Juanca Pineda leaves the Segunda RFEF and joins Sheriff Tiraspol on loan
Three years ago, Juanca Pineda was playing modest matches in the fourth tier of Spanish football. Now, the 26-year-old winger is set to represent Sheriff Tiraspol, the Moldovan club that has already knocked out giants in European qualifiers and left its mark on Champions League history by beating Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabéu. The loan was agreed for one season, with an option to buy.
From Guadalajara to Moldova: a career built brick by brick
Developed in Getafe’s youth ranks, Pineda never had an easy path. He passed through Torrijos, Mirandés B, Unión Adarve and Guadalajara, piling up minutes in semi-professional divisions where any mistake weighs heavily and where the dream of making a living from football slowly dies for many. For him, it was different.
The turning point came from outside Spain. Beroe Stara Zagora, of the Bulgarian first division, bet on the forward when few would have. In two seasons in Eastern Europe, Juanca racked up nine goals and eight assists, numbers that caught the eye of clubs in the region used to scouting attacking talents capable of unbalancing a game.
Sheriff, Europa League and the weight of a historic shirt
Sheriff Tiraspol is no ordinary destination. The Tiraspol club has dominated Moldovan football for decades and regularly takes part in the qualifying rounds of European competitions. But what put it on the continental map was the night when, in the 2021/22 Champions League group stage, it went to Madrid and beat Real Madrid 2-1, a result that entered European football folklore. The club would end up eliminated in the following phase, but the feat remains.
For the 2026/27 season, Sheriff will play in the Europa League. Pineda arrives precisely for that campaign, which means the player developed in the lower divisions of Spanish football could make his debut in official European competition still within this cycle. The deal was brokered by his agent, Toñín Fernández, and the buy option at the end of the loan indicates that the Moldovan club sees more than a temporary solution in the Dominican.
A journey worth more than the numbers show
Juanca Pineda is an international for the Dominican Republic. That status, combined with a passport from outside the European bloc, tends to complicate negotiations in markets like the Bulgarian and Moldovan ones, where the slots for non-EU players are limited. The fact that Sheriff went ahead anyway says something about the weight of his performances at Beroe.
From the Spanish fourth tier to the Europa League in three years. It was not luck. It was rhythm, patience and the willingness to take risks where others would hesitate.
