Pepelu

José Luis García Vayá (born 11 August 1998), commonly known as Pepelu, is a Spanish footballer who plays as a central midfielder for Levante UD.

Pepelu
Personal information
Full name José Luis García Vayá
Date of birth (1998-08-11) 11 August 1998
Place of birth Dénia, Spain
Height 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Position(s) Midfielder
Team information
Current team
 Levante
Number 8
Youth career
Dénia
2012–2015 Levante
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2014–2019 Levante B 110 (14)
2015– Levante 29 (0)
2017–2018 → Hércules (loan) 30 (0)
2019–2020 → Tondela (loan) 33 (2)
2020–2021 → Vitória Guimarães (loan) 30 (1)
International career
2014–2015 Spain U17 15 (2)
2016 Spain U18 2 (0)
2016–2017 Spain U19 7 (0)
2016 Spain U20 6 (0)
2019 Spain U21 3 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 11:40, 10 June 2022 (UTC)
In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is García and the second or maternal family name is Vayá.

Club career

Born in Dénia, Alicante, Valencian Community, Pepelu joined Levante UD's youth setup in 2012, after starting it out at CD Dénia. On 24 June 2014, while still a youth, he renewed his contract until 2021,[1] and made his senior debut with the reserve team on 7 September, coming on as a half-time substitute in a Tercera División 1–1 home draw against CD Castellón.

On 15 December 2015 Pepelu made his first team debut, replacing Juanfran in a 1–2 Copa del Rey away loss against RCD Espanyol.[2] In August 2017, he was loaned to Hércules CF in Segunda División B, for one season.

Upon returning from loan, Pepelu was a regular starter for the B-side also in the third division, scoring a career-best six goals during the 2018–19 campaign. On 26 July 2019, he moved abroad for the first time in his career after agreeing to a one-year loan deal with Primeira Liga side C.D. Tondela.[3] A year later, he saved the club from relegation with a late penalty 2–1 winner at Moreirense F.C. on the final day, at Portimonense SC's expense.[4]

On 8 September 2020, Pepelu remained in Portugal for a further campaign, after agreeing to a one-year loan deal with Vitória S.C.[5] Upon returning to Levante in July 2021, he became a regular starter for the side under manager Alessio Lisci.[6]

In June 2022, Pepelu signed a new ten-year contract with Levante running until the summer of 2032.[7]

References
  1. "Pepelu amplía su contrato con el Levante UD hasta 2021" [Pepelu extends his contract with Levante UD until 2021] (in Spanish). Levante's official website. 24 June 2014. Retrieved 16 December 2015.
  2. "Caicedo resuelve la eliminatoria" [Caicedo solves the tie] (in Spanish). Marca. 15 December 2015. Retrieved 16 December 2015.
  3. "El Levante UD y el CD Tondela acuerdan la cesión de Pepelu" [Levante UD and CD Tondela agree the loan of Pepelu] (in Spanish). Levante UD. 26 July 2019. Retrieved 26 July 2019.
  4. "PortuGOAL Figure of the Week: Natxo González guides Tondela to traditional final day heroics". PortuGOAL. 27 July 2020. Retrieved 29 July 2020.
  5. "El Levante UD y el Vitória Sport Clube acuerdan la cesión de Pepelu" [Levante UD and Vitória Sport Clube agree the loan of Pepelu] (in Spanish). Levante UD. 8 September 2020. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
  6. "Alessio Lisci da con su fórmula" [Alessio Lisci makes it work with his formula] (in Spanish). Diario AS. 27 February 2022. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
  7. "Pepelu y el Levante UD renuevan su vinculación por diez temporadas" (in Spanish). Levante UD. 9 June 2022. Retrieved 10 June 2022.
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