Rubén Pardo · Biography

On 29 October 2011, at Anoeta, Rubén Pardo Gutiérrez made his La Liga debut for Real Sociedad. He came on late in place of Markel Bergara in a 1-0 defeat to Real Madrid. Born on 22 October 1992 in Logroño, the midfielder from La Rioja spent almost a decade in Real Sociedad's first team. He then played for Real Betis, Girondins de Bordeaux, Leganés and Aris Thessaloniki, and has played in Cypriot football since 2026.

Zubieta academy

He started out at River Ebro, a club in La Rioja, and joined Real Sociedad at the age of twelve. He came through every youth level at Zubieta. He reached the reserve side in 2009-10 and helped Real Sociedad B win promotion from the Tercera División. Over the next two seasons in the Segunda División B he played 37 games and scored one goal for the reserves. His top-flight debut came in 2011, while he was splitting his time between the B team and first-team training.

Establishing himself at Real Sociedad

In February 2012 he scored his first league goal, in a 2-0 win over Sevilla. He was part of the first-team squad from 2012, and in 2013-14 he made his Champions League debut as the club returned to the competition. In January 2014 he scored in the Basque derby against Athletic Club, and he signed a new contract that year. In January 2017 he joined Real Betis on loan until the end of the season. He made his debut in a 1-1 draw with FC Barcelona and finished the loan with 16 appearances and one goal. He went back to San Sebastián in the summer of 2017. In April 2018 he captained the side for the first time, and in January 2019 he scored at the Santiago Bernabéu. His last season in San Sebastián was 2019-20. In December 2019 he scored in an 8-0 win over Becerril in the first round of the Copa del Rey, a competition Real Sociedad went on to win in 2021, after he had left. For the first team he made 194 official appearances and scored 7 goals, including 164 appearances and 6 goals in the league.

Bordeaux and Leganés

On 31 January 2020 he signed for Girondins de Bordeaux. He made his Ligue 1 debut against Brest on 5 February 2020, and later scored in a 4-3 defeat away to Paris Saint-Germain. He made 9 appearances and scored once for the French club. In September 2020 he returned to Spain on a season-long loan to CD Leganés, who had just been relegated to the Spanish second division. He played 38 games and scored 4 goals that season. In August 2021 he terminated his contract with Bordeaux and signed for Leganés until 2023. His second spell at Butarque added 69 appearances and 2 goals, for a total of 107 games and 6 goals for Leganés.

Greece and Cyprus

On 29 August 2023 he signed for Aris Thessaloniki of the Greek Super League. In two seasons he made 24 appearances and scored once. He left the club in June 2025 and spent a year without a team. On 26 July 2026 he joined Krasava ENY Ypsonas in the Cypriot league.

Spain youth teams

He played 31 games for Spain's youth teams. He was in the Under-17 squad at the 2009 European Championship, where he made one appearance as a substitute against France. With the Under-18s he won the unofficial Atlantic Cup in 2010. His best tournament came with the Under-19s: he started every game as Spain won the 2011 UEFA European Under-19 Championship in Romania. In the final against the Czech Republic he set up the extra-time goal with which Paco Alcácer sealed a 3-2 win. He made his Under-21 debut in a friendly against Belgium on 5 February 2013 and won 7 caps at that level between 2013 and 2014.

Profile and honours

He is a right-footed central midfielder who plays mainly as an interior or a deep-lying playmaker. He stands out for his passing and set-piece delivery, and at every club he has provided assists and scored the occasional goal from outside the box. His honours with Spain are the 2011 European Under-19 Championship and the 2010 Under-18 Atlantic Cup. By May 2025 he had made 350 official appearances and scored 16 goals for Real Sociedad, Betis, Bordeaux, Leganés and Aris.