Many players caught the eye of many during the recent
European championships, but there was one player that vividly stood out from
the rest, being Spain's left-back Jordi Alba. Alba impressed during the
tournament and caused FC Barcelona to snap up the whizkid. He has the potential
to be a world-beater.
After starting his career off at local side Hospitalet, Alba
took his development a step further by moving to Spanish Giants FC Barcelona,
he spent 7 years in the academy at Barca, before eventually being released by
the Catalans. The 23-year-old then moved to Cornella, a side playing in the
fourth tier of Spanish Football. Alba never got any first team action whilst at
Cornella but received call ups to the Spanish u-19's national team and made 6
appearances, scoring once. If he was to find a way of making a name for himself
in football, he would have to progress to a different standard of football. So
Alba departed to Valencia in a 6,000 deal. This is where he really began to flourish.
Alba spent the first year of his football education at
Valencia in the reserves, he played a vital role in the club's promotion to the
Spanish Football third divison, playing 18 times and racking up 5 goals. The
next season saw Alba correctly rewarded for his display's for Valencia B,as he
was sent on loan to experience regular first team action. Alba featured on a
regular basis for Gimnastic, he made 35 appearances, 24 of which were starting
spots. Season by season the Spaniard was continuing to improve and develop.
He continued to progress and push his way into the first
team picture at Valencia, earning a first La Liga start in September in a
fixture against Real Valladolid. The Next major achievement in Alba's career
was when he was handed 2 consecutive Europa League starts by Unai Emery. During
the 2009/10 season Valencia were hit by a string of unfortunate injuries and
Alba slotted in a left-back, he was prodimantly a left-midfielder but he looked
solid in the left-side defence and it appeared he had the potential to become a
full-back rather than a midfielder. Whilst playing at left-back Alba netted his
first goal for the club in April 2010.
The Following season saw Alba cement his position in Los
Che's starting 11, he fought for the left-back position with French defender
Jeremy Mathieu and managed to feature 27 times in League games for Valencia.
The 2011/12 was the season where Alba really grabbed everyone's attention, he
occupied in a role down the left-flank alongside Mathieu, it proved to be a
great partnership between the two as the were both able to swap and change
roles in attack and defence. It wasn't just at club level where Alba excelled;
he became the long-term successor to Joan Capdevilla in Vicente Del Bosque's
Spain side. He received his first call-ups in September 2011, being named in
the Spain squad for the Euro 2012 qualifying matches against Czech Republic and
Scotland and then earning his debut for his country in a fixture against
Alicante, providing an assist for David Silva in a 3-1 victory. Alba completely
made the left-back position his own for La Roja and was selected for the Euro
2012 tournament in Poland and Ukraine. Alba started all the games in Spain's
route to the final and then began the final against Italy, scoring a beautiful
goal. Collecting the ball from his own half, playing the ball inside to Spain
midfield master Xavi, who then fed a lovely ball back through to Alba, who
latched on, raced away from the Italian defence and calmly stroked past Buffon
in the Italian goal. He was then named in the Uefa Euro 2012 team of the
tournament and judging by his terrific performances, it was rightly so.
At Just 23 he has the potential to become a football great,
he is a very attacking minded full-back full of endless energy and blistering
pace. But we shouldn't forget that he is also very calm and assured defensively
and that his reading of the game is excellent. Alba has many years ahead of him
and will only get better, by moving to Barcelona, he can only improve and shape
into one of the greatest left-backs that the world has ever seen. Jordi Alba is
the next big thing, with an exciting football career ahead of him.
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