Esperanza López Jiménez
| Espe López | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 | |||
| Personal information | |||
| Full name | Esperanza López Jiménez | ||
| Born |
4 April 1992 Málaga, Spain | ||
| Nationality | Spanish | ||
| Height | 1.58 m (5 ft 2 in) | ||
| Playing position | Right Back | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | CBF Málaga Costa del Sol | ||
| Number | 20 | ||
| Senior clubs | |||
| Years | Team | ||
2010–11 | Balonmano Monovar | ||
2011–15 | CBF Málaga Costa del Sol | ||
2015–18 | Adesal de Córdoba | ||
2018– | CBF Málaga Costa del Sol | ||
Esperanza López Jiménez, also known as Espe López, (born April 4, 1992, in Málaga, Spain) is a Spanish handball player who plays as a right back for Málaga Costa del Sol, she has been a member of the Spanish national youth team.[1]
Career[edit]
Raised in the prolific youth academy of Colegio Puertosol in Málaga,[2] where she began playing at the age of 6,[3] she moved at 18 to the Valencian team Monóvar Urbacasas. There, she played for one season and qualified for the final phase of the Queen's Cup. After that, she returned to Málaga in the 2011[4] season to play with the Malaga team in the Silver Honor Division.
Esperanza moved to Adesal de Córdoba in the 2015 season, where she played for three seasons and achieved promotion for the Fuensanta team. She returned[2] to the malacitanan team in the 2018–2019 season.[5] She was a key player in the team's promotion to the Honor Division in 2014 and continues to be a regular starter in Suso Gallardo's initial seven, season after season.
She is an unconventional frontline player (due to her height) but her speed in feinting and quick passing often creates dangerous situations in the attack, resulting in direct shots from six meters or advantageous passes to her teammates.
Together with Silvia Arderius and Estela Doiro, she forms part of the shortest frontline in the entire Spanish Honor Division and one of the highest scoring.
As a member of the legendary Malaga team between 2020 and 2023, she won[6] the League Championship (2022-23 Liga Guerreras Iberdrola), the EHF Cup[7] (and was runner-up the following year), twice won the Queen's Cup (Copa de la Reina, in 2020[8] and 2022[9]), and was the Spanish Supercup champion.[10]
Clubs[edit]
- 2010 – 11: Balonmano Monovar
- 2011 – 15: Málaga Costa del Sol
- 2015 – 18: Adesal de Córdoba
- 2018 – : Málaga Costa del Sol
Statistical Data[edit]
| League | Cup | European tournaments | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Matches | Goals | Matches | Goals | Matches | Goals |
| 143 | 425 | 19 | 75 | 28 | 80 |
Achievements[edit]
- 1x Liga Guerreras Iberdrola (2023)
- 2x Queen's Cup (Copa de la Reina de balonmano 2020, 2022)
- 1x Spanish Supercup (Supercopa de España 2021)
- 1x EHF European Cup (2021)
Personal achievements[edit]
Personal life[edit]
She has a twin sister, fellow player Soledad López, and in a 2018 interview expressed her dream of winning the Copa de la Reina.[13] They faced each other for the first time in 2012[14] season. She would like to stay connected to handball as a coach after she stops playing.
She married with Nacho del Castillo, another Spanish handball player from Córdoba.[15]
References[edit]
- ^ "Estadísticas Esperanza López Jiménez". Real Federación Española de Balonmano. Retrieved 4 March 2023.
- ^ a b Rivas, Marina (August 28, 2018). "El reencuentro de las López" (in Spanish). Retrieved March 4, 2023.
- ^ Olcina, Vicente Soler (2012-01-22). "SOLE LÓPEZ: "EMPEZAMOS A JUGAR A BM CON 6 AÑOS" – Deporte Cien Por Cien" (in Spanish). Retrieved 2024-01-09.
- ^ Soler Olcina, Vicente (September 4, 2011). "Sole y Espe López fichan por el Málaga Costa del Sol" (in Spanish). Retrieved March 4, 2023.
- ^ "Espe López cumplirá su tercera etapa en el Rincón Fertilidad". Málaga Hoy (in Spanish). 2018-05-25. Retrieved 2024-01-09.
- ^ "Costa del Sol-Elche: Panteras de oro (30-26)". Málaga Hoy (in European Spanish). 2023-05-31. Retrieved 2024-01-09.
- ^ "El Málaga Costa estrena su palmarés continental con la Copa Europea". MARCA (in Spanish). 2021-05-08. Retrieved 2024-01-09.
- ^ Ojeda, Enrique (2020-09-06). "La Copa de la Reina se queda por primera vez en Málaga". Diario AS (in Spanish). Retrieved 2024-01-09.
- ^ Rivas, Marina (2022-05-01). "El Costa del Sol vuelve a ganar la Copa de la Reina". Diario Sur (in Spanish). Retrieved 2024-01-09.
- ^ "El Rincón Fertilidad ya tiene alma de campeón (27-28)". Málaga Hoy (in European Spanish). 2020-10-31. Retrieved 2024-01-09.
- ^ "Gutiérrez (Elche), mejor jugadora de la temporada en la Iberdrola de balonmano". 10 June 2020. Retrieved 4 March 2023.
- ^ "Liga Guerreras Iberdrola 2019-20: Siete Ideal | SPS Balonmano". sps-balonmano.com. Retrieved 2024-01-09.
- ^ "Antes del confinamiento estas gemelas nunca estuvieron tanto tiempo separadas". www.canalsur.es (in Spanish). 2020-05-12. Retrieved 2024-01-09.
- ^ Soler Olcina, Vicente (November 9, 2012). "Duelo de Gemelas". Deporte 100x100 (in Spanish). Retrieved March 4, 2023.
- ^ "Un jugador cordobés de balonmano pide matrimonio a su novia en la pista tras lograr el ascenso de su equipo". ABC de Sevilla (in Spanish). 2021-05-17. Retrieved 2024-01-09.