Uruguayan-born Spanish footballer (born 1998)
In this
Spanish name , the first or paternal
surname is
Zalazar and the second or maternal family name is
Martínez .
José Luis "Kuki" Zalazar Martínez (born 5 May 1998) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a forward for Córdoba CF .[ 1]
Club career
Born in Montevideo , Kuki moved to Spain at early age and started his career with Albacete Balompié 's youth setup. On 30 May 2012, aged only 14, he was signed by Málaga CF .[ 2]
Kuki made his senior debut with the reserves on 31 August 2014, starting in a 0–0 home draw against Atlético Mancha Real in the Tercera División .[ 3] The following March, he was linked to potential moves to Premier League sides Liverpool , Chelsea and Manchester City .[ 4]
Kuki scored his first senior goal on 30 August 2015, in a 3–3 home draw against CD El Ejido 2012 .[ 5] The following January, he was targeted by FC Barcelona .[ 6]
On 24 June 2017, Kuki scored a brace in a 4–2 home win against AD Unión Adarve , but his side narrowly missed out promotion in the play-offs .[ 7] On 8 August, he was loaned to Segunda División B side FC Cartagena , for one year.[ 8]
On 30 August 2018, Kuki moved to another reserve team , Real Valladolid B in the third division.[ 9] He made his first-team debut on 31 October, starting in a 2–1 away defeat of RCD Mallorca , in the season 's Copa del Rey .[ 10]
Zalazar made his La Liga debut on 19 January 2021, coming on as a late substitute for Roque Mesa in a 2–2 home draw against Elche CF .[ 11] On 27 August, after the Valladolid's relegation , he moved to Segunda División side SD Ponferradina .[ 12]
On 31 August 2022, Zalazar terminated his contract with Ponfe ,[ 13] and signed a two-year deal with Primera Federación side Deportivo de La Coruña just hours later.[ 14] Roughly one year later, he agreed to a one-year contract with Córdoba CF .[ 15]
On 30 June 2024, after helping the Blanquiverdes in their promotion to the second division , Zalazar signed a new one-year deal with the club.[ 16]
Personal life
Kuki is the son of former Uruguay international footballer José Zalazar , a midfielder who notably represented Albacete.[ 17] His younger brothers Rodrigo Zalazar and Mauro Zalazar are also footballers, and currently play for Portuguese club SC Braga and German club Schalke 04 respectively.
References
^ Kuki Zalazar at Soccerway
^ "El club ficha al hijo del uruguayo José Luis Zalazar" [The club sign the son of Uruguayan José Luis Zalazar] (in Spanish). Marca . 30 May 2012. Retrieved 4 December 2016 .
^ "El filial logra su primer punto en la difícil Mancha Real (0–0)" [The reserves get their first point in the difficult Mancha Real (0–0)] (in Spanish). Málaga CF. 31 August 2014. Retrieved 4 December 2016 .
^ "Liverpool considering transfer bid for Malaga wonderkid Jose Luis Zalazar" . Metro . 30 March 2015. Retrieved 19 November 2017 .
^ "El Atlético Malagueño se deja igualar dos veces contra El Ejido 2012" [Atlético Malagueño let El Ejido 2012 level twice] (in Spanish). Diario Sur. 31 August 2015. Retrieved 4 December 2016 .
^ "El Barcelona sigue de cerca a Kuki Zalazar" [Barcelona follow Kuki Zalazar closely] (in Spanish). Sport . 22 January 2016. Retrieved 19 November 2017 .
^ "Incomplete comeback for Malagueño against Adarve (4–2)" . Málaga CF. 24 June 2017. Retrieved 19 November 2017 .
^ "Kuki, hijo del uruguayo Zalazar, se va cedido al Cartagena" [Kuki, son of the Uruguayan Zalazar, goes out on loan to Cartagena] (in Spanish). Diario AS . 8 August 2017. Retrieved 19 November 2017 .
^ "El Promesas se refuerza con Zalazar" [Promesas bolster with Zalazar] (in Spanish). Real Valladolid. 30 August 2018. Retrieved 31 August 2018 .
^ "Verde enciende la luz de Son Moix a base de zurdazos" [Verde lights up Son Moix through left-footed bangers] (in Spanish). Diario AS. 31 October 2018. Retrieved 1 November 2018 .
^ "Joaquín salva in extremis al Valladolid y oscurece la actuación de Josan" [Joaquín saves Valladolid in extremis and shadows Josan's performance] (in Spanish). Marca. 19 January 2021. Retrieved 20 January 2021 .
^ "Kuki Zalazar se une a la SD Ponferradina" [Kuki Zalazar joins SD Ponferradina] (in Spanish). SD Ponferradina. 27 August 2021. Retrieved 27 August 2021 .
^ "Acuerdo para la rescisión del contrato de Zalazar" [Agreement for the rescision of Zalazar's contract] (in Spanish). SD Ponferradina. 31 August 2022. Retrieved 31 August 2022 .
^ "Kuki Zalazar, nuevo jugador del Dépor 22–23" [Kuki Zalazar, new player of Dépor 22–23] (in Spanish). Deportivo La Coruña. 31 August 2022. Retrieved 31 August 2022 .
^ "Kuki Zalazar, nuevo jugador del Córdoba CF" [Kuki Zalazar, new player of Córdoba CF] (in Spanish). Córdoba CF. 30 August 2023. Retrieved 20 July 2024 .
^ "Kuki Zalazar, cordobesista hasta 2025" [Kuki Zalazar, cordobesista until 2025] (in Spanish). Córdoba CF. 30 June 2024. Retrieved 20 July 2024 .
^ "Kuki Salazar, un diamante de color blanco y azul" [Kuki Salazar, a diamond coloured in blue and white] (in Spanish). Fútbol Carrasco. 2 January 2015. Retrieved 4 December 2016 .
External links