VÃÂctor MachÃÂn Pérez (; born 2 November 1989), known as Vitolo (), is a Spanish former professional footballer who played mainly as a left winger and occasionally as a forward.
He began his career with Las Palmas before joining Sevilla in 2013, where he won the Europa League three times. He signed with Atlético Madrid in 2017, winning the same competition in his first season and adding the subsequent Super Cup.
Vitolo won his first cap for Spain in 2015.
Vitolo was born in Las Palmas. He came through the youth ranks at hometown club UD Las Palmas, playing for two years with the B team before making the breakthrough in the 2010âÂÂ11 season, with the Canary Islands side in the Segunda División. He made his debut on 28 August 2010, playing the full 90 minutes in a 3âÂÂ2 home win against Gimnàstic de Tarragona, and scored his first goal for the club in a 4âÂÂ1 defeat of AD Alcorcón on 11 September, also at home.
On 27 November 2010, in another home fixture, against Rayo Vallecano, Vitolo sustained an anterior cruciate ligament injury on his right knee that ruled him out for the rest of the campaign. He scored a squad-best ten times in 2011âÂÂ12, repeating the feat the following season with 15.
Vitolo joined Sevilla FC on 28 June 2013, after agreeing to a four-year contract. He made his debut in La Liga on 18 August by featuring the full 90 minutes in a 1âÂÂ3 home loss to Atlético Madrid, and scored his first goal in the competition on 10 November, contributing to a 3âÂÂ1 away victory over RCD Espanyol.
In his first season in Andalusia, Vitolo played 45 games in all competitions and scored eight times; this included four in 16 matches in the club's victorious run in the UEFA Europa League. On 12 March 2015 he scored the fastest-ever goal in the continental competition, finding the net after just 13 seconds to help to a 3âÂÂ1 away win against fellow Spaniards Villarreal CF; he was surpassed on 15 September 2016 by Jan Sýkora from FC Slovan Liberec, who netted against QarabaàFK at 10,69.
With three league goals in March 2015 â half of his total for the season up to then â Vitolo was voted La Liga Player of the Month. On 27 May, he assisted Carlos Bacca's winning goal as Sevilla retained their Europa League crown with a 3âÂÂ2 defeat of FC Dnipro in Warsaw.
On 12 July 2017, Vitolo signed for Atlético Madrid on a five-year deal. However, due to the club's transfer ban which did not allow it to register any new players, he was sent on loan to Las Palmas until December.
Vitolo made his competitive debut for Atlético on 3 January 2018, coming on as a 59th-minute substitute for Yannick Carrasco in the 4âÂÂ0 away win over Lleida Esportiu in the Copa del Rey. He scored his first goal in the second leg, a 3âÂÂ0 victory.
Deemed surplus to requirements by manager Diego Simeone, Vitolo made only ten appearances in the 2020âÂÂ21 campaign as the team won their first national championship in seven years. On 4 July 2021, he was loaned to Getafe CF.
In July 2022, still owned by Atlético, Vitolo returned to both the second tier and Las Palmas. He announced his retirement on 21 December 2024 aged 35, after two years on the sidelines and three knee surgeries.
On 20 March 2015, coach Vicente del Bosque called up former Spain under-19 international Vitolo for the first time to the senior squad for a UEFA Euro 2016 qualifier against Ukraine. He did not take part in the match, a 1âÂÂ0 win at his club ground, the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán Stadium, but made his debut in the following fixture, a 2âÂÂ0 friendly loss at the Amsterdam Arena to the Netherlands on the 31st, replacing Pedro at half time.
Sevilla
Atlético Madrid
Individual