Jordi Alba

Jordi Alba

Alba training with Spain in 2012
Personal information
Full nameJordi Alba i Ramos
Date of birth21 March 1989
Place of birthL'Hospitalet, Spain
Height1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)[1]
Playing positionLeft back
Club information
Current team
Barcelona
Number18
Youth career
1996–1998Hospitalet
1998–2005Barcelona
2005–2007Cornellà
2007Valencia
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps†(Gls)†
2007–2008Valencia B18(5)
2008–2012Valencia74(5)
2008–2009→ Gimnàstic (loan)35(4)
2012–Barcelona69(3)
National team‡
2006Spain U196(1)
2009Spain U209(0)
2008–2011Spain U214(0)
2012Spain U234(0)
2011–Spain33(5)
2008–Catalonia4(0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 25 April 2015.

† Appearances (Goals).

‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 28 December 2014
This is a Catalan name. The first family name is Alba and the second is Ramos.

Jordi Alba i Ramos (Catalan: [ˈʒɔrði ˈaɫβə i ˈramos], Spanish: [ˈʝorði ˈalβa i ˈramos]); born 21 March 1989) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays for FC Barcelona and the Spanish national team. Mainly a left back and a player of great speed, he can also operate as a left midfielder.[2]

He started his career at Hospitalet, but finished his development at Valencia (after a seven-year youth spell with Barcelona), rising to prominence in La Liga with the club. In 2012 he returned to Barcelona.

Alba represented Spain at the 2014 World Cup and Euro 2012, having first appeared for the team in 2011. He won the latter tournament.

Club career

Early years

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 Tercera División in 2007–08, he made his professional debut the following season, playing on loan at Segunda División club Gimnàstic de Tarragona,[3] where he performed consistently (24 starts).

Valencia

Alba in action for Valencia.

After returning to Los Che, Alba made his La Liga debut on 13 September 2009, in a 4–2 win at Real Valladolid.[4] He then started in two consecutive UEFA Europa League group stage matches, 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 2009–10 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.[5]

In the 2010–11 season, 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 qualification to the UEFA Champions League.

In the following campaign, Emery began using the players simultaneously down Valencia's left side, a strategy he had tested the previous season.[6] This proved an effective tactic as Alba and Mathieu frequently interchanged position and offered support for one another in both attacking and defensive areas;[7][8] ultimately, the player credited the manager as a "key man" in his successful transition to a more defensive role.[9]

Barcelona

On 28 June 2012 Alba signed a five-year contract with Barcelona, for a transfer fee of €14 million.[10] He made his official debut on 19 August, playing the full 90 minutes in a 5–1 home win against Real Sociedad.[11]

Alba scored his first goal for the Blaugrana on 20 October 2012, netting the opener in a 5–4 win at Deportivo de La Coruña,[12] and scoring the last one through an own goal.[13] In the following game, at home against Celtic for the Champions League group stage, he found the net in the 93rd minute for a 2–1 triumph.[14]

On 12 March 2013 Alba scored his fifth goal of the campaign, netting in the last-minute to complete Barcelona's 4–0 home win over A.C. Milan in the Champions League round-of-16 after a 0–2 loss, which signified his team was the first in the competition's history to overturn such a deficit.[15]

International career

Alba celebrating his goal in the Euro 2012 Final.

Alba represented the Spanish team at the 2008 UEFA European Under-19 Championship, as well as appearing in all four games as the nation 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 full side on 30 September 2011 for the last two UEFA Euro 2012 qualifiers, against the Czech Republic and Scotland.[16] 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;[17] 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.[18]

Alba (fourth to the right) in the Spain starting line-up Euro 2012.

Alba was included in Vicente del Bosque's squad for the finals in Poland and Ukraine, and played all the matches for the eventual winners. He supplied the cross for Xabi Alonso to open the scoring in the 2–0 quarter-final victory against France;[19] in the final against Italy, after running onto a pass from Xavi during a counter-attack, he scored the second goal in a 4–0 win.[20][21]

Alba was also selected for the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup in Brazil. He played four complete matches during the tournament, netting twice in the 3–0 group stage win over Nigeria.[22]

Alba made Del Bosque's list for the 2014 FIFA World Cup,[23] making three appearances as the defending champions crashed out in the group stage.[24]

Appearances

As of 19 January 2015[25]
National team Year Apps Goals
Spain 2011 2 0
2012 13 3
2013 9 2
2014 9 0
Total 33 5

Goals

Scores and results lists Spain's goal tally first.
# Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1. 1 July 2012 Olympic Stadium, Kiev, Ukraine  Italy 2–0 4–0 UEFA Euro 2012
2. 12 October 2012 Dynama Stadium, Minsk, Belarus  Belarus 1–0 4–0 2014 World Cup qualification[26]
3. 23 June 2013 Castelão, Fortaleza, Brazil  Nigeria 1–0 3–0 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup
4. 3–0
5. 6 September 2013 Olympic Stadium, Helsinki, Finland  Finland 1–0 2–0 2014 World Cup qualification

Honours

Club

Barcelona

Country

Individual

Statistics

Club

As of 25 April 2015[31][32]
Club Season League Copa del Rey Europe Other Total
AppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Gimnàstic 2008–09 35410—364
Total 35410—364
Valencia 2009–10 151209[lower-alpha 1]0—261
2010–11 272403[lower-alpha 2]0—342
2011–12 3228010[lower-alpha 3] 1—503
Total 745140221—1106
Barcelona 2012–13 292519[lower-alpha 2]21[lower-alpha 4]0445
2013–14 150504[lower-alpha 2]02[lower-alpha 4]0260
2014–15 251518[lower-alpha 2]0—382
Total 693152212301087
Career totals 178123024333025417
  1. ↑ All appearances in Europa League
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 All appearances in UEFA Champions League
  3. ↑ Four appearances in UEFA Champions League, Six appearances with one goal in Europa League
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Appearance in Supercopa de España

References

  1. ↑ http://www.espnfc.com/player/121021/jordi-alba
  2. ↑ Wilson, Jonathan (27 June 2013). "As opponents adapt, Jordi Alba helping to give Spain a new dimension". ESPN FC. Retrieved 27 June 2013.
  3. ↑ Jordi Alba ya es grana y Campano puede quedarse (Jordi Alba is already grana and Campano might stay); Diario AS, 26 July 2008 (Spanish)
  4. ↑ Villa stars in Valencia win; ESPN Soccernet, 13 September 2009
  5. ↑ Los Che complete woeful week; ESPN Soccernet, 11 April 2010
  6. ↑ Barcelona 2–1 Valencia: Barca outmanoeuvred early on, but stage second half fightback; Zonal Marking, 19 October 2010
  7. ↑ Valencia 2–2 Barcelona: Emery gets the better of Guardiola early on, but Barca fight back; Zonal Marking, 22 September 2011
  8. ↑ Tactical breakdown of Valencia 2 – Barcelona 2 (Emery v Guardiola); 101 Great Goals, 22 September 2011
  9. ↑ Alba anxious to learn; FIFA.com, 5 October 2011
  10. ↑ Agreement with Valencia over Jordi Alba; Barcelona's official website, 28 June 2012
  11. ↑ "Messi bags brace for five-goal Barca". ESPN Soccernet. 19 August 2012. Retrieved 20 August 2012.
  12. ↑ "El Barça ganó 5–4 en el día más desafortunado de Víctor Valdés" [Barça won 5–4 in Víctor Valdés' darkest day] (in Spanish). El Mundo Deportivo. 21 October 2012. Retrieved 21 October 2012.
  13. ↑ "Alba, el primero en marcar un gol y un autogol desde Kluivert en 2003" [Alba, first to score goal and own goal since Kluivert in 2003] (in Spanish). El Mundo Deportivo. 21 October 2012. Retrieved 21 October 2012.
  14. ↑ "Last-gasp Barcelona break Celtic hearts". UEFA.com. 23 October 2012. Retrieved 24 October 2012.
  15. ↑ "Breathtaking Barcelona blow Milan away". UEFA.com. 12 March 2013. Retrieved 13 March 2013.
  16. ↑ Only one new face as Del Bosque names Spain squad; Shanghai Daily, 30 September 2011
  17. ↑ Spain 3–1 Scotland; BBC Sport, 11 October 2011
  18. ↑ Spain's Del Bosque spoilt for choice; Sports Illustrated, 12 October 2011
  19. ↑ Centurion Alonso sends Spain into last four; UEFA.com, 23 June 2012
  20. ↑ "Spain overpower Italy to win UEFA EURO 2012". UEFA.com. 1 July 2012. Retrieved 3 July 2012.
  21. ↑ Jordi Alba: I cannot believe what has happened; Goal.com, 1 July 2012
  22. ↑ "Alba brace sees Spain top group". FIFA.com. 23 June 2013. Retrieved 25 June 2013.
  23. ↑ "Spain World Cup 2014 squad". The Daily Telegraph. 2 June 2014. Retrieved 9 July 2014.
  24. ↑ "Villa and Spain bow out on a high". FIFA.com. 23 June 2014. Retrieved 9 July 2014.
  25. ↑ Jordi Alba at National-Football-Teams.com
  26. ↑ "Plaudits take back seat for Spain striker Pedro". UEFA.com. 13 October 2012. Retrieved 10 July 2014.
  27. ↑ "The Liga Parade, by Jordi Alba". FC Barcelona. 15 May 2013. Retrieved 9 July 2014.
  28. ↑ "El Barça, campeón ante un Atlético granítico" [Barça, champion against chiseled Atlético] (in Spanish). Marca. 29 August 2013. Retrieved 10 July 2014.
  29. ↑ ITA – ESP 1:2 (0:0); Pescara 2009, 4 July 2009
  30. ↑ "UEFA EURO 2012 Team of the Tournament". UEFA.com. 2 July 2012. Retrieved 9 July 2014.
  31. ↑ "Jordi Alba". Soccerway. Retrieved 10 April 2014.
  32. ↑ Jordi Alba at ESPN FC

External links