return after a two-year absence. The 34-year-old Juanfran was the most used player in his position in 2010–11 (23 matches), as Levante eventually retained their status. He fared even better the following season, with the side finishing sixth and qualifying for the Europa League for the first time ever. On 20 September 2012, in Levante's European competition group stage debut, Juanfran scored the game's only goal at home against Helsingborgs IF, netting with his preferred foot from the corner of the penalty area. On 4 May 2016, after a further four top-tier campaigns – suffering relegation in the last – the 39-year-old announced his retirement. On 10 December 2018, in an interview with Marca, Juanfran revealed he had signed for EFL Championship club Aston Villa as a scout, focusing primarily on Spain and Portugal. He stated "it is a privilege to work for a club like Aston Villa. Everyone identifies it as a big club in England and it’s a dream come true." Juanfran was hired in his first managerial job on 30 June 2020, succeeding Curro Torres at a CD Lugo team in the second division's relegation zone. He managed to narrowly avoid relegation, but was dismissed on 11 October after four losses in the first five matches of the new campaign. International career Juanfran earned 11 caps for Spain, making his debut in a friendly with Italy on 29 March 2000 after impressive displays at Celta. Subsequently, he was included in the nation's 2002 FIFA World Cup squad, and appeared in three matches out of five. Juanfran's last game was an UEFA Euro 2004 qualifier against Northern Ireland in June 2003, playing the whole 90 minutes of a 0–0 away draw. Managerial statistics Honours Levante Segunda División B: 1995–96 Valencia Copa del Rey: 1998–99 UEFA Intertoto Cup: 1998 Celta UEFA Intertoto Cup: 2000 Ajax KNVB Cup: 2005–06 AEK Greek Football Cup runner-up: 2008–09 References External links 1976 births Living people Spanish footballers Footballers from Valencia (city) Association football defenders La Liga players Segunda División players Segunda División B players Levante UD footballers Valencia CF players RC Celta de Vigo players Real Zaragoza players Süper Lig players Beşiktaş J.K. footballers Eredivisie players AFC Ajax players Super League Greece players AEK Athens F.C. players Spain under-21 international footballers Spain international footballers 2002 FIFA World Cup players Spanish expatriate footballers Expatriate footballers in Turkey Expatriate footballers in the Netherlands Expatriate footballers