Roberto Soldado

Previously, on 28 September, he had scored an 86th-minute winner after just six minutes on the pitch in the group stage of the UEFA Champions League against Olympiacos (2–1 home win), adding a late equaliser against Osasuna and another in a 3–2 victory at Racing de Santander as Real finished second in the league, also netting in the 4–0 defeat of Athletic Bilbao in the Copa del Rey.

Roberto Soldado Rillo (born 27 May 1985) is a Spanish former professional footballer who played as a striker.

After emerging through Real Madrid's youth system, he went on to appear in only 27 official matches for the first team (four goals).

However, he became a more regular La Liga player and goalscorer for Osasuna, Getafe and Valencia, and secured a £26 million move to Tottenham Hotspur.

After two unsuccessful seasons in England, he returned to the Spanish top division with Villarreal.

After years of prolific goalscoring with the former's reserves, he made his first-team debut on 23 October 2005 against Valencia, playing 18 minutes in a 1–2 home loss.

In 2005–06, with Castilla, Soldado scored 19 goals in Segunda División – two penalties – to become joint-second highest goalscorer alongside Ciudad de Murcia's José Juan Luque, one behind Ikechukwu Uche of Recreativo de Huelva.

On 24 July 2006, he officially became the first member of Real Madrid to leave under new manager Fabio Capello and new president Ramón Calderón, moving to fellow La Liga side Osasuna on a season-long loan; he stated: "The idea is to leave and have a good season with a first division team scoring goals, and to develop as a footballer".

His new team had finished fourth the previous campaign to earn themselves a place in the third qualifying round of the Champions League, hence he chose them over a number of other Spanish clubs competing for his presence.

"The following year I want to return to the Real first team. I chose Osasuna because it gives me the chance to play in the Champions League", he said to Real Madrid's website after his signing; he finished with a total of 13 goals in all competitions, making him the Navarrese's top scorer.

An international since 2007, Soldado represented Spain at the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup.

Born in Valencia, Soldado joined Real Madrid at the age of 15 from native region small club CF Don Bosco.

Soldado returned to Real Madrid where, on 11 July 2007, he renewed his contract until 30 June 2012.

In a 21 July interview with Spanish newspaper Diario AS, he revealed that he would be wearing number 9 shirt in his second stint: "During the preseason I'll be number 9, the number I've always dreamed of. When I step onto the pitch at the Bernabéu I'll remember all the hard work it took to get here".

However, he finished the season with just five league appearances (one start, at Deportivo de La Coruña), the second with fewer minutes for the league champions.

In late July 2008, Soldado was sold to Getafe for €4 million, signing a four-year deal with the club from the Madrid outskirts.

He scored his first goal for them on 19 October in a 2–1 away loss against Málaga, adding two in another away defeat, with Osasuna (5–2), two months later; in between, he was sent off in a 0–3 home loss to Valencia for a headbutt on Carlos Marchena.

On 25 January 2009, Soldado scored a hat-trick as an early substitute, in a 5–1 home win over Sporting de Gijón.

On 22 March, as Getafe struggled in the league, he scored twice to secure another home victory, 2–1 against Recreativo.

The following month, he opened the 3–2 away defeat against his first employers.

Soldado started 2009–10 in impressive fashion, putting three goals past Racing Santander in a 4–1 away win.

After a long scoring drought, he added three more against newly promoted Xerez in a 5–1 home victory.

On 19 December 2009, Soldado took his league tally to ten after scoring twice in a 2–1 defeat of Sevilla; with this achievement, he became Getafe's best ever scorer in the first division, surpassing Manu del Moral and Dani Güiza.

He missed one month of competition due to injury but, in his return to action, scored from a bicycle kick, earning his side a point in the 1–1 home draw with Gijón.

In early June 2010, after a successful year – 16 league goals, and qualification for the UEFA Europa League – Soldado returned to his hometown and signed for Valencia for €10 million, replacing Barcelona-bound David Villa.

In his first official game, on 14 September, in the Champions League group phase, he contributed one goal in the Che's 4–0 win at Bursaspor.

When the two teams met at the Mestalla Stadium in November, he netted two more in a 6–1 victory.

On 2 April 2011, Soldado scored all of Valencia's goals in a 4–2 away defeat of former club Getafe.

In the next fixture, a local derby against Villarreal, he scored two more in a 5–0 home win.

He finished the season as joint-fourth top scorer as his team ranked third and qualified for the Champions League.

In his first game of 2011–12, Soldado scored four goals against Racing Santander (one in his own net) in an eventual 4–3 home win – his last two arrived in the final three minutes.

In late November 2011, in two home games separated by only five days, he added five more: two in a 2–3 home loss to Real Madrid and three in a 7–0 Champions League rout of Genk.

Soldado scored his 25th competitive goal of the campaign on 18 March 2012, netting all of his team's in a 3–0 win at Bilbao.

On 23 October 2012, Soldado scored a hat-trick against BATE Borisov in a 3–0 victory in the Champions League group stage in Minsk.

Valencia agreed a deal with Tottenham Hotspur for the transfer of Soldado on 1 August 2013, for a fee of £26 million, which would break the English club's previous record of £17 million paid for Paulinho earlier in the summer; the transfer was completed four days later after a successful medical.

On his Premier League debut on 18 August, he scored through a penalty in a 1–0 win against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park.

Four days later, he netted a brace in a 5–0 victory at Dinamo Tbilisi in the playoff round of the Europa League.

On 20 October 2013, Soldado scored his first Premier League goal from open play, in a 2–0 victory against Aston Villa at Villa Park.

Two months later he netted his first hat-trick for Tottenham, against Anzhi Makhachkala in the Europa League group stage (4–1).

In late June, he extended his contract until 2017.