Club Career
Born in Seville, Andalusia, Puerta joined Sevilla FC as a boy and spent a total of 14 years at the club, growing up at the club's acclaimed youth system alongside other players such as Sergio Ramos, Jesús Navas, José Antonio Reyes, Alejandro Alfaro and Kepa Blanco. His La Liga debut came on 21 March 2004, as he played 71 minutes in a 0–1 home defeat against neighbours Málaga CF.
Definitely promoted to the first squad for 2005–06, Puerta became intimately connected to Sevilla's history on 27 April 2006, when he scored against FC Schalke 04 in the UEFA Cup semifinals: in the final moments of the match, he received a long ball and struck it with his left foot for the 1–0 final (and aggregate) win– Sevilla went on to collect five titles in fifteen months, with Puerta scoring his penalty shootout attempt in the 2007 UEFA Cup final, against fellow first-divisioner RCD Espanyol; his impressive performances earned him international recognition and reported interest from Arsenal, Manchester United and Real Madrid, but all bids were rejected.
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