Álvaro Negredo

Real Madrid and Almería

Born in Madrid, Negredo started his career at Rayo Vallecano, making his professional debut in early 2005 with the club in the Segunda División B. In the middle of the year he moved to another side in the country's capital, Real Madrid affiliate Real Madrid Castilla. Negredo developed as a striker in his last season, scoring 18 league goals, although he could not prevent Castilla's drop from Segunda División. He did manage to impress first-team coach Fabio Capello and was called up for a few games in the Copa del Rey, but remained an unused substitute. In July 2007, Negredo was sold to La Liga newcomers UD Almería, with Real Madrid having an option to buy him back. He made his top flight debut on 26 August in a 3–0 shock win at Deportivo de La Coruña. on 2 February 2008, he scored from the penalty spot in a 2–0 home defeat of his former team and, on 19 April, he added two – after having missed a penalty kick – in a 4–1 away victory over UEFA Cup and Spanish Cup holders Sevilla FC. Negredo finished the campaign as Almería's top scorer with 13 goals, as the Andalusian side finished eighth. In 2008–09 he scored five in the team's first six matches, including a 95th-minute winner against neighbours Recreativo de Huelva (1–0) on 28 September 2008. In February of the following year he scored twice against Valencia CF in a 3–2 away loss, which took his league tally to ten, and finished with 19. Real Madrid exercised their buyback option of a reported…

On 6 October 2009, Negredo received his first call to the Spain senior team, for a 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Armenia on the 10th, following the injuries of David Villa and Daniel Güiza. He made his debut in that game, replacing Fernando Torres early into the second half of an eventual 2–1 away win. Four days later, Negredo started and scored twice – also providing two assists – in another away fixture, at Bosnia and Herzegovina (5–2 triumph), as Spain eventually won all ten group matches. He was, however, overlooked for the final stages in South Africa, with the national team winning the tournament. Negredo was chosen by manager Vicente del Bosque for his UEFA Euro 2012 squad. He played twice in the tournament in Poland and Ukraine, including one start against Portugal in the semi-finals (4–2 penalty shootout win, 0–0 after 120 minutes). Negredo was one of seven players cut from Spain's final squad for the 2014 World Cup, alongside City teammate Jesús Navas.

A tall striker with an eye for goal, Negredo mainly operated in a central role. While he was regarded as a static forward, he was also known for his powerful striking ability with his left foot and his strength in the air, and was also capable of dropping into deeper positions in order to link-up with the midfielders.

Negredo's older brothers, César (born 1980) and Rubén (1985), were also footballers, the former a defender and the latter a forward. Both played their entire careers in division three or lower. His father, José María, worked as a taxi driver in Madrid.