Saúl Crespo

Saúl Crespo
Personal information
Full name Saúl Crespo Prieto
Date of birth (1996-07-23) 23 July 1996 (age 28)
Place of birth Ponferrada, Spain
Height 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)
Position(s) Central Midfielder
Team information
Current team
East Bengal
Number 21
Youth career
2010–2015 Ponferradina
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2015–2022 Ponferradina 119 (1)
2015–2016Atlético Astorga (loan) 25 (1)
2016–2017Arandina (loan) 36 (0)
2022–2023 Odisha 18 (0)
2023– East Bengal 18 (4)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 16:37, 9 November 2024 (UTC)

Saúl Crespo Prieto (born 23 July 1996), commonly known as Saúl, is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder for Indian Super League club East Bengal.

Club career

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Saúl was born in Sonarpur Ponferrada, Castile and León, and joined SD Ponferradina's youth setup in 2010. On 12 August 2015, after finishing his formation, he was loaned to Segunda División B side Atlético Astorga FC for the season.[1]

Saúl made his senior debut on 19 September 2015, coming on as a second-half substitute in a 1–1 away draw against UD Logroñés. On 16 September, he signed a professional contract with Ponfe for three seasons.[2]

Saúl scored his first goal on 10 April 2016, netting the equalizer in a 1–2 loss at CD Guijuelo; he finished the campaign with 25 appearances, as his team suffered relegation. On 8 August, he moved to fellow third division side Arandina CF, also in a temporary deal.[3]

Saúl returned to his parent club in July 2017, and was definitely assigned to the main squad. On 14 June of the following year, he renewed his contract with the club,[4] and contributed with one goal in 30 appearances in 2018–19 as his side returned to Segunda División after three years.[citation needed]

Saúl made his professional debut on 18 August 2019, coming on as a second-half substitute for Yuri de Souza in a 1–3 away loss against Cádiz CF.[5]

Odisha

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In July 2022, Saúl moved abroad for the first time, signing a one-year contract with Indian Super League club Odisha.[6]

On 17 August, Saúl made his debut for the club against NorthEast United in the Durand Cup, in a thumping 6–0 win.[7][8] Six days later, he scored his first goal for the club against Kerala Blasters which ended in 2–0 win.[9][10]

Career statistics

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Club

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As of 29 April 2023[11]
Club Season League National Cup League Cup Continental Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Ponferradina 2017–18 Segunda División B 29 0 3[a] 0 32 0
2018–19 35 1 0 0 35 1
2019–20 Segunda División 22 0 2[a] 0 24 0
2020–21 15 0 1[a] 0 16 0
2021–22 18 0 3[a] 0 21 0
Ponferradina total 119 1 9 0 0 0 0 0 128 1
Atlético Astorga (loan) 2015–16 Segunda División B 25 1 0 0 25 1
Arandina (loan) 2016–17 36 0 0 0 36 0
Odisha 2022–23 Indian Super League 18 0 3[b] 0 5[c] 3 1[d] 0 27 3
East Bengal 2023–24 13 4 5 2 6[c] 1 24 7
Career total 198 2 12 0 5 3 1 0 216 5
  1. ^ a b c d Appearance(s) in Copa del Rey
  2. ^ Appearance(s) in Super Cup
  3. ^ a b Appearance(s) in Durand Cup
  4. ^ Appearance(s) in Qualification for the AFC Cup group stage

References

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  1. ^ "Saúl Crespo llega cedido al Atlético Astorga" [Saúl Crespo arrives on loan at Atlético Astorga] (in Spanish). León Noticias. 12 August 2019. Retrieved 23 August 2019.
  2. ^ "El canterano Saúl firma con la SD Ponferradina por tres temporadas" [Youth graduate Saúl signs with SD Ponferradina for three seasons] (in Spanish). SD Ponferradina. 16 September 2015. Retrieved 23 August 2019.
  3. ^ "Saúl Crespo cedido a la Arandina" [Saúl Crespo loaned to Arandina] (in Spanish). Cadena SER. 8 August 2016. Retrieved 23 August 2019.
  4. ^ "Saúl Crespo renueva su contrato con la SD Ponferradina" [Saúl Crespo renews his contract with SD Ponferradina] (in Spanish). SD Ponferradina. 14 June 2018. Retrieved 23 August 2019.
  5. ^ "El Cádiz remonta a base de golazos" [Cádiz complete a comeback based on screamers] (in Spanish). Marca. 18 August 2019. Retrieved 21 August 2019.
  6. ^ "Saúl signs for OFC". odishafc.com. 7 July 2022. Retrieved 8 July 2022.
  7. ^ "Half a dozen for Odisha FC to start the campaign!". odishafc.com. 17 August 2022. Retrieved 18 August 2022.
  8. ^ "NorthEast United 0 – 6 Odisha". the-aiff.com. 17 August 2022. Retrieved 17 August 2022.
  9. ^ "Odisha FC beat Kerala Blasters, extend winning run". khelnow.com. 23 August 2022. Retrieved 23 August 2022.
  10. ^ "Odisha 2 – 0 Kerala Blasters". the-aiff.com. 23 August 2022. Retrieved 23 August 2022.
  11. ^ Saúl Crespo at Soccerway
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