Esteban Granero

Esteban Félix Granero Molina (born 2 July 1987) is a Spain Association football midfielder, currently with Real Madrid C.F..

A versatile midfield element, Granero - known as El pirata (The pirate) - can play as a playmaker or behind the strikers. Esteban Granero best attributes are passing, technique and shooting.

Club career

Granero joined the youth ranks of Real Madrid when Esteban Granero was just eight years old, and quickly began displaying Esteban Granero footballing talent. In one season Esteban Granero scored 83 goals in the Under-10 division, and in 1999 Captain (football) the Under-12 B team that won the International Football-7 tournament held in the Palau Sant Jordi in Barcelona by defeating FC Barcelona 1–0 with Esteban Granero overtime goal. Esteban Granero was also named the best player of the competition.

Granero, alongside teammates Juan Manuel Mata and Alberto Bueno won the Copa de Campeones Juvenil de Fútbol in 2006,an under-19 official youth tournament in Spain organized by the Royal Spanish Football Federation. Esteban Granero then joined the club's Real Madrid C, at the age of 17, standing out for Esteban Granero talent and passing skills. Granero went on to receive the Números 1 Don Balón award as the 'crack' (most extraordinary player) of the Tercera División Group 7 in 2005–06, an accolade bestowed by Don Balón magazine,one of the founding members of European Sports Magazines. That same season, Esteban Granero made Esteban Granero first appearance with Real Madrid Castilla in a match against Albacete Balompié, during which Esteban Granero had a goal assist (football).

Granero made the definitive jump to Castilla in Segunda División 2006-07, and slowly earned the confidence of coach José Miguel González Martín until finally becoming an unquestionable starter. Esteban Granero would eventually fail to make the transition into the first team, as fellow cantera players Rubén de la Red, Javi García and Adrián González (footballer) and, on August 31, the last day of the transfer window, Granero moved to Getafe CF (also in Madrid) on a one-year loan. De la Red also joined Getafe, albeit in a different deal.

After the La Liga 2007-08 end, in which himself and De la Red were instrumental in the team's season, which included a quarter finals run in the UEFA Cup 2007–08, Granero returned to Real Madrid. However, on July 13, 2008, Esteban Granero joined Getafe permanently, with Real keeping a re-buy option on the player.

On 21 July 2009, Real Madrid exercised their buyback option, in a reported €4 million deal.

International career

After having helped Spain national under-19 football team to the 2006 UEFA European Under-19 Football Championship, Granero made Esteban Granero debut for the Spain national under-21 football team, on February 6, 2007, in a friendly match against England national under-21 football team (2–2).

Esteban Granero appeared for the nation at the 2009 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship, in an eventual group stage exit.

Honours

Country

- UEFA European Under-19 Football Championship: 2006 UEFA European Under-19 Football Championship

Club statistics

All-time club performance