1. Early life and youth career
Daniel Pacheco Lobato was born on 5 January 1991, in Pizarra, Málaga province, Spain. His formative years in football began at a young age, with early development at local clubs before progressing to more prominent academies.
1.1. Youth academy development
Pacheco started his youth career at Peña La Vega before moving to Málaga from 2001 to 2003. From 2003 to 2007, he was part of Barcelona's renowned La MasiaSpanish youth academy. During his time at Barcelona, Pacheco earned a reputation as a rising star due to his exceptional ability to score goals from almost any position. This remarkable skill led his teammates to nickname him El AsesinoThe AssassinSpanish. In 2007, he left Barcelona to join the youth ranks of Liverpool, where he continued his development before moving into professional football.
2. Club career
Pacheco's professional football journey saw him play for a variety of clubs across different leagues, beginning with his move to Liverpool and continuing through several loan spells and permanent transfers in Spain and Eastern Europe.
2.1. Liverpool F.C.
Pacheco signed for Liverpool from Barcelona in the summer of 2007 for an undisclosed fee, initially joining the Liverpool reserve team.
2.1.1. Reserve team and early impact
Pacheco made his first start for the Liverpool reserves on 5 February 2008, in a match against Bolton Wanderers. He scored the opening goal of the game with a low curling shot past goalkeeper Ian Walker. In April 2008, Pacheco provided a crucial 50 yd pass to assist Krisztián Németh in scoring the only goal of the game against Blackburn Rovers Reserves. This victory secured the Premier Reserve League North title for Liverpool. On 7 May 2008, Pacheco, coming on as a second-half substitute, delivered a through pass to teammate Lucas to score the third and final goal in Liverpool's Reserve League final victory over Aston Villa at Anfield. During his time with the Liverpool reserves, he also won the Dallas Tournament in 2008 and was part of the team that won the Premier Reserve League National Championship in the 2007-08 season.
2.1.2. First team debut and integration
Pacheco made his first team debut for Liverpool on 9 December 2009, as a second-half substitute for Alberto Aquilani in a UEFA Champions League match against Fiorentina. His league debut in the Premier League came on 26 December, when he again replaced Aquilani in a 2-0 home win over Wolverhampton Wanderers. On 18 February 2010, Pacheco made his UEFA Europa League debut, coming on as a substitute in the 75th minute for Aquilani against Unirea Urziceni. Just six minutes later, he provided a headed assist for David Ngog's match-winning goal. Pacheco played his first full 90 minutes in a Europa League match on 5 August 2010, against FK Rabotnički. For the 2010-11 season, Pacheco was handed the number 12 shirt, previously worn by Fábio Aurélio. On 3 December 2010, Liverpool confirmed that Pacheco, along with Martin Kelly, had signed contract extensions until June 2014. He also played in Liverpool's final Europa League group tournament match, a 0-0 draw against FC Utrecht on 15 December 2010, entering as a second-half substitute.
2.2. Loan spells from Liverpool
While under contract with Liverpool, Pacheco was sent on multiple loan spells to gain more senior team experience across various leagues.
On 23 March 2011, Pacheco joined Norwich City on an emergency loan until the end of the season, receiving the number 37 shirt. He made an impactful debut on 2 April against Scunthorpe United, assisting the first goal for Grant Holt and delivering the pass that led to a penalty for Norwich's second goal in a dominant 6-0 victory at Carrow Road. His first goal for Norwich came on 21 April, concluding a 5-1 away win over East Anglia derby rivals Ipswich Town after coming on as a substitute for Wes Hoolahan. He also scored against Coventry City FC in the Championship season final. Overall, he registered 6 appearances and 2 goals during his time at Norwich, contributing to their promotion to the Premier League.
On 24 August 2011, Atlético Madrid announced that Pacheco had joined them on loan from Liverpool for the 2011-12 La Liga season. However, he was immediately loaned out to Rayo Vallecano for the duration of that year, where he was given the number 24 shirt. Atlético Madrid had an option to purchase Pacheco at the end of the season. Pacheco made his debut for Rayo Vallecano on 18 September, as an 84 minutes substitute in a 1-0 win against Getafe, marking his official debut in La Liga.
On 31 January 2013, Pacheco was loaned to second-tier club Huesca until the end of the season. He made an immediate impact, scoring on his debut for Huesca on 3 February, netting the final goal in a 2-0 victory over Real Murcia. He concluded his loan spell having scored 5 goals in 19 matches, contributing significantly to his team.
2.3. Post-Liverpool career
After his permanent departure from Liverpool in 2013, Pacheco continued his professional career primarily in Spain before moving on to Eastern European leagues.
2.3.1. Return to Spain
On 2 September 2013, Pacheco joined Spanish second division side AD Alcorcón on a permanent basis. He played 32 matches for Alcorcón, scoring 5 goals. Pacheco left Alcorcón at the end of the 2013-14 season and signed for Real Betis on 11 July 2014. He appeared in 23 matches during the campaign, contributing to his side's return to La Liga after a one-year absence.
On 28 July 2015, Pacheco was loaned to Deportivo Alavés in the second division for one year. He played 36 matches and scored 3 goals, again achieving top level promotion with the club. Following this success, he moved to Getafe CF on 23 July of the following year, also on a temporary deal. With Getafe, Pacheco achieved a third consecutive top-tier promotion in the 2016-17 season. His loan spell at Getafe saw him play 31 matches and score 3 goals in the Segunda División, plus 3 matches and 3 goals in the promotion play-offs. His performance led Getafe to purchase him outright on 3 July 2017. During the 2017-18 season in La Liga, he made 11 appearances without scoring.
On 15 August 2018, he signed a three-year contract with Málaga CF in the second division, marking a return to his home province. He played 44 matches and scored 2 goals for Málaga before being one of eight first-team players released by the club on 3 October 2020, due to a layoff. The following 1 February, he signed a short-term contract with fellow second division side UD Logroñés, where he made 10 appearances. Pacheco was released in June 2021 following the expiration of his contract.
2.3.2. Move to Eastern Europe
Pacheco signed for Cypriot club Aris Limassol on 25 August 2021 as a free agent, making 12 appearances and scoring 0 goals before being released by the club on 31 January 2022. On 10 March 2022, he joined Polish club Górnik Zabrze until the end of the season. He played for Górnik Zabrze for three seasons, making 62 appearances and scoring 4 goals before leaving the club at the end of his contract in June 2024. On 16 July 2024, Pacheco moved to Polish second-tier club Wisła Płock on a one-year deal, with an option for a one-year extension. As of December 8, 2024, he has played 17 matches for Wisła Płock.
3. International career
Pacheco has represented Spain at various youth national team levels, showcasing his talent on the international stage.
He was part of the Spain U-19 squad at the 2010 UEFA European Under-19 Championship. In the group stage, he scored two goals against Portugal. He then scored another goal against quarter-final opponents Italy, which helped Spain qualify for the semi-finals. Pacheco scored an early goal in the semi-final match against England, a game which Spain won 3-1. Spain reached the final but ultimately lost 2-1 against France, with Pacheco providing an assist in the match. He concluded the tournament as the top scorer, winning the Golden Boot with a total of 4 goals.
On 24 March 2011, Pacheco made his debut for the Spain U-21 team in a friendly match against France, alongside his Liverpool teammate Daniel Ayala. He played 45 minutes and received a yellow card as a second-half substitute in the 3-2 friendly defeat. He was also selected as part of the Spain U-20 squad to compete at the 2011 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Colombia. He participated in 5 matches during the tournament (4 starts, 1 substitute). Spain advanced from the group stage and won their round of 16 match against South Korea in a penalty shootout. However, the team was eliminated in the quarter-finals after losing to Brazil in a penalty shootout following extra time.
Pacheco's international youth career statistics include: 5 appearances for Spain U-16, 5 appearances and 3 goals for Spain U-17, 3 appearances and 1 goal for Spain U-18, 12 appearances and 5 goals for Spain U-19, 6 appearances for Spain U-20, and 2 appearances for Spain U-21.
4. Honours
Real Betis
- Segunda División: 2014-15
Deportivo Alavés
- Segunda División: 2015-16
Liverpool F.C. Reserves
- Dallas Tournament: 2008
- Premier Reserve League Northern: 2007-08
- Premier Reserve League National Champions: 2007-08
Norwich City F.C.
- Football League Championship promotion: 2010-11
Spain U19
- UEFA European Under-19 Championship runner-up: 2010
Individual
- UEFA European Under-19 Championship Golden Boot: 2010
5. Career statistics
| Club | Season | League | National cup | League cup | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Liverpool | 2009-10 | Premier League | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | - | 7 | 0 | |
| 2010-11 | Premier League | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | - | 7 | 0 | ||
| 2012-13 | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | - | 3 | 0 | ||
| Total | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 0 | ||
| Norwich City (loan) | 2010-11 | Championship | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | 6 | 2 | ||
| Rayo Vallecano (loan) | 2011-12 | La Liga | 11 | 0 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | 12 | 0 | |||
| Huesca (loan) | 2012-13 | Segunda División | 19 | 5 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | 19 | 5 | |||
| Alcorcón | 2013-14 | Segunda División | 32 | 5 | 5 | 2 | - | - | - | 37 | 7 | |||
| Real Betis | 2014-15 | Segunda División | 23 | 0 | 2 | 0 | - | - | - | 25 | 0 | |||
| Alavés (loan) | 2015-16 | Segunda División | 36 | 3 | 2 | 0 | - | - | - | 38 | 3 | |||
| Getafe | 2016-17 | Segunda División | 31 | 3 | 0 | 0 | - | - | 3 | 3 | 34 | 6 | ||
| 2017-18 | La Liga | 11 | 0 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | 12 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 42 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 46 | 6 | ||
| Málaga | 2018-19 | Segunda División | 22 | 1 | 0 | 0 | - | - | 2 | 0 | 24 | 1 | ||
| 2019-20 | Segunda División | 22 | 1 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | 22 | 1 | ||||
| Total | 44 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 46 | 2 | ||
| Logroñés | 2020-21 | Segunda División | 10 | 0 | - | - | - | - | 10 | 0 | ||||
| Aris Limassol | 2021-22 | Cypriot First Division | 12 | 0 | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | 13 | 1 | |||
| Górnik Zabrze | 2021-22 | Ekstraklasa | 8 | 1 | - | - | - | - | 8 | 1 | ||||
| 2022-23 | Ekstraklasa | 28 | 2 | 3 | 0 | - | - | - | 31 | 2 | ||||
| 2023-24 | Ekstraklasa | 26 | 1 | 2 | 0 | - | - | - | 28 | 1 | ||||
| Total | 62 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 67 | 4 | ||
| Wisła Płock | 2024-25 | I liga | 17 | 0 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | 18 | 0 | |||
| Career total | 319 | 24 | 18 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 354 | 30 | ||