Víctor Ruiz (footballer, born 1989)


Víctor Ruiz Torre is a Spanish professional footballer who plays for Turkish club Beşiktaş J.K. as a central defender.

Club career

Espanyol

Born in Esplugues de Llobregat, Barcelona, Catalonia, Ruiz arrived in RCD Espanyol's youth system in 2006 at the age of 17, from neighbouring UE Cornellà. In the 2008–09 season he made his senior debut, helping the reserve side win their Tercera División group and subsequently promote in the playoffs.
On 6 December 2009, Ruiz made his debut with Espanyol's first team, starting and being booked in a 0–4 home loss against Racing de Santander. Coach Mauricio Pochettino fielded him in a further 21 La Liga games that campaign, with the team finally ranking in 11th position; he added two goals, against Málaga CF and Atlético Madrid.

Napoli / Valencia

In 2010–11, Ruiz played all the minutes for Espanyol in the first 15 rounds. On 31 January 2011, he was sold to S.S.C. Napoli for €6 million cash in a four-and-a-half-year contract, with the Italians also ceding the sporting rights to Jesús Dátolo who was playing with the Spaniards on loan.
On 30 August 2011, Ruiz returned to his country after penning a five-year deal with Valencia CF for €8 million. He made his official debut on 10 September, playing the full 90 minutes in a 1–0 home win against Atlético Madrid.
On 12 December 2013, Ruiz was sent off in a 1–1 home draw against FC Kuban Krasnodar in the group stage of the UEFA Europa League, for a professional foul on Djibril Cissé.

Villarreal

On 1 July 2015, following a one-year loan there, Ruiz transferred to Villarreal CF also in the Valencian Community for an initial €2.7 million, potentially rising to €3 million. He played his first competitive match for them in his second spell on 23 August, when he started and finished the 1–1 draw at Real Betis.
Ruiz scored his first league goal for Villarreal on 7 April 2017, in a 3–1 home defeat of Athletic Bilbao where he also received his marching orders after a straight red card with 15 minutes left.

Beşiktaş

On 7 August 2019, Ruiz joined Beşiktaş J.K. on a three-year contract.

International career

Shortly after making his debut with Espanyol, Ruiz was called to the Spanish under-21 team by manager Luis Milla. On 8 February 2011, in the last minutes of a 2–1 friendly win with Denmark, he was sent off for punching Nicki Bille, who celebrated his goal in front of Ruiz's face.

Career statistics

Honours

Club

Espanyol B
Spain U21