David Albelda
Encyclopedia
David Albelda Aliqués is a Spanish
footballer who plays for Valencia CF
as a defensive midfielder.
He played mainly for local Valencia
during his extensive professional career, being team captain for over a decade.
A Spanish international
in the 2000's, Albelda gained 51 caps
for the country, representing it in two World Cups
and at Euro 2004.
, Ribera Alta
, Valencian Community
, Albelda started his career as a central defender with local UD Alzira
and, after having served two separate loans with Villarreal CF
, also in the region, returned for good to first professional club Valencia CF
in 1999–2000, playing a major role in a squad that emerged league champions in 2002 and 2004, adding to that the 2004 UEFA Cup. Since the 2001 summer, with Gaizka Mendieta
's departure, he was also awarded team captaincy.
On 20 December 2007, Albelda, along with fellow teammates Santiago Cañizares
and Miguel Ángel Angulo was axed from the Valencia squad by recently arrived coach Ronald Koeman
. In the captain's case, he had ironically just renewed his Valencia link until 2011.
In response, on 2 January 2008, Albelda's lawyer claimed that Valencia had ignored his client's plea for an amicable end to the player's contract, with legal recourse the only possible avenue left. With news of this hitting the media, several teams, although he would not be able to join any Spanish team for the remainder of the season, having played more than four league games, studied the possibility of signing him in the winter transfer window, with hopes of a free transfer.
In late April 2008, however, with Koeman's sacking, all three were reinstated by new manager Voro
in a squad seriously threatened with relegation, with five remaining rounds. He returned to action in the second half of the May 4, 0–6 loss at FC Barcelona
, and received his first post-reinstatement start in a 5–1 away success against Levante UD
on the 11th, as Valencia mathematically retained topflight status.
For 2008–09, Albelda remained a regular fixture, alongside longtime central midfield teammate Rubén Baraja. On 10 January 2009, he delivered an outstanding performance at right back, replacing suspended Miguel
, in a 3–3 home derby
against Villarreal.
since 5 September 2001, in a 2002 World Cup qualifier
against Liechtenstein
, a 2–0 away triumph, Albelda was part of the Spanish squad in the 2002
and 2006
FIFA World Cup
s. He also played in UEFA Euro 2004.
After having been ousted from the Valencia squad, Albelda would still be called by then-national boss Luis Aragonés
to a 6 February 2008 friendly
with France
, but would eventually not make the final cut for Euro 2008, as Spain emerged victorious.
In addition, he also won
a silver medal
at the 2000 Summer Olympics
in Sydney
, and represented his nation in 1997 FIFA World Youth Championship
.
Spain U23
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
footballer who plays for Valencia CF
Valencia CF
Valencia Club de Fútbol is a Spanish football club based in Valencia, Spain. They play in La Liga and are one of the most successful and biggest clubs in Spanish Football and European Football. Valencia have won six La Liga titles, seven Copa del Rey trophies, two Fairs Cups which was the...
as a defensive midfielder.
He played mainly for local Valencia
Valencia CF
Valencia Club de Fútbol is a Spanish football club based in Valencia, Spain. They play in La Liga and are one of the most successful and biggest clubs in Spanish Football and European Football. Valencia have won six La Liga titles, seven Copa del Rey trophies, two Fairs Cups which was the...
during his extensive professional career, being team captain for over a decade.
A Spanish international
Spain national football team
The Spain national football team represents Spain in international association football and is controlled by the Royal Spanish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Spain. The current head coach is Vicente del Bosque...
in the 2000's, Albelda gained 51 caps
Cap (sport)
In sports, a cap is a metaphorical term for a player's appearance on a select team, such as a national team. The term dates from the practice in the United Kingdom of awarding a cap to every player in an international match of association football...
for the country, representing it in two World Cups
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
and at Euro 2004.
Club career
Born in La Pobla LlargaLa Pobla Llarga
La Pobla Llarga is a municipality in the comarca of Ribera Alta in the Valencian Community, Spain....
, Ribera Alta
Ribera Alta (comarca)
Ribera Alta is a comarca in the province of Valencia, Valencian Community, Spain.-Municipalities:*Alberic*Alcàntera de Xúquer*L'Alcúdia*Alfarb*Algemesí*Alginet*Alzira*Antella*Beneixida*Benifaió*Benimodo*Benimuslem*Carcaixent*Càrcer*Carlet...
, Valencian Community
Valencian Community
The Valencian Community is an autonomous community of Spain located in central and south-eastern Iberian Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Valencia...
, Albelda started his career as a central defender with local UD Alzira
UD Alzira
Unión Deportiva Alzira is a Spanish football team based in Alzira, in the autonomous community of Valencia. Founded in 1946, it plays in Tercera División – Group 6, holding home games at Estadio Luis Suñer Picó, with a capacity of 8,000 seats.-Background:...
and, after having served two separate loans with Villarreal CF
Villarreal CF
Villarreal Club de Fútbol, S.A.D. , usually abbreviated to Villarreal CF or just Villarreal, is a Spanish Primera División football club based in Vila-real, a city in the province of Castellón within the Valencian Community...
, also in the region, returned for good to first professional club Valencia CF
Valencia CF
Valencia Club de Fútbol is a Spanish football club based in Valencia, Spain. They play in La Liga and are one of the most successful and biggest clubs in Spanish Football and European Football. Valencia have won six La Liga titles, seven Copa del Rey trophies, two Fairs Cups which was the...
in 1999–2000, playing a major role in a squad that emerged league champions in 2002 and 2004, adding to that the 2004 UEFA Cup. Since the 2001 summer, with Gaizka Mendieta
Gaizka Mendieta
Gaizka Mendieta Zabala is a retired Spanish footballer who played as a midfielder.Versatile, with good offensive and tackling skills, also being capable of creating goals for teammates and himself, he played mainly for Valencia CF, and finished his career at Middlesbrough of England.He played 40...
's departure, he was also awarded team captaincy.
On 20 December 2007, Albelda, along with fellow teammates Santiago Cañizares
Santiago Cañizares
José Santiago Cañizares Ruiz is a retired Spanish footballer who played as a goalkeeper.After playing with Real Madrid, mostly as a backup, he finished his career at Valencia CF, where he appeared in more than 400 official games since 1998.In his prime, he was regarded as one of the best...
and Miguel Ángel Angulo was axed from the Valencia squad by recently arrived coach Ronald Koeman
Ronald Koeman
Ronald Koeman is a former Dutch footballer, and the current manager of Feyenoord. He is the younger brother of former Feyenoord coach Erwin Koeman and the son of former Dutch international Martin Koeman...
. In the captain's case, he had ironically just renewed his Valencia link until 2011.
In response, on 2 January 2008, Albelda's lawyer claimed that Valencia had ignored his client's plea for an amicable end to the player's contract, with legal recourse the only possible avenue left. With news of this hitting the media, several teams, although he would not be able to join any Spanish team for the remainder of the season, having played more than four league games, studied the possibility of signing him in the winter transfer window, with hopes of a free transfer.
In late April 2008, however, with Koeman's sacking, all three were reinstated by new manager Voro
Voro (footballer)
Salvador González Marco, a.k.a. Voro , is a retired Spanish footballer who played as a central defender....
in a squad seriously threatened with relegation, with five remaining rounds. He returned to action in the second half of the May 4, 0–6 loss at FC Barcelona
FC Barcelona
Futbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....
, and received his first post-reinstatement start in a 5–1 away success against Levante UD
Levante UD
Levante Unión Deportiva, S.A.D. is a Spanish football club based in Valencia, in the namesake community.Founded in 1909, it plays in La Liga, holding home games at Estadi Ciutat de València.-Early years:...
on the 11th, as Valencia mathematically retained topflight status.
For 2008–09, Albelda remained a regular fixture, alongside longtime central midfield teammate Rubén Baraja. On 10 January 2009, he delivered an outstanding performance at right back, replacing suspended Miguel
Miguel Monteiro
Luís Miguel Brito Garcia Monteiro, simply Miguel , OIH , is a Portuguese footballer who plays for Valencia CF in Spain, mainly as a right defender.-Early years / Benfica:...
, in a 3–3 home derby
Local derby
In many countries the term local derby, or simply just derby means a sporting fixture between two, generally local, rivals, particularly in association football...
against Villarreal.
International career
A Spanish internationalSpain national football team
The Spain national football team represents Spain in international association football and is controlled by the Royal Spanish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Spain. The current head coach is Vicente del Bosque...
since 5 September 2001, in a 2002 World Cup qualifier
2002 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA)
Listed below are the dates and results for the 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification rounds for the European zone . For an overview of the qualification rounds, see the article 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification....
against Liechtenstein
Liechtenstein national football team
The Liechtenstein national football team is the national football team of Liechtenstein and is controlled by the Liechtenstein Football Association. The organisation is known as the Liechtensteiner Fussballverband in German. The team's first match was an unofficial match against Malta in Seoul, a...
, a 2–0 away triumph, Albelda was part of the Spanish squad in the 2002
2002 FIFA World Cup
The 2002 FIFA World Cup was the 17th staging of the FIFA World Cup, held in South Korea and Japan from 31 May to 30 June. It was also the first World Cup held in Asia, and the last in which the golden goal rule was implemented. Brazil won the tournament for a record fifth time, beating Germany 2–0...
and 2006
2006 FIFA World Cup
The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which won the right to host the event in July 2000. Teams representing 198 national football associations from all six...
FIFA World Cup
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
s. He also played in UEFA Euro 2004.
After having been ousted from the Valencia squad, Albelda would still be called by then-national boss Luis Aragonés
Luis Aragonés
José Luis Aragonés Suárez , usually referred to as Luis Aragonés and sometimes simply as Luis, is a former Spanish footballer and national coach....
to a 6 February 2008 friendly
Exhibition game
An exhibition game is a sporting event in which there is no competitive value of any significant kind to any competitor regardless of the outcome of the competition...
with France
France national football team
The France national football team represents the nation of France in international football. It is fielded by the French Football Federation , the governing body of football in France, and competes as a member of UEFA, which encompasses the countries of Europe...
, but would eventually not make the final cut for Euro 2008, as Spain emerged victorious.
In addition, he also won
Football at the 2000 Summer Olympics
The football tournament at the 2000 Summer Olympics was the 20th official Olympic football tournament. A women's tournament was held for the second time.-Medal winners:-Venues:*Olympic Stadium, Sydney*Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney*Bruce Stadium, Canberra...
a silver medal
Silver medal
A silver medal is a medal awarded to the second place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, and contests with similar formats....
at the 2000 Summer Olympics
2000 Summer Olympics
The Sydney 2000 Summer Olympic Games or the Millennium Games/Games of the New Millennium, officially known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated between 15 September and 1 October 2000 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...
in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, and represented his nation in 1997 FIFA World Youth Championship
1997 FIFA World Youth Championship
The 1997 FIFA World Youth Championship was the 11th staging of the FIFA World Youth Championship. It was held from June 16 to July 5, 1997 in Malaysia.-Venues:-Qualification:The following 24 teams qualified for the 1997 FIFA World Youth Championship...
.
Club statistics
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Europe | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Valencia B | 1995–96 | 31 | 4 | – | – | ||||
| 31 | 4 | ||||||||
| Total | 31 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 31 | 4 | |
| Villarreal Villarreal CF Villarreal Club de Fútbol, S.A.D. , usually abbreviated to Villarreal CF or just Villarreal, is a Spanish Primera División football club based in Vila-real, a city in the province of Castellón within the Valencian Community... |
1996-97 | 34 | 0 | 5 | 0 | ||||
| 39 | 0 | ||||||||
| Total | 34 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 39 | 0 | |
| Valencia Valencia CF Valencia Club de Fútbol is a Spanish football club based in Valencia, Spain. They play in La Liga and are one of the most successful and biggest clubs in Spanish Football and European Football. Valencia have won six La Liga titles, seven Copa del Rey trophies, two Fairs Cups which was the... |
1997–98 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| 5 | 0 | ||||||||
| Total | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | |
| Villarreal | 1998–99 | 35 | 2 | 4 | 0 | ||||
| 39 | 2 | ||||||||
| Total | 35 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 39 | 2 | |
| Valencia | 1999–00 | 21 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 33 | 0 |
| 2000–01 | 21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 34 | 0 | |
| 2001–02 | 32 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 39 | 3 | |
| 2002–03 | 26 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 37 | 0 | |
| 2003–04 | 33 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 44 | 2 | |
| 2004–05 2004–05 La Liga 2004–05 season was composed of the following clubs:* Albacete Balompié* Athletic Bilbao* Atlético Madrid* FC Barcelona* Real Betis* Deportivo de La Coruña* Espanyol* Getafe CF* Levante UD* Málaga CF* Real Mallorca* CD Numancia* CA Osasuna... |
28 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 35 | 0 | |
| 2005–06 2005–06 La Liga * Athletic Bilbao* Atlético Madrid* FC Barcelona* Betis* Cádiz CF* Celta de Vigo* Deportivo Alaves* Deportivo de La Coruña* Espanyol* Getafe CF* Málaga CF* RCD Mallorca* CA Osasuna* Racing de Santander* Real Madrid* Real Sociedad* Sevilla FC... |
32 | 2 | 3 | 0 | |||||
| 35 | 2 | ||||||||
| 2006–07 | 25 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 34 | 0 | |
| 2007–08 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 21 | 0 | |
| 2008–09 | 30 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 38 | 0 | |
| 2009–10 2009–10 La Liga - Personnel and sponsoring :- Before the start of the season :- During the season :-League table:||rowspan=1 style="background-color:#F9F9F9;"|||rowspan=1 style="background-color:#F9F9F9;"|... |
28 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 35 | 1 | |
| 2010–11 2010–11 La Liga The 2010–11 La Liga season was the 80th since its establishment. The campaign began on 28 August 2010 and ended on 21 May 2011. A total of 20 teams contested the league, 17 of which already contested in the 2009–10 season and three of which were promoted from the Segunda División... |
16 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 22 | 0 | |
| 2011–12 2011–12 La Liga The 2011–12 La Liga season is the 81st since its establishment. Barcelona are the defending champions, having won their 21st La Liga title in the previous season for the third time in a row. The campaign began on 27 August 2011, and will end on 13 May 2012... |
5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | |
| Total | 352 | 6 | 16 | 0 | 86 | 2 | 408 | 8 | |
| Career total | 412 | 12 | 25 | 0 | 85 | 2 | 522 | 14 | |
Honours
Valencia- UEFA Cup: 2003–04
- UEFA Super Cup: 20042004 UEFA Super CupThe 2004 UEFA Super Cup was a UEFA-sponsored association football match between Porto of Portugal and Valencia of Spain, held on 27 August 2004 at the Stade Louis II in Monaco. The match was the 29th annual UEFA Super Cup contested between the winners of the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Cup...
- La LigaLa LigaThe Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...
: 2001–02, 2003–04 - Copa del ReyCopa del ReyThe Copa del Rey is an annual football cup competition for Spanish football teams. Its full name is Campeonato de España – Copa de Su Majestad el Rey de Fútbol ....
: 2007–08 - Supercopa de EspañaSupercopa de EspañaThe Supercopa de España is a Spanish football championship contested by the winners of La Liga and the Copa del Rey...
: 19991999 Supercopa de EspañaThe 1999 Supercopa de España was two-leg Spanish football matches played on 8 August and 15 August 1999. It contested by Valencia CF, who were Spanish Cup winners in 1998–99, and FC Barcelona, who won the 1998–99 Spanish League.-First leg:-Second leg:...
Spain U23
- Summer Olympic GamesSummer Olympic GamesThe Summer Olympic Games or the Games of the Olympiad are an international multi-sport event, occurring every four years, organized by the International Olympic Committee. Medals are awarded in each event, with gold medals for first place, silver for second and bronze for third, a tradition that...
: Silver medalSilver medalA silver medal is a medal awarded to the second place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, and contests with similar formats....
2000Football at the 2000 Summer OlympicsThe football tournament at the 2000 Summer Olympics was the 20th official Olympic football tournament. A women's tournament was held for the second time.-Medal winners:-Venues:*Olympic Stadium, Sydney*Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney*Bruce Stadium, Canberra...