Éder Álvarez Balanta

Éder Álvarez Balanta
Personal information
Full name Éder Fabián Álvarez Balanta
Date of birth (1993-02-28) 28 February 1993
Place of birth Bogotá, Colombia
Height 1.82 m (5 ft 11 1⁄2 in)[1]
Playing position Centre back
Club information
Current team
 Basel
Number 23
Youth career
2010 Academia
2011–2013 River Plate
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2013–2016 River Plate 52 (2)
2016– Basel 19 (1)
National team‡
2014– Colombia 7 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 2 June 2017.
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 15 November 2016

Éder Fabián Álvarez Balanta (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈeðeɾ ˈalβaɾes]; born 28 February 1993) is a Colombian footballer who plays as a centre back for FC Basel in the Swiss Super League. His overall versatile capabilities have led him to be likened as one of the more promising young defenders from South America, earning praise even from Europe.[2][3][4][5][6] River Plate former coach Ramón Díaz has compared Álvarez Balanta's talents to that of 1970s legend Daniel Passarella.[7]

A Colombian international, he made his debut against Tunisia on 5 March 2014 and was later named in Colombia's squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

Álvarez Balanta is described by FIFA's official website as "left-footed, powerfully built, strong in the air and a fearless tackler ... blessed with skill and speed."[8]

Club career

Early career

Álvarez Balanta was born in Bogotá, where he signed with the now dissolved club Academia in 2010 (who later became Llaneros). After a successful youth run winning various titles, he attracted the scouts of River Plate. Prior to his move to the Argentinean giants, Balanta was never able to represent the Colombian national youth squads due to vast injuries.[9]

River Plate

Balanta tackling for River Plate in 2016.

In early 2011, Álvarez Balanta was tested in the youth division of the Argentinean Club and passed the trials and became a sub with the youth squad.[10] In 2012, he was becoming more of a regular which led to an eventual championship victory in the 2012 U-20 Copa Libertadores. Due to his success with the youth team and impressive talent, he moved into the senior squad officially in 2013.[11]

Álvarez Balanta made his debut with the senior squad against Racing Club. In just his third league match, he scored his first goal against Godoy Cruz.[12] Álvarez Balanta scored yet another goal in his very next match, this time against Quilmes Atlético Club. He played his first Superclásico derby match against River Plate's fierce rivals, Boca Juniors. He played a huge part countering and cancelling the attacking plays in a fierce game that ended 1–1.[13][14] Interestingly, Inter Milan reportedly made a bid for the young Colombian after just five league appearances. River Plate set a €12 million price tag.[15][16] During a match against All Boys, Álvarez Balanta tore his internal obturador muscle resulting in a two-week absence on the pitch.[17]

In July 2013, Álvarez Balanta officially signed his first senior contract with the club on a three-year term deal with a $30 million release clause.[18]

Álvarez Balanta noticeably put on a man of the match performance in the 2013 Copa Sudamericana match against San Lorenzo. Throughout the match, he was praised for being "impassable".[19]

In September 2013, it was reported that Barcelona had taken interest in Álvarez Balanta, and they plan to watch the player to evaluate his development.[20][21][22] It was also mentioned that Álvarez Balanta could possibly be a successor to Barça's aging defender Carles Puyol, but that River Plate would require €50 million in any transfer deal.[23][24][25] Weeks later, however, River Plate brought down his release clause to €15 million.[26]

In River Plate's match against Lanús, Álvarez Balanta received his first ever red card within the last two minutes of regulation time.[27]

On 19 February 2015, Álvarez Balanta made his debut in the 2015 Copa Libertadores against Bolivian club San José in which River Plate lost 0–2. On 12 March 2015, Balanta scored his first goal in the Copa Libertadores in 1–1 draw against Juan Aurich of Peru.[28]

Basel

On 14 July 2016, Swiss club Basel announced that they had signed Álvarez Balanta on a four-year contract lasting till 30 June 2020.[29] He made his first team league debut on 24 July in the 3–0 home win against Sion.[30] Under trainer Urs Fischer Balanta won the Swiss Super League championship at the end of the 2016–17 Super League season. For the club this was the eighth title in a row and their 20th championship title in total.[31] They also won the Swiss Cup for the twelfth time, which meant they had won the double for the sixth time in the clubs history.[32]

International career

Álvarez Balanta attracted the attention of the Colombian Football Federation in May 2013 during his time with River Plate. He was called to be part of the U-20 squad for the 2013 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Turkey. Due to injuries and the factor that he had yet to sign his first professional contract, River Plate stated that they would not allow him to partake with the national youth squad if he does not meet with his youth contract before signing a senior contract. In June, 2013, it was confirmed that River Plate would not allow him to take part in the U-20 World Cup.[33]

On 7 November 2013, Álvarez Balanta received his first senior call-up to play friendlies against Belgium and the Netherlands.[34][35] On his second call-up, Álvarez Balanta made his international debut, coming in at the 65th minute in a friendly against Tunisia.

On 6 June 2014, Álvarez Balanta was named by head coach José Pékerman in Colombia's 23-man squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup.[36]

Playing style and praise

"Balanta is worth €15 million; he is a great player with a great future. I think that Balanta would be liked by Tata Martino, as it would not seem odd to me if Barca are interested in him. He is a player that will come good whichever team he plays for. Balanta is not like Mascherano nor like Piqué; he is a different sort of player with more presence. He is a strong defender, is good on the ball and knows how to play going forward."

River Plate vice president Omar Solassi over Álvarez Balanta and his recent alleged links towards Barcelona[37]

Álvarez Balanta has been highlighted with top praise in Argentina.[9][38] Since debuting in top-tier Argentinean football, Álvarez Balanta has been deemed as the "best defender" in the league, earning that title within half of his debuting season.[19][38][39][40][41][42] Compared to other Colombian legends, he has been referenced for Jorge Bermúdez's hierarchy while having speed and agility to that of Iván Córdoba, all while also carrying wonderful strength and balance. Thus, he is often credited as a complete center-back. Left-footed, Álvarez Balanta has shown that he can play with his right as well.[43][44][45][46][47][48] These talents had even made former River Plate coach Ramón Díaz, compare Álvarez Balanta's talents to that of legendary Daniel Passarella.[7]

In response to his sudden rise in popularity and praise, Álvarez Balanta has been shown to be quite modest:

"I am not as skillful as everyone thinks I am; I understand that people are excited for me and what I can do which is good, as it proves that I am on the right path and that my hard work is paying off. However, I am really just 'normal' and not a 'star', yet. People are often asking me when 'I will go to Barcelona' and it makes me feel uncomfortable because I am still young and learning. But the rumors that run around often make me feel as if my head will explode. It puts stress on my mind when I am trying to focus on River Plate and possibly get the chance to represent Colombia. It's a dream of mine to play for Colombia during a World Cup, but I cannot make it if I don't continue working hard."[49][50]

Honours

River Plate
FC Basel

References

  1. ↑ http://www.cariverplate.com.ar/ver-jugador-eder-alvarez-balanta-5
  2. ↑ "lvarez Balanta sigue en boca de los catalanes". lapaginamillonaria.com. Retrieved 17 January 2015.
  3. ↑ "Destacan el interés de Barcelona por Balanta". Fox Sports. Retrieved 17 January 2015.
  4. ↑ Christopher Atkins. "20 South American Talents European Clubs Should Be Watching". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 17 January 2015.
  5. ↑ "River podría vender a Balanta en las próximas horas". Retrieved 17 January 2015.
  6. ↑ Rodrigo Biggio, "F.C. Barcelona ties versus Osasuna, Messi and Puyol return", isportsweb, retrieved 17 January 2015
  7. 1 2 Tim Vickery. "BBC Sport - World Cup 2014: More to Colombia than Radamel Falcao". BBC Sport. Retrieved 17 January 2015.
  8. ↑ "Eder BALANTA". FIFA. Retrieved 13 June 2014.
  9. 1 2 "Scout - Eder Alvarez Balanta". SkySports. Retrieved 17 January 2015.
  10. ↑ "lvarez Balanta: "Estoy viviendo un sueo"". lapaginamillonaria.com. Retrieved 17 January 2015.
  11. ↑ "Álvarez Balanta va por su Libertadores". Hechos en Colombia. Retrieved 17 January 2015.
  12. ↑ "Álvarez Balanta anotó su primer gol con River". ligapostobonapp. Retrieved 17 January 2015.
  13. ↑ "Barovero y Alvarez Balanta, los puntos más altos de un River opaco". Terra. Retrieved 17 January 2015.
  14. ↑ "Alvarez Balanta estuvo a la altura y no le pesó para nada el superclásico". Retrieved 17 January 2015.
  15. ↑ "Éder Álvarez Balanta estaría en los planes del Milan - Futbolistas Colombianos en el Exterior - Futbolred.com". futbolred.com. 7 May 2013. Retrieved 17 January 2015.
  16. ↑ "¿Balanta al Inter por 12 millones de euros?". ¿Balanta al Inter por 12 millones de euros?. Retrieved 17 January 2015.
  17. ↑ "Sufre Ramón Díaz: se desgarró Eder Álvarez Balanta". Retrieved 17 January 2015.
  18. ↑ "Alvarez Balanta signs new contract with River Plate". buenosairesherald.com. Retrieved 23 May 2015.
  19. 1 2 "Balanta, un defensor de lujo". Clarin.com. Retrieved 17 January 2015.
  20. ↑ "¿Se llevan a Álvarez Balanta?". ¿Se llevan a Álvarez Balanta?. Retrieved 17 January 2015.
  21. ↑ "Destacan el interés de Barcelona por Balanta". Fox Sports. Retrieved 17 January 2015.
  22. ↑ Oriol Domènech (9 May 2013). "Los próximos fichajes del Barça los hará Tata Martino". MUNDO DEPORTIVO. Retrieved 17 January 2015.
  23. ↑ "Éder Álvarez Balanta, el fichaje que quiere el FC Barcelona". Retrieved 17 January 2015.
  24. ↑ Seccin Deportes. "Un jugador de River es la prioridad del Barcelona - MDZ Online". Retrieved 17 January 2015.
  25. ↑ "Alvarez Balanta, el elegido por el Barcelona de Martino para reemplazar a Puyol". Retrieved 17 January 2015.
  26. ↑ "River Plate name price for Barcelona target Balanta - News - FOX Sports on MSN". FOX Soccer. Retrieved 17 January 2015.
  27. ↑ "Balanta: una roja ingenua que lo aleja de la vuelta". lapaginamillonaria.com. Retrieved 17 January 2015.
  28. ↑ "Juan Aurich 1-1 River Plate". conmebol.com. 12 March 2015. Retrieved 12 March 2015.
  29. ↑ FC Basel 1893 (2016). "Der FC Basel 1893 verpflichtet Eder Balanta" (in German). FC Basel 1893. Retrieved 2016-07-14.
  30. ↑ Marti, Caspar (2016). "3:0 gegen Sion – der FCB war beim Auftact parat". FC Basel 1893. Retrieved 2016-07-24.
  31. ↑ Marti, Casper (2017). "Der Saisonabschluss im Zeitraffer". FC Basel 1893. Retrieved 2017-06-02.
  32. ↑ "Swiss football: FC Basel wins 3-0 over Sion in Geneva; police extra vigilant after game". allaboutgeneva.com. 25 May 2017.
  33. ↑ "Eder Álvarez Balanta no estará en el mundial sub-20". ligapostobonapp. Retrieved 17 January 2015.
  34. ↑ "Mauricio Andres Luna". Retrieved 17 January 2015.
  35. ↑ Juan Felipe. "Convocatoria Selección Colombia para juegos ante Bélgica y Holanda". Retrieved 17 January 2015.
  36. ↑ "Colombia 2014 World Cup squad: the 23 chosen by José Pékerman". The Guardian. 6 June 2014. Retrieved 13 June 2014.
  37. ↑ Fox Sports. "Soccer News, Videos, Scores, Standings, Stats, Teams". FOX Sports. Retrieved 23 May 2015.
  38. 1 2 Editorial Rio Negro SA. "Balanta: "Yo no soy tan crack como todos dicen"". Retrieved 17 January 2015.
  39. ↑ Nikola. "Eder Alvarez Balanta could make a surprise move to FC Barcelona". Voxxi. Retrieved 17 January 2015.
  40. ↑ "Javier Mascherano praise for Barca target Eder Alvarez Balanta - ESPN FC". ESPNFC.com. Retrieved 17 January 2015.
  41. ↑ "Can Newell’s Old Boys repeat?". buenosairesherald.com. Retrieved 23 May 2015.
  42. ↑ Alex Richards. "6 of the Best South American Players You Possibly Haven't Heard of Yet". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 17 January 2015.
  43. ↑ "Eder Balanta Alvarez vs Racing 4.7.13". YouTube. Retrieved 17 January 2015.
  44. ↑ Nikola. "Why would FC Barcelona go after Balanta?". Voxxi. Retrieved 17 January 2015.
  45. ↑ "Eder Alvarez Balanta vs Liga de Loja Copa Sudamericana". YouTube. Retrieved 17 January 2015.
  46. ↑ "Eder Alvarez Balanta vs San Lorenzo _ Copa Sudamericana 8.22.13". YouTube. Retrieved 17 January 2015.
  47. ↑ "Eder Alvarez Balanta vs Godoy Cruz". YouTube. Retrieved 17 January 2015.
  48. ↑ "BALANTA "El Coyote" ● Skills, Goals + ● Jugadas y goles +". YouTube. Retrieved 17 January 2015.
  49. ↑ Christenson, Marcus (22 October 2013). "Balanta modest towards praise.". Retrieved 22 October 2013.
  50. ↑ "Eder Balanta: "Soy un tipo normal; no soy tan crack como dicen"". Retrieved 17 January 2015.
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