Sergi Samper Montaña (born 20 January 1995) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Nemzeti Bajnokság I club Debreceni.
Brought up at Barcelona from the age of six, he featured mainly for the reserve team and made 13 first-team appearances, of which only one in La Liga, where he played 22 further games for Granada and Las Palmas while on loan. In 2019, he moved to Japanese club Vissel Kobe, totalling 107 matches and winning the Emperor's Cup in his first year. He also played for Andorra in the Segunda División, and Motor Lublin in the Polish Ekstraklasa.
Club career Barcelona Born in Barcelona, Catalonia, Samper joined FC Barcelona's youth setup in 2001 at age 6, after a successful trial. On 9 May 2013, he signed a four-year professional contract.
On 10 June 2013, Samper was promoted to the reserves who competed in the Segunda División. He made his professional debut on 17 August in a 2–1 away defeat against CD Mirandés, appearing in a further 39 matches during the season to help to a third-place finish.
Samper made his first-team debut on 17 September 2014, starting in a 1–0 home victory over APOEL FC in the group stage of the UEFA Champions League; this made him the first player to rise through all of the ranks from the age of six. His first match in La Liga took place the following 12 March, when he came on as a 59th-minute substitute for Andrés Iniesta in the 6–0 home rout of Getafe CF.
In July 2016, Samper extended his contract until 2019 with a one-year further option and a buyout clause of €50 million, and in the following month he joined Granada CF on a season-long loan. After the Andalusians relegation, he was not issued a squad number in August 2017 by Barcelona manager Ernesto Valverde and was sent to UD Las Palmas on another temporary deal. The spell was cut short in January 2019 after a fibula fracture and left-ankle internal ligament break.
Vissel Kobe On 4 March 2019, Samper terminated his contract with Barcelona and left the Camp Nou after 18 years. Three days later, he joined J1 League club Vissel Kobe on a four-year deal.
Playing alongside former Barcelona players Iniesta and David Villa, Samper won the Emperor's Cup in his first year in Japan, but was absent from the final win over Kashima Antlers. The following 8 February he started in the Super Cup, a penalty shootout defeat of Yokohama F. Marinos after a 3–3 draw.
Andorra Samper returned to the Spanish second division on 28 July 2023, after agreeing to a two-year contract with FC Andorra. As the campaign ended in relegation, he scored his only goal on 3 December to help the hosts beat SD Huesca 1–0 through a close-range header in the 90th minute.
Motor Lublin On 1 August 2024, Samper joined Polish Ekstraklasa club Motor Lublin on a one-year deal. He made his debut one month later, featuring 45 minutes of the 5–2 away loss against Legia Warsaw after replacing Mathieu Scalet.
Samper agreed to a one-year extension in June 2025.
Later career On 27 June 2026, Samper signed an initial one-year contract at Hungarian Nemzeti Bajnokság I side Debreceni VSC.
International career Samper won his first cap for the Spain under-21 team on 12 November 2014 at the age of 19, playing the entire 4–1 friendly home loss to Belgium.
Personal life Samper's older brother Jordi is a professional tennis player. He played the game himself, until choosing football at six.
Samper has type 1 diabetes, and befriended Borja Mayoral, who shares his condition, in the Spanish youth teams.
Career statistics
+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competitionClubSeasonLeagueNational cupLeague cupContinentalOtherTotalDivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsBarcelona B2013–14Segunda División400————4002014–15Segunda División340————3402015–16Segunda División B290————290Total1030————1030Barcelona2014–15La Liga0030—10—402015–16La Liga1030—2010702016–17La Liga0000—0010102018–19La Liga0010—000010Total1070003020130Granada (loan)2016–17La Liga22010———230Las Palmas (loan)2017–18La Liga2030———50Vissel Kobe2019J1 League2405120——3112020J1 League260—1000102802021J1 League3202030——3702022J1 League60000010—702023J1 League001030——40Total880819010101071Andorra2023–24Segunda División19100———191Motor Lublin2024–25Ekstraklasa25000———2502025–26Ekstraklasa28010———290Total53010———540Debrecen2026–27Nemzeti Bajnokság I0000———00Total0000———00Career total28812019040303492
Honours Barcelona La Liga: 2015–16 Copa del Rey: 2014–15, 2015–16 Supercopa de España: 2016 UEFA Champions League: 2014–15 FIFA Club World Cup: 2015
Vissel Kobe Emperor's Cup: 2019 Japanese Super Cup: 2020
References
External links
FC Barcelona official profile