Jesús Rueda (footballer)


Jesús Rueda Ambrosio is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a central defender or defensive midfielder for Gimnàstic de Tarragona.
He spent most of his career with Valladolid, playing 163 competitive matches mostly in Segunda División.

Club career

Born in Corte de Peleas, Badajoz, Extremadura, Rueda played youth football with Real Valladolid. He made his senior debut with the reserve team, spending four full seasons with the side in Segunda División B; on 12 November 2008 he made his first official appearance with the main squad, against Hércules CF for the Copa del Rey, and his first La Liga match was on 26 April of the following year also at the Estadio Nuevo José Zorrilla, a 0–0 draw to CA Osasuna where he came on as a late substitute.
After spending the 2009–10 campaign on loan to Córdoba CF, in Segunda División, Rueda returned to Valladolid which were now in the same level. He totalled 3,867 minutes of action in his second year in his second spell – playoffs included – scoring in a 1–1 draw at Recreativo de Huelva on 15 October 2011 as the Castile and León side went on to return to the top flight.
On 13 August 2015, after appearing regularly as the club fluctuated between the first and second levels, Rueda terminated his contract with the Blanquivioletas. He subsequently moved abroad for the first time, receiving offers from teams in Bulgaria and Israel, eventually signing for Beitar Jerusalem F.C. and becoming a regular in the Holy Land team alongside compatriot Pablo de Lucas; manager Slobodan Drapić stated "I wish I had eleven like Rueda", and he was among a growing contingent of Spaniards playing in the relatively obscure Israeli Premier League, gaining media attention back home.
In June 2017, Rueda moved countries again when he signed a two-year deal for APOEL FC of the Cypriot First Division, a club whose director Juanjo Lorenzo was from Valladolid. His debut season in Nicosia ended at the halfway point when he suffered a knee injury in training, ruling him out for six months.
On 21 July 2019, free agent Rueda returned to Spain and joined second division team Extremadura UD. The following 25 January, after only five official games, he cut ties with the club and signed a 18-month contract with third-tier Gimnàstic de Tarragona four days later.

Club statistics