Alejandro Balde Martínez (born 18 October 2003) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a left-back for club Barcelona.
Club career Born in Barcelona, Catalonia, to a Dominican mother and Bissau-Guinean father, Balde joined Barcelona 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, 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.
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, 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, 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 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 of Dominican descent through his mother and was eligible to play for Dominican Republic or Spain, 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, as Valencia 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, substituting for Jordi Alba in the 64th minute.
Style of play Balde is known for his pace, dribbling, and attacking contributions. He frequently pushes forward on the attack, overlapping the left flank to allow Barcelona's left-wingers to drift inside. His speed is also a great asset for him when he carries the ball through opposition lines.
Career statistics Club
+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competitionClubSeasonLeagueCopa del ReyEuropeOtherTotalDivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsBarcelona B2020–21Segunda División B150——101602021–22Primera División RFEF140——00140Total290000010300Barcelona2021–22La Liga50002000702022–23La Liga3314060104412023–24La Liga1802160202812024–25La Liga32030100214712025–26La Liga2804080204202026–27La Liga1000000010Total1171131320711693Career total1461131320811993
International
+ Appearances and goals by national team and yearNational teamYearAppsGoalsSpain202240202330Total70
Honours Barcelona La Liga: 2022–23, 2024–25, 2025–26 Copa del Rey: 2024–25 Supercopa de España: 2023, 2025, 2026
Individual La Liga 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