10 facts about Javier Manquillo
Javier Manquillo has today become the seventh player to join Liverpool in the 2014 summer transfer window, arriving on loan from La Liga outfit Atletico Madrid – learn more about the Spaniard with our 10 interesting facts…
Born in Madrid, Manquillo spent his early footballing years at Real Madrid before making the short move to cross-city rivals Atletico at the age of 13.
In December 2011, at the age of 17, Manquillo made his competitive debut for Los Rojiblancos, starting in a 2-1 away defeat by Albacete in the Copa del Rey.
Javier's league debut arrived 12 months later, coming off the bench in a 6-0 rout of Deportivo La Coruna.
His first honour was achieved in the summer of 2012, when he helped his country win the UEFA European U19 Championship in Estonia.
There will be at least one familiar face in the dressing room when he arrives at Liverpool, as Suso was also a part of that championship-winning team.
As his stock continued to rise, he was hit by a setback earlier this year during a Spanish Cup semi-final clash with former club Real. An aerial challenge with Cristiano Ronaldo led to the full-back falling awkwardly and subsequently needing to wear a neck brace and prematurely ending his season.
However, his participation in the league campaign meant he picked up a winners medal as Atletico claimed their first title since 1996.
That was the second piece of silverware he had collected wearing red and white, having helped his club win the Copa del Rey a year earlier.
Manquillo experienced playing in four different competitions last season, by playing in La Liga, the Copa del Rey, Europa League and Champions League.
Javier becomes the 19th Spaniard to play for Liverpool and the first to arrive from Atletico since Argentinian midfielder Maxi Rodriguez in 2010.