Name : Jordi Alba Ramos
Position : Full-back/Left Winger
Age : 23
Height : 1.70m (5′ 7”)
Hails From : L’ Hospitalet, Catalunya, Spain.
If you saw any match featuring Spain at the 2012 European Championships, Jordi Alba needs no introduction. A former Barca youth player who moved to Valencia; FC Barcelona signed him just before the Euros kicked off for €14 million.
Brought in to replace the ailing Eric Abidal, Alba has all the qualities Barcelona require from a full-back – Pace, guile, technique and as a former youth player Alba has all these attributes as well as an intricate understanding of Barca’s ‘tiki taka’ or pass and move philosophy. Alba garnered massive amounts of praise from many corners during Euro 2012 and in most of our minds, at €14 million is a bargain. The player can be employed as a left-winger as well if necessary.
Jordi Alba is the first summer signing at FC Barcelona and might well be the only one. However, the Catalan giants are also looking for an able replacement for the aging Carles Puyol. One thing is for certain though, Alba will have a slot straight into the first team as Abidal continues his recovery from a liver transplant and Adriano proves to be less reliable on a regular basis. Even though Alba is already a European Championship winner, he has displayed some frailties in his defending abilities as seen against Honduras at the 2012 London Olympics.
Here’s a look at some of his play for Valencia and Sp.ain
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Most FC Barcelona fans are seeing this signing as a ‘one for the present and future’ and have welcomed him with open arms. Most fans will also hope he can be the integral cog that helps Alexis Sanchez/David Villa/Pedro perform to the optimum this season on the wings and provide a good link-up with Lionel Messi as well.
This is a video of his debut for FC Barcelona in the friendly against Manchester United.
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Here’s hoping that Alba delivers on his promise and has a successful season.
