About Diego López (Spanish footballer, born 1981)
Diego López Rodríguez (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈdjeɣo ˈlopeθ]; born 3 November 1981) is a Spanish former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. After spending seven years with Real Madrid, playing for its various teams, he made a name for himself in La Liga with Villarreal, appearing in 230 official games over the course of five seasons. In 2013, following a brief spell with Sevilla, he returned to Real Madrid. López represented Spain at the 2009 Confederations Cup. == Club career == === Real Madrid === López was born in Paradela, Lugo, Galicia. A youth graduate from hometown's CD Lugo he signed with Real Madrid at age 18 and, after a loan at another side from the capital region, AD Alcorcón, he eventually moved up to Real's B team, starting in his second season, which ended in promotion to the Segunda División. López served as first-team backup to Iker Casillas in the following two La Liga campaigns: in the closing stages of 2005–06 he appeared in back-to-back away wins, against CA Osasuna (as Casillas was sent off) and Racing de Santander, adding a UEFA Champions League group stage game at Olympiakos FC, a 2–1 defeat. === Villarreal === In late June 2007, López signed with Villarreal CF for a reported fee of €6 million, and started the season as second choice to Uruguayan Sebastián Viera but, after a string of fine performances – he played in the Copa del Rey and the UEFA Cup – he was picked for the first team, finishing the season with 21 matches. López was ever-present in 2008–09, playing every minute and helping Villarreal finish fifth in the league. The following campaign was similar, but the team could only finish seventh, out of the European places.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.