Víctor Ruiz

Espanyol

Born in Esplugues de Llobregat, Barcelona, Catalonia, Ruiz arrived in Espanyol's youth system in 2006 at the age of 17, from neighbouring Cornellà. In the 2008–09 season, he made his senior debut, helping the reserve side to win their Tercera División group and subsequently promote in the playoffs. Ruiz made his debut with the first team on 6 December 2009, starting and being booked in a 4–0 home loss against Racing de Santander. Coach Mauricio Pochettino fielded him in a further 21 La Liga games that campaign, with the team finally finishing 11th; he added two goals, against Málaga (2–1 away defeat) and Atlético Madrid (3–0, home).

Napoli and Valencia

In 2010–11, Ruiz played all the minutes for Espanyol in the first 15 rounds. On 31 January 2011, he was sold to Napoli for €6 million cash in a four-and-a-half-year contract, with the Italians also ceding the sporting rights to Jesús Dátolo who was playing with the Spaniards on loan. Ruiz returned to his country on 30 August 2011, after signing a five-year deal with Valencia for €8 million. He made his official debut on 10 September, playing the full 90 minutes in a 1–0 home victory over Atlético Madrid. On 12 December 2013, Ruiz was sent off in a 1–1 home draw against Kuban Krasnodar in the group stage of the UEFA Europa League, for a professional foul on Djibril Cissé.

Villarreal

On 1 July 2015, following a one-year loan there, Ruiz transferred to Villarreal also in the Valencian…

Shortly after making his debut with Espanyol, Ruiz was called to the Spain under-21 team by manager Luis Milla. On 8 February 2011, in the last minutes of a 2–1 friendly win over Denmark, he was sent off for punching Nicki Bille, who celebrated his goal in front of Ruiz's face.

Espanyol B

Tercera División: 2008–09 Betis

Copa del Rey: 2021–22 Spain U21

UEFA European Under-21 Championship: 2011 Individual

UEFA La Liga Team of the Season: 2015–16