Álex Balboa

Alejandro 'Álex' Balboa Bandeira (born 6 March 2001) is a professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Segunda División club SD Huesca, on loan from La Liga side Deportivo Alavés. Born and raised in Spain to Equatorial Guinean parents, he plays for the Equatorial Guinea national team.

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Balboa and the second or maternal family name is Bandeira.
Álex Balboa
Balboa with Equatorial Guinea in 2022
Personal information
Full name Alejandro Balboa Bandeira[1]
Date of birth (2001-03-06) 6 March 2001[2]
Place of birth Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain
Height 1.81 m (5 ft 11 in)[3]
Position(s) Midfielder
Team information
Current team
 Huesca
(on loan from Alavés)
Youth career
2005–2013 Aurrerá Vitoria
2013–2020 Alavés
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2020–2021 San Ignacio 11 (2)
2021–2023 Alavés B 37 (0)
2022– Alavés 11 (0)
2023– → Huesca (loan) 0 (0)
International career‡
2021– Equatorial Guinea 7 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 27 May 2023
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 6 June 2022

Early life

Balboa was born in Vitoria-Gasteiz to Equatoguinean parents. His maternal grandfather is originally from São Tomé and Príncipe. His paternal side, the Balboa, is of distant Cuban descent.[4]

Club career

Balboa joined Deportivo Alavés' youth setup in 2013, from CD Aurrerá de Vitoria. He made his senior debut with farm team Club San Ignacio during the 2020–21 season in Tercera División, but finished the campaign playing with the reserves in Segunda División B.

Balboa made his first team debut on 30 November 2021, starting in a 3–0 away win over Unami CP, for the season's Copa del Rey.[5] He made his professional debut on 13 August of the following year, coming on as a late substitute for Jon Guridi in a 2–1 Segunda División away win over CD Leganés.

On 12 July 2023, Balboa renewed his contract with the Babazorros until 2026,[6] and moved on loan to SD Huesca in the second division on 8 August.[7]

International career

Balboa made his senior debut for Equatorial Guinea on 7 September 2021.[8]

Personal life

Balboa's cousin is former Real Madrid CF footballer Javier Balboa,[9] who also played for the Equatorial Guinea national football team.

Career statistics
As of 7 September 2021
Equatorial Guinea
YearAppsGoals
202110
Total10

References
  1. "Álex Balboa". Global Sports Archive. Retrieved 28 January 2022.
  2. Álex Balboa at BDFutbol. Retrieved 7 September 2021.
  3. Álex Balboa at Soccerway. Retrieved 7 September 2021.
  4. "PRESENCIA DE LA SOCIEDAD ABAKUÁ EN FERNANDO POO A FINALES DEL SIGLO XIX" (PDF). p. 7. Today, although there is no memory of their origins, many Cuban surnames are preserved among Creole families: Moreno, Castillo, Riquito, Mata, Rivas, Balboa, Valcárcel, etc.
  5. "El último salto de Álex Balboa" [The latest jump of Álex Balboa] (in Spanish). El Correo. 30 November 2021. Retrieved 9 August 2023.
  6. "Alex Balboa, albiazul hasta 2026" [Alex Balboa, white-and-blue until 2026] (in Spanish). Deportivo Alavés. 12 July 2023. Retrieved 9 August 2023.
  7. "Alex Balboa jugará cedido en el SD Huesca" [Alex Balboa will play on loan at SD Huesca] (in Spanish). Deportivo Alavés. 8 August 2023. Retrieved 9 August 2023.
  8. "Match Report of Equatorial Guinea vs Mauritania". Global Sports Archive. 7 September 2021. Retrieved 7 September 2021.
  9. "El CD Castellón tantea la cesión del capitán del Alavés B" (in Spanish). Retrieved 7 September 2021.
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