Alejandro Pozuelo Melero (born 20 September 1991) is a Spanish professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...

who plays for

Saudi Pro League The Saudi Pro League (SPL), also known as the Roshn Saudi League (RSL) for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Saudi Arabia and the highest level of the Saudi football league system. The SPL is regarded as th ...

club Al-Fayha as

attacking midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. ...

. Developed in the Betis system, he amassed

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 ...

totals of 40 matches and three goals for that club and

Rayo Vallecano Rayo Vallecano de Madrid, S.A.D. (), often abbreviated to Rayo (Spanish for "thunderbolt"), is a Spanish professional football club based in the Villa de Vallecas district of Madrid. The club competes in La Liga, the top flight of Spanish foot ...

. In 2014 he signed with

Genk Genk () is a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality and City status in Belgium, city located in the Belgian Provinces of Belgium, province of Limburg (Belgium), Limburg near Hasselt. The municipality comprises only the town of Genk itself. It ...

from

Swansea City Swansea City Association Football Club ( ; ) is a Welsh professional football club based in Swansea, Wales. It competes in the EFL Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. Swansea have played their home matches at ...

, going on to spend several seasons in the

Belgian Pro League The Belgian Pro League (; ; ), officially the Jupiler Pro League () for sponsor Jupiler, is a professional association football league in Belgium and the highest level of the Belgian football league system. Contested by 16 clubs from the 2023 ...

with the former team. In 2019, he joined

Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a professional Association football, soccer league in North America and the highest level of the United States soccer league system. It comprises 30 teams, with 27 in the United States and 3 in Canada, and is sanc ...

side

Toronto FC Toronto Football Club is a Canadian professional Association football, soccer club based in Toronto. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference (MLS), Eastern Conference. The team plays its home matc ...

, moving to

Inter Miami Club Internacional de Fútbol Miami (), commonly referred to as Inter Miami, is an American professional soccer club based in the Miami metropolitan area. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. ...

three years later.

Club career

Betis

Born in

Seville Seville ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Spain, Spanish autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the Guadalquivir, River Guadalquivir, ...

Andalusia Andalusia ( , ; , ) is the southernmost autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in Peninsular Spain, located in the south of the Iberian Peninsula, in southwestern Europe. It is the most populous and the second-largest autonomou ...

, Pozuelo spent his youth career at his local club

Real Betis Real Betis Balompié, known as Real Betis () is a Spanish professional association football, football club based in Seville, Andalusia, Spain. It plays in La Liga, the Spanish football league system, top flight of Spanish football. It plays home ...

. He made his senior debut with

the B team The B Team is a global nonprofit initiative co-founded by Sir Richard Branson and Jochen Zeitz. It advocates for business practices that are more centered on humanity and the climate. History In 2013, a group of leaders came together followin ...

, spending two seasons in the

Segunda División B Segunda División B (English: second division B) was the third tier of the Spanish football league system containing 102 teams divided into five groups, until it was replaced by the new structure in 2021. It was administered by the Royal Spanish ...

. Pozuelo made his official debut with the main squad on 2 October 2011, playing the second half of a 1–0

home loss against

Levante UD Levante Unión Deportiva, S.A.D. () is a List of football clubs in Spain, Spanish football club in Valencia, in the Valencian Community, namesake autonomous community. Founded on 6 September 1909, the club will compete in La Liga for the 2025– ...

. On 18 December he scored his first league goal for the ''Verdiblancos'', as well as being

sent off In sports, an ejection (also known as dismissal, sending-off, disqualification, or early shower) is the removal of a participant from a contest due to a violation of the sport's rules. The exact violations that lead to an ejection vary depending ...

in the 2–0 win at

Atlético Madrid Club Atlético de Madrid, S.A.D. (; meaning "Athletic Club of Madrid"), commonly referred to as Atlético Madrid or simply Atlético, is a Spanish professional football club based in Madrid that plays in La Liga. The club play their home game ...

. Pozuelo was promoted to Betis' first team for the 2012–13 campaign. He appeared in a total of 13 games in all competitions, netting his only goal in a 5–3 away victory over

Athletic Bilbao Athletic Club (; ), commonly known as Athletic Bilbao (), or simply Athletic, is a professional Football club (association football), football club based in the city of Bilbao in the Southern Basque Country, Basque Country, Spain. They are known ...

. In total, Pozuelo made 33 appearances during his tenure, scoring three goals.

Swansea City

On 2 July 2013, Pozuelo joined

on a three-year contract for an undisclosed fee, signing alongside teammate

José Cañas José Alberto Cañas Ruiz-Herrera (born 27 May 1987) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays for Gibraltar Football League club Manchester 62 as a defensive midfielder. He started his career with Real Betis, joining the first team in ...

and becoming the seventh Spaniard in the squad. He scored on his debut for the club, rounding off the scoring in a 4–0 home defeat of

Malmö FF Malmö Fotbollförening (), commonly known simply as Malmö FF or MFF, is a Swedish professional football club based in Malmö, Scania. They compete in the Allsvenskan, the top division of Swedish football, and play home matches at the Eleda S ...

in the first leg of the

third qualifying round Third or 3rd may refer to: Numbers * 3rd, the ordinal form of the cardinal number 3 * , a fraction of one third * 1⁄60 of a ''second'', i.e., the third in a series of fractional parts in a sexagesimal number system Places * 3rd Street (dis ...

of the

UEFA Europa League The UEFA Europa League (UEL), usually known simply as the Europa League, is an annual association football, football club competition organised since 1971 by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European footb ...

. He netted his second in the same competition and also at the

Liberty Stadium The Swansea.com Stadium (; formerly Liberty Stadium) is an all-seated multi-use sports stadium and conferencing venue located in the Landore area of Swansea, Wales, hosting both rugby union and football. The stadium opened in 2005 and was name ...

on 22 August 2013 in a 5–1 play-off round win against

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

FC Petrolul Ploiești Asociația Clubul Sportiv Petrolul 52, commonly referred to as FC Petrolul Ploiești (), Petrolul Ploiești or simply Petrolul, is a Romanian professional Association football, football Club (organization), club based in Ploiești, Prahova Count ...

. During his spell in Wales, Pozuelo played 36 matches across all competitions, scoring twice and adding six assists.

Rayo Vallecano

Pozuelo returned to his country's top division on 24 July 2014, joining

for an undisclosed fee. His first competitive appearance took place on 14 September, as he came on as a 61st-minute substitute in a 3–2 home loss to

Elche CF Elche Club de Fútbol, S.A.D. () is a Spanish professional football club based in Elche, Province of Alicante, in the Valencian Community, Spain. Founded in 1923, the club will compete in La Liga for the 2025–26 season, holding home matches at ...

. Pozuelo took part in 13 official games in his only season, registering one goal 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 ...

against

Valencia CF Valencia Club de Fútbol, S. A. D. (; ), commonly referred to as Valencia CF or simply Valencia, is a Spanish professional Association football, football club based in Valencia, Spain, that currently plays in La Liga, the top tier of the Spani ...

Genk

On 31 August 2015, Pozuelo moved abroad again, signing a two-year deal at

team

K.R.C. Genk Koninklijke Racing Club Genk (), commonly known as KRC Genk or Racing Genk, is a Belgian professional football club based in the city of Genk in Belgian Limburg. Racing Genk plays in the Belgian Pro League and have won four championship title ...

. He scored six goals in 2016–17, helping to a final eighth position in the regular season. He later became their

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

, and collected a total of 175 appearances in all competitions over five seasons, with 25 goals and 60 decisive passes. In February 2019,

planned to trigger Pozuelo's €8 million release clause, however, a disagreement ensued with Genk questioning the validity of the release clause and refusing to allow the player to move. Following a lengthy transfer discussion, the two sides reached a compromise for the player to finish out the main portion of the season with the latter and join the former on 18 March. When he left, his team were sitting in first place in the domestic league.

Toronto FC

On 4 March 2019, Pozuelo signed with

side Toronto FC as a

designated player A designated player may refer to: *Designated Player Rule, a Major League Soccer rule for players over the salary cap *Designated player (NBA), a National Basketball Association exemption for contract extensions * Designated player (softball), a so ...

, as a replacement for the recently departed

Sebastian Giovinco Sebastian Giovinco (; born 26 January 1987) is an Italian former professional association football, footballer who played as a forward (association football), forward. A quick and creative player on the ball, Giovinco was a versatile attacker c ...

and compatriot Víctor Vázquez in the creative midfield role, also inheriting the number ten shirt which had previously been worn by the Italian. He made his debut late in the same month in a 4–0 home win over

New York City FC New York City Football Club (often referred to as NYCFC) is an American professional Association football, soccer club based in New York City. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference (MLS), Eastern C ...

, assisting the opening goal of the match by teammate

Jozy Altidore Josmer Volmy "Jozy" Altidore ( ; born November 6, 1989) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a striker. He last played for the Major League Soccer club New England Revolution. Altidore made his professional debut in 2006, at ...

and later scoring two himself – one from the

penalty Penalty, The Penalty, Penalization, Penalisation, Penalize or Penalise may refer to: Sports * Foul (sports) ** Penalty (golf) ** Penalty (gridiron football) ** Penalty (ice hockey) ** Penalty (rugby) ** Penalty (rugby union) ** Penalty kick (assoc ...

spot Panenka-style and one chipped over the

goalkeeper In many team sports that involve scoring goal (sport), goals, the goalkeeper (sometimes termed goaltender, netminder, GK, goalie, or keeper) is a designated player charged with directly preventing the opposing team from scoring by blocking or i ...

. He finished as the team's top scorer in the

regular season In an organized sports league, a typical season is the portion of one year in which regulated games of the sport are in session: for example, in Major League Baseball the season lasts approximately from the last week of March to the last week of S ...

with twelve goals while also adding twelve assists, and was named to the

MLS Best XI The MLS Best XI is an annual acknowledgment of the best eleven players in Major League Soccer. The selection is determined by a collection of media, players, and MLS club technical staffs. Winners Appearances by player The following players ...

. On 23 October 2019, Pozuelo scored twice in a 2–1 win over New York City FC in the playoffs' Eastern Conference semi-finals, including a 90th minute Panenka-style penalty kick which was his third of the campaign in that fashion. On 10 November, he set up Altidore's injury-time goal in a 3–1 away defeat to

Seattle Sounders FC Seattle Sounders FC is an American professional association football, soccer club based in Seattle. The Sounders compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. The club was established on ...

in the

MLS Cup Final MLS Cup is the annual championship game of Major League Soccer (MLS) and the culmination of the MLS Playoffs. The game is held in November or December and pits the winner of the Eastern Conference Final against the winner of the Western Confere ...

. Pozuelo started every match during the 2020 campaign, scoring nine goals and recording ten assists (the joint most in the league) as he led his side to the second best record in the regular season. He was named to the Best XI for a second consecutive year, and on 7 December was awarded the

Landon Donovan MVP Award The Landon Donovan MVP Award is an annual award for Major League Soccer players. It is voted on by media, MLS players, and club management and is given to the player deemed the most valuable player in the league each season. From 1996 to 2007, ...

for the league's best player. On 2 July 2022, he played his 100th official match, a 2–0 home loss against Seattle Sounders.

Inter Miami

On 7 July 2022, Pozuelo was traded to

Inter Miami CF Club Internacional de Fútbol Miami (), commonly referred to as Inter Miami, is an American professional soccer club based in the Miami metropolitan area. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference (M ...

for $150,000 in General Allocation Money as well as additional conditional GAM depending on certain performance metrics. On 14 August, his brace helped the hosts to defeat New York City 3–2.

Konyaspor

On 3 March 2023, Pozuelo agreed to a short-term deal at Turkish club

Konyaspor Konyaspor Kulübü (, Konya Sports Club), commonly referred to as Konyaspor, is a Turkish professional football club based in Konya, one of the largest cities in central Anatolia. Due to sponsorship agreements, the club is also officially known ...

. On 16 May, he scored twice in a 3–0 win away at

Alanyaspor Alanyaspor Kulübü, known as Corendon Alanyaspor due to sponsorship reasons, is a Turkish professional football club located in the city of Alanya in Antalya Province. Formed in 1948, the club colours are orange and green. Home matches are play ...

, his second goal being the team's 900th in the

Süper Lig The Süper Lig (, ''Super League''), also known as Trendyol Süper Lig for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Turkey and the highest level of the Turkish football league system. In the 2023–2024 season, twen ...

Later career

On 9 July 2023, Pozuelo joined

Al Jazira Club Al Jazira Club () is an Emirati professional football club based in Abu Dhabi, that currently competes in the UAE Pro League. History Al-Jazira was established in 1974 as a merger between ''Khalidiyah'' and ''Al Bateen''. The club struggled ...

of the

UAE Pro League The UAE Pro League (), also known as the ADNOC Pro League for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the highest level of the Emirati football league system. The first team to w ...

after his contract expired. In August 2024, he moved to

side

Al-Fayha FC Al-Fayha Club () is a professional football club based in Al-Majma'ah, that plays in the Saudi Pro League, the first tier of Saudi football. Al-Fayha's colors are orange and blue, hence the nickname "Al-Burtuqali." Al-Fayha have won the Saudi ...

on a one-year deal.

Style of play

A versatile and creative

midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in t ...

with good ball skills, technique and an eye for goal, Pozuelo usually played in a playmaking role as an attacking midfielder, although he also featured as a

central midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in t ...

. Although naturally right-footed, he was capable of playing off of either foot, and is known for his vision and ability to provide assists for teammates. Toronto FC president Bill Manning described him as "a guy who can pull the strings, someone who can manage the game, make the special plays that make goals", while the club's manager

Greg Vanney Greg Vanney (born June 11, 1974) is an American former professional soccer player and head coach of the LA Galaxy in Major League Soccer. A defender and one of MLS's original players, Vanney spent 10 seasons in the league and another three-and ...

described him as "an attacking player first and foremost. We want to use him in that role. He'll play close to ltidoreand we'll use him a lot in setting up our attacks. He's outstanding at understanding how to move around, manipulate numbers on the field, play between lines. e hasthe vision for the final pass and the ability to spring some of our guys as runners. But it's also his ability to finish plays off in different ways. For us it's the engine through that final phase of our attack." Pozuelo was also used as a false-nine on occasion.

Career statistics

Honours

Toronto FC *

Canadian Championship The Canadian Championship () is an annual soccer tournament contested by Canadian professional teams. The winner is awarded the Voyageurs Cup and a berth in the CONCACAF Champions Cup. It is contested by Major League Soccer sides Toronto FC, Va ...

2020 The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...

* Eastern Conference Championship (playoffs):

2019 This was the year in which the first known human case of COVID-19 was documented, preceding COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic which was declared by the World Health Organization the following year. Up to that point, 2019 had been described as ...

Individual *

MLS All-Star Game The Major League Soccer All-Star Game is an annual soccer game held by Major League Soccer featuring selected players from the league against an international club or selected players from another league. MLS initially adopted a traditional all ...

* Red Patch Boys Player of the Year: 2019, 2020 * MLS Player of the Month: September 2020 *

top assist provider:

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Pozuelo, Alejandro 1991 births Living people 21st-century Spanish sportsmen Spanish men's footballers Footballers from Seville Men's association football midfielders La Liga players Segunda División B players Betis Deportivo Balompié footballers Real Betis players Rayo Vallecano players Premier League players Swansea City A.F.C. players Belgian Pro League players K.R.C. Genk players Major League Soccer players Toronto FC players Inter Miami CF players Designated Players (MLS) Süper Lig players Konyaspor footballers UAE Pro League players Al Jazira Club players Saudi Pro League players Al-Fayha FC players Spanish expatriate men's footballers Expatriate men's footballers in Wales Expatriate men's footballers in Belgium Expatriate men's soccer players in Canada Expatriate men's soccer players in the United States Expatriate men's footballers in Turkey Expatriate men's footballers in the United Arab Emirates Expatriate men's footballers in Saudi Arabia Spanish expatriate sportspeople in Wales Spanish expatriate sportspeople in Belgium Spanish expatriate sportspeople in Canada Spanish expatriate sportspeople in the United States Spanish expatriate sportspeople in Turkey Spanish expatriate sportspeople in the United Arab Emirates Spanish expatriate sportspeople in Saudi Arabia