Football Player's Biography 7: Jesús Navas

Full name	Jesús Navas González
Date of birth	November 21, 1985 (1985-11-21) (age 25)
Place of birth	Los Palacios, Spain
Height	1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)
Playing position	Winger

Jesús Navas González (Spanish pronunciation: [xeˈsuz ˈnaβaz ɣonˈθaleθ]; born 21 November 1985 in Los Palacios y Villafranca, Seville) is a Spanish footballer who plays for Sevilla FC in the Spanish first division.
A right winger who can play on the left flank on occasion, his main assets are his quick dribbling and an ability to run at opposing defenders

Club career

Navas joined Sevilla FC's youth system at age 15. In 2003–04, he made his first team (and La Liga) debuts on November 23, 2003 when he played 12 minutes in a 0–1 loss at RCD Espanyol,^[4] and added four more matches before the league was over, none complete. In the 2004–05 season, Navas was permanently promoted to the first team, scoring two times from 22 appearances and, on May 4, 2005, his link to the club was extended until 2010, as he also made his Spanish U21 debuts.
In 2005–06, Navas once again impressed, being a crucial element as the Andalusians won their first UEFA Cup; he appeared in all 12 matches, including the final against Middlesbrough. In August 2006, a deal was arranged for Navas' transfer to Chelsea, but the player declined the move, citing possible homesickness.^[5] In the league, Navas was consistently listed in the best players' ranks, entering the 'Top 50' of Don Balón magazine each year since 2005.^[6]^[7]^[8]
For the next three seasons, Navas continued to be a regular for Sevilla, always being the club's top assister, while adding nine league goals. He also helped it to the 2007–08 domestic cup, and to the third place in the following season's league.
In 2009–10, Navas was everpresent, appearing in more than 50 official matches, and leading the league in decisive passes (including two in the last round against UD Almería, as Sevilla edged RCD Mallorca for the final fourth place, with a 3–2 away triumph). On May 19, 2010, he closed the scoresheet at 2–0 in the Spanish Cup final, against Atlético Madrid.^[9]

International career

After breaking into the Sevilla first team, Navas made his debut for the U-21's in September 2004. He had been earmarked as a potential star after good performances for club and country, but his anxiety problems forced him to quit international football. In August 2009, he announced his desire to overcome his condition in order to stake his claim in the squad for the 2010 FIFA World Cup and made himself available for selection, stating: "To play for your country is the greatest thing and I hope to be able to, too. I have to be calm and make my decision. I have to continue taking the right steps."^[10]
On 9 November 2009, Navas was called-up by coach Vicente del Bosque for friendlies with Argentina and Austria.^[11] On 14 November, he made his debut against the former, a 2–1 win in Madrid, playing the final 10 minutes in the place of Andrés Iniesta; four days later, he played the entire second half with Austria, in a final 5–1 win in Vienna.
Called-up for the World Cup final stages in South Africa by manager Vicente del Bosque, Navas scored his first goal as an international on 3 June 2010, in a warm-up friendly with South Korea, netting the game's only goal four minutes from time. In the tournament itself, he appeared in three matches, including 30 minutes plus extra time in the final against the Netherlands (1–0), as Spain lifted its first FIFA World Cup trophy.