Alberto Lopo

Espanyol

Born in Barcelona, Catalonia, Lopo spent the bulk of his professional career at local RCD Espanyol, whose youth system he joined when he was 10. He made his La Liga debut on 11 April 1999 when he played injury time against Real Zaragoza at the age of 18, thus becoming the first player to have represented the club in all categories. His breakthrough came in the 2001–02 season when he only missed five league matches and scored his first goal, in the first league round and against Zaragoza, but also received his first red card during a 2–0 away loss to city rivals FC Barcelona. Lopo would remain a starter under several managers – Juande Ramos, Javier Clemente, Luis Fernández and Miguel Ángel Lotina – until his departure, earning in the process a reputation as a superb but excessively rough defender. In 2002–03 he was booked 13 times in 23 games, including two in a 5–2 defeat at Racing de Santander. The following campaign, after agreeing to a three-year extension, he was presented with 14 yellow cards and four red. Between 2004 and 2006 he received another 21 yellow cards and two red, although the numbers somewhat decreased in the subsequent years. With two Copa del Rey trophies conquered, in 2000 and 2006, Lopo rejected an offer for a new deal and signed for Deportivo de La Coruña. But although he was out of contract, Espanyol eventually started a court case to get financial compensation (an amount of €5.6 million was mentioned) for having educated the player…

In early November 2006, Lopo was picked by Spain coach Luis Aragonés for a friendly with Romania, and said about it: "Every player has to fight hard for his pick and to be part of the national team is a reward. This is probably the most important day in my career, it's a dream coming true". In the end, he did not play during the 1–0 loss nor was he picked again for the national side. Lopo made his debut for the regional team of Catalonia on 28 December 2001, against Chile.

Espanyol

Copa del Rey: 1999–2000, 2005–06