Enrique Sola

Kike Sola
Personal information
Full name Enrique Sola Clemente
Date of birth (1986-02-25) 25 February 1986
Place of birth Cascante, Spain
Height 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Playing position Striker
Club information
Current team
 Middlesbrough
(on loan from Athletic Bilbao)
Number 23
Youth career
Aluvión
1998–2003 Athletic Bilbao
2003–2004 Aluvión
2004–2005 Osasuna
Senior career*
Years Team Apps† (Gls)†
2005–2007 Osasuna B 61 (17)
2007–2013 Osasuna 91 (21)
2009–2010 → Numancia (loan) 7 (1)
2010 → Levadiakos (loan) 10 (1)
2013– Athletic Bilbao 15 (1)
2016 → Middlesbrough (loan) 2 (0)
National team
2008 Spain U21 1 (0)

* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 9 February 2016.

† Appearances (goals)
This name uses Spanish naming customs: the first or paternal family name is Sola and the second or maternal family name is Clemente.

Enrique "Kike" Sola Clemente (born 25 February 1986) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays for English club Middlesbrough on loan from Athletic Bilbao as a striker.

Club career

Osasuna

Sola was born in Cascante, Navarre. A product of CA Osasuna's youth system, he made his first-team and La Liga debut on 9 June 2007, coming on as a second-half substitute in a 5–0 away win against Real Betis and scoring twice.[1]

On 16 July 2009, after having appeared rarely in the previous two seasons (also struggling with injuries and loss of form), Sola moved to Segunda División's CD Numancia on a season-long loan, as part of a deal that saw Carlos Aranda move in the opposite direction, permanently. On 18 January of the following year, after a negative experience – even when healthy, he did not make the list of 18 on several occasions – he terminated his contract with the Soria club[2] and moved abroad, joining Levadiakos F.C. from Greece until June.[3]

For the 2010–11 campaign Sola was initially only fourth-choice, behind Aranda, Walter Pandiani and newly signed Dejan Lekić, only starting to receive significant playing time after injuries to the first two. On 13 March 2011, in one of his first starts, he netted in a 3–1 home win against Racing de Santander,[4] and added another in the following matchday, scoring from a backheel in a 4–0 win at Hércules CF.[5]

Osasuna eventually escaped relegation, and Sola finished as the team's top scorer even though he featured in less than half of the matches.[6] On 11 May 2011 he helped with a brace to a 3–2 home win against Sevilla FC, after his side trailed 0–2 at half-time.[7]

Sola only played in seven scoreless games in 2011–12, being troubled by tendinitis problems for several months[8] and eventually undergoing surgery in early March 2012, being sidelined until June.[9] On 25 February 2013, the day of his 27th birthday, he played just 20 minutes after coming from the bench away against Levante UD, but netted the second goal in an eventual 2–0 triumph for his seventh of the season.[10]

On 31 March 2013, Sola helped with a brace as Osasuna came from behind to win it 3–1 over Real Valladolid at the Estadio José Zorrilla.[11]

Athletic Bilbao

In the 2013 summer, Sola joined Athletic Bilbao on a five-year contract with a €30 million buyout clause – he had already played youth football with the club, from ages 12–17.[12] After spending four months recovering from injury[13] he scored his first goal on 26 January 2014, closing the scoresheet in a 5–1 away win over former side Osasuna.[14]

Sola played sparingly for the Lions, remaining an unused substitute as they lost the 2015 final of the Copa del Rey to FC Barcelona. Against the same opponent, in that year's Supercopa de España, he came in the 80th minute of the second leg at the Camp Nou and, within seven minutes was given a red card for a foul on Javier Mascherano; his team nonetheless won 5–1 on aggregate for his first major honour.[15]

In December 2015, Sola scored in each leg of Athletic's 8–0 aggregate win over Real Balompédica Linense in the domestic cup.[16][17] On 15 January 2016, he moved abroad for a second time, joining English Football League Championship leaders Middlesbrough on a temporary basis until the end of the campaign and teaming up with several compatriots at the club, among them manager Aitor Karanka.[18] His first appearance occurred on 6 February, as he started and played the first half of the 1–1 home draw against Blackburn Rovers.[19]

Honours

Athletic Bilbao

References

  1. ↑ Real Betis 0–5 Osasuna; ESPN Soccernet, 9 June 2007
  2. ↑ "Kike Sola vuelve a Osasuna con ilussión [sic] tras dos cesiones en un año" [Kike Sola returns hungry to Osasuna after two loans in one year] (in Spanish). Marca. 9 June 2010. Retrieved 19 January 2016.
  3. ↑ Kike Sola jugará cedido en el Levadiakos FC (Kike Sola to play on loan with Levadiakos FC); Osasuna's official website, 18 January 2010 (Spanish)
  4. ↑ Soriano dismissal can't halt Osasuna; ESPN Soccernet, 13 March 2011
  5. ↑ Giant performance shocks Hercules; ESPN Soccernet, 20 March 2011
  6. ↑ "Kike Sola, de la nada a la red" [Kike Sola, from the nothing to the net] (in Spanish). El Sadar. 23 May 2011. Retrieved 19 January 2016.
  7. ↑ Osasuna hit back for stunning win; ESPN Soccernet, 11 May 2011
  8. ↑ "Osasuna mantendrá cinco bajas por lesión para el partido en Gijón" [Osasuna still with five out due to injury for game in Gijón] (in Spanish). Diario de Navarra. 31 January 2012. Retrieved 19 January 2016.
  9. ↑ Kike Sola se perderá el resto de la temporada por una lesión (Kike Sola to miss rest of the season due to injury); Diario de Navarra, 8 March 2012 (Spanish)
  10. ↑ Masoud aparece justo a tiempo (Masoud just in time); Marca, 25 February 2013 (Spanish)
  11. ↑ Osasuna remonta en la segunda parte y logra tres puntos de oro en Valladolid (Osasuna comes from behind in second half and gets three golden points in Valladolid); Diario de Navarra, 31 March 2013 (Spanish)
  12. ↑ Signing of Kike Sola; Athletic's official website, 3 July 2013
  13. ↑ Kike Sola recae de su lesión (Kike Sola relapses from injury); Marca, 5 November 2013 (Spanish)
  14. ↑ Exhibición en El Sadar (Display at El Sadar); Athletic's official website, 26 January 2014 (Spanish)
  15. 1 2 "Athletic campeón de Supercopa de España tras igualar ante Barza [sic]" [Athletic champions of the Spanish Supercup after drawing against Barça] (in Spanish). El Comercio. 17 August 2015. Retrieved 16 January 2016.
  16. ↑ "El oficio del Athletic puede con la ilusión de la Balompédica Linense" [Athletic's know-how best hunger of Balompédica Linense] (in Spanish). ABC. 3 December 2015. Retrieved 16 January 2016.
  17. ↑ Lamela, Álvaro (16 December 2015). "Athletic 6–0 Balompédica Linense: Aritz Aduriz falta a la cita del gol" [Athletic 6–0 Balompédica Linense: Aritz Aduriz misses goal appointment] (in Spanish). Goal.com. Retrieved 16 January 2016.
  18. ↑ "Enrique Sola: Middlesbrough sign Athletic Bilbao striker". BBC Sport. 15 January 2016. Retrieved 16 January 2016.
  19. ↑ "Middlesbrough 1–1 Blackburn Rovers". BBC Sport. 6 February 2016. Retrieved 23 March 2016.

External links

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