Sandro & Getafe: How the ex-Everton striker has revived his career | OneFootball

Sandro Ramírez is a 26-year-old striker for LaLiga Santander side Getafe CF, who he is playing for on loan from LaLiga SmartBank club SD Huesca for the 2021/22 season.

He is referred to simply as Sandro, rather than Ramírez, and only has his first name on the back of his shirt. Over the first half of 2021/22, Sandro (three league goals) and fellow striker Enes Ünal (seven league goals) have been Getafe's regular front two.

Sandro has 143 total appearances in Spain's top division, with these split across FC Barcelona, Málaga CF, Sevilla FC, Real Sociedad, Real Valladolid, SD Huesca and now Getafe CF. The only player in the history of Spain's top division to have represented more different teams than seven is Carlos Aranda, with eight. This, therefore, is a record the 26-year-old Sandro could break in the future.

Although he is from the Canary Islands, Sandro moved to La Masia as a youngster and his first steps in senior football came for FC Barcelona. After leaving in 2016, aged 21, he moved to Málaga and had a successful 2016/17 season, during which he scored 13 league goals and had a particularly impressive performance in a 2-0 win over former club FC Barcelona, one that ultimately cost Barça that year's title.

Those performances earned a transfer to Everton in 2017, but Sandro didn't enjoy much success in England and returned to Spain on loan spells and then permanent transfers. Since leaving Barça in 2016, Sandro hasn't stayed at any club longer than one year and has earned the “journeyman" label.

The Spaniard also lost his scoring touch, going through a 710-day spell without scoring, between November 23rd 2017 and November 3rd 2019. It wasn't even because of injury. It was simply a poor run of form in front of goal and this was very tough for him, something he has admitted. He ended that run while playing for Real Valladolid and was grateful for the support shown to him from the Real Valladolid fanbase during that difficult time.

Now, Sandro is scoring more frequently and playing well in general, having been key to Getafe's revival. They started 2021/22 with seven defeats and one draw from their first eight matches, which saw Míchel sacked as coach. Then, Quique Sánchez Flores – who had previously managed Getafe CF on two occasions – was hired and Getafe CF have taken 21 points from his 14 matches. They had 0.125 points per game before Quique Sánchez Flores and have had 1.5 points per game since then.

Getafe CF have been especially strong at home, winning five of their past six matches at the Coliseum Alfonso Pérez, including a 1-0 victory over Real Madrid on January 2nd, that ended the league leaders' 15-match unbeaten run.

This turnaround in form has brought a positive atmosphere, so much so that Getafe CF were an attractive club for players to come to during the January transfer window. They managed to sign five players, which was the joint-most (along with Cádiz CF) of any LaLiga Santander club.

One of those January additions is Borja Mayoral, who is on loan from Real Madrid. Mayoral's arrival could end up costing Sandro minutes on the pitch, as these two strikers are competing for the right to partner Ünal in the front two of Getafe's 5-3-2 formation. The other additions have been Gonzalo Villar (AS Roma), Óscar Rodríguez (Sevilla FC), Okay Yokuslu (RC Celta) and Gastón Álvarez (Boston River).

Defeat at Atletico Madrid on Saturday, sees Sandro's Getafe now sitting in 15th place on the LaLiga table.