Juan Ángel Albín


Juan Ángel Albín Leites is a Uruguayan footballer who plays for Defensor Sporting mainly as an attacking midfielder.
He spent most of his career in Spain after starting out at Nacional, going on to acquire Spanish citizenship. He amassed La Liga totals of 129 matches and 21 goals over seven seasons, representing Getafe and Espanyol in the competition.
Other than in his country and Spain, Albín also played professionally in Romania, Mexico and Cyprus.

Club career

Early years

Born in Salto, Salto Department, Albín started his career at Club Nacional de Football, where he won two national championships. His strong performances earned him a transfer to Spanish team Getafe CF during the 2006 summer transfer window.

Getafe

In his first season, Albín appeared sparingly, but blossomed as first-choice in the following campaign as the Madrid outskirts team reached the quarterfinals in the UEFA Cup, and a mid-table league position. After a coaching change brought Míchel to the club's bench, however, he began appearing less regularly; on 29 November 2008, in a rare start, he scored in a 3–1 home win over Real Madrid.
On 21 April 2009, also against Real Madrid, Albín was struck in the face by Pepe, in the mêlée which resulted after the Portuguese's aggression on Javier Casquero. He continued being used intermittently in the 2010–11 campaign, netting a last-minute winner at home against Villarreal CF on 11 December 2010 but also being sent off for lifting his shirt, in a second bookable offense.

Espanyol

In mid-April 2011, Getafe agreed to sell Albín to fellow league side RCD Espanyol for €3 million, as his contract was set to expire in June 2012. He spent several months of his first season on the sidelines, nursing a leg injury.
On 4 February 2012, Albín scored his first goal for the Catalans, netting in the 92nd minute for a 3–3 away draw against Athletic Bilbao.

Late career

On 6 September 2013, Albín signed a one-year contract with FC Petrolul Ploiești in Romania, rejoining former Getafe teammate Cosmin Contra who was now a head coach. He made his debut in Liga I on the 21st, scoring his team's only goal in a 1–1 draw at FC Dinamo București.
Although Albín admitted that Contra played a big role in his transfer at Petrolul, on 31 March 2014 he chose to extend his link by one year, even if at that time the coach had already left. He ended the campaign with 28 matches and ten goals, all competitions comprised.
On 28 August 2014, Albín scored a goal against GNK Dinamo Zagreb in the second leg of the Europa League play-off round. However, his team lost 2–5 on aggregate and failed to progress to the group stage.
On 16 December 2014, as Petrolul faced financial issues which led to insolvency and later bankruptcy, Albín was transferred to Tiburones Rojos de Veracruz of Mexico. He returned to Romania and its top division nearly three years later, joining Dinamo București on a season-long loan with an option to buy in June 2018.
On 18 July 2018, 32-year-old Albín joined Cypriot First Division club AC Omonia.

International career

Albín represented Uruguay at under-17 and under-20 level.

Style of play

Albín, who is predominantly left-footed, primarily plays as an attacking midfielder, but can also be deployed as a winger. He was described as a footballer with "great speed and a very good technique" and, during his first spell in Romania, was regarded as one of the best free kick takers in the competition.
Adrian Mutu, who played with him at Petrolul, regarded Albín in 2016 as the best foreigner that the Romanian championship ever had.

Honours

Club

Nacional
Getafe
Veracruz