Christian Joel Sánchez Leal (born 9 July 1999), known as Christian Joel, is a Cuban footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Spanish club Celta de Vigo B, on loan from Sporting de Gijón.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Christian Joel Sánchez Leal | ||
| Date of birth | (1999-07-09) 9 July 1999 (age 23) | ||
| Place of birth | Havana, Cuba | ||
| Height | 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Goalkeeper | ||
| Club information | |||
Current team |
Celta B (on loan from Sporting Gijón) | ||
| Number | 24 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2011–2017 | Sporting Gijón | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2017–2021 | Sporting B | 45 | (0) |
| 2019– | Sporting Gijón | 4 | (0) |
| 2021–2022 | → AEK Larnaca (loan) | 14 | (0) |
| 2022– | → Celta B (loan) | 0 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 22 May 2022 | |||
Born in Havana, Christian Joel moved to Spain at early age and joined Sporting de Gijón's youth setup at the age of 12.[1] On 20 August 2017, he made his senior debut with the reserves by starting in a 1–0 Segunda División B home defeat of SD Gernika Club.
Christian Joel renewed his contract until 2021 on 25 January 2018,[2] but spent the campaign as a backup to Dani Martín. He made his first team debut on 8 June of the following year, starting in a 1–0 home win against Cádiz CF in the Segunda División championship.[3]
On 27 August 2021, Christian Joel extended his contract until 2026, and was loaned to Cypriot First Division side AEK Larnaca FC for one year.[4] On 19 August of the following year, he moved to Celta de Vigo B also in a temporary one-year deal.[5]