Jordi Alba
Alba in action for Valencia | |||
Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | Jordi Alba Ramos | ||
Height | 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in) | ||
Position(s) | Left back / Midfielder | ||
Team information | |||
Current team | Barcelona | ||
Number | TBA | ||
Youth career | |||
1998–2005 | Barcelona | ||
2005–2007 | Cornellà | ||
2007 | Valencia | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
2007 | Cornellà | ||
2007–2008 | Valencia B | 18 | (5) |
2008–2012 | Valencia | 73 | (5) |
2008–2009 | → Gimnàstic (loan) | 35 | (4) |
2012– | Barcelona | 0 | (0) |
International career‡ | |||
2006 | Spain U19 | 6 | (1) |
2009 | Spain U20 | 9 | (0) |
2008–2011 | Spain U21 | 4 | (0) |
2011– | Spain | 10 | (0) |
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 13 May 2012 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 18:38, 27 June 2012 (UTC) |
Template:Spanish name Jordi Alba Ramos (born 21 March 1989) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays for FC Barcelona in La Liga and the Spain national team. Mainly a left defender– he can operate as a left midfielder.
Alba joined FC Barcelona as a youngster but was released in 2005 and joined fellow Catalan side UE Cornellà. His talent was soon noticed by another La Liga side as he joined Valencia CF in 2007 and it was with Los Che that he rose to prominence as, after a loan spell with Gimnàstic de Tarragona, he established himself as a first-team regular and earned a call-up to the national team.
Club career
Born in L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Catalonia, Alba started his career in the youth ranks of FC Barcelona, but was released by the club in 2005. He then joined neighbouring UE Cornellà and, after almost two years, departed in a €6,000 deal to Valencia CF, where he finished his football education. After helping the reserves earn promotion from the fourth division in 2007–08, he made his professional debut the following season, playing on loan at second level outfit Gimnàstic de Tarragona,[1] where he performed consistently (24 starts).
After returning to Los Che, Alba made his La Liga debut on 13 September 2009, in a 4–2 win at Real Valladolid.[2] He then started in two consecutive UEFA Europa League group stage contests, against Lille OSC and SK Slavia Prague (both 1–1 draws, respectively away and home). Due to continuing injuries in Valencia's defensive sector, he played much of the 2009–10 season as a left back, posting overall good performances; in that position, on 11 April 2010, he scored his first goal for the club, in a 2–3 away loss against RCD Mallorca.[3]
In 2010–11, still with Unai Emery in charge, Alba was used almost exclusively in the defensive sector, battling for first-choice status with Frenchman Jérémy Mathieu. He contributed with 27 league games as Valencia again finished third, with the subsequent UEFA Champions League qualification.
In the following season, Emery began using the players simultaneously down Valencia's left side, a strategy he had tested the previous season.[4] This proved an effective tactic as Alba and Mathieu frequently interchanged position and offered support for one another in both attacking and defensive areas;[5][6] ultimately, the player credited the manager as a "key man" in his successful transition to a more defensive role.[7]
On the 28 June 2012 it was confirmed that Alba had signed a 5 year contract with FC Barcelona, for a transfer fee of €14,000,000.
International career
I’m feeling the same as always, for me this has been a great reward and if my debut comes, I’ll be happy, and if not, I’ll still be very content with having this opportunity. No matter if I debut or not, I’ll frame my shirt and hang it up in my house along with other important ones.
Alba on potentially making his debut, from a press conference held a day before the Scotland match., [8]
Alba represented the Spain national under-19 team at the 2008 UEFA European Under-19 Football Championship as well as appearing in all four games as Spain won the gold medal at the 2009 Mediterranenan Games, he was also part of the squad at the 2009 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Egypt.
Alba received his first call-up to the senior national team on 30 September 2011 for the last two UEFA Euro 2012 qualifiers, against the Czech Republic and Scotland.[9] He made his debut in the latter game on 11 October, a 3–1 win in Alicante in which his cut back from the left wing provided the assist for the opening goal, scored by former Valencia team mate David Silva.[10] His impressive debut confirmed his status as a strong candidate to be the long-term successor of Joan Capdevila as the regular left back for La Roja.[11]
He was included in Vicente del Bosque's UEFA Euro 2012 squad and confirmed himself as first choice left-back, playing every minute of Spain's campaign en route to the final. He supplied the cross for Xabi Alonso to open the scoring in the 2-0 quarter-final victory over France.[12]
Statistics
Club
- As of 13 May 2012[13]
Club | Season | League | Cup | Europe1 | Total | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Apps | Goals | Assists | Apps | Goals | Assists | Apps | Goals | Assists | Apps | Goals | Assists | ||
Gimnàstic | 2008–09 | 35 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | 36 | 4 | 1 |
Valencia | 2009–10 | 15 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 26 | 1 | 1 |
2010–11 | 26 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 33 | 2 | 1 | |
2011–12 | 32 | 2 | 5 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 1 | 2 | 50 | 3 | 7 | |
Total | 73 | 5 | 5 | 14 | 0 | 1 | 22 | 1 | 3 | 108 | 6 | 9 | |
Barcelona | 2012–13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Career totals | 108 | 9 | 6 | 15 | 0 | 1 | 22 | 1 | 3 | 145 | 10 | 10 |
- 1Played in UEFA Champions League and UEFA Cup/UEFA Europa League.
International
- As of 23 June 2012
National team | Season | Apps | Goals | Assists |
---|---|---|---|---|
Spain | 2011–12 | 10 | 0 | 3 |
Total | 10 | 0 | 3 |
References
- ^ Jordi Alba ya es grana y Campano puede quedarse (lionel messi is already grana and Campano might stay); Diario AS, 26 July 2008 Template:Es icon
- ^ Villa stars in Valencia win; ESPN Soccernet, 13 September 2009
- ^ Los Che complete woeful week; ESPN Soccernet, 11 April 2010
- ^ Barcelona 2-1 Valencia: Barca outmanoeuvred early on, but stage second half fightback; Zonal Marking, 19 October 2010
- ^ Valencia 2-2 Barcelona: Emery gets the better of Guardiola early on, but Barca fight back; Zonal Marking, 22 September 2011
- ^ Tactical breakdown of Valencia 2 – Barcelona 2 (Emery v Guardiola); 101 Great Goals, 22 September 2011
- ^ Alba anxious to learn; FIFA.com, 5 October 2011
- ^ All set for Scotland; Con la Roja, 11 October 2011
- ^ Only one new face as Del Bosque names Spain squad; Shanghai Daily, 30 September 2011
- ^ Spain 3-1 Scotland; BBC Sport, 11 October 2011
- ^ Spain's Del Bosque spoilt for choice; Sports Illustrated, 12 October 2011
- ^ Centurion Alonso sends Spain into last four; UEFA.com, 23 June 2012
- ^ "Jordi Alba Ramos". Valencia CF. Retrieved 4 June 2012.
External links
- Valencia official profile Template:Es icon
- BDFutbol profile
- Jordi Alba at National-Football-Teams.com
- Jordi Alba – FIFA competition record (archived)
- Transfermarkt profile
- CiberChe stats and bio Template:Es icon
- 1989 births
- Living people
- People from L'Hospitalet de Llobregat
- Spanish footballers
- Catalan footballers
- Association football defenders
- Association football midfielders
- La Liga footballers
- Segunda División footballers
- Valencia CF Mestalla footballers
- Valencia CF footballers
- Gimnàstic de Tarragona footballers
- FC Barcelona footballers
- Spain youth international footballers
- Spain under-21 international footballers
- Spain international footballers
- UEFA Euro 2012 players