Yeray Álvarez

Born in Barakaldo, Biscay, Basque Country, Yeray joined Athletic Bilbao's youth setup at Lezama in 2008, aged 13. He played in the 2012–13 NextGen Series with the Juvenil A side, and made his debut as a senior with CD Basconia (the farm team) in the following season, in the Tercera División. On 26 May 2014, Yeray was promoted to the reserves who competed in the Segunda División B. He contributed with 36 appearances and one goal during the campaign – play-offs included – as they returned to Segunda División after a 19-year absence. Yeray played his first professional game on 24 August 2015, coming on as a second-half substitute for Jurgi Oteo in a 1–0 home loss against Girona FC. He was a regular starter during that season, but the side were immediately relegated back as dead last. In the 2016 pre-season, Yeray was promoted to the main squad, and he made his competitive debut on 15 September of that year when he played the full 90 minutes in a 3–0 away defeat to US Sassuolo Calcio in the group stage of the UEFA Europa League. His maiden La Liga appearance took place three days later, replacing Eneko Bóveda in a 2–1 home win over Valencia CF. Yeray subsequently became a regular starter for the Lions, appearing in 17 out of a possible 20 matches in all competitions. Due to the nature of his progression through the youth departments, he held the unusual distinction of having played in a different league every season from 2008 to 2016 without interruption: five youth year levels…

On 23 March 2017, Yeray made his debut for the Spain under-21 team in a friendly match against Denmark. He was selected in the squad for that year's UEFA European Championships, before withdrawing due to illness prior to the start of the tournament. Even though he was not part of the squad of 23 for the 2018 FIFA World Cup finals, Yeray was picked by full side manager Julen Lopetegui for a friendly with Switzerland to be held on 3 June. He remained an unused substitute in the 1–1 draw. Yeray also played for the unofficial Basque Country team, making his debut against Costa Rica in November 2020.

As of match played 27 August 2026

Athletic Bilbao

Copa del Rey: 2023–24; runner-up: 2019–20, 2020–21 Supercopa de España: 2021; runner-up: 2022