Víctor Ruiz Torre (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈbiɣtoɾ ˈrwiθ ˈtore]; born 25 January 1989) is a Spanish former professional footballer who played as a centre-back.
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Club career
Espanyol
Born in Esplugues de Llobregat, Barcelona, Catalonia, Ruiz arrived in Espanyol's youth system in 2006 at the age of 17, from neighbouring Cornellà. In the 2008–09 season, he made his senior debut, helping the reserve side to win their Tercera División group and subsequently promote in the playoffs.
Ruiz made his debut with the first team on 6 December 2009, starting and being booked in a 4–0 home loss against Racing de Santander. Coach Mauricio Pochettino fielded him in a further 21 La Liga games that campaign, with the team finally finishing 11th; he added two goals, against Málaga (2–1 away defeat) and Atlético Madrid (3–0, home).
Napoli and Valencia
In 2010–11, Ruiz played all the minutes for Espanyol in the first 15 rounds. On 31 January 2011, he was sold to Napoli for €6 million cash in a four-and-a-half-year contract, with the Italians also ceding the sporting rights to Jesús Dátolo who was playing with the Spaniards on loan.
Ruiz returned to his country on 30 August 2011, after signing a five-year deal with Valencia for €8 million. He made his official debut on 10 September, playing the full 90 minutes in a 1–0 home victory over Atlético Madrid.
On 12 December 2013, Ruiz was sent off in a 1–1 home draw against Kuban Krasnodar in the group stage of the UEFA Europa League, for a professional foul on Djibril Cissé.
Villarreal
On 1 July 2015, following a one-year loan there, Ruiz transferred to Villarreal also in the Valencian Community for an initial €2.7 million, potentially rising to €3 million. He played his first competitive match for them in his second spell on 23 August, when he started and finished the 1–1 draw at Real Betis.
Ruiz scored his first league goal for Villarreal on 7 April 2017, in a 3–1 home defeat of Athletic Bilbao where he also received his marching orders after a straight red card with 15 minutes left.
Beşiktaş and Betis
On 7 August 2019, Ruiz joined Beşiktaş on a three-year contract. He returned to the Spanish top flight one year later, however, with the free agent signing a one-year deal with Betis.
Ruiz agreed to an extension until 2023 at the Estadio Benito Villamarín on 4 June 2021; at its conclusion, he left. In between, he won the 2021–22 edition of the Copa del Rey for his first major honour, but contributed only three matches to this feat.
Return to Espanyol
On 20 September 2023, Ruiz returned to his first professional club Espanyol on a one-year deal.
International career
Shortly after making his debut with Espanyol, Ruiz was called to the Spain under-21 team by manager Luis Milla. On 8 February 2011, in the last minutes of a 2–1 friendly win over Denmark, he was sent off for punching Nicki Bille, who celebrated his goal in front of Ruiz's face.
Honours
Espanyol B
Tercera División: 2008–09
Betis
Copa del Rey: 2021–22
Spain U21
UEFA European Under-21 Championship: 2011
Individual
UEFA La Liga Team of the Season: 2015–16