Real Betis sign Marc Roca on loan from Leeds United
Jul 17, 2023
Madrid [Spain], July 17 : Spanish football club Real Betis has signed Marc Roca on loan from Leeds United. Roca is the second signing of the season for the Green and Whites, confirmed by the club on their website.
Marc Roca Junque began his professional career in the youth teams at RCD Espanyol. He made his debut with the first team in the 2016/2017 season.
After playing more than 100 games in the top division, he signed for Bayern Munchen, where he spent two seasons and won the Bundesliga, one Club World Cup and made his debut in the Champions League.
In 2022, the new Green and White midfielder signed for Leeds United, where he played 32 games in the past edition of the Premier League.
Roca has been capped with Spain U21 and won the 2019 U21 Euros.
In October 2020, Roca signed for FC Bayern Munich on a five-year contract. He made his official debut 11 days later, in a 3–0 defeat of Amateurs 1. FC Duren in the first round of the DFB-Pokal. He appeared in his first Bundesliga match later that month, coming on as an injury-time substitute for Serge Gnabry in the 2–1 away victory over FC Koln.
Roca played his first-ever game in the UEFA Champions League in November 2020, starting and being sent off for two bookable offences midway through the second half on an eventual 3–1 group stage win against FC Red Bull Salzburg. He totalled only 11 appearances in his first season.
Roca featured slightly more in 2021–22 as his team won the league again, but was once again a fringe first-team player.
In June 2022, Leeds United announced that Roca would join the club after an agreement was reached with Bayern Munich; he agreed to a four-year contract for a reported €12,000,000 fee that could eventually rise up on add-ons. He made his Premier League debut in August, starting in a 2–1 home victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers. He scored his first goal one month later, in the 5–2 away defeat to Brentford.
In December 2016, Roca made his debut for the Catalonia autonomous team, starting in a 3–3 draw against Tunisia (4–2 penalty loss). He was named in Spain's under-21 squad for the 2019 UEFA European Championship, starting the final three games of the tournament for the eventual winners including a 4–1 semi-final victory over France in which he scored.
