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Alejandro "Álex" Padilla Pérez (born 1 September 2003) is a professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for La Liga club Athletic Bilbao. Born in Spain, he represents the Mexico national team.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Alejandro Padilla Pérez | ||
| Date of birth | 1 September 2003 | ||
| Place of birth | Zarautz, Spain | ||
| Height | 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Goalkeeper | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Athletic Bilbao | ||
| Number | 26 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Zarautz | |||
| 2019–2021 | Athletic Bilbao | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2021–2022 | Basconia | 24 | (0) |
| 2022–2024 | Bilbao Athletic | 51 | (0) |
| 2024– | Athletic Bilbao | 5 | (0) |
| International career | |||
| 2021–2022 | Spain U19 | 6 | (0) |
| 2024– | Mexico U23 | 2 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 6 October 2024 | |||
Padilla was born in Zarautz, Gipuzkoa, Basque Country to a Spanish father (from Bergara) and a Mexican mother.[1][2] At three months old, he moved with his parents to his mother's hometown of Camargo, Chihuahua and lived there until age 7.[3]
Padilla joined Athletic Bilbao's Lezama Facilities in 2019, from hometown side CD Zarautz.[4] He made his senior debut with the farm team CD Basconia on 15 September 2021, starting in a 2–2 Tercera División RFEF away draw against CD Anaitasuna.
Promoted to the reserves in Primera Federación ahead of the 2022–23 season, Padilla first appeared with the side on 28 August 2022, starting in a 2–1 home loss to CF La Nucía. In 2023, he was called up to the pre-season with the main squad.[5][6]
Due to injuries to Unai Simón and Julen Agirrezabala in the summer of 2024, Padilla was the candidate to step into the first team for the beginning of the 2024–25 season. He appeared in several pre-season matches, including the second half of a 3–2 loss against Aston Villa, and made his La Liga debut as a starter against Getafe at San Mamés on 15 August 2024; he made several saves, including from Carles Aleñá in a one-on-one situation, and was not at fault for the goal his side conceded in a 1–1 draw.[7][8]
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Youth
On 2 September 2021, Padilla made his debut for the Spain U19's, coming on as a half-time substitute for Alejandro Iturbe in a 5–1 win against Mexico.
In November 2021, Padilla was included for Spain’s squad for the qualifying matches of the 2022 UEFA European Under-19 Championship. He started and played the full 90 minutes against Azerbaijan, as his side cruised to a 6–0 win, qualifying for the elite round. In the elite round, Padilla had played the full matches over Austria and Poland, suffering a 2–2 and 3–3 draw and finishing second behind Austria, thus failing to qualify for the final tournament.
In March 2024, Padilla was called up by the Mexico national under-23 team.[3] On 22 March, he made his debut in a 4–2 defeat against Argentina.
Senior
On 29 August 2024, Padilla received his first call-up to the Mexico national team.[9]
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- As of match played 6 October 2024
| Club | Season | League | Copa del Rey | Europe | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Basconia | 2021–22 | Tercera Federación | 24 | 0 | — | — | — | 24 | 0 | |||
| Bilbao Athletic | 2022–23 | Primera Federación | 25 | 0 | — | — | — | 25 | 0 | |||
| 2023–24 | Segunda Federación | 26 | 0 | — | — | — | 26 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 51 | 0 | — | — | — | 51 | 0 | |||||
| Athletic Bilbao | 2024–25 | La Liga | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| Career total | 80 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 80 | 0 | ||
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