Pablo Fornals

Pablo Fornals Malla (born 22 February 1996) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays mainly as an attacking midfielder for La Liga club Real Betis and the Spain national team.

He amassed La Liga totals of 129 matches and 12 goals over four seasons, with Málaga and Villarreal. In 2019, he signed with West Ham United, where he made over 200 appearances and won the UEFA Europa Conference League in 2023.

Fornals made his senior debut for Spain in 2016.

Málaga
Born in Castellón de la Plana, Valencian Community, Fornals joined Málaga's youth setup in 2012 at the age of 16, from Castellón. He made his senior debut with the reserves in the 2014–15 season, in the Tercera División.

Fornals' first competitive match with the first team – and in La Liga – occurred on 26 September 2015, when he started in a 0–0 away draw against Real Madrid. Two months and two days later, he scored his first top-flight goal in a 2–2 draw with Andalusian neighbours Granada at La Rosaleda Stadium, finding the net four minutes after replacing Duda.

On 4 December 2016, Fornals scored a brace in a 2–2 draw at Valencia.

Villarreal
On 24 July 2017, having paid his own €12 million buyout clause to leave Málaga, Fornals moved to fellow top-division side Villarreal, a club he already represented as a youth, agreeing to a five-year contract. The following 13 January, he scored a late chip after a counterattack to give his new team their first-ever win against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium (1–0).

On 26 September 2018, Fornals opened the scoring in a league fixture away to Athletic Bilbao with a dipping volley from 50 yards, in an eventual 3–0 victory.

West Ham United
On 14 June 2019, Fornals signed for West Ham United on a five-year contract for a transfer fee reported to be £24 million, making him the English club's second most expensive signing. He made his Premier League debut on 10 August, in a 5–0 home defeat by Manchester City coming on as a half-time substitute for Michail Antonio. He scored his first goal for his new team on 27 August, in a 2–0 victory over Newport County in the second round of the EFL Cup.

In 2020–21, Fornals made 33 league appearances and scored five times as West Ham qualified for the UEFA Europa League for the first time in five years. The following season he featured in all twelve of his side's Europa League games as they reached the semi-finals, providing two assists in the 3–0 win at Olympique Lyonnais in the last-eight.

Fornals struggled for consistent game time in the 2022–23 campaign. However, on 23 April 2023, his scorpion kick closed a 4–0 away victory against AFC Bournemouth, with the goal being described as "stunning" and "one of the goals of the season". Additionally, he contributed 14 matches to the Hammers' victorious run in the UEFA Europa Conference League, their first trophy in 43 years, including 20 minutes of the 2–1 win over Fiorentina in the final in Prague; his three goals along the way were a brace in a 3–0 group win at FCSB, and the added-time only goal of the semi-final second leg away to AZ Alkmaar.

During his spell at the London Stadium, Fornals made 203 appearances and scored 23 times.

Betis
In the late hours of 1 February 2024, deadline to the winter transfer window, Fornals agreed to join Real Betis for a rumoured €6 million fee, pending on approval. The deal was officially confirmed the following day, with the player signing a contract until 2029. He made his debut on 4 February, in a 1–1 home draw with Getafe where he came on as a 66th-minute substitute for Assane Diao. He scored his first goal on 9 February, in the 2–0 away defeat of Cádiz; weaving in from the left hand side, he curled a left foot shot into the far side of the net in a goal described as "spectacular".

International career
On 28 March 2016, Fornals won his first cap with the Spain under-21s by playing the full 90 minutes in a 1–0 win against Norway at the Estadio Nueva Condomina. On 17 May, he was called up to the full squad by Vicente del Bosque for a friendly with Bosnia and Herzegovina. He made his debut 12 days later, replacing Mikel San José in the 3–1 victory at the AFG Arena in St. Gallen, Switzerland.

Fornals was a member of the team which won the 2019 UEFA European Under-21 Championship in June. In the tournament held in Italy and San Marino, he scored in group stage defeats of Belgium (2–1) and Poland (5–0).

In June 2021, Fornals was called up as a standby for Spain’s UEFA Euro 2020 squad following Sergio Busquets' positive test for COVID-19. Making his first start on 8 September, against Kosovo in a 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifier, he scored his first goal for the national side when he opened a 2–0 win in Pristina.

Personal life
Fornals' wife, Lara, gave birth to their son Martín in November 2021.

International
Scores and results list Spain's goal tally first.

Honours
West Ham United
 * UEFA Europa Conference League: 2022–23

Spain U21
 * UEFA European Under-21 Championship: 2019

Spain
 * UEFA Nations League runner-up: 2020–21