Albert Riera

Mallorca

Born in Manacor, Balearic Islands, Riera started his professional career with hometown club Mallorca. He made his first-team debut on 25 February 2001 under Luis Aragonés in La Liga, as a 71st-minute substitute for Lluís Carreras in a 2–1 loss at Racing Santander, and scored his first goal on 27 May by coming off the bench to conclude a 4–0 home win over Rayo Vallecano that secured a UEFA Champions League place. He totalled 17 games and three goals in his first two seasons. In the 2002–03 campaign, already an undisputed starter, Riera helped the local team to the conquest of the Copa del Rey, and scored four league goals in 35 games.

Bordeaux

In the summer of 2003, Riera moved to Bordeaux. He made 66 competitive appearances for the Ligue 1 side over a two-year spell, netting nine times; this included five in a run to the quarter-finals of the UEFA Cup in his first season before elimination by eventual winners Valencia.

Espanyol

Riera returned to Spain in 2005, when he signed for Espanyol. He played just eight league matches in his first season, prompting a January 2006 loan move to Manchester City where he was also unable to establish himself, scoring his only goal against Newcastle United in a 3–0 home win on 1 February. Riera returned to Catalonia prior to 2006–07. Espanyol went on to reach the UEFA Cup final at Hampden Park in Glasgow, where they played fellow Spaniards Sevilla; he scored to level the game at 1–1, but his team…

Riera made his debut for the Spain national team on 13 October 2007 in an UEFA Euro 2008 qualifier against Denmark, and scored from outside the box in a 3–1 away win. However, he failed to make the final cut for the final stages, where the nation won the tournament. Riera was again called to the squad in October 2008 for two 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifiers after Sevilla's Diego Capel withdrew with an injury, and played 12 minutes in a 3–0 victory in Estonia. In the following year, on 1 April, he netted a last-minute winner in Turkey (2–1). Manager Vicente del Bosque named Riera in the squad for the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup, and he made four appearances for the third-placed team.

Galatasaray (assistant)

Riera officially announced his retirement from football on 24 January 2018, through a social media post portraying himself having literally hung up his boots on a tree. He obtained a UEFA Pro Licence in 2019, and in August of the following year he returned to Galatasaray to be an assistant coach to Fatih Terim. In January 2022, he went back to the Nef Stadium to work alongside compatriot Domènec Torrent.

Olimpija Ljubljana

On 4 July 2022, Riera returned to the Slovenian top tier when he was appointed manager of Olimpija Ljubljana. He was forced out of his first press conference by Olimpija ultras, Green Dragons, unhappy with the dismissal of predecessor Robert Prosinečki. He made his debut three days later at home to Differdange 03 in the first qualifying round of the UEFA Europa Conference League, drawing 1–1, and requiring extra time in the second leg to advance through the tie. His team began the league season on 14 July with a 2–0 home win over Mura, followed by a further seven victories for the club's best start since 1994. Riera eventually led Olimpija to the national championship, clinching their first title since 2018 after defeating archrivals Maribor 2–0 with five rounds to go. He completed the double after defeating Maribor in the Slovenian Cup with a 130th-minute penalty kick by Timi Max Elšnik. For his achievements, he was named Manager of the Year; however, at the ceremony, he announced that he had not been offered a…

Riera's younger brother, Sito, is also a footballer. He too represented Espanyol, but only their reserves. In 2009, Riera married Russian Julia Koroleva, with whom he has three children. He moved to Omsk in Siberia, where he set up a football academy. Riera and Koroleva divorced in 2023.