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 scorer 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;[3] over 13 seasons in the latter competition, he recorded figures of 325 games and 129 goals.[4]
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.[11] 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".[12] 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.[13]
Soldado returned to Real Madrid where, on 11 July 2007, he renewed his contract until 30 June 2012.[14] 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".[15] 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.[16][17]
Getafe
In late July 2008, Soldado was sold to Getafe for €4 million, signing a four-year deal with the club from the Madrid outskirts.[18] He scored his first goal for them on 19 October in a 2–1 away loss against Málaga,[19] adding two in another away defeat, with Osasuna (5–2), two months later;[20] in between, he was sent off in a 0–3 home loss to Valencia for a headbutt on Carlos Marchena.[21]
On 25 January 2009, Soldado scored a hat-trick as an early substitute, in a 5–1 home win over Sporting de Gijón.[22] On 22 March, as Getafe struggled in the league, he scored twice to secure another home victory, 2–1 against Recreativo.[23] The following month, he opened the 3–2 away defeat against his first employers.[24]
Soldado started 2009–10 in impressive fashion, putting three goals past Racing Santander in a 4–1 away win.[25] After a long scoring drought, he added three more against newly promoted Xerez in a 5–1 home victory.[26]
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.[27] 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.[28]
Valencia
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.[29] 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.[30] When the two teams met at the Mestalla Stadium in November, he netted two more in a 6–1 victory.[31]
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.[36] 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[37] and three in a 7–0 Champions League rout of Genk.[38]
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.[39] In late June, he extended his contract until 2017.[40]
Valencia agreed a deal with Tottenham Hotspur for the transfer of Soldado on 1 August 2013, for a fee of £26 million,[42] 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.[43] On his Premier League debut on 18 August, he scored through a penalty in a 1–0 win against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park.[44] Four days later, he netted a brace in a 5–0 victory at Dinamo Tbilisi in the playoff round of the Europa League.[45]
Soldado scored the only goal against relegation-threatened Cardiff City on 2 March 2014, his first in nine games.[48] He netted just six times in his debut season with the Spurs, only two of which came from open play, and was included in The Daily Telegraph website's list of the "10 worst buys of the Premier League season".[49]
On 18 October 2014, making his first league start of the campaign, Soldado set up Christian Eriksen's goal during the match against Manchester City, also having a penalty saved by Joe Hart in an eventual 4–1 away loss.[50] His first goal came on 30 November, the decisive in a 2–1 home defeat of Everton.[51]
Villarreal
On 14 August 2015, Soldado returned to his country's top flight, signing a three-year contract with Villarreal for a reported £10 million.[52][53] He scored in his very first appearance, helping to a 1–1 draw at Real Betis in which he started and retired injured midway through the second half.[54]
On 13 December 2015, Soldado netted the game's only goal to help defeat his former club Real Madrid at the Estadio El Madrigal.[55] He missed the vast majority of 2016–17, due to an anterior cruciate ligament injury to his right knee contracted in pre-season.[56]
Fenerbahçe
On 11 August 2017, Fenerbahçe announced the signing of Soldado.[57] After failing to find the net in his first ten games, he scored a hat-trick as a 61st-minute substitute on 19 November in a 4–1 home win over Sivasspor.[58]
Soldado announced that he would not renew his contract on 2 June 2019.[59]
Granada
On 15 July 2019, Soldado signed a one-year contract with recently promoted Granada, making him Diego Martínez's fourth signing of the summer transfer window.[60] He made his competitive debut on 17 August, starting and scoring in a 4–4 draw against Villarreal,[61] and remained a starter as the side qualified for Europe for the first time after a seventh-place finish.[62] In April 2020, the club activated prematurely the contract clause that would keep him for another season.[63]
On 17 September 2020, Soldado scored the first goal in the Andalusians' European history, in a 4–0 win at Albania's Teuta Durrës in the second qualifying round.[64] He netted twice more in their run to the quarter-finals, one in each leg of a 3–2 aggregate victory over Norwegians Molde in the last 16.[65][66]
On 3 August 2023, Soldado announced his retirement from professional football at the age of 38.[71]
International career
Soldado represented Spain at all its youth levels, scoring a total of 26 goals. He was first called up to the first team in June 2007 for two UEFA Euro 2008 qualifiers, against Latvia and Liechtenstein, playing in both.[72][73] He did not make it to the finals in Switzerland and Austria, however, as the nation emerged victorious.
On 29 February 2012, after nearly five years of absence, Soldado returned to the national team: he replaced Fernando Llorente at half-time of a friendly with Venezuela in Málaga, scoring twice after only seven minutes on the pitch; afterwards, he won a penalty and the sending off of Fernando Amorebieta, but missed the ensuing attempt, only to close the score at 5–0 in the 83rd minute.[74]
^Llamas, Fernando (23 October 2005). "El Valencia deja helado el Bernabéu" [Valencia freeze the Bernabéu]. El Mundo (in Spanish). Retrieved 16 December 2017.
^Puig, Darío (3 August 2023). "Roberto Soldado anuncia su retirada" [Roberto Soldado announces retirement]. Marca (in Spanish). Retrieved 3 August 2023.