Top Facts about Gerard Deulofeu, The 'Live in the Moment' Guy

Gerard Deulofeu is used to working under stress. At La Masia, the Barcelona academy where the walls groan with the weight of history and ambition, he was the most lauded talent in his crop. He was a major player, and later a captain, in Spain's youth teams, where nothing short of tournament titles was expected. At an age when most of us are still learning to drive, he was instantly recognizable.

Deulofeu is a speedy and skilled player with good technique and dribbling ability who can play as a winger or as a forward on either flank. He can also play in a central role, presumably as a lone striker but actually as a false-9.

He's been used as an out-and-out striker on occasion, or more frequently as a second striker, due to his ability to beat opponents in one-on-one situations and produce opportunities for teammates, in addition to scoring goals.

Despite claiming Ronaldinho as a major influence, Deulofeu's style of play is similar to Cristiano Ronaldo's due to a similar direct attitude. Considered a potential young player, he was selected to Don Balon's list of the 101 most interesting prospects born after 1991 in 2012, and The Observer's list of the ten most promising young players in Europe in January 2014.

Looking back in 2018, NBC Sports' Daniel Karell said of Deulofeu: "In his younger days, the now 24-year-old winger was a dynamic and lightning-quick attacker with a central midfielder's technique to boot".

Top facts about Gerard Deulofeu you need to know

Have a look at these quick facts to get an idea of who Gerard is.

Quick Facts

• Full Name:

   Gerard Deulofeu Lazaro

• Nicknames:

   Jerry

• Date of Birth:

   13 March 1994

• Place of Birth:

   Riudarenes, Spain

• Age:

   27

• Nationality:

   Spanish

• Height:

   1.77 m (5 ft 10 in)

• Weight:

   73 kg

• Marital Status:

   Unmarried

• Girlfriend: 

  Mari Vilches

• Market Value: 

  €10.00 Million ($11.4 Million)

• Position:

   Forward, Winger

• Current Team:

   Udinese

• Jersey Number:

   10

Gerard Deulofeu Upbringing Years and Family Roots

To begin, Gerard Deulofeu Lazaro is his full name. Gerard Deulofeu, as he is known, was born in the Spanish village of Riudarenes on March 13, 1994, to his mother, Maria Jesus Lazaro, and father, Marcel Deulofeu.

One of the Top Facts about Gerard Deulofeu is that Gerard is of 100% Spanish heritage, with all of his family members hailing from Catalonia, the ethnic homeland of

.

This Spanish region has a population of roughly 7.5 million people, accounting for over 16% of Spain's total population and 6.3 percent (32,114 square kilometers) of the country's territory Atlas and Boots.

According to reports in the media, Deulofou grew up alone because his parents did not give birth to a sibling.

Having a football-loving father, though, it was only natural for him to be introduced to the great game of football as a child.

Deulofeu grew up in his village ground, playing with the other boys. 

He grew up with confidence and the habit of overstepping his mark, doing things out of the blue with soccer balls, according to DailyMail.

According to the Liverpool Echo, the serene Catalan village of Riudarenes was routinely awakened by the sound of shattered vases, shattered glass, and the shrieks of an angry mother, Maria Jess Lazaro, in the late 1990s, one of the Top Facts about Gerard Deulofeu.

A young Gerard could usually be seen firing footballs left, right, and center within the Deulofeus family house.

On the local pitch, he would occasionally play with his father and friends. Gerard spent more time polishing his skills in the family living room when he was younger.

Gerard once expressed his feelings regarding his childhood as follows:

“I USED TO GO WITH MY FATHER TO PRACTICE ON THE VILLAGE PITCH AND WITH MY FRIENDS. BUT IN MY HOUSE, I MAYBE HAD 10 BALLS, AND BOOM, BOOM, ALWAYS.”

Gerard Deulofeu Career Buildout

As previously said, one of Gerard Deulofeu's parents (his mother) was not happy with his son's soccer activities in their living room.

As a result, she made a decision as her son's indoor shooting exercise continued to cause havoc in the family home.

Maria Jesus Lazaro, with the help of her husband, agreed to send little Gerard to Penya Bons Aires, a neighboring football academy, one of the

Top Facts about Gerard Deulofeu.

He went through the trials there, passed with flying colors, and joined the youth team.

Gerard enrolled and passed trials with Barcelona's renowned Le Masia academy after playing for Penya Bons Aires for three years (2001–2003).

Joining FC Barcelona's Le Masia program was, without a doubt, every child's dream. It wasn't so much fun for young Gerard when he first joined because he had to make a lot of sacrifices. 

He had to miss birthday celebrations and other events he was looking forward to at school on occasion. On the other hand, young Gerard was relieved to be doing something he enjoyed.

With Le Masia, Gerard Deulofeu spent the most time developing his skills. As he grew older, he saw himself settling into life at the academy and progressing through the age groups with ease.

As a result of his progress, he was able to develop into a young leader. Gerard was accepted into

in 2011.

He showed excellent technique and ability while on the team. He stood out as one of the most promising players in the youth ranks at times, another one of the Top Facts about Gerard Deulofeu.

The footballer lived up to the Nou Camp's lofty expectations, scoring 27 goals in 67 appearances. As a result of this achievement, he was promoted to FC Barcelona's first team.

Gerard Deulofeu Path to Prominence

Deulofeu was called up to the senior squad for the first time in late April 2011, for a

match against Real Sociedad on April 29, but he did not play in the 2–1 away loss.

He made his professional debut with the first team on October 29, replacing

in the 63rd minute of a 5–0 league home victory over Mallorca.

Deulofeu scored his first goal for the B squad in a 2–1 away loss to Hercules on September 16, 2012.

The Spanish was joint-fourth in the second-level competition with 18 goals for the B squad in the 2012–13 season. He signed a professional deal with the Blaugrana first squad on May 15, 2013, which extended through June 2017.

Everton signed him on a season-long loan on July 10, 2013, in the Premier League. According to the Liverpool Echo, any loan fee would've been waived if he appeared in more than half of his new club's games.

On August 29, he scored on his new club's debut, a 2–1 home win over Stevenage in the League Cup's second round.

Deulofeu scored his first league goal for the Toffees on November 30, netting the opening goal in a 4–0 home victory over Stoke City.

He helped his team finish fifth in the

with 72 points, and Barcelona confirmed at the end of the season that he would not be returning for a second loan spell because he had been promoted to the first-team squad; he wrote an open letter thanking the staff, players, and fans for their support during his stay, one of the Top Facts about Gerard Deulofeu.

The forward was granted the first-team spot by new Barcelona manager

in May 2014.

However, on August 14, 2014, Sevilla reached an agreement with Barcelona for the loan of Deulofeu for the coming season

The soccer player made his debut on August 30th, replacing Vitolo in the 73rd minute of a 2–1 away win against Espanyol, after being an unused substitute in a 1–1 home draw against Valencia.

His loan was deemed so unsuccessful that he was named to the 'Worst Team of the Season' in La Liga by the Spanish newspaper Marca, another one of the

Top Facts about Gerard Deulofeu.

Gerard Deulofeu Ascend to Prominence

Deulofeu signed a permanent contract with

on July 1, 2015, for a reported cost of £4.2 million. Everton came from behind to beat Reading 2–1 in the third round of the League Cup, and he scored his first goal as a permanent Everton player, a free-kick at the Madejski Stadium. His first league goal came on November 1st, the opening goal in a 6–2 thrashing of Sunderland.

The 27-year-old joined AC Milan on loan until the conclusion of the 2016–17 season on January 23, 2017. He made his Milan debut two days later in a Coppa Italia quarter-final encounter against Juventus, coming on as a replacement for

in a 1–2 loss. He made his league debut on January 29 as a substitute for the injured Giacomo Bonaventura in a 1-0 loss to Udinese.

Deulofeu returned to Barcelona on June 30, 2017, after the club activated his buy-back clause. On October 21, he scored his first goal for the club, scoring in the second minute of a 2–0 win over Malaga.

On January 29, 2018, it was confirmed that the Spanish player would join Watford on a season-long loan agreement. He scored his first goal for Watford in a Premier League 4–1 win over Chelsea on February 5, 2018.

Watford signed Deulofeu on a permanent deal on June 11, 2018, for a reported cost of €13 million. Due to "foot and hip problems," he was sidelined from the final game of his loan stay until early October when he became available for selection again. 

One of the Top Facts about Gerard Deulofeu is that he became the first Watford player to achieve a Premier League hat-trick on February 22, 2019, when he scored three goals in a 5–1 win over Cardiff City.

The winger joined Udinese on a season-long loan on October 5, 2020. Deulofeu made a permanent transfer to

on January 30, 2021, signing a three-and-a-half-year contract.

Regarding his international career, from 2009 to 2011, Deulofeu was a member of the Spanish under-17 team, helping them finish runner-up at the 2010 UEFA European Under-17 Championship.

He was named to the under-19s in the following year, winning two consecutive European Championships, and was named the best player in the 2012 edition.

Deulofeu made his senior team debut on 30 May 2014, as part of a 19-man squad for a friendly against Bolivia.

The great footballer scored a hat-trick and captained the under-21 squad in a 5–0 win over Georgia in Almera on November 12, 2015, to qualify for the 2017 UEFA European Under-21 Championship.

He earned his second senior Spain cap on March 28, 2017, when he scored his first goal for the country against France in a friendly match.

In 2017, Gerard had two further substitute appearances for Spain, in a 2–2 friendly tie with Colombia and an 8–0 win over Liechtenstein in the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification; the latter match was Deulofeu's competitive international debut and his most recent cap for

.

Gerard Deulofeu Personal & Love Life

There's no disputing that Gerard Deulofeu's great attributes of devotion, hard work, and humility make him a lady's favorite. Behind every successful footballer lies a stunning girlfriend, and the one supporting the footballer is Mari Vilches.

You'd think Deulofeu would be a little older based on their appearance. Mari Vilches was born on the 8th of June in the year 1992. This means that she is two years older than him. Mari, like Gerard, comes from a Catalan family.

She speaks Catalan, Spanish, and English, just like her husband. One of the Top Facts about Gerard Deulofeu is that he and Mari have a gorgeous baby daughter, whose name is unknown at the time of writing. Gerard is a loving father who sees his daughter as a treasure and a great source of joy.

Knowing Gerard Deulofeu's personal life will provide you with a more full picture of him. To begin with, he is someone who never quits up until he achieves his goals.

Deulofeu has shown courage, determination, and confidence in his abilities since the beginning of his career. Gerard is the type of person who doesn't think about the future. As the Spaniard puts it:

“The future? I don’t know. I just want to focus every day and every match and play my best football. If you think in the future of what you want to be in three, four months, I think your head is crazy. So the best way is to focus on today and play your best.”

You've probably seen a lot of soccer players that adore their dogs. Gerard Deulofeu is no different. Although it is said that in today's game, there is no such thing as loyalty, this does not account for Gerard Deulofou's ties with his dogs, Sherry and Lucas.

In 2019, the striker drew the anger of animal rights activists when he and his girlfriend kissed while yanking a lion's tail in an exotic location.

The Spain star and long-time partner Mari Vilches smiled as they posed with another enormous cat, treating the beast's tail like a dog's leash, another one of the

Top Facts about Gerard Deulofeu.

Some of Deulofeu's Instagram followers reacted angrily after he shared the couple's controversial photos.

One person stated: "Mate that lion is clearly under duress. Probably drugged up otherwise it would have eaten you and your Mrs!!"

Deulofeu, 27, and Mari, on the other hand, appeared unconcerned about animal welfare issues. They both casually held a lion's tail as it walked along in front of them as the former Barcelona and Everton ace strolled with her through a woodland lane.

The couple kissed at the same time, paying little attention to the animal. Deulofeu moved his face affectionately against Mari's in another photo while placing his hand on another large cat sitting on a rock.

The duo had sticks in their hands, but there is no evidence that they were used on the animal.

Deulofeu also posed with another man who flashed a thumbs-up while crouched behind a lion in a third photo. "Beast meets beast," one Instagram user wrote.

Gerard Deulofeu Networth & LifeStyle

His contracts with several clubs netted him a remarkable 3.5 million Euro (3.1 million Pound) per year income. According to calculations, he earns €17,351 (£15,483) per day and €723 (£645) per hour!

Between 2011 and 2013, the Spaniard represented FC Barcelona's B-side in the Segunda Division, having progressed through the club's youth divisions.

In 2015, he traveled to England to join Premier League team Everton, but two years later, he returned to Spain to rejoin Barcelona.

After barely a year in Catalunya, the winger returned to England to join

and is now a member of Udinese's team in Italy.

He has a market value of €10.00 Million and a net worth of €16.2 million (£14 million).

Deulofeu's millionaire status does not imply a lavish lifestyle. Because of his humble beginnings, he has learned to manage his football funds wisely, one of the Top Facts about Gerard Deulofeu.

This entails either cutting back on his spending or altering his lifestyle. Gerard Deulofeu's ability to deal with stardom is inversely related to his football commitment.

Gerard Deulofeu Family

Gerard Deulofeu grew up in a Catalan village rather than a Spanish town or city. This reflects his modest upbringing and family background.

All members of the Deulofeu family speak Catalan in addition to Spanish. The footballer's parents are reported to live a private and happy life at the time of writing.

Deulofeu has taken the conscious decision not to seek praise for his parents. His brothers and sisters' identities are kept hidden too, if there are any.

Many aspiring footballers from the Spanish community of Riudarenes and its surroundings have been inspired by the Deulofeus' sacrifices.

Riudarenes is a village in the province of Girona, Spain, according to Wikipedia. The town has a total area of 47.6 square kilometers and a population of 2,148 people as of 2014.

The majority of Riudarenes' residents, including the Deulofeu's, are Christians.

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