Alejandro Balde Martínez (born 18 October 2003) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a

left-back In the sport of association football, a defender is an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield player whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Defenders fall into four main categ ...

for club

Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...

and the Spain national team.

Club career

Born in

Catalonia Catalonia is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a ''nationalities and regions of Spain, nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia of 2006, Statute of Autonomy. Most of its territory (except the Val d'Aran) is situate ...

, to a Bissau-Guinean father and a Dominican mother, Balde joined

in 2011 at the age of eight after coming up through ranks at Espanyol. In July 2021, he signed a contract renewal with Barcelona until 2024 with a release clause of 500 million euros. Balde impressed during pre-season in the summer 2021, and began the new campaign as Jordi Alba's primary back-up at the Camp Nou. He sat on the bench for the opening match against Real Sociedad and the next game against Athletic Bilbao. On 14 September 2021, he played his first official match for Barcelona's first team replacing Alba in the 74th minute of a 3–0 loss to Bayern Munich in the group stage of the

UEFA Champions League The UEFA Champions League (UCL) is an annual club association football competition organised by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) that is contested by List of top-division football clubs in UEFA countries, top-divisio ...

. From the start of the 2022–23 season, Balde was given a more prominent role by coach Xavi, starting in more league matches than Jordi Alba and receiving more minutes in important matches. On 14 May 2023, he scored his first goal for the club in a 4–2 away win over Espanyol, where his team secured the league title. On 20 September 2023, it was announced that Balde would sign a new contract at the club until 2028, with the buyout clause set at €1 billion. On 24 January 2024, he suffered a hamstring injury in his right leg, having to undergo surgery after leaving the pitch in tears against Athletic Bilbao in the

Copa del Rey The , commonly known as , or (in English) the Spanish Cup or King's Cup, and formerly known as Copa del Presidente de la República (1932–1936) and Copa del Generalísimo (1939–1976), is an annual knockout football competition in Spanis ...

quarterfinals, which Barcelona lost 4–2, and ending up missing the rest of the season. On 12 January 2025, Balde scored his first El Clásico goal in the 2025 Supercopa de España final, scoring Barcelona's fourth goal in an eventual 5–2 victory.

International career

Balde is a Dominican and Bissau-Guinean descent through his mother and father respectively and was eligible to play for

Guinea-Bissau Guinea-Bissau, officially the Republic of Guinea-Bissau, is a country in West Africa that covers with an estimated population of 2,026,778. It borders Senegal to Guinea-Bissau–Senegal border, its north and Guinea to Guinea–Guinea-Bissau b ...

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

, but pledged allegiance to ''La Roja''. He received a surprise call-up to the Spain national team two days before the start of the

2022 FIFA World Cup The 2022 FIFA World Cup was the 22nd FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for national football teams organized by FIFA. It took place in Qatar from 20 November to 18 December 2022, after the country was awarded the hosting ri ...

, as

Valencia Valencia ( , ), formally València (), is the capital of the Province of Valencia, province and Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, the same name in Spain. It is located on the banks of the Turia (r ...

left-back José Gayà had injured his ankle in the training camp. On 23 November 2022, he made his first international appearance in a 7–0 win against

Costa Rica Costa Rica, officially the Republic of Costa Rica, is a country in Central America. It borders Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the northeast, Panama to the southeast, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, as well as Maritime bo ...

, substituting for Jordi Alba in the 64th minute.

Style of play

Known for his explosive pace, dribbling, and attacking contributions, Alejandro Balde is regarded as one of the most promising left-backs in world football. His speed and agility allow him to recover effectively in defensive phases, while his composure on the ball makes him a reliable outlet for build-up play. His speed is also a great asset for him when he carries the ball through opposition lines.

Career statistics

Club

International

Honours

Barcelona *

La Liga The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Primera División, commonly known as the Primera División or La Liga, and officially known as LaLiga EA Sports for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Spain and the highest ...

: 2022–23, 2024–25 *

: 2024–25 * Supercopa de España: 2023,

2025 So far, the year has seen the continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudanese civil war, and the Gaza war. Internal crises in Bangladesh post-resignation v ...

Individual *

Team of the Season: 2022–23 * IFFHS Men's World Youth (U20) Team: 2023 * IFFHS Men's Youth (U20) UEFA Team: 2023

References

External links

Profile
at the FC Barcelona website
Profile
at the Royal Spanish Football Federation website * {{DEFAULTSORT:Balde, Alejandro 2003 births Living people Footballers from Barcelona Spanish men's footballers Spain men's youth international footballers Spain men's under-21 international footballers Spain men's international footballers Spanish people of Bissau-Guinean descent Spanish people of Dominican Republic descent Sportspeople of Dominican Republic descent Men's association football fullbacks La Liga players Primera Federación players Segunda División B players FC Barcelona Atlètic players FC Barcelona players 2022 FIFA World Cup players 21st-century Spanish sportsmen Sportspeople of Bissau-Guinean descent