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Chemicalrubber/Footy
Personal information
Full name Esteban Chemicalrubber Cordona
Height 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in)
Position(s) Striker, Winger
Team information
Current team
 Real Madrid
Number 9

Esteban Miguel Chemicalrubber Cordona or simply Chemie (born June 6, 1991 in Murcia, Spain), is a Spanish footballer who plays for Real Madrid.

Club career

Early years

Chemicalrubber had played for the Real Murcia youth team since 2000, and was offered professional contracts from a few Primera Liga clubs on his 17th birthday. He eventually signed a one-year professional contract for Real Valladolid, at the start of the 2008-2009 Primera Liga season. He was touted by manager José Luis Mendilibar as the "next Messi". He made his professional debut against Getafe on 7 September, 2008, a substitute appearance for Jonathan Sesma, playing at left midfield. His performances at side midfield in the first half of the season attracted clubs all over Spain to sign him, and he eventually signed for Recreativo Huelva on 20 January 2009 for a fee of £2.5 million.

Recreativo Huelva

On 25 January, 2009, Chemicalrubber made his Recreativo debut against FC Barcelona, as a 45th minute substitute appearance for Marco Ruben. His Copa del Rey debut came three days later, but Recreativo were knocked out by Valencia. He scored his first Recreativo goal against Real Madrid on 1 February, 2008.

He finished his debut season with 22 league goals, beating Bojan's previous record of most goals in a debut season. This goal tally was the second highest in the Primera Liga, only two goals less than Ruud van Nistelrooy. His performances allowed Recreativo to qualify for the following season's UEFA Champions League.

Chemicalrubber started the 2009-2010 season brightly, including scoring a hat-trick against Real Betis on 15 October, 2009. He played in all league matches that season, either as a starter or a substitute, most of them being at striker. In the 38 league matches that season, Chemicalrubber scored 32 league goals, but was still 6 short of David Villa's tally. He formed a formidable strike partnership with Marco Ruben, scoring more than 70 goals between them in all. Their goals let Recreativo to league victory with 5 games remaining in the season.

Chemicalrubber also 5 goals in 7 Copa del Rey matches, helping them win the cup that season. He was also named as the Player of the Tournament. However, despite scoring 6 goals in 8 Champions League matches, Recreativo were still knocked out by Portsmouth in the round of 16, 2-1 on aggregate. His performances that season let to interest from a number of big clubs, notably Valencia. However, Chemicalrubber decided to stay on despite the offers, signing a new 5-year contract, tying him at the club till 2015.

Chemicalrubber scored 17 goals in 18 league games the following season despite playing on the wing, again bring Recreativo to the top of La Liga. However, Recreativo were kicked out of the Copa del Rey after only one round of games against Valencia. Subsequently, he was benched for a few weeks. However when Recre collected only one point out of a possible nine, Chemicalrubber returned to the starting line-up. He notably scored 4 goals in a 6-0 victory against Ajax Amsterdam, also making an assist. Manager Lucas Alcaraz praised his performance, even calling him "the best player in the world".

However, another slump in form caused him to be benched again, leading to another poor run of form for the team. Chemicalrubber was unhappy at being left on the bench and causing the team to lose, as statistics have shown that Recre have only scored 10 goals in two seasons when Chemicalrubber did not play. During the January transfer window, he publicly lashed out at manager Lucas Alcaraz, saying that he will never play for Recreativo again. Chemicalrubber accepted a lucrative offer from title-challengers FC Barcelona, and signed for them for £7 million.

FC Barcelona

Chemicalrubber officially signed as a Barcelona player on 10 January, 2011, on a 18-month contract. He was given the number 20 shirt, vacated from the departure of Dani Alves. Chemicalrubber made his Barca debut against Espanyol in the Primera Liga on 21 January, 2011, as a 63rd minute substitute for Fabrizio Miccoli, and scoring his debut goal from a corner in the 71st minute. He scored again in the next match three days later against Lens in the Champions League, winning the Man of the Match award both times in his first two games. He scored twice and made two assists in the Copa del Rey match against Valencia, again winning the Man of the Match award.

Chemicalrubber made huge scoring exploits that season. He scored four goals on 20 March, 2011, in an 8-0 victory against Malaga, as well as four goals in a 5-1 victory against Osasuna a week later. Yet another week later he scored a hat-trick against Mallorca in a 7-0 victory. However, the 2-0 victory over Real Madrid on 14 April, 2011, he was tackled from behind by Miguel Torres and was stretchered off. He was then found to have a shin injury and was ruled out for two weeks.

His goals took Barcelona to the top of the league table, above the now-struggling Recreativo Huelva. Additionally, two goals against Manchester United in the Champions League quarter-finals and two against Real Madrid in the semi-finals helped Barcelona to the Champions League final, scoring in a 2-0 victory over Chelsea. Furthermore, he scored two goals against Villarreal in a 9-1 victory in the Copa del Rey final, finishing as top scorer in both tournaments. At his first season with Barcelona, Chemicalrubber managed to finish top-scorer in the league with 36 goals and win the Treble.

Due to his scoring exploits that season, there was wide interest in Chemicalrubber from many different European clubs, including Liverpool FC. However, despite the offers, he decided to stay on at Barca. He started the following season with an assist in a 3-0 win against Sporting Gijon. His first goal that season came in the form of a hat-trick against Getafe in a 7-0 win.

Chemicalrubber was nominated in the Ballon d'Or award in November 2011. On December 7, 2011, Chemicalrubber was officially named the winner of the Ballon d'Or, beating rivals Roy Makaay and Gianluigi Buffon to first place, becoming the youngest winner of the award at the age of 20. He was also named in the European Team of the Year. Chemicalrubber was also nominated for the FIFA World Player of the Year, but the title eventually went to Michael Ballack. He was nontheless named in the World Team of the Year.

However, in December 2011, Chemicalrubber incurred the wrath of manager Pep Guardiola by publicly lashing out at teammate Samuel Eto'o, saying that he was "overly selfish" and was glad that "he scored more goals than him". However, Chemicalrubber dismissed these comments, but there were tensions between the two nonetheless. This caused low team spirit and poor performances for both man and club. Subsequently, he was benched by Guardiola.

During the summer transfer window, there were interest from a number of Spanish clubs, notably Valencia and Villarreal, due to the goal-scoring record with Barcelona the previous year. Unhappy with the situation at Barcelona, Chemicalrubber accepted a loan offer from Valencia on the last day of the transfer window. He cited that Guardiola did not value him (he has never played a full game for Barcelona) and he felt "deeply hurt" by this. Also, growing tensions between him and Eto'o caused him to be an outcast during games.

Valencia C.F. (loan)

Barcelona decided to loan Chemicalrubber out to Valencia for the rest of the season. He made his debut the next day against Real Madrid as a 65th-minute substitute for Halil Altintop. He scored a goal in that match which ended in a 2-4 loss. He came on as a 70th-minute substitute in the next game against Lyon in the Champions League while the team was 1-0 down, and he scored 2 goals in the 89th and 93rd minutes to win the game for the team. Chemicalrubber personally called this game "the best of my career".

Valencia was 13 points behind his old club Barcelona at the time of the transfer, but Chemicalrubber formed a lethal partnership with Villa, scoring the goals that allowed them to overtake Barcelona, including a 3-0 victory at the Nou Camp, and a 5-1 win over old club Recreativo, out of which 4 goals were scored by Chemicalrubber. Eventually Valencia won the Primera Liga, as well as the Champions League, after a 3-2 victory over Manchester United. Chemicalrubber again won the Pichichi Trophy with 38 goals. He also topped the assist chart.

At the end of the season, Valencia decided not to sign him on a permanent deal, and was released by Barcelona at the end. This decision was met with much controversy in the media, and many criticised Guardiola's decision to buy him on a hefty fee, loan him out and release him at the end.

Real Madrid

After Barcelona decided not to renew his contract, there was interest from a number of clubs to sign him, including Boca Juniors and Everton. In the end, Real Madrid agreed a deal with Chemicalrubber on June 9, 2012, signing on a free transfer on a one-year contract. Barcelona fans were not happy with their former player signing Chemicalrubber on a free transfer, and Chemicalrubber caused an uproar when he told them to "blame Guardiola, it serves him right". He was unveiled with the number 9 shirt, previously worn by legendary striker Hugo Sanchez.

He made his debut on the opening day of the season, as a substitute for Santi Cazorla. He scored his first two goals in a 3-2 loss to AZ Alkmaar the next game. He scored a hat-trick against Getafe in a 5-0 win the next game, winning the Man of the Match award. He also scored a hat-trick against Manchester United in a 4-2 victory. He also scored a hat-trick in a 6-0 demolishing of Real Betis. However, he started to get tired after the international break and poor form followed, but he continued to play, and he said that this "sucked up all my energy". However, after he was benched for a few matches, he regained his previous form.

In November 2012, Chemicalrubber was nominated for the Ballon d'Or. He won the award in December, for the second year in a row. He was also nominated in the European Team of the Year, alongside Real striker Ruud van Nistelrooy. The duo were also nominated in the FIFA Team of the Year.

Despite scoring three goals in four games in the Copa del Rey, his team were still knocked out by Valencia in the quarter-finals on away goals after a 6-6 aggregate draw. On the other hand, he scored crucial goals in the Champions League to take his team to the final against former club Barcelona, where he scored a hat-trick in a 6-1 victory. He finished the season as top scorer of the league for the third year running, as well as being top scorer of the Champions League.

Despite interest from Manchester United during the summer, Chemicalrubber decided to remain with the club. He started his second season at Real Madrid very brightly, scoring 17 times in the first eight league games, including in a 8-3 victory over Villarreal where he scored 5 goals and set up one more. This led him to the third Ballon d'Or, for the third year in a row. He is only the second player to achieve this, after Michel Platini. He also won the FIFA World Player of the Year for the first time, and was in the FIFA World Team of the Year for the third year in a row.

International career

On May 20, 2010, the previously uncapped Chemicalrubber was included in Vicente del Bosque's provinsional squad for the World Cup 2010 in South Africa. He was then included in the final squad to South Africa, and made his international debut against Japan in the first group game, as a substitute for David Silva. He then scored his debut goal ten minutes from coming on, heading in a Joaquin corner. He made five more substitute appearances at wing, scoring four more goals, helping Spain to the final, where they faced Brazil. Coming as a 75th minute substitute for Sergio Garcia, he side-footed a David Villa cross to the bottom corner in the 87th minute, winning the World Cup for Spain. Chemicalrubber instantly became a hero in his native Spain, and he became a household name. The World Cup was his third trophy that year, after winning the Double with Recreativo.

Chemicalrubber was again called up, ahead of Fernando Torres, to the Euro 2012 qualifiers squad, and started every game, scoring five goals, helping Spain top their qualifying group and qualify for Euro 2012 in Poland/Ukraine. In the group stage, he scored twice in a 6-1 victory over Greece, followed by hat-trick in a 7-1 victory over England. He also scored twice against Netherlands in the quarter-finals in a 3-1 victory. In the final against Italy, he scored in the 9th minute, tapping in the rebound of his first effort. The match ended 1-0 as Spain successfully defended their European title. He finished top scorer of the tournament with 7 goals. He was also named in the Team of the Tournament along with fellow Spainards Iker Casillas, Sergio Ramos, Xavi and David Villa.

Chemicalrubber was called up to the Spain squad for World Cup 2014 qualifiers against Hungary, scoring twice in a 4-0 victory. He also scored in a 3-1 victory over Slovenia, in a 3-0 victory over Hungary and in a 4-1 victory over Russia. He played at right midfield in all of these matches.

Honours

Team

Recreativo Huelva

FC Barcelona

Valencia C.F.

Spain national team

Individual

FC Barcelona

Valencia C.F.

Real Madrid

Spain national team

Club career statistics

Club Season League Cup Europe Total
Apps Goals Assists Apps Goals Assists Apps Goals Assists Apps Goals Assists
Real Valladolid 2008-2009 15 6 3 2 0 0 0 0 0 17 6 3
Total 15 6 3 2 0 0 0 0 0 17 6 3
Recreativo Huelva 2008-2009 18 16 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 18 16 3
2009-2010 38 32 5 7 5 2 8 6 1 53 43 8
2010-2011 17 16 6 2 2 0 5 8 1 24 26 7
Total 73 64 14 9 7 2 13 14 2 95 85 18
FC Barcelona 2010-2011 16 20 8 7 7 4 5 5 2 28 32 14
2011-2012 19 20 11 2 0 0 5 2 2 26 22 13
Total 35 40 19 9 7 4 10 7 4 54 54 27
Valencia C.F. (loan) 2011-2012 19 18 9 0 0 0 6 2 3 25 20 12
Total 19 18 7 0 0 0 6 2 3 25 20 10
Real Madrid 2012-2013 36 35 12 4 3 0 14 14 1 54 52 13
2013-2014 25 42 8 4 6 0 6 9 1 35 57 9
Total 61 77 20 8 9 0 20 23 2 89 109 22
Career Total 203 206 63 28 23 6 48 43 11 280 274 80
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