Pau López · Biography

The first trophy of Pau López Sabata’s career came in May 2025, far from Europe. He was part of the Deportivo Toluca squad that won the 2025 Liga MX Clausura by beating América in the final. Born on 13 December 1994 in the province of Girona, he is a 1.89-metre goalkeeper. He came through Espanyol’s academy and went on to keep goal for Real Betis, Roma and Olympique de Marseille. He won two caps for the senior Spain national team and joined FC Andorra in July 2026.

Youth years at Girona and Espanyol

He started in Girona’s youth ranks, where he played from 2002 to 2007. That year he moved to Espanyol’s academy and finished his development there. In 2013-14 he made his debut for the reserve side in the Spanish third tier, Segunda División B, and played 35 league games. In June 2014 Espanyol extended his contract by four seasons and promoted him to the first team.

La Liga debut and a loan at Tottenham

His first competitive game for Espanyol came on 17 December 2014, a win over Alavés in the Copa del Rey round of 32. Espanyol went on to reach the semi-finals that season. His La Liga debut followed on 1 February 2015 at the Sánchez-Pizjuán. He came on in the 40th minute after Kiko Casilla was sent off, and Sevilla won 3-2. He took over as first choice in 2015-16 and played 38 matches. In August 2016 he joined Tottenham Hotspur on loan with an option to buy. He was third-choice goalkeeper in London, made no competitive appearances, and the option was not taken up. Back at Espanyol, he played 30 matches in 2017-18.

Real Betis and Roma

With his Espanyol contract over, Real Betis presented him as a free agent on 4 July 2018. He played 35 matches for the Seville club in 2018-19. On 10 July 2019 AS Roma signed him for €23.5 million. He played 42 matches in his first Italian season and 34 in his second. That 2020-21 campaign ended early for him when he injured his shoulder against Manchester United in the Europa League semi-finals. UEFA named him in its squad of the season for that edition of the competition.

Three seasons at Marseille

Olympique de Marseille announced his loan with an option to buy on 8 July 2021. In January 2022 the French club took up the option, effective from 1 July that year. He was first choice at the Vélodrome for three straight seasons: 36 matches in 2021-22, 42 in 2022-23 and 49 in 2023-24, a total of 127 competitive games for the club.

International career

His first international appearance came for Catalonia on 26 December 2015, a 1-0 friendly defeat to the Basque Country. He made his Spain under-21 debut on 28 March 2016 at the Nueva Condomina in Murcia, a 1-0 win over Norway. He won five under-21 caps and was a runner-up at the 2017 European Under-21 Championship in Poland, where Spain lost the final 1-0 to Germany. The senior side first called him up in May 2016, but his debut did not come until 18 November 2018 in Las Palmas. That night he replaced Kepa Arrizabalaga in the second half of a 1-0 friendly win over Bosnia and Herzegovina. His second and last cap came on 15 November 2019 in a 7-0 win over Malta in qualifying for Euro 2020.

Girona, Toluca and the return to Spain

On 16 August 2024 he returned on loan to Girona, his boyhood club. He played only once, and the loan ended in January 2025. In early 2025 he joined Toluca on loan while still under contract with Marseille. He played 11 league games in the Clausura, which the Mexican side won on 25 May 2025 with a 2-0 aggregate victory over América in the final. In July 2025 he went back to Real Betis and played 9 league matches in 2025-26. On 17 July 2026 he left the Seville club and joined Spanish second-division side FC Andorra as a free agent.