Raúl Albiol


Raúl Albiol Tortajada is a Spanish professional footballer who plays for Villarreal and the Spain national team.
A reliable and physically strong player who excels in the air, his main asset is his versatility, as he can play as a central defender, right back or defensive midfielder. He spent most of his career with Valencia and Real Madrid, winning five major titles with both teams combined; he amassed La Liga totals of 229 matches and seven goals over ten seasons, and also played several years in the Italian Serie A with Napoli.
A Spanish international since 2007, Albiol represented the country in two World Cups and as many European Championships, winning three tournaments including the 2010 World Cup.

Club career

Valencia

Born in Vilamarxant, Valencian Community, Albiol started playing football with two modest clubs in his native region, moving to local giants Valencia CF before celebrating his 10th birthday. He made his first-team debut on 24 September 2003 in a UEFA Cup first-round tie against AIK Fotboll, at 18 years and 20 days, but spent the first year still registered with the B-side.
In August 2004, whilst travelling to sign a deal to join Getafe CF on loan, Albiol was involved in a serious car accident, being put in intensive care. He managed to recover completely and, after reappearing in January, played a very important part in the Madrid side surviving the relegation battle: he made his La Liga debut on 15 January 2005 in a 1–1 home draw with Atlético Madrid, and scored against another club from the capital, Real Madrid, in a 2–1 home triumph two months later.
Albiol returned the following season to the Mestalla Stadium, and quickly established himself as first-choice due to his versatility. In the opening game of the 2006–07's league campaign he scored the winner against Real Betis in a 2–1 home win. He also netted from long distance against Olympiacos F.C. on 12 September 2006, in that year's UEFA Champions League, which Valencia won 4–2 away; during his four-season spell with the first team, his smallest output consisted of 29 games, and he helped the Che to the 2007–08 edition of the Copa del Rey.

Real Madrid

On 25 June 2009, Albiol joined Real Madrid for a fee thought to be in the region of €15 million, becoming the first Spanish player signed by Florentino Pérez upon his return to the presidency. On 2 July, he was officially presented at the Santiago Bernabéu, receiving the number 18 jersey from Rubén de la Red who was absent for the season due to unresolved heart problems.
Albiol scored his first goal for the Merengues on 8 December 2009, in a 3–1 Champions League win at Olympique de Marseille. He was an undisputed starter during the league campaign, mainly due to Pepe's serious knee injury.
In 2010–11, Albiol was relegated to the bench as Real Madrid brought in another player for his position, Ricardo Carvalho, only appearing in the league through injury or suspension to teammates. He did start, however, in the club's domestic cup campaign, helping it reach the final. On 26 January 2011, in the semi-final first leg against Sevilla FC, he cleared a Luís Fabiano shot just before it crossed the goal line; on 16 April, he was sent off for fouling former Valencia teammate David Villa inside the box during El Clásico, which resulted in the first goal in a 1–1 home draw, going on to miss the Spanish Cup final four days later – through suspension – a 1–0 win against the same opponent.
On 6 August 2012, Albiol renewed his contract with Real Madrid until June 2017. On 27 November, in his first game as team captain, at home against CD Alcoyano for the Spanish Cup, he had to be stretchered off after only one minute, being sidelined for approximately one month with an ankle injury.
Albiol scored his second official goal for Real Madrid on 8 May 2013, heading from a corner kick for his team's first in an eventual 6–2 home win against Málaga CF.

Napoli

On 21 July 2013, Albiol was sold to S.S.C. Napoli in Italy for a reported €12 million, signing a four-year contract with the Rafael Benítez-led team. He made his Serie A debut on 25 August, in a 3–0 home win over Bologna FC 1909.
Albiol scored his first goal for his new team on 25 January 2014, an 88th-minute equaliser in a 1–1 home draw against A.C. ChievoVerona. On 3 May, he played the entire final of the Coppa Italia, helping to a 3–1 success over ACF Fiorentina.

Villarreal

On 4 July 2019, the 33-year-old Albiol returned to Spain and agreed to a three-year deal at Villarreal CF. He made his debut on 17 August, in a 4–4 home draw to Granada CF.

International career

After having represented Spain at under-21 level, Albiol first appeared for the senior squad on 13 October 2007 in an UEFA Euro 2008 qualifier against Denmark, a 3–1 away win. In the competition's final stages, he appeared twice for the eventual continental champions, against Sweden and Greece.
New national team coach Vicente del Bosque included Albiol in the squad for the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup in South Africa. He started in Spain's first game, partnering Puyol in central defence ahead of Valencia teammate Carlos Marchena and helping defeat New Zealand 5–0.
Albiol was picked for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, but did not leave the bench for the eventual World champions after having suffered an injury in training. Again as an unused player, he was also in the squad for the Euro 2012 tournament in Poland and Ukraine, which also ended in the conquest of the trophy.
Albiol was named in Spain's 30-man provisional squad for the 2014 World Cup, and was also included in the final list for the tournament. He made his debut in a major finals in the last group match against Australia with the Spanish already eliminated, playing the whole 90 minutes alongside Sergio Ramos in central defence in a 3–0 win.

Personal life

Albiol's nickname is "El Chori". His older brother, Miguel, was also a footballer. A midfielder, he was also groomed at Valencia, playing one league match with the first team, but mainly represented Rayo Vallecano. His father, also named Miguel, played lower league football mostly with Benidorm CF, and appeared in two Segunda División games for CE Sabadell FC in 1979–80; the youngest sibling, Brian, was named after Brian Laudrup, whom Raúl admired on account of his success with the Danish national team.
Albiol fathered two daughters with his wife Alicia. In 2008, with Guillermo Franco and Marcos Senna, he founded Evangélico FC, an organisation consisting of 140 athletes and 16 coaches which sought to promote Christian values among young athletes in Spain.

Career statistics

Club

International

Honours

Club

Valencia
Real Madrid
Napoli
Spain