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Álex Grimaldo
Spanish footballer (born 1995) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Alejandro "Álex" Grimaldo García (born 20 September 1995) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a left wing-back for Bundesliga club Bayer Leverkusen and the Spain national team.
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Club career
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Barcelona
Born in Valencia, Valencian Community, Grimaldo joined Barcelona's youth system in 2008. He made his official debut for the B-team on 4 September 2011, starting in a 4–0 away win against Cartagena at the age of 15 years and 349 days and becoming the youngest player ever to appear in a Segunda División game, before he was surpassed by Lamine Yamal in 2023.[2][3]
On 23 February 2013, Grimaldo suffered a serious knee injury, being ruled out for the remainder of the season.[4] He returned to action in January of the following year,[5] appearing in 14 matches to help his team finish in third position.
On 13 September 2014, Grimaldo scored his first professional goal, netting his side's last in a 3–2 success at Alavés.[6] In a campaign which saw the team relegated, he netted four times in 36 matches; he and Sergi Palencia were sent off on 25 April 2015, in a 2–1 win over Ponferradina at the Mini Estadi.[7]
Benfica
On 29 December 2015, as his contract was about to expire,[8] Grimaldo signed with Portuguese champions Benfica until 2021, for €1.5 million. Barcelona has the right to a percentage of a future sale.[9]
Grimaldo played his first game with his new team on 26 January 2016, coming in as a 62nd-minute substitute for Sílvio in a 6–1 away routing of Moreirense for the Taça da Liga.[10] He debuted in the Primeira Liga on 29 February, featuring the full 90 minutes in a 2–0 home win against União da Madeira;[11] he only appeared once more in the latter competition until the end of the season, filling in for suspended Eliseu[12] in a 4–1 victory over Nacional also at the Estádio da Luz that sealed the club's third consecutive national championship.[13] He remained in the team for the league cup final on 20 May, the 6–2 defeat of Marítimo at the Estádio Cidade de Coimbra.[14]
Grimaldo's first full season began on 7 August 2016, as he started in a 3–0 win against Braga for the Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira in Aveiro, assisting Franco Cervi for the opening goal.[15] On 2 October he scored his first goal for the club, a free kick to conclude a 4–0 home triumph over Feirense;[16] on 28 May 2017, he played the full 90 minutes in the final of the Taça de Portugal, won after defeating Vitória de Guimarães 2–1.[17]
Grimaldo's maiden appearance in the UEFA Champions League took place on 13 September 2016, when he played the entire 1–1 group stage home draw to Beşiktaş.[18] His first goal in the competition came during the same stage but on 2 October 2018, in a 3–2 away win over AEK Athens;[19] he repeated the feat against the latter opponent on 12 December in the return fixture, his 30-meter free kick in the 88th minute helping to a 1–0 victory.[20]
Bayer Leverkusen
On 21 May 2023, Grimaldo signed a four-year contract with German club Bayer Leverkusen on a free transfer.[21] On 12 August, he debuted in a DFB-Pokal match against FC Teutonia Ottensen.[22] On 15 September, he scored his first goal for the club, a direct free kick from the edge of the box away at Bayern Munich in a 2–2 draw.[23] He finished his first season at Leverkusen in 2023–24 as top assist provider in Bundesliga with 13 assists.[24]
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International career
Grimaldo won his first call-up for the Spain under-21 team on 5 February 2013 before he had turned 18, playing the second half of a 1–1 friendly draw in Belgium.[25]
On 10 November 2023, Grimaldo received his first call-up to the Spain senior national team, for Euro 2024 qualifiers against Cyprus and Georgia.[26] Six days later, he made his debut as a starter against Cyprus, assisting Mikel Oyarzabal for Spain's second goal in a 3–1 away victory.[27]
In May 2024, he was named in the 26-man squad for the UEFA Euro 2024.[28]
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Career statistics
Club
- Includes Taça de Portugal and DFB-Pokal
- Includes Taça da Liga
- Appearances in UEFA Champions League
- Appearance in Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira
- Ten appearances and two goals in UEFA Champions League, five appearances and one goal in UEFA Europa League
- Appearance in DFL-Supercup
International
- As of match played 18 November 2024[31]
Honours
Benfica
- Primeira Liga: 2015–16,[13] 2016–17, 2018–19, 2022–23[32]
- Taça de Portugal: 2016–17
- Taça da Liga: 2015–16[33]
- Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira: 2016,[29] 2017,[34] 2019[35]
Bayer 04 Leverkusen
Spain U19
Spain
Individual
- UEFA European Under-19 Championship Team of the Tournament: 2012[40]
- UEFA Europa League Squad of the Season: 2018–19[41]
- Primeira Liga Team of the Year: 2018–19,[42] 2022–23[43]
- Primeira Liga Defender of the Month: February 2019,[44] December/January 2023,[45] February 2023[46]
- Primeira Liga Goal of the Month: January 2019,[47] August 2021
- Bundesliga Team of the Season: 2023–24[48]
- VDV Bundesliga Team of the Season: 2023–24[49]
- Bundesliga Player of the Month: April 2024[50]
- The Athletic European Men's Team of the Season: 2023–24[51]
- ESM Team of the Year: 2023–24[52]
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References
External links
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