Gonzalo Villar (footballer)

Gonzalo Villar del Fraile (born 23 March 1998) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder for La Liga club Granada.

Early career
Villar was born in Murcia, and represented Elche CF as a youth. On 4 January 2015, aged just 16, he made his senior debut with the reserves by coming on as a second-half substitute in a 0–3 Segunda División B home loss against UE Sant Andreu.

On 28 August 2015 Villar joined Valencia CF for a fee of € 175,000, and returned to youth football. Promoted to the B-team ahead of the 2017–18 season, he was a first-choice in Lubo Penev's side, scoring his first senior goal on 26 August 2017 in a 4–1 home routing of CF Peralada-Girona B.

Elche
On 9 July 2018, Villar returned to Elche, being assigned to the main squad in Segunda División; Valencia retained 80% of his future transfer. He made his professional debut on 18 August, starting in a 0–0 home draw against Granada CF.

Villar scored his first professional goal on 24 November 2019, netting his team's third in a 3–3 away draw against Málaga CF.

Roma
On 29 January 2020, Villar moved abroad for the first time in his career, signing a four-and-a-half-year contract with AS Roma. Roma paid an initial fee of €4 million for his transfer, with potential extra €1 million due based on performance. He made his Serie A debut on 15 February, replacing Diego Perotti in a 1–2 away loss at Atalanta BC.

Loan to Getafe
On 13 January 2022, Villar returned to his home country after agreeing to a loan deal with La Liga side Getafe CF until the end of the season.

Loan to Sampdoria
On 8 August 2022, Villar joined Sampdoria on a season-long loan with an option to buy.

Second loan to Getafe
On 13 January 2023, Villar returned to Getafe on a season-long loan with the option to make the deal permanent, which becomes an obligation if certain conditions are met.

Granada
On 4 August 2023, Villar signed a contract with Granada CF, newly-promoted to the top tier.

International career
Due to the isolation of some national team players following the positive COVID-19 test of Sergio Busquets, Spain's under-21 squad were called up for the international friendly against Lithuania on 8 June 2021. Villar made his senior debut in the match as Spain won 4–0.

Personal life
Villar's younger brother Javier is also a footballer and a midfielder. He too was groomed at Elche.