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Isaac Cuenca

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In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Cuenca and the second or maternal family name is López.

Isaac Cuenca
Cuenca with Vegalta Sendai in 2020
Personal information
Full name Joan Isaac Cuenca López
Date of birth (1991-04-27) 27 April 1991 (age 33)[1]
Place of birth Reus, Spain[1]
Height 1.76 m (5 ft 9 in)
Position(s) Winger
Youth career
1998–2001 Juroca
2001–2002 Espanyol
2002–2005 Barcelona
2005–2007 Santes Creus
2007–2008 Reus
2008–2009 Damm
2009–2010 Barcelona
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2010–2012 Barcelona B 6 (2)
2010–2011 → Sabadell (loan) 28 (4)
2011–2014 Barcelona 16 (2)
2013 → Ajax (loan) 4 (0)
2014–2015 Deportivo La Coruña 27 (2)
2015–2016 Bursaspor 12 (1)
2016–2017 Granada 37 (4)
2017–2018 Hapoel Be'er Sheva 10 (2)
2019 Sagan Tosu 29 (6)
2020–2021 Vegalta Sendai 15 (0)
Total 183 (23)
International career
2011 Spain U21 2 (0)
2012 Spain U23 1 (0)
2011 Catalonia 1 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Joan Isaac Cuenca López (born 27 April 1991) is a Spanish former professional footballer who played as a winger.

Formed at Barcelona, where he made 30 total appearances, he also represented Deportivo and Granada in La Liga, additionally playing top-flight football in the Netherlands, Turkey, Israel and Japan.

Club career

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Early years

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Born in Reus, Tarragona, Catalonia, Cuenca began playing football with local Unió Barri Juroca, going on to have spells with RCD Espanyol, FC Barcelona, UE Barri Santes Creus, CF Reus Deportiu and CF Damm before return to La Masia in 2009.[2][3] He made his senior debut in the 2010–11 season, being loaned to another club in his native region, CE Sabadell FC of the Segunda División B;[4] he made an immediate impact, starting in 24 of his appearances and totalling 2,288 minutes as the Arlequinats returned to Segunda División after an 18-year absence.[5]

In July 2011, Cuenca returned to Barcelona and joined its B team, alongside Martí Riverola.[6] Shortly after, he was called by first-team manager Pep Guardiola to the preseason, and made his debut on 23 July against HNK Hajduk Split.[7]

Barcelona

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Cuenca made his official debut for Barça B on 4 September 2011, playing the last 29 minutes in a 4–0 away win against FC Cartagena and scoring the last goal of the match.[8] On 19 October he made his first official appearance for the main squad, coming on as a substitute for David Villa in the dying minutes of the 2–0 home victory over FC Viktoria Plzeň in the group stage of the UEFA Champions League.[9]

On 25 October 2011, after another game on the bench, Cuenca made his La Liga debut, playing the full 90 minutes and being booked in a 1–0 away defeat of Granada CF.[10] Four days later, again as a starter, he scored in a 5–0 home rout of RCD Mallorca, assisted by Adriano.[11]

On 3 December 2011, Cuenca netted his second league goal, playing the entire 5–0 home win over Levante UD.[12] On 31 January 2012 he signed a contract extension, keeping him at the club until June 2015, and also switched permanently to the first team.[13] Cuenca started the second leg of the Champions League semi-final against Chelsea, assisting Sergio Busquets for the opening goal, although Barcelona were ultimately eliminated.[14]

Cuenca spent the first half of 2012–13 nursing a knee injury.[15][16] On 31 January 2013, he was loaned to Eredivisie side AFC Ajax until 30 June.[17] He was given the number 11 shirt, which was previously worn by Lorenzo Ebecilio; that jersey, however, was reserved for league and Dutch Cup matches, while he wore number 28 in the team run in the UEFA Europa League, as Ebecilio had already made continental appearances with the club wearing the former number during the campaign.[18]

Cuenca made his debut for his new team 10 February 2013, against Roda JC Kerkrade at the Amsterdam Arena, assisting Daley Blind in his first ever goal for Ajax as the match ended in a 1–1 draw.[19] However, in March, he suffered another knee injury, being sidelined for a further four months;[20] he underwent surgery in early June,[21] returning to training in October.[22]

Deportivo

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On 9 July 2014, Cuenca and Barcelona reached an agreement to terminate the player's contract, due to expire in June 2015, due to technical reasons.[23] Later that day, he signed a one-year deal with Deportivo de La Coruña in the same league.[24]

Cuenca made his debut for the club on 23 August 2014, replacing Toché in a 2–1 away loss to Granada,[25] and scored his first goal eight days later, a last-minute equaliser in the 2–2 home draw against Rayo Vallecano.[26] The Galicians went on to narrowly avoid relegation, with him starting in 14 of his appearances.

Later career

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On 7 August 2015, Cuenca signed a three-year deal with Turkish Süper Lig side Bursaspor.[27] He scored his first competitive goal on 28 October, the game's only in a victory over Sivasspor at the Bursa Atatürk Stadium.[28]

On 1 February 2016, Cuenca returned to his country and signed with Granada until the end of the season.[29] In June 2017, after the Andalusians' relegation, he joined Israeli Premier League champions Hapoel Be'er Sheva F.C. on a two-year contract.[30] He won the league in his only year in the Middle East, though he was not a regular part of manager Barak Bakhar's plans.[31]

Cuenca returned to his first senior club Reus ahead of the 2018–19 campaign. After playing the whole preseason on trial,[32] he could not be registered; Reus claimed that the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional rejected his registration due to his low salary,[33] while the organisation claimed that the club had breached the wage limits.[34]

In January 2019, Cuenca went back abroad and signed a three-year contract with the option of a fourth at Sagan Tosu in Japan's J1 League. He joined compatriots Fernando Torres and Lluís Carreras, his teammate and manager respectively.[35]

For the following year, Cuenca joined Vegalta Sendai in the same competition. In February 2020, he suffered a right knee meniscus injury that ruled him out for six months.[36] He rescinded his contract in April 2021 to return home for treatment.[37]

International career

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Cuenca had his first international call-up in November 2011, when Spain under-21 manager Luis Milla named him in a 20-man squad for European qualifiers against Estonia and Switzerland.[38] He made his debut against the former on the 10th at the Estadio Álvarez Claro in Melilla, starting in a 6–0 win.[39]

On 30 December the same year, Cuenca earned his only cap for the non-FIFA Catalonia side, in a goalless draw against Tunisia for the Catalonia International Trophy.[40]

Style of play

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Cuenca was capable of playing as a winger on either flank, being likened to former Barcelona teammate Pedro. A 2011 Bleacher Report profile described him as a promising young prospect, with good all-round abilities and above average dribbling skills, noting that his strengths were his tactical intelligence, technique and positioning, while his weaknesses were his defensive work-rate, physique, ability in the air and lack of end product or "killer instinct."[41]

Career statistics

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Appearances and goals by club, season and competition[42][43]
Club Season League National cup[a] League cup[b] Continental Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Sabadell (loan) 2010–11 Segunda División B 28 4 — — — 4[c] 1 32 5
Barcelona B 2011–12 Segunda División 6 2 — — — — 6 2
Barcelona 2011–12 La Liga 16 2 6 2 — 7[d] 0 1[e] 0 30 4
2013–14 La Liga 0 0 0 0 — 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total 16 2 6 2 — 7 0 1 0 30 4
Ajax (loan) 2012–13 Eredivisie 3 0 0 0 — 2[f] 0 0 0 5 0
Deportivo La Coruña 2014–15 La Liga 27 2 2 0 — — — 29 2
Bursaspor 2015–16 Süper Lig 12 1 7 0 — — — 19 1
Granada 2015–16 La Liga 12 2 0 0 — — — 12 2
2016–17 La Liga 25 2 1 0 — — — 26 2
Total 37 4 1 0 — — — 38 4
Hapoel Be'er Sheva 2017–18 Israeli Premier League 10 2 2 0 2 0 6[g] 1 — 20 3
Sagan Tosu 2019 J1 League 29 6 0 0 3 0 — — 32 6
Vegalta Sendai 2020 J1 League 15 0 0 0 0 0 — — 15 0
Career total 183 23 18 2 5 0 15 1 5 1 226 27
  1. ^ Includes Copa del Rey, Turkish Cup, Israel State Cup
  2. ^ Includes Toto Cup, J.League Cup
  3. ^ Appearances in Segunda División B play-offs
  4. ^ Appearances in UEFA Champions League
  5. ^ Appearance in FIFA Club World Cup
  6. ^ Appearances in UEFA Europa League
  7. ^ One appearances in UEFA Champions League, five appearances and one goal in UEFA Europa League

Honours

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Barcelona

Ajax

Hapoel Be'er Sheva

References

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  1. ^ a b "Isaac Cuenca". Eurosport. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  2. ^ Domènech, Oriol (26 July 2012). "Reus, la cantera del Barça" [Reus, Barça's youth system]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). Retrieved 29 January 2016.
  3. ^ López, Marcos (31 October 2011). "Historia de un exilio" [Story of an exile]. El Periódico de Catalunya (in Spanish). Retrieved 29 January 2016.
  4. ^ "Sabadell: presentado Isaac Cuenca" [Sabadell: Isaac Cuenca presented] (in Spanish). esFutbol. 2 September 2010. Retrieved 5 July 2011.
  5. ^ Gil, Jordi (28 October 2011). "Pep Guardiola piensa en Cuenca como un segundo Pedro" [Pep Guardiola thinks of Cuenca as a second Pedro]. Sport (in Spanish). Retrieved 6 April 2023.
  6. ^ Carrillo, Jesús (4 July 2011). "Martí Riverola e Isaac Cuenca vuelven al Barça B" [Martí Riverola and Isaac Cuenca return to Barça B] (in Spanish). FC Barcelona. Retrieved 29 January 2016.
  7. ^ Benítez, Alberto (23 July 2011). "El Barça debuta sin dinamita" [Barça have unexplosive debut]. Marca (in Spanish). Retrieved 6 September 2011.
  8. ^ García, Gregorio (4 September 2011). "Vuelve el mejor Barça B con un festival goleador en Cartagonova" [The best Barça B return with a scoring festival in Cartagonova]. Marca (in Spanish). Retrieved 6 September 2011.
  9. ^ Hunter, Graham (19 October 2011). "Barcelona flex muscles without overwhelming Plzeň". UEFA. Retrieved 19 October 2011.
  10. ^ "Xavi strike sees of Granada". ESPN Soccernet. 25 October 2011. Archived from the original on 26 May 2012. Retrieved 25 October 2011.
  11. ^ "Messi to the fore once again". ESPN Soccernet. 29 October 2011. Archived from the original on 26 May 2012. Retrieved 29 October 2011.
  12. ^ "Fabregas bags brace in rout". ESPN Soccernet. 3 December 2011. Archived from the original on 14 January 2012. Retrieved 7 January 2012.
  13. ^ "Cuenca signs extension to contract". FC Barcelona. 31 January 2012. Retrieved 31 January 2012.
  14. ^ "Barcelona 2-2 Chelsea (agg 2-3)". BBC Sport. 23 April 2012. Retrieved 29 October 2024.
  15. ^ "Isaac Cuenca sale del hospital" [Isaac Cuenca leaves hospital]. Goal. 2 June 2012. Retrieved 6 December 2012.
  16. ^ "Cuenca returns to training, Alves injury update". Total Barça. 26 November 2012. Archived from the original on 30 November 2012. Retrieved 6 December 2012.
  17. ^ Rojo, Luis Fernando (31 January 2013). "Isaac Cuenca, cedido al Ajax" [Isaac Cuenca, loaned to Ajax]. Marca (in Spanish). Retrieved 31 January 2013.
  18. ^ "Cuenca krijgt twee rugnummers" [Cuenca gets two shirt numbers]. De Telegraaf (in Dutch). 4 February 2013. Retrieved 4 February 2013.
  19. ^ "Unsuccessful mission for Ajax". AFC Ajax. 10 February 2013. Archived from the original on 11 May 2013. Retrieved 11 February 2013.
  20. ^ Polo, Fernando (11 March 2013). "Isaac Cuenca regresa a Barcelona con su rodilla maltrecha" [Isaac Cuenca returns to Barcelona with his battered knee]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). Retrieved 23 April 2013.
  21. ^ Soria, Miki (7 June 2013). "Isaac Cuenca: "Ya solo pienso en volver a jugar pronto"" [Isaac Cuenca: "I am only thinking about returning to play soon"]. Sport (in Spanish). Retrieved 22 October 2013.
  22. ^ "Isaac Cuenca, principal novedad en el entrenamiento del Barça" [Isaac Cuenca, main novelty in Barça's training]. Diario AS (in Spanish). 8 October 2013. Retrieved 22 October 2013.
  23. ^ "Agreement to rescind Isaac Cuenca's contract". FC Barcelona. 9 July 2014. Retrieved 6 April 2023.
  24. ^ "Isaac Cuenca nuevo jugador del Dépor" [Isaac Cuenca new player of Dépor] (in Spanish). Deportivo La Coruña. 10 July 2014. Retrieved 10 July 2014.
  25. ^ "Liga de fútbol | Granada 2 – Deportivo 1 – El Granada remonta en casa el gol inicial del Deportivo (2–1)" [Football league | Granada 2 – Deportivo 1 – Granada come from Deportivo's initial goal at home (2–1)] (in Spanish). RTVE. 23 August 2014. Retrieved 12 June 2018.
  26. ^ Malagón, Manuel (31 August 2014). "Ba destruye lo que crean Aquino y Bueno" [Ba destroys what Aquino and Bueno create]. Marca (in Spanish). Retrieved 12 June 2018.
  27. ^ "Isaac Cuenca ile Anlaşma Sağlandı" [Agreement reached with Isaac Cuenca] (in Turkish). Bursaspor. 7 August 2015. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 7 August 2015.
  28. ^ "Bursaspor – Medicana Sivasspor: 1–0". Milliyet (in Turkish). 28 October 2015. Retrieved 6 January 2016.
  29. ^ "Presentación de Costa, Doucouré y Cuenca" [Presentation of Costa, Doucouré and Cuenca] (in Spanish). Granada CF. 3 February 2016. Retrieved 3 February 2016.
  30. ^ "Isaac Cuenca se va a la Liga israelí" [Isaac Cuenca is going to the Israeli League]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). 30 June 2017. Retrieved 2 April 2018.
  31. ^ a b Manchón, Martín (15 May 2018). "Dani Olmo ya es tricampeón con el Dinamo Zagreb croata" [Dani Olmo is now three-time champion with Croatia's Dinamo Zagreb]. Diario AS (in Spanish). Retrieved 13 May 2021.
  32. ^ "El primer equip inicia els entrenaments" [The first team start training] (in Catalan). CF Reus Deportiu. 9 July 2018. Retrieved 2 October 2018.
  33. ^ "Comunicat oficial (01/09/2018)" [Official announcement (01/09/2018)] (in Catalan). CF Reus Deportiu. 1 September 2018. Retrieved 2 October 2018.
  34. ^ "Nota informativa" [Informative note] (in Spanish). Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional. 3 September 2018. Retrieved 2 October 2018.
  35. ^ Hernández, Xavi (16 January 2019). "Isaac Cuenca ultima su fichaje por el Sagan Tosu de Fernando Torres" [Isaac Cuenca completes his signing for Fernando Torres' Sagan Tosu]. Marca (in Spanish). Retrieved 18 November 2019.
  36. ^ Manchón, Martín (19 February 2020). "Vegalta Sendai pierde a Isaac Cuenca para los próximos seis meses" [Vegalta Sendai lose Isaac Cuenca for the next six months]. Diario AS (in Spanish). Retrieved 26 December 2020.
  37. ^ "Isaac Cuenca deja la liga japonesa para tratarse una lesión de rodilla" [Isaac Cuenca leaves the Japanese league for knee injury treatment]. Sport (in Spanish). 20 April 2021. Retrieved 13 May 2021.
  38. ^ "Cuenca, Sarabia y Thiago, en la lista de la Sub-21" [Cuenca, Sarabia and Thiago, in the under-21 squad]. Diario AS (in Spanish). 3 November 2011. Retrieved 18 November 2019.
  39. ^ Hernández, Roberto (10 November 2011). "Plácida victoria de España" [Comfortable win for Spain] (in Spanish). UEFA. Retrieved 18 November 2019.
  40. ^ Ruiz, David (30 December 2011). "Catalunya empata con Túnez en el tradicional amistoso navideño" [Catalonia draw with Tunisia in the traditional Christmas-time friendly]. La Vanguardia (in Spanish). Retrieved 18 November 2019.
  41. ^ Ehrli, Andres (4 November 2011). "FC Barcelona's Isaac Cuenca: Scouting report on Pep Guardiola's new prospect". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 18 May 2020.
  42. ^ a b c d "Isaac Cuenca". Soccerway. Retrieved 31 October 2014.
  43. ^ "Isaac Cuenca" (in Dutch). Voetbal International. Retrieved 31 October 2014.
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