Wikipedia

Raúl Albiol

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Albiol and the second or maternal family name is Tortajada.

Raúl Albiol Tortajada (born 4 September 1985) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a central defender for and captains La Liga club Villarreal.

Raúl Albiol
Albiol playing for Spain in 2019
Personal information
Full name Raúl Albiol Tortajada[1]
Date of birth (1985-09-04) 4 September 1985 (age 39)[2]
Place of birth Vilamarxant, Spain
Height 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in)[3]
Position(s) Centre-back
Team information
Current team
 Villarreal
Number 3
Youth career
1994–1996 Ribarroja
1996–1997 Vilamarxant
1997–2003 Valencia
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2003–2004 Valencia B 35 (2)
2004–2009 Valencia 131 (5)
2004–2005 → Getafe (loan) 17 (1)
2009–2013 Real Madrid 81 (1)
2013–2019 Napoli 180 (6)
2019– Villarreal 158 (1)
International career
2004 Spain U19 7 (0)
2003–2005 Spain U20 4 (0)
2005–2006 Spain U21 7 (0)
2007–2021 Spain 58 (0)
Medal record
Representing  Spain
FIFA World Cup
Winner 2010 South Africa
UEFA European Championship
Winner 2008 Austria–Switzerland
Winner 2012 Poland–Ukraine
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 18:25, 20 October 2024 (UTC)

He spent most of his career with Valencia, Real Madrid and Villarreal, winning five major titles between the first two teams and the 2020–21 UEFA Europa League with the third. He amassed La Liga totals of 379 matches and eight goals over 15 seasons, and also played several years in the Italian Serie A with Napoli.

A Spain international since 2007, Albiol represented the country in two World Cups and as many European Championships, winning three tournaments including the 2010 World Cup.

Club career

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Valencia

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Born in Vilamarxant, Valencian Community,[4] Albiol started playing football with two modest clubs in his native region, moving to local giants Valencia before celebrating his 10th birthday. He made his first-team debut on 24 September 2003 in a UEFA Cup first-round tie against AIK at 18 years and 20 days,[5][6] but spent the first year still registered with the reserves.[7]

In August 2004, whilst travelling to sign a deal to join Getafe on loan, Albiol was involved in a serious car accident, being put in intensive care.[8] He managed to recover completely and, after reappearing in January, played an important role in the team surviving the relegation battle.[9][10][11] He made his La Liga debut on 15 January 2005 in a 1–1 home draw with Atlético Madrid,[12] and scored against another side from the capital, Real Madrid, in a 2–1 home win two months later.[13]

Albiol returned to the Mestalla Stadium the following season, and quickly established himself as first-choice due to his versatility.[14][15] In the opening game of 2006–07, he scored the winner against Real Betis in a 2–1 home victory.[16] He also scored from long distance against Olympiacos on 12 September 2006 in the group stage of the UEFA Champions League, which Valencia won 4–2 away.[17]

During his four-season spell with the first team, Albiol played at least 29 league games, and he helped to victory in the 2007–08 edition of the Copa del Rey.[18]

Real Madrid

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Albiol playing for Real Madrid in 2009

On 25 June 2009, Albiol joined Real Madrid for a fee thought to be in the region of €15 million,[19] becoming the first Spanish player signed by Florentino Pérez upon his return to the presidency.[20] He scored his first goal on 8 December in a 3–1 Champions League win away to Marseille.[21] He was an undisputed starter during the league campaign, mainly due to Pepe's serious knee injury.[22]

In the 2010–11 season, Albiol was relegated to the bench as Real brought in another player for his position, Ricardo Carvalho, only appearing in the league through injury or suspension to teammates;[23][24] he did start, however, in the club's domestic cup run.[25] On 26 January 2011, in the semi-final first leg against Sevilla (1–0 away victory), he cleared a Luís Fabiano shot just before it crossed the goal line.[26] On 16 April, he was sent off for fouling former Valencia teammate David Villa inside the penalty area during El Clásico with Barcelona, which resulted in the first goal in a 1–1 league home draw.[27]

On 6 August 2012, Albiol renewed his contract until June 2017.[28] On 27 November, in his first appearance as captain, at home against Alcoyano in the Spanish Cup, he had to be stretchered off after only one minute, being sidelined for approximately one month with an ankle injury.[29]

Napoli

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On 21 July 2013, Albiol joined Napoli for a reported €12 million,[30] signing a four-year contract.[31] He made his Serie A debut on 25 August, in a 3–0 home win over Bologna.[32]

Albiol scored his first goal for the Rafael Benítez-led team on 25 January 2014, with an 88th-minute equaliser in a 1–1 home draw against ChievoVerona.[33] On 3 May, he played the entire final of the Coppa Italia, helping to a 3–1 defeat of Fiorentina.[34]

Villarreal

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On 4 July 2019, the 33-year-old Albiol returned to Spain after agreeing to a three-year deal with Villarreal.[35] He made his debut on 17 August, in a 4–4 home draw with Granada.[36]

Albiol scored twice from 11 appearances in the 2020–21 UEFA Europa League, as the club won the first major honour of its 98-year history.[37][38] In the 2021 UEFA Super Cup against Chelsea, he missed the decisive penalty in the shoot-out.[39]

On 12 April 2022, Albiol was named player of the match in a 1–1 away draw against Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarter-finals second leg, securing Villarreal's qualification by winning 2–1 on aggregate.[40]

International career

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Albiol lining up for Spain in 2009

Having represented Spain at under-21 level, Albiol made his debut for the senior squad on 13 October 2007 in an UEFA Euro 2008 qualifier against Denmark, a 3–1 away win.[41] In the final stages, he appeared twice for the eventual champions, against Sweden (subbing in for the injured Carles Puyol)[42] and Greece.[43]

New national team coach Vicente del Bosque included Albiol in the squad for the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup in South Africa.[44] He started in Spain's first game, partnering Puyol in central defence ahead of Valencia teammate Carlos Marchena and helping defeat New Zealand 5–0.[45]

Albiol was picked for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, but did not leave the bench for the eventual champions after having suffered an injury in training.[46] Again as an unused player, he was also in the squad for the Euro 2012 tournament in Poland and Ukraine, which also ended in victory.[47]

Albiol was named in Spain's 23-man squad for the 2014 World Cup.[48] He made his debut in a major finals in the last group match against Australia with the Spanish already eliminated, playing the whole 90 minutes alongside Sergio Ramos in central defence in a 3–0 victory.[49]

Style of play

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A reliable and physically strong player who excels in the air, Albiol's main asset is his versatility, as he can play as a centre-back, right-back or defensive midfielder.[50][51]

Personal life

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Albiol's nickname is "El Chori".[52] His older brother Miguel was also a footballer, while his father, also named Miguel, appeared in the Segunda División for Sabadell. The youngest sibling, Brian, was named after Brian Laudrup, whom Raúl admired on account of his success with the Denmark national team.[53][54][55][56]

Albiol fathered two daughters with his wife Alicia.[57][58] In 2008, with Guillermo Franco and Marcos Senna, he founded Evangélico FC, an organisation consisting of 140 athletes and 16 coaches which sought to promote Christian values among young athletes in Spain.[59]

Career statistics

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Club

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As of match played 20 October 2024[60]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup Europe Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Valencia B 2003–04 Segunda División B 35 2 — — — 35 2
Valencia 2003–04 La Liga 0 0 — 2[a] 0 — 2 0
2005–06 La Liga 29 1 4 0 3[b] 0 — 36 1
2006–07 La Liga 36 1 4 2 12[c] 1 — 52 4
2007–08 La Liga 32 1 6 0 7[c] 0 — 45 1
2008–09 La Liga 34 2 2 0 6[a] 0 2[d] 0 44 2
Total 131 5 16 2 30 1 2 0 179 8
Getafe (loan) 2004–05 La Liga 17 1 2 0 — — 19 1
Real Madrid 2009–10 La Liga 33 0 2 0 8[c] 1 — 43 1
2010–11 La Liga 20 0 6 0 6[c] 0 — 32 0
2011–12 La Liga 10 0 2 0 5[c] 0 0 0 17 0
2012–13 La Liga 18 1 5 0 3[c] 0 1[d] 0 27 1
Total 81 1 15 0 22 1 1 0 119 2
Napoli 2013–14 Serie A 32 1 5 0 9[e] 0 — 46 1
2014–15 Serie A 35 0 3 0 12[f] 0 1[g] 0 51 0
2015–16 Serie A 36 1 0 0 3[h] 0 — 39 1
2016–17 Serie A 26 0 3 0 6[c] 0 — 35 0
2017–18 Serie A 31 3 0 0 8[i] 0 — 39 3
2018–19 Serie A 20 1 0 0 6[c] 0 — 26 1
Total 180 6 11 0 44 0 1 0 236 6
Villarreal 2019–20 La Liga 36 1 2 0 — — 38 1
2020–21 La Liga 35 0 1 0 11[h] 2 — 47 2
2021–22 La Liga 28 0 2 1 12[c] 0 1[j] 0 43 1
2022–23 La Liga 25 0 1 0 1[k] 0 — 27 0
2023–24 La Liga 26 0 1 0 3[h] 0 — 30 0
2024–25 La Liga 8 0 0 0 — — 8 0
Total 158 1 7 1 27 2 1 0 193 4
Career total 602 16 51 3 123 4 5 0 781 23
  1. ^ a b Appearances in UEFA Cup
  2. ^ Appearances in UEFA Intertoto Cup
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i Appearances in UEFA Champions League
  4. ^ a b Appearances in Supercopa de España
  5. ^ Six appearances in UEFA Champions League, three appearances in UEFA Europa League
  6. ^ Two appearances in UEFA Champions League, ten appearances in UEFA Europa League
  7. ^ Appearance in Supercoppa Italiana
  8. ^ a b c Appearances in UEFA Europa League
  9. ^ Seven appearances in UEFA Champions League, one appearance in UEFA Europa League
  10. ^ Appearance in UEFA Super Cup
  11. ^ Appearance in UEFA Europa Conference League

International

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Appearances and goals by national team and year[61]
National team Year Apps Goals
Spain 2007 2 0
2008 8 0
2009 11 0
2010 2 0
2011 8 0
2012 7 0
2013 6 0
2014 6 0
2015 1 0
2018 1 0
2019 4 0
2021 2 0
Total 58 0

Honours

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Valencia

Real Madrid

Napoli

Villarreal

 
Albiol (number 2) celebrating Spain's win in the 2010 FIFA World Cup Final

Spain U19

Spain

Individual

References

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  1. ^ "2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil: List of Players: Spain" (PDF). FIFA. 14 July 2014. p. 29. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 February 2020. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
  2. ^ "Raúl ALBIOL Tortajada". El Mundo (in Spanish). Retrieved 23 August 2021.
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  4. ^ Franch, Víctor (14 September 2021). "Albiol, experiencia en Champions al servicio del Villarreal" [Albiol, Champions experience at the service of Villarreal]. Marca (in Spanish). Retrieved 21 November 2021.
  5. ^ Ortí, Francisco (25 June 2009). "Los perfiles de Goal.com: Raúl Albiol" [Goal.com's profiles: Raúl Albiol] (in Spanish). Goal. Retrieved 21 November 2021.
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  34. ^ a b "Fiorentina 1–3 Napoli: Partenopei come out on top in Coppa Italia final". Goal. 3 May 2014. Retrieved 7 May 2014.
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  36. ^ Flynn, Henry (18 August 2019). "Villarreal and Granada draw in eight-goal thriller". Marca. Retrieved 18 August 2019.
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  38. ^ a b Stone, Simon (26 May 2021). "Villarreal 1–1 Manchester United". BBC Sport. Retrieved 26 May 2021.
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  53. ^ Montaner, R. (13 July 2010). "Vilamarxant se emociona con Albiol" [Vilamarxant gets emotional with Albiol]. Levante-EMV (in Spanish). Retrieved 2 May 2016.
  54. ^ "Los hermanos Albiol frente a frente" [The Albiol brothers face to face]. Diario AS (in Spanish). 26 October 2010. Retrieved 2 May 2016.
  55. ^ "RealAlbiol: "Mourinho nos ha dado carácter. Día a día demuestra lo gran entrenador que es"" [RealAlbiol: "Mourinho has built our character. Every day he shows the great manager he is"] (in Spanish). Real Madrid CF. 17 November 2011. Archived from the original on 8 September 2012. Retrieved 27 May 2012.
  56. ^ Ros, Cayetano (8 October 2020). "Albiol: "Ya no habrá capitanes como los de antes"" [Albiol: "Captains will never be what they used to be"]. Las Provincias (in Spanish). Retrieved 20 November 2021.
  57. ^ Torres, Diego; Tronchoni, Nadia (25 June 2009). "Acuerdo entre el Valencia y el Madrid por Albiol" [Agreement between Valencia and Madrid for Albiol]. El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 15 July 2009.
  58. ^ Calero, Toni (9 January 2010). "El 'alma' valenciana de Albiol" [Albiol's Valencia 'soul' (Alma in English)]. Las Provincias (in Spanish). Retrieved 2 May 2016.
  59. ^ "Marcos Senna presentó el Evangélico FC, equipo de fútbol inspirado en los valores cristianos" [Marcos Senna presented Evangélico FC, football team inspired by Christian values] (in Spanish). Protestante Digital. 20 October 2008. Retrieved 18 January 2019.
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  61. ^ "Raúl Albiol". EU-Football.info. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
  62. ^ "FOTOS CON HISTORIA: 2004, cuando la Sub-19 abrió el camino a la Absoluta" [HISTORIC PHOTOS: 2004, when the Under-19s paved the way for the A-team] (in Spanish). Royal Spanish Football Federation. 25 November 2014. Retrieved 8 September 2021.
  63. ^ "España logra el tercer puesto en la Confederaciones" [Spain get third place in Confederations]. El Confidencial (in Spanish). 28 June 2009. Retrieved 20 November 2021.
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  66. ^ "UEFA Europa League Squad of the Season 2020/21". UEFA. 28 May 2021. Retrieved 30 May 2021.
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