Raúl Albiol

Valencia

Born in Vilamarxant, Valencian Community, Albiol started playing football with two modest clubs in his native region, moving to local giants Valencia before celebrating his 10th birthday. He made his first-team debut on 24 September 2003 in a UEFA Cup first-round tie against AIK at 18 years and 20 days, but spent the first year still registered with the reserves. In August 2004, whilst travelling to sign a deal to join Getafe on loan, Albiol was involved in a serious car accident, being put in intensive care. He managed to recover completely and, after reappearing in January, played an important role in the team surviving the relegation battle. He made his La Liga debut on 15 January 2005 in a 1–1 home draw with Atlético Madrid, and scored against another side from the capital, Real Madrid, in a 2–1 home win two months later. Albiol returned to the Mestalla Stadium the following season, and quickly established himself as first-choice due to his versatility. In the opening game of 2006–07, he scored the winner against Real Betis in a 2–1 home victory. He also scored from long distance against Olympiacos on 12 September 2006 in the group stage of the UEFA Champions League, which Valencia won 4–2 away. During his four-season spell with the first team, Albiol played at least 29 league games, and he helped to victory in the 2007–08 edition of the Copa del Rey.

Real Madrid

On 25 June 2009, Albiol joined Real Madrid for a fee thought to be in the region…

Having represented Spain at under-21 level, Albiol made his debut for the senior squad on 13 October 2007 in an UEFA Euro 2008 qualifier against Denmark, a 3–1 away win. In the final stages, he appeared twice for the eventual champions, against Sweden (subbing in for the injured Carles Puyol) and Greece. New national team coach Vicente del Bosque included Albiol in the squad for the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup in South Africa. He started in Spain's first game, partnering Puyol in central defence ahead of Valencia teammate Carlos Marchena and helping defeat New Zealand 5–0. Albiol was picked for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, but did not leave the bench for the eventual champions after having suffered an injury in training. Again as an unused player, he was also in the squad for the Euro 2012 tournament in Poland and Ukraine, which also ended in victory. Albiol was named in Spain's 23-man squad for the 2014 World Cup. He made his debut in a major finals in the last group match against Australia with the Spanish already eliminated, playing the whole 90 minutes alongside Sergio Ramos in central defence in a 3–0 victory. On 11 October 2018, after taking part in the 4–1 friendly away victory over Wales, Albiol appeared in his 52nd international to become the most-capped player from his region of birth, surpassing David Albelda. He went on to total 58 appearances.

A physically strong player who excels in the air, Albiol's main asset is his versatility, as he can play as a centre-back, right-back or defensive midfielder.

Albiol's nickname is "El Chori". His older brother Miguel was also a footballer, while his father, also named Miguel, appeared in the Segunda División for Sabadell. The youngest sibling, Brian, was named after Brian Laudrup, whom Raúl admired on account of his success with the Denmark national team. Albiol fathered two daughters with his wife Alicia. In 2008, with Guillermo Franco and Marcos Senna, he founded Evangélico FC, an organisation consisting of 140 athletes and 16 coaches which sought to promote Christian values among young athletes in Spain.