to play, and Albacete lost 2–0.[10] The loss meant that they faced yet another relegation playoff, but the red card meant Sotero would miss it. Albacete lost 1–0 in both legs, and with no repeat of the previous year's reprieve were relegated.[11] Sotero left the club at the end of the season after 101 matches in six years,[2] meaning his Atlético sending off was his last act for the club.

Logroñés

Seeking to remain in La Liga, Sotero joined newly-promoted Logroñés ahead of the 1996–97 season.[2] He made his debut in a 2–1 away win over Compostela at Estadio Multiusos de San Lázaro on 15 September, and made his home debut at Estadio Las Gaunas six days later in a 3–0 defeat by Atlético Madrid. He made 23 appearances in all competitions that year,[12] but Logroñés finished bottom of the table in 22nd place, a massive twelve points from safety, and Sotero suffered a second consecutive relegation as the club returned to the Segunda División after a single year in the top fight.

Sotero fell dramatically out of favour the following year, playing just three times in all competitions, and not at all after a 5–0 defeat by Elche at Estadio Manuel Martínez Valero on 20 September.[13] This proved to be his last appearance for the club.[1]

Yeclano and Algeciras CF

After leaving Logroñés, Sotero joined Yeclano, before signing for Algeciras CF in 2001.[1] His debut for the Segunda División B club came on the opening day of the season in a 1–0 home loss against Ceuta at Estadio Nuevo Mirador on 2 September, and he made a total of 24 appearances in what turned out to be his only season with the club.[2][14] Once again, he marked his final match for the club, a 2–1 home win over Real Betis B on 7 April, with a red card; his third of the season.[14]

Palamós

Sotero joined another Segunda División B club, Palamós, for the 2002–03 season.[2] His debut for the Catalonian side, newly promoted from the Tercera División, came in the first match of the season, a 1–1 home draw with L'Hospitalet at Nou Estadi de Palamós on 1 September. He played 30 matches that year, and even scored an exceptionally rare goal, in a 2–2 draw with Castellón at Nou Estadi Castàlia on 6 December.[15] The following season brought 24 appearances,[16] but following a 4–0 defeat by Hércules at Estadio José Rico Pérez on the final day of the season, Palamós found themselves bottom of the table, and were relegated back to the Tercera División.[17] Sotero left the club that summer.[1]

Later career

After leaving Palamós, Sotero played one season each with Mérida UD and Puertollano,[1] winning Tercera División group titles with both clubs. He was also part of the Puertollano team that won the 2005–06 Copa Federación de España.[18] He saw out his career with a season apiece at Motril and Quintanar del Rey, before retiring in 2008.[1]

International career

Sotero played in the Spain Under-21 national team in a 2–0 friendly win over Greece at Estadio Colombino in Huelva on 23 February 1993.[19] This was his only appearance for the Under-21s, and he was never called up to the Spain senior side.[2]

Honours

Albacete Balompié

Ibiza

Mérida UD

Puertollano

Career statistics

Club

As of 25 January 2021[2]
Club Season League Cup Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Albacete Balompié 1990–91 Segunda División 0010––10
1991–92 La Liga 6000––60
1992–93 1503000180
1993–94 5020––70
1994–95 3608020460
1995–96 2102000230
Total 830160201010
Ibiza 1991–92 Tercera División ??50––50
Logroñés 1996–97 La Liga 21020––230
1997–98 Segunda División 2010––30
Total 2303000260
Algeciras CF 2001–02 Segunda División B 240––––240
Palamós 2002–03 27130––301
2003–04 240––––240
Total 5113000541
Career total 1811270202101
1.^ Appearances in the 1994–95 La Liga relegation play-offs

International

Source:[2]

Appearances and goals by national team and year
National teamYearAppsGoals
Spain Under-21 199310

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Sotero". worldfootball.net. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 "Sotero". BDFutbol. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
  3. ↑ "Matches Sotero". BDFutbol. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
  4. ↑ "Classification 2nd Division 1990-91". BDFutbol. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
  5. 1 2 "Matches Sotero". BDFutbol. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
  6. ↑ "El Mallorca roza la proeza, pero se salva el Albacete" (PDF). Mundo Deportivo. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
  7. 1 2 "Matches Sotero". BDFutbol. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
  8. ↑ "El Valencia salva el cuello" (PDF). Mundo Deportivo. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
  9. ↑ "Temporada 1994-95 (nota aclaratoria de la ampliación a 22 equipos)" (in Spanish). futbolme.com. Retrieved 6 November 2010.
  10. ↑ "Matches Sotero". BDFutbol. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
  11. ↑ "Histórico" (PDF). Mundo Deportivo. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
  12. ↑ "Matches Sotero". BDFutbol. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
  13. ↑ "Matches Sotero". BDFutbol. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
  14. 1 2 "Matches Sotero". BDFutbol. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
  15. ↑ "Matches Sotero". BDFutbol. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
  16. ↑ "Matches Sotero". BDFutbol. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
  17. ↑ "Classification 2nd Division B Group III 2003-04". BDFutbol. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
  18. ↑ "Copa Federación 2000-09". Eldeportivo.es. Archived from the original on 7 March 2016. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
  19. ↑ "España - Grecia (2 - 0) 23/02/1993". BDFutbol. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
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