Present and future: Balde
Fact file
Full name: Alejandro Balde Martínez
Date and place of birth: 18/10/2003 (Barcelona)
Arrival at Barça: He joined Barça from Espanyol in 2011 aged eight years old
Senior debut: On 14 September 2021 during the FC Barcelona v FC Bayern Munich Champions League match, replacing Jordi Alba in the 74th minute.
Potent in defence and attack
Balde has the physique and technical ability to react sharply and quickly join the attack. He is already known for daring runs up the wing, as he showed in the FC Barcelona v FC Bayern Munich Champions League group stage match this season. After joining Barça at the age of eight years old, Balde has always played beyond his years, even playing for the U18s when still at U16 level. He won league titles at every youth level from the U10s to the U16s.
Despite being a first-year U18 player, he was already part of the Barça B squad last season, making the left-back position his own. Balde played 16 games, starting 11, in a season when Barça B were promoted to Primera RFEF, the third tier of Spanish football. His efforts for Barça B earned him some game time under Ronald Koeman during pre-season. He made his unofficial debut in a friendly against Gimnastic Tarragona at Estadi Johan Cruyff, since when he has trained with the first team, before going on to make his senior debut.