Adrián (footballer)

2.1.1. Youth and Early Career

After joining Real Betis in 1998, Adrián spent his initial two seasons with the club's C-team, known as Real Betis C. Following this, he dedicated five more seasons to the reserves, Real Betis B, competing in the Segunda División B. During this period, he served as a backup goalkeeper to players such as René Román and Brimah Razak. To gain further experience, he was loaned out to CD Alcalá in 2008 and CD Utrera in 2009.

In the 2011-12 season, Adrián was promoted to the first team as the third-choice goalkeeper, although he continued to make appearances for the B-team. However, his progress was halted in November of that season when he suffered a severe cruciate ligament injury, which kept him out of action for five and a half months.

2.1.2. First-Team Debut

Adrián made his La Liga debut on September 29, 2012, in an away match against Málaga CF, which Real Betis lost 0-4. He was brought on in the early minutes of the game as a substitute for outfield player Salvador Agra after the starting goalkeeper, Casto, was sent off. Despite the difficult circumstances, Adrián delivered a strong performance and was named man of the match.

He quickly established himself as the starting goalkeeper during the 2012-13 campaign. A notable performance came on November 24, when he was again named man of the match in a 1-0 home victory against Real Madrid, securing a clean sheet against the Spanish giants. Following his debut, Adrián started the next 31 matches, recording 11 clean sheets. His consistent performances helped Real Betis finish seventh in the league, qualifying for the UEFA Europa League. Despite his impressive form, Real Betis faced financial difficulties and were unable to offer him a new contract, leading to his departure.

2.2.1. Signing and Early Period

Adrián's performances for Real Betis caught the attention of West Ham United manager Sam Allardyce and goalkeeping coach Martyn Margetson. They successfully persuaded him to join the club. On June 5, 2013, it was announced that he would sign a three-year contract, effective from July 1, with the Premier League club holding an option to extend the deal for an additional two seasons.

He made his debut for West Ham, affectionately known as the Hammers, on August 27, 2013, in a League Cup match against Cheltenham Town, which West Ham won 2-1 at home. During this match, he conceded a penalty after fouling Jermaine McGlashan, which Matt Richards converted. His first appearance in the Premier League came on December 21, 2013, in a 1-3 away loss against Manchester United.

2.2.2. Key Seasons and Awards

On January 11, 2014, Adrián achieved his first Premier League clean sheet in a 2-0 away victory over Cardiff City. His exceptional performances were recognized at the club's awards ceremony on May 6, 2014. He won the "Save of the Season" award for a remarkable fingertip save against Oscar of Chelsea in January. For the same match, a goalless draw where he kept a clean sheet, he also received the "Best Individual Performance" award. Additionally, he was named "Signing of the Season" and finished as the runner-up for the prestigious "Hammer of the Year" award, losing out to Mark Noble. By the end of the 2013-14 season, Adrián had firmly established himself as West Ham's first-choice goalkeeper, replacing the long-serving Jussi Jääskeläinen.

A memorable moment in his West Ham career occurred on January 13, 2015, during an FA Cup third-round replay penalty shoot-out against Everton. Adrián saved a penalty from Steven Naismith. The shootout went to sudden death, where he confidently removed his goalkeeping gloves before scoring the winning penalty himself, after his Everton counterpart, fellow Spaniard Joel Robles, hit the crossbar. West Ham secured a 9-8 victory.

On February 11, 2015, Adrián received a straight red card in a goalless draw against Southampton for handling the ball outside the penalty area while under pressure from Sadio Mané. Although his suspension for this dismissal was later rescinded by The Football Association, West Ham was charged for failing to control their players following the incident and was subsequently fined 30.00 K GBP. He played in all 38 league matches and all four FA Cup matches during the 2014-15 campaign.

2.2.3. Final Season at West Ham

Adrián received another straight red card in added time during West Ham's 1-2 home loss to Leicester City on August 15, 2015. This occurred after he went up for a corner kick and made a high challenge, described as a "flying kick", on Jamie Vardy. As West Ham had already made all their substitutions, Carl Jenkinson had to take over as goalkeeper for the remainder of the match. This red card resulted in a three-match suspension, which subsequently ended his consecutive league appearance record that had started in the 2013-14 season. In October 2015, he signed a new two-year contract with an option for a further two years, keeping him at the club until 2017.

Following this, West Ham went on a strong run in the 2015-16 season, starting with a 2-0 clean sheet victory against Arsenal in the opening match. Despite conceding Shinji Okazaki's first Premier League goal in the subsequent home game against Leicester City, Adrián's consistent good saves contributed significantly to their success, as the team went on to defeat major clubs like Liverpool, Manchester City, and Chelsea.

Adrián was eventually released by West Ham at the end of the 2018-19 season. His final appearance for the club was on January 26, 2019, in a 4-2 away defeat to AFC Wimbledon in the FA Cup. He made 150 appearances in all competitions for West Ham, but in his final season, he played only five games, all in cup competitions, as Łukasz Fabiański had taken his place as the first-choice goalkeeper in the Premier League. Adrián chose to leave the club despite being offered a three-year contract extension, stating that he "hadn't played a single game all season in the Premier League" and "didn't feel valued economically either."

2.3.1. Signing and Debut

On August 5, 2019, it was officially announced that Adrián had signed for Liverpool on a free transfer. He made his debut for the club just four days later, on August 9, in the opening match of the 2019-20 Premier League season against Norwich City. He came on as a substitute in the 39th minute, replacing the injured first-choice goalkeeper Alisson Becker, in a match Liverpool won 4-1.

His immediate impact was felt on August 14, when he started in the 2019 UEFA Super Cup against Chelsea. In extra time, he conceded a penalty after a foul on Tammy Abraham, which Jorginho converted to level the score at 2-2. However, the match proceeded to a penalty shoot-out, where Adrián emerged as the hero by saving Abraham's decisive final penalty, securing Liverpool's first trophy of the 2019-20 season with a 5-4 victory. This also marked Adrián's first major trophy of his professional career. Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp praised his performance in the game as "incredible."

2.3.2. Major Tournament Wins

Adrián made his UEFA Champions League debut on September 17, 2019, against Napoli at the Stadio San Paolo. Despite making a remarkable save from Belgian international Dries Mertens while the game was scoreless, Liverpool ultimately suffered a 0-2 defeat, marking Adrián's first loss as a Liverpool player. On March 11, 2020, Adrián again deputized for the injured Alisson Becker as defending champions Liverpool were knocked out of the Champions League by Atlético Madrid. Liverpool lost 2-3 at Anfield, resulting in a 2-4 aggregate defeat, with some of Adrián's goalkeeping decisions coming under scrutiny and leading to criticism.

Despite these challenges, Adrián played a role in Liverpool's historic Premier League title win in the 2019-20 season, their first league title in 30 years. He also contributed to Liverpool's success in the 2022 FA Community Shield in July 2022, where he started due to the unavailability of Alisson Becker and Caoimhín Kelleher, helping Liverpool secure a 3-1 victory over Manchester City and win their 16th Community Shield. He was also part of the squad that won the EFL Cup in 2023-24.

2.3.3. Career at Liverpool

On June 14, 2021, Liverpool announced that they had extended Adrián's contract, though specific details regarding the duration were not disclosed at the time. He further extended his contract with Liverpool until the end of the 2023-24 season on June 30, 2023. However, with the emergence of Caoimhín Kelleher as a strong second-choice goalkeeper, Adrián's playing time became increasingly limited, and he effectively became the third-choice goalkeeper. He made no official appearances after the 2022 Community Shield. On July 7, 2024, it was confirmed that Adrián would leave Liverpool after five years at the club.