José Luis Gayà grew up in Pedreguer, in the province of Alicante, and joined Valencia’s academy as a boy. He made his first-team debut in 2012 and has spent his whole career at Mestalla, becoming club captain.
He won the Copa del Rey with Valencia in 2019, beating Barcelona in the final. Gayà is an attacking left-back known for his overlapping runs, crossing and leadership, and he has been a symbol of stability through years of turbulence at the club.
Gayà has been capped by Spain and won the UEFA Nations League in 2023. Injury ruled him out of Euro 2024 just before the tournament.
Career in numbers
Since his first senior season in 2012/13, Gayà has made 409 club appearances and scored 12 goals in all competitions for Valencia. His busiest campaign was 2018/19, with 49 appearances. So far in 2026/27 he has made 1 appearance for Valencia. The full season-by-season record is in the Stats section of this profile.