Victor Ruiz · Biography

The first trophy of Víctor Ruiz Torre's career came in 2009, when he won the Tercera División with Espanyol B. Born on 25 January 1989 in Esplugues de Llobregat, near Barcelona, he is a left-footed centre-back who came through Espanyol's academy. He played in the Spanish top flight for Espanyol, Valencia, Villarreal and Real Betis, and also abroad for Napoli in Italy and Beşiktaş in Turkey. With Spain's under-21 side he became European champion in 2011.

Youth football in Barcelona and Cornellà

He began in the youth ranks of FC Barcelona, where he stayed from 1998 to 2002. He then spent four years at UE Cornellà until 2006, the year he joined Espanyol's youth set-up. In 2008 he moved up to the reserve team, which won the Tercera División in 2008-09. He had also started playing for Spain's youth teams: once for the under-17s in 2006 and three times for the under-19s between 2007 and 2008.

Debut under Pochettino and a move to Italy

Mauricio Pochettino gave him his La Liga debut on 6 December 2009, as a starter against Racing de Santander. He played 22 league games that season and scored twice, against Málaga and Atlético Madrid. In 2010 he won the Copa Catalunya with the first team and played once for Catalonia. In late January 2011, after another 15 league appearances in the first half of the season, Napoli signed him for around six million euros. He made his Serie A debut away to Parma on 13 March 2011 and played six league games in Italy that season.

Valencia and Villarreal

On 30 August 2011 he returned to Spain with Valencia, who paid around eight million euros for him on a five-year contract. He made his debut on 10 September against Atlético Madrid, playing the full 90 minutes in a 1-0 home win at Mestalla. Over three seasons at Valencia he made 59 league appearances and also played in European competition. In August 2014 he joined Villarreal on loan, and the club signed him permanently in July 2015 for a fixed fee of 2.7 million euros plus add-ons. Counting the loan, he spent five seasons there and made 137 league appearances, with plenty of European nights along the way. It was the longest spell of his career at a single club.

Beşiktaş, Betis and a return to Espanyol

In August 2019 he signed a three-year deal with Beşiktaş. He played 23 games in the Turkish Süper Lig, but in July 2020 he terminated his contract unilaterally over unpaid wages. Later that year he joined Real Betis as a free agent, first on a one-year deal and then with an extension signed in June 2021 that ran until 2023. In Seville he made 55 league appearances and was part of the squad that won the 2022 Copa del Rey, playing three matches in that campaign. On 20 September 2023 he went back to Espanyol on a one-season contract and was in the squad that won promotion to La Liga in 2024.

Spain under-21s

He won five caps for the under-21s between 2010 and 2011, and was sent off in a 2-1 friendly win over Denmark in February 2011. Luis Milla named him in the 23-man squad for the European Under-21 Championship in Denmark, which Spain won on 25 June 2011 by beating Switzerland in the final. That squad also included David de Gea, César Azpilicueta, Javi Martínez and Juan Mata. In 2012 he also played once for the under-23 side.

Profile and move into coaching development

He is a 1.84-metre left-footed centre-back. He played mostly on the left side of central defence and was known for his ability to play out from the back, something valued at all four La Liga clubs he played for. Across all the leagues he played in, he made more than 330 top-flight league appearances. After going without a club in 2024-25, he rejoined Espanyol in June 2025 as part of its individual development department, working with players from the reserve team and the under-19 side.