José Antonio Ruiz Lopéz (born 17 April 1992), commonly known as Pirulo, is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for ŁKS Łódź.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | José Antonio Ruiz Lopéz | ||
| Date of birth | (1992-04-17) 17 April 1992 (age 30) | ||
| Place of birth | Los Barrios, Spain | ||
| Height | 1.76 m (5 ft 9+1⁄2 in)[1] | ||
| Position(s) | Attacking midfielder | ||
| Club information | |||
Current team | ŁKS Łódź | ||
| Number | 20 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2006–2007 | Los Barrios | ||
| 2007–2009 | Cádiz | ||
| 2009–2011 | Espanyol | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2011–2012 | Espanyol B | 33 | (8) |
| 2012–2013 | Málaga B | 27 | (3) |
| 2013–2014 | Hospitalet | 30 | (6) |
| 2014–2015 | Espanyol B | 30 | (3) |
| 2015–2016 | Sabadell | 25 | (2) |
| 2016 | Senica | 17 | (4) |
| 2017 | Cherno More Varna | 15 | (1) |
| 2017–2018 | Los Barrios | 26 | (11) |
| 2018–2019 | Linense | 30 | (8) |
| 2019– | ŁKS Łódź | 96 | (24) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 28 May 2022 | |||
Born in Los Barrios, Cádiz, Andalusia, Pirulo joined Espanyol's youth setup in January 2009, after refusing to train with his previous club, Cádiz.[2][3] He made his senior debut for the former's reserves in 2011, in Tercera División.
On 8 July 2012 Pirulo signed for another reserve team, Atlético Malagueño also in the fourth tier.[4] The following year he moved to Segunda División B club L'Hospitalet,[5] scoring six goals in 30 appearances as his side missed out promotion in the play-offs.
On 30 June 2014 Pirulo returned to the Pericos and its B-team, now in the third division.[6] On 14 July 2015, he joined fellow league team Sabadell.[7]
In July 2016, Pirulo signed a contract with Fortuna Liga club Senica, after impressing on a trial basis.[8] He made his professional debut on 16 July, starting in a 0–1 home loss against Slovan Bratislava.[9]
On 6 February 2017, Pirulo joined Bulgarian club Cherno More.[10] He made his debut against CSKA Sofia in a 0–2 home defeat on 19 February.[11] On 19 March 2017, Pirulo scored his first and only goal in a 3–1 away win over Neftochimic Burgas.[12] On 29 May 2017, his contract was terminated by mutual consent.[13]