Alejandro "Álex" Grimaldo García (born 20 September 1995), is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a left wing-back or left-back for Bundesliga club Bayer Leverkusen and the Spain national team. He is known for his crossing, shooting, set-pieces and chance creation.
 Grimaldo with Benfica in 2020 | |||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Alejandro Grimaldo García | ||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 20 September 1995 | ||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Valencia, Spain | ||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.71 m (5 ft 7 in)[1] | ||||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Left wing-back / Left-back | ||||||||||||||||
| Team information | |||||||||||||||||
Current team | Bayer Leverkusen | ||||||||||||||||
| Number | 20 | ||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||
| Atlético Valbonense | |||||||||||||||||
| 2006–2008 | Valencia | ||||||||||||||||
| 2008–2012 | Barcelona | ||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||
| 2011–2015 | Barcelona B | 92 | (6) | ||||||||||||||
| 2016–2023 | Benfica | 197 | (19) | ||||||||||||||
| 2023– | Bayer Leverkusen | 33 | (10) | ||||||||||||||
| International career‡ | |||||||||||||||||
| 2011 | Spain U16 | 2 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2011–2012 | Spain U17 | 8 | (1) | ||||||||||||||
| 2012–2014 | Spain U19 | 9 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2013–2016 | Spain U21 | 2 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2023– | Spain | 6 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
Medal record
| |||||||||||||||||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 03:37, 19 May 2024 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 23:56, 30 June 2024 (UTC) | |||||||||||||||||
Club career
Barcelona
Born in Valencia, Valencian Community, Grimaldo joined Barcelona's youth system in 2008. He made his official debut for the B-team on 4 September 2011, starting in a 4–0 away win against Cartagena at the age of 15 years and 349 days and becoming the youngest player ever to appear in a Segunda División game, before he was surpassed by Lamine Yamal in 2023.[2][3]
On 23 February 2013, Grimaldo suffered a serious knee injury, being ruled out for the remainder of the season.[4] He returned to action in January of the following year,[5] appearing in 14 matches to help his team finish in third position.
On 13 September 2014, Grimaldo scored his first professional goal, netting his side's last in a 3–2 success at Alavés.[6] In a campaign which saw the team relegated, he netted four times in 36 matches; he and Sergi Palencia were sent off on 25 April 2015, in a 2–1 win over Ponferradina at the Mini Estadi.[7]
Benfica
On 29 December 2015, as his contract was about to expire,[8] Grimaldo signed with Portuguese champions Benfica until 2021, for €1.5 million. Barcelona has the right to a percentage of a future sale.[9]
Grimaldo played his first game with his new team on 26 January 2016, coming in as a 62nd-minute substitute for Sílvio in a 6–1 away routing of Moreirense for the Taça da Liga.[10] He debuted in the Primeira Liga on 29 February, featuring the full 90 minutes in a 2–0 home win against União da Madeira;[11] he only appeared once more in the latter competition until the end of the season, filling in for suspended Eliseu[12] in a 4–1 victory over Nacional also at the Estádio da Luz that sealed the club's third consecutive national championship.[13] He remained in the team for the league cup final on 20 May, the 6–2 defeat of Marítimo at the Estádio Cidade de Coimbra.[14]
Grimaldo's first full season began on 7 August 2016, as he started in a 3–0 win against Braga for the Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira in Aveiro, assisting Franco Cervi for the opening goal.[15] On 2 October he scored his first goal for the club, a free kick to conclude a 4–0 home triumph over Feirense;[16] on 28 May 2017, he played the full 90 minutes in the final of the Taça de Portugal, won after defeating Vitória de Guimarães 2–1.[17]
Grimaldo's maiden appearance in the UEFA Champions League took place on 13 September 2016, when he played the entire 1–1 group stage home draw to Beşiktaş.[18] His first goal in the competition came during the same stage but on 2 October 2018, in a 3–2 away win over AEK Athens;[19] he repeated the feat against the latter opponent on 12 December in the return fixture, his 30-meter free kick in the 88th minute helping to a 1–0 victory.[20]
Bayer Leverkusen
On 21 May 2023, Grimaldo signed a four-year contract with German club Bayer Leverkusen on a free transfer.[21] On 12 August, he debuted in a DFB-Pokal match against FC Teutonia Ottensen.[22] On 15 September, he scored his first goal for the club, a direct free kick from the edge of the box away at Bayern Munich in a 2–2 draw.[23] He finished his first season at Leverkusen in 2023–24 as top assist provider in Bundesliga with 13 assists.[24]
International career
Grimaldo won his first call-up for the Spain under-21 team on 5 February 2013 before he had turned 18, playing the second half of a 1–1 friendly draw in Belgium.[25]
On 10 November 2023, Grimaldo received his first call-up to the Spain senior national team, for Euro 2024 qualifiers against Cyprus and Georgia.[26] Six days later, he made his debut as a starter against Cyprus, assisting Mikel Oyarzabal for Spain's second goal in a 3–1 away victory.[27]
Career statistics
Club
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | League cup[b] | Europe | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Barcelona B | 2011–12 | Segunda División | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | ||||
| 2012–13 | 24 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 24 | 0 | ||||||
| 2013–14 | 14 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 14 | 0 | ||||||
| 2014–15 | 36 | 4 | — | — | — | — | 36 | 4 | ||||||
| 2015–16 | Segunda División B | 17 | 2 | — | — | — | — | 17 | 2 | |||||
| Total | 92 | 6 | — | — | — | — | 92 | 6 | ||||||
| Benfica | 2015–16 | Primeira Liga | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| 2016–17 | 14 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4[c] | 0 | 1[d] | 0 | 21 | 2 | ||
| 2017–18 | 28 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4[c] | 0 | 1[d] | 0 | 37 | 1 | ||
| 2018–19 | 34 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 15[e] | 3 | — | 54 | 7 | |||
| 2019–20 | 26 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8[f] | 0 | 1[d] | 1 | 41 | 1 | ||
| 2020–21 | 31 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7[g] | 0 | 1[d] | 0 | 43 | 2 | ||
| 2021–22 | 29 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 14[c] | 0 | — | 48 | 6 | |||
| 2022–23 | 33 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 14[c] | 2 | — | 54 | 8 | |||
| Total | 197 | 19 | 25 | 2 | 11 | 0 | 66 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 303 | 27 | ||
| Bayer Leverkusen | 2023–24 | Bundesliga | 33 | 10 | 6 | 0 | — | 12[h] | 2 | — | 51 | 12 | ||
| Career total | 321 | 34 | 31 | 2 | 11 | 0 | 78 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 445 | 44 | ||
International
- As of match played 30 June 2024[30]
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spain | 2023 | 1 | 0 |
| 2024 | 5 | 0 | |
| Total | 6 | 0 | |
Honours
Benfica
- Primeira Liga: 2015–16,[13] 2016–17, 2018–19, 2022–23[31]
- Taça de Portugal: 2016–17
- Taça da Liga: 2015–16[32]
- Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira: 2016,[28] 2017,[33] 2019[34]
Bayer Leverkusen
Spain U19
Individual
- UEFA European Under-19 Championship Team of the Tournament: 2012[37]
- UEFA Europa League Squad of the Season: 2018–19[38]
- Primeira Liga Team of the Year: 2018–19,[39] 2022–23[40]
- Primeira Liga Defender of the Month: February 2019,[41] December/January 2023,[42] February 2023[43]
- Primeira Liga Goal of the Month: January 2019,[44] August 2021
- Bundesliga Team of the Season: 2023–24[45]
- VDV Bundesliga Team of the Season: 2023–24[46]
- Bundesliga Player of the Month: April 2024[47]
- The Athletic European Men's Team of the Season: 2023–24[48]
References
External links
- Profile at the S.L. Benfica website
- Álex Grimaldo at BDFutbol
- Álex Grimaldo at Futbolme (in Spanish)
- Álex Grimaldo – UEFA competition record (archive)
