1. Overview
David Soria Solís (born April 4, 1993) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for La Liga club Getafe. Standing at 75 in (190 cm) and weighing 183 lb (83 kg), Soria primarily uses his left foot. His career began in the youth academies of prominent Spanish clubs, including Real Madrid, where he developed his skills. Despite facing significant early professional challenges, including unsuccessful trials with several English and Spanish clubs that led him to consider retiring from football, Soria persevered. He eventually joined Sevilla FC, progressing through their C team and reserves to become a first-team player and achieve a major triumph by winning the UEFA Europa League in the 2015-16 season. He later transferred to Getafe CF, where he established himself as a key figure, demonstrating remarkable consistency, notably playing every minute of the 2019-20 La Liga season. His journey exemplifies resilience and steady development as a top-tier goalkeeper in Spanish football.
2. Early Life and Youth Career
David Soria Solís was born on April 4, 1993, in Madrid, Spain. His early football development began within the youth ranks of several Spanish clubs. From 2001 to 2003, he played for Carabanchel. He then spent a significant period in the youth system of Real Madrid CF, initially from 2003 to 2008. Following this, he had a brief stint with Atlético Madrid from 2008 to 2009, before returning to Real Madrid's academy where he remained until 2012, completing his youth career with the club.
2.1. Early Professional Challenges
After his release from Real Madrid CF's youth setup, Soria faced a difficult period in his burgeoning professional career. He sought opportunities abroad, moving to England for trials with various clubs. At Leicester City, his trial unfortunately ended on the first day due to an injury. He then moved on to Birmingham City, where he spent six weeks before being released due to the club's salary cap issues. Feeling discouraged, Soria eventually ended his trial at Stoke City.
Upon returning to Spain, his struggles continued. He failed to secure a contract with Real Betis B because of a change in coaching staff. Similarly, Abelardo Fernández's Sporting de Gijón, then in the Segunda División, deemed him not experienced enough for their squad. During this uncertain time, Soria trained with CD Canillas to maintain his fitness, but he did not make a competitive debut for the club. The accumulation of these setbacks led him to seriously consider retiring from football altogether.
3. Club Career
David Soria Solís's professional football career is marked by his steady progression and establishment as a reliable goalkeeper across multiple clubs in Spain. He navigated early career difficulties to become a key player, especially during his impactful tenures at Sevilla FC and Getafe CF.
3.1. Sevilla FC
David Soria joined Sevilla FC in January 2013, beginning his senior career with the club's C team in the Tercera División, where he made 14 appearances. Later in 2013, he was promoted to Sevilla Atlético, the club's reserve team. In his first season with the reserves, the 2013-14 season, he played 16 matches in the Segunda División B. He continued to be a regular starter, making 34 appearances in the 2014-15 season for Sevilla Atlético, accumulating a total of 54 appearances for Sevilla B.
Soria's proximity to the first team grew in the 2014-15 season, when he was an unused substitute seven times for the main squad in La Liga. His first appearance on the bench for the senior team was on September 14, 2014, in a 2-0 home victory against Getafe CF, where he served as a reserve goalkeeper in place of Mariano Barbosa. He also sat on the bench for one match of Sevilla's victorious Europa League campaign, specifically the 2-1 quarter-final first leg win over FC Zenit Saint Petersburg at the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán Stadium on April 16, 2015.
In September 2015, Spanish sports newspaper Marca suggested that Soria could potentially break into Sevilla's first team due to the inconsistent form of the club's primary goalkeepers, Beto and Sergio Rico. His official first-team debut came on December 2, 2015, under manager Unai Emery, in a Copa del Rey match against UD Logroñés, which Sevilla won 3-0 away, with Soria keeping a clean sheet.
Soria became the undisputed first-choice goalkeeper for the knockout stage of the Europa League. He made his continental debut on February 18, 2016, keeping a clean sheet in a 3-0 home win over Molde FK. His consistent performances led to a contract renewal with the Andalusians on April 5, 2016, extending his stay until 2019. In the quarter-final second leg against compatriots Athletic Bilbao on April 14, 2016, Soria made an error that allowed Aritz Aduriz to score, but he redeemed himself by saving a penalty from Beñat Etxebarria in the subsequent penalty shootout, which secured Sevilla's progression. He was also in goal for the final in Basel, playing a crucial role in Sevilla's 3-1 victory against Liverpool on May 18, earning them the title. His first appearance in the Spanish top flight occurred on May 20, 2017, in a 5-0 home rout of relegated CA Osasuna, as Sevilla had already secured fourth place in the league.
3.2. Getafe CF
On July 13, 2018, Getafe CF, another top-tier club, reached an agreement with Sevilla FC for David Soria's transfer. He signed a four-year contract with Getafe, marking a new chapter in his career. Soria made his debut for Getafe on August 20, 2018, in the season opener, a 2-0 away loss to Real Madrid CF. In his inaugural season with the team from the Community of Madrid, he missed only one game as Getafe achieved their best-ever fifth-place finish, narrowly missing out on a UEFA Champions League debut by just two points.
In the 2019-20 season, Soria demonstrated remarkable durability and consistency, becoming the only player in the league to feature in every minute of the season. Despite his efforts, Getafe narrowly missed out on European qualification due to an added-time defeat on the final day of the season. In December 2020, Soria temporarily lost his starting position to Rubén Yáñez after suffering a muscular injury. Yáñez impressed during his absence, but Soria successfully recovered his place as the first-choice goalkeeper in February 2021, reaffirming his importance to the team.
4. Career Statistics
| Club | Season | League | Copa del Rey | Europe | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Sevilla B | 2013-14 | Segunda División B | 16 | 0 | - | - | 16 | 0 | ||
| 2014-15 | 34 | 0 | - | - | 34 | 0 | ||||
| 2015-16 | 4 | 0 | - | - | 4 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 54 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 54 | 0 | ||
| Sevilla | 2015-16 | La Liga | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 13 | 0 |
| 2016-17 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | ||
| 2017-18 | 15 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 20 | 0 | ||
| Total | 16 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 36 | 0 | ||
| Getafe | 2018-19 | La Liga | 37 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | 37 | 0 | |
| 2019-20 | 38 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 42 | 0 | ||
| 2020-21 | 28 | 0 | 1 | 0 | - | 29 | 0 | |||
| 2021-22 | 38 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | 38 | 0 | |||
| 2022-23 | 38 | 0 | 1 | 0 | - | 39 | 0 | |||
| 2023-24 | 38 | 0 | 2 | 0 | - | 40 | 0 | |||
| 2024-25 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | 15 | 0 | |||
| Total | 232 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 240 | 0 | ||
| Career total | 302 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 15 | 0 | 330 | 0 | ||
5. Honours
David Soria Solís has accumulated several collective and individual honors throughout his professional career, primarily recognized for his contributions during his time with Sevilla FC.
5.1. Club
- UEFA Europa League: 2015-16 (with Sevilla FC)
5.2. Individual
- UEFA Europa League Squad of the Season: 2015-16