Daniel Ceballos Fernández (born 7 August 1996) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder for La Liga club Real Madrid.

Dani Ceballos
Ceballos in 2022
Personal information
Full name Daniel Ceballos Fernández[1]
Date of birth (1996-08-07) 7 August 1996 (age 28)[2]
Place of birth Utrera, Spain
Height 1.79 m (5 ft 10 in)[3]
Position(s) Central midfielder[4]
Team information
Current team
Real Madrid
Number 19
Youth career
2004–2009 Sevilla
2009–2011 Utrera
2011–2014 Real Betis
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2014–2015 Real Betis B 4 (0)
2014–2017 Real Betis 98 (7)
2017– Real Madrid 99 (5)
2019–2021Arsenal (loan) 49 (0)
International career
2014–2015 Spain U19 13 (0)
2015–2019 Spain U21 29 (8)
2021 Spain Olympic (O.P.) 2 (0)
2018–2024 Spain 13 (1)
Medal record
Men's football
Representing  Spain
Olympic Games
Silver medal – second place 2020 Tokyo Team
UEFA European Under-21 Championship
Winner 2019 Italy
Runner-up 2017 Poland
UEFA European Under-19 Championship
Winner 2015 Greece
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 08:57, 20 October 2024 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 13:52, 29 March 2023 (UTC)

Ceballos started his career at Spanish club Real Betis where he helped them win the Segunda División. He was signed by Real Madrid in 2017, and two years later signed for English Premier League club Arsenal on loan.

Ceballos won his first cap for Spain in September 2018, in 6–0 home win over Croatia in the UEFA Nations League.

Club career

edit

Real Betis

edit
 
Ceballos at the Real Betis training ground, 2015

Ceballos was born in Utrera, Andalusia.[5] He joined Sevilla's youth system in 2004 at the age of eight, but was released in 2009 due to a chronic bronchitis problem.[6] He subsequently played for hometown club Utrera, and completed his development with Real Betis after signing in 2011.[7] He signed a professional contract with Betis on 22 February 2014, while still a junior.[8]

On 26 April 2014, without even appearing for the B team, Ceballos played his first game with the club's main squad, coming on as a late substitute in a 1–0 La Liga home loss against Real Sociedad.[9] He scored his first goal on 21 December, with the first of a 2–0 home win over Racing Santander in the Segunda División championship.[10] He featured in 33 matches and scored 5 times during the 2014–15 Segunda División season, as Betis returned to La Liga at the first attempt.[11]

On 15 October 2015, after lengthy negotiations, Ceballos renewed his contract until June 2020.[12] He scored his first goal in the Spanish top flight on 16 April 2017, with the last goal in a 2–0 home win against Eibar.[13]

Real Madrid

edit

On 14 July 2017, Ceballos signed for La Liga club Real Madrid on a six-year contract,[14] for a transfer fee of around €18 million.[15] He made his debut on 16 August, replacing Toni Kroos on the 80th minute of the second leg of the 2017 Supercopa de España, a 2–0 home victory over Barcelona.[16] On 23 September, in his first start, he scored a two goals in a 2–1 away win over Deportivo Alavés.[17]

Ceballos made four appearances during the 2017–18 UEFA Champions League,[18] as Madrid won their third consecutive and 13th overall title in the tournament.[19] On 13 January 2019, after only 15 minutes on the pitch and having been constantly booed by his former club's supporters, he scored from a free kick in the last minute of a 2–1 victory against Betis at the Estadio Benito Villamarín.[20]

Loan to Arsenal

edit

On 25 July 2019, Ceballos joined Premier League club Arsenal on a season-long loan.[21] He made his first start for Arsenal on 17 August in a 2–1 victory over Burnley, providing two assists in a man-of-the-match performance.[22] On 3 October, Ceballos scored his first goal for Arsenal in a 4–0 home victory against Standard Liège in the group stage of the 2019–20 UEFA Europa League.[23] On 28 June 2020, he scored his second Arsenal goal against Sheffield United in stoppage time to secure a 1–2 win in the quarter-final of the 2019–20 FA Cup.[24] He played the full 90 minutes in the final, in which Arsenal beat Chelsea 2–1 at Wembley Stadium.[25]

On 4 September 2020, Ceballos was loaned to Arsenal for another season.[26][27] In one of the interviews, he stated that the manager, Mikel Arteta, was the main reason why he decided to stay at Arsenal, and that since joining the club he had become a much more mature player, having improved a lot.[28]

Return to Real Madrid

edit
 
Ceballos playing for Real Madrid in 2018

Ceballos missed several months of the 2021–22 season due to a heavy injury on his left ankle that he suffered in Spain's opening game against Egypt in the 2020 Summer Olympics.[29] His first appearance upon his return came on 5 January 2022 as a substitute in a 3–1 away win over CD Alcoyano in the third round of 2021–22 Copa del Rey.[30] On 28 May 2022, he came on as a substitute for Luka Modrić in the 2022 UEFA Champions League final, which saw Madrid achieve a 1–0 win over Liverpool to lift the title.[31]

Ceballos provided an assist and scored the winning goal in a 3–2 comeback victory in the 2022–23 Copa del Rey round of 16 match against Villarreal on 19 January 2023.[32]

On 23 June 2023, Ceballos had an agreement with Los Blancos to extend the contract until 30 June 2027.[33] Later that year, on 12 December, he scored his first Champions League goal, securing a 3–2 away win over Union Berlin.[34]

International career

edit
 
Ceballos playing for Spain 2019

On 5 November 2014, Ceballos was called up to the Spain under-19 side,[35] appearing against Germany, France[36] and Greece in a tournament played in the latter nation.[37] He made his debut for the under-21s on 26 March 2015, replacing Samu Castillejo at half-time of a 2–0 friendly win over Norway in Cartagena;[38] four days later, in León, he made his first start, in a 4–0 win over Belarus.[39]

Despite beginning the competition in Poland on the bench, Ceballos' performances at the 2017 UEFA European Under-21 Championship led Spain to the second place. Subsequently, he was named the player of the tournament.[40] With the under-21 side he also took part in the victorious 2019 UEFA European Under-21 Championship Spain team. He was named in the team of the tournament for the second successive tournament.[41]

Ceballos won his first cap for the senior team on 11 September 2018, playing the entire 6–0 home win over Croatia in the 2018–19 UEFA Nations League.[42] He scored his first goal for his country on 15 November, in a 3–2 loss in Zagreb against the same opponent and in the same competition.[43]

On 29 June 2021, Ceballos was included as one of three overaged players in Spain's preliminary squad for the 2020 Summer Olympics after having missed out on Euro 2020 due to injury.[44] In July 2021, he was included in the 22-player squad of the under-23 team for the 2020 Summer Olympics.[45]

Career statistics

edit

Club

edit
As of match played 5 November 2024
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
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
Real Betis 2013–14[46] La Liga 1 0 0 0 1 0
2014–15[47] Segunda División 33 5 2 0 35 5
2015–16[48] La Liga 34 0 4 0 38 0
2016–17[49] La Liga 30 2 1 0 31 2
Total 98 7 7 0 105 7
Real Betis B 2014–15[47] Segunda División B 4 0 4 0
Real Madrid 2017–18[50] La Liga 12 2 5 0 4[c] 0 1[d] 0 22 2
2018–19[51] La Liga 23 3 6 0 3[c] 0 2[e] 0 34 3
2021–22[52] La Liga 11 0 2 0 5[c] 0 0 0 18 0
2022–23[53] La Liga 30 0 4 1 7[c] 0 5[f] 0 46 1
2023–24[54] La Liga 20 0 2 0 3[c] 1 2[d] 0 27 1
2024–25[55] La Liga 3 0 0 0 2[c] 0 1[g] 0 6 0
Total 99 5 19 1 24 1 11 0 153 7
Arsenal (loan) 2019–20[56] Premier League 24 0 5 1 2 0 6[h] 1 37 2
2020–21[57] Premier League 25 0 0 0 3 0 12[h] 0 42 0
Total 49 0 5 1 5 0 18 1 79 2
Career total 250 12 31 2 5 0 43 2 11 0 340 16
  1. ^ Includes Copa del Rey, FA Cup
  2. ^ Includes EFL Cup
  3. ^ a b c d e f Appearances in UEFA Champions League
  4. ^ a b Appearance(s) in Supercopa de España
  5. ^ One appearance in UEFA Super Cup, one appearance in FIFA Club World Cup
  6. ^ Two appearances in Supercopa de España, one appearance in UEFA Super Cup, two appearances in FIFA Club World Cup
  7. ^ Appearance in UEFA Super Cup
  8. ^ a b Appearances in UEFA Europa League

International

edit
As of match played 28 March 2023[58]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps Goals
Spain 2018 5 1
2019 4 0
2020 2 0
2023 2 0
Total 13 1
As of match played 28 March 2023
Spain score listed first, score column indicates score after each Ceballos goal.[58]
List of international goals scored by Dani Ceballos
No. Date Venue Cap Opponent Score Result Competition Ref.
1 15 November 2018 Stadion Maksimir, Zagreb, Croatia 4   Croatia 1–1 2–3 2018–19 UEFA Nations League A [59]

Honours

edit

Real Betis

Real Madrid

Arsenal

Spain U19

Spain U21

Spain Olympic

Individual

  • UEFA European Under-21 Championship Player of the Tournament: 2017[40]
  • UEFA European Under-21 Championship Team of the Tournament: 2017[79]

References

edit
  1. ^ "Acta del Partido celebrado el 30 August 2014, en Sevilla" [Minutes of the Match held on 30 August 2014, in Seville] (in Spanish). Royal Spanish Football Federation. Archived from the original on 24 November 2014. Retrieved 15 June 2019.
  2. ^ "FIFA Club World Cup UAE 2017: List of Players: Real Madrid CF" (PDF). FIFA. 30 November 2017. p. 5. Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 July 2019.
  3. ^ "Dani Ceballos: Overview". Premier League. Retrieved 20 June 2020.
  4. ^ "Dani Ceballos: Profile". worldfootball.net. HEIM:SPIEL. Retrieved 1 July 2021.
  5. ^ "Ceballos turns 22". Real Madrid CF. 7 August 2018. Retrieved 20 June 2020.
  6. ^ Aguado, Ángel (4 November 2014). "'Dani Nike', la perla que brilla en el Betis y dejó escapar el Sevilla" ['Dani Nike', the gem who shines in Betis and who Sevilla let slip away] (in Spanish). El Desmarque. Retrieved 2 December 2014.
  7. ^ González, M. (28 April 2014). "Dani Ceballos, las lágrimas de una madre por un sueño" [Dani Ceballos, the tears of a mother for a dream]. ABC (in Spanish). Retrieved 26 May 2014.
  8. ^ "El Betis ata a una joya con alma de entrenador" [Betis tie up gem with the soul of a coach] (in Spanish). Cuenta con la Cantera. 22 February 2014. Archived from the original on 7 December 2014. Retrieved 26 May 2014.
  9. ^ "Real Betis 0–1 Real Sociedad". ESPN FC. 26 April 2014. Retrieved 26 May 2014.
  10. ^ "Merino se despide con un pleno y deja al Racing en descenso" [Merino says goodbye undefeated and leaves Racing inside the relegation zone]. Marca (in Spanish). 21 December 2014. Retrieved 16 February 2015.
  11. ^ a b Pineda, Rafael (25 May 2015). "Las siete claves del ascenso del Betis" [The seven keys of Betis' promotion]. El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 21 August 2018.
  12. ^ "El bético Dani Ceballos renueva hasta 2020" [Betis' Dani Ceballos renews until 2020]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). 15 October 2015. Retrieved 19 January 2016.
  13. ^ Espina, José A. (16 April 2017). "Joaquín, Adán y Ceballos salvan al Betis y también a Víctor" [Joaquín, Adán and Ceballos save Betis and Víctor too]. Diario AS (in Spanish). Retrieved 18 August 2017.
  14. ^ "Comunicado oficial: Dani Ceballos" [Official announcement: Dani Ceballos] (in Spanish). Real Madrid CF. 14 July 2017. Retrieved 14 July 2017.
  15. ^ "Ceballos rejects Barcelona to agree six-year Real Madrid contract". Marca. Spain. 8 July 2017. Retrieved 17 September 2017.
  16. ^ Bull, JJ (16 August 2017). "Real Madrid 2 Barcelona 0 (5–1 on aggregate): Woeful Barca dismissed as Zinedine Zidane's unstoppable side win Super Cup". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 17 August 2017.
  17. ^ Sánchez, Jesús (23 September 2017). "Tomen nota de Ceballos" [Take note of Ceballos]. Marca (in Spanish). Spain. Retrieved 23 September 2017.
  18. ^ "Así llegan Real Madrid y Liverpool a la final de la Champions" [That is how Real Madrid and Liverpool arrive to the Champions final] (in Spanish). RCN Radio. 25 May 2018. Retrieved 29 May 2018.
  19. ^ "Madrid beat Liverpool to complete hat-trick". UEFA. 26 May 2018. Retrieved 28 May 2018.
  20. ^ "Dani Ceballos, tras marcar al Betis: "Desgraciadamente, he metido el gol"" [Dani Ceballos, after scoring to Betis: "Unfortunately, I scored the goal"]. 20minutos (in Spanish). 13 January 2019. Retrieved 18 January 2019.
  21. ^ "Dani Ceballos and William Saliba sign for Arsenal". BBC Sport. 25 July 2019. Retrieved 6 September 2020.
  22. ^ Aarons, Ed (17 August 2019). "Lacazette and Aubameyang give Arsenal the edge over sturdy Burnley". The Observer. Retrieved 17 August 2019.
  23. ^ Doyle, Tom (3 October 2019). "Arsenal vs Standard Liege highlights: Watch Europa League goals – Martinelli, Willock, Ceballos". London Evening Standard. Retrieved 19 July 2020.
  24. ^ "FA Cup: Arsenal's Dani Ceballos scores late winner against Sheffield United". BBC Sport. 28 June 2020. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
  25. ^ Hytner, David (1 August 2020). "Aubameyang at the double as Arsenal turn tables on Chelsea to win FA Cup". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 6 September 2020.
  26. ^ "Four players extend stay at club". Four players extend stay at club. 20 July 2023. Retrieved 4 June 2023.
  27. ^ "Dani Ceballos: Arsenal re-sign midfielder on loan for second season". BBC Sport. 4 September 2020. Retrieved 6 September 2020.
  28. ^ "Ceballos – I've improved so much at Arsenal". Arsenal F.C. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
  29. ^ "Madrid's Ceballos has 'complete tear' in ankle". ESPN.com. 10 August 2021. Retrieved 21 January 2023.
  30. ^ "CD Alcoyano 1–3 Real Madrid". BBC Sport. Retrieved 21 January 2023.
  31. ^ "Liverpool 0–1 Real Madrid". UEFA. 28 May 2022.
  32. ^ "Villarreal vs. Real Madrid 2–3". ESPN.com. Retrieved 21 January 2023.
  33. ^ "Official Announcement: Ceballos | Real Madrid CF". Real Madrid C.F. Retrieved 23 June 2023.
  34. ^ "Real Madrid secure victory over Union Berlin through Joselu and Dani Ceballos following late drama". Marca. 12 December 2023.
  35. ^ González, N. (5 November 2014). "Dani Ceballos tampoco estará en el duelo del Betis en Zaragoza" [Dani Ceballos will still not be available for Betis' clash in Zaragoza]. Marca (in Spanish). Spain. Retrieved 2 December 2014.
  36. ^ "Dani Ceballos, titular en el triunfo de España sub 19" [Dani Ceballos, starter in Spain under 19 triumph]. ABC (in Spanish). 15 November 2014. Retrieved 2 December 2014.
  37. ^ "Dani Ceballos participa en otra victoria de España sub 19" [Dani Ceballos takes part in another Spain under 19 victory]. ABC (in Spanish). 17 November 2014. Retrieved 2 December 2014.
  38. ^ Muñoz, Antonio D. (26 March 2015). "REPORT – Spain beats Norway and strengthens the team (2–0)". Royal Spanish Football Federation. Retrieved 30 March 2015.[permanent dead link]
  39. ^ "España 4–0 Bielorrusia: Bienvenidos al show de Gerard Deulofeu" [Spain 4–0 Belarus: Welcome to the Gerard Deulofeu show]. Goal.com (in Spanish). Perform Group. 30 March 2015. Retrieved 30 March 2015.
  40. ^ a b "Spain's Dani Ceballos named Player of the Tournament". UEFA. 30 June 2017. Retrieved 30 June 2017.
  41. ^ "Official Under-21 Team of the Tournament". UEFA. 1 July 2019. Retrieved 1 April 2020.
  42. ^ Dunne, Robbie (11 September 2018). "Spain – Croatia match report: UEFA Nations League". Diario AS. Archived from the original on 12 September 2018. Retrieved 11 September 2018.
  43. ^ "Croatia 3–2 Spain". UEFA. 15 November 2018. Retrieved 15 November 2018.
  44. ^ "Spain Names Six From Euro Squad to Olympic Roster". Sports Illustrated. Associated Press. Retrieved 1 July 2021.
  45. ^ "Estos son los internacionales que representarán a España en Tokio" (in Spanish). SEFutbol. 29 June 2021. Archived from the original on 4 July 2021. Retrieved 29 June 2021.
  46. ^ "Dani Ceballos: Matches: 2013–14". BDFutbol. Retrieved 6 September 2020.
  47. ^ a b "Dani Ceballos: Matches: 2014–15". BDFutbol. Retrieved 6 September 2020.
  48. ^ "Dani Ceballos: Matches: 2015–16". BDFutbol. Retrieved 6 September 2020.
  49. ^ "Dani Ceballos: Matches: 2016–17". BDFutbol. Retrieved 6 September 2020.
  50. ^ "Dani Ceballos: Matches: 2017–18". BDFutbol. Retrieved 6 September 2020.
  51. ^ "Dani Ceballos: Matches: 2018–19". BDFutbol. Retrieved 6 September 2020.
  52. ^ "Dani Ceballos: Matches: 2021–22". BDFutbol. Retrieved 11 February 2023.
  53. ^ "Dani Ceballos: Matches: 2022–23". BDFutbol. Retrieved 11 February 2023.
  54. ^ "Dani Ceballos: Matches: 2023–24". BDFutbol. Retrieved 20 December 2023.
  55. ^ "Dani Ceballos: Matches: 2024–25". BDFutbol. Retrieved 13 August 2024.
  56. ^ "Games played by Dani Ceballos in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 6 September 2020.
  57. ^ "Games played by Dani Ceballos in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 6 September 2020.
  58. ^ a b "Ceballos, Dani". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmermann. Retrieved 6 September 2020.
  59. ^ "Croatia vs. Spain 3–2: Summary". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 6 September 2020.
  60. ^ Westwood, James (30 April 2022). "Real Madrid clinch 35th La Liga title with four games to spare after victory over Espanyol". Goal.com. Retrieved 30 April 2022.
  61. ^ "Real Madrid crowned champions after Barca's defeat at Girona". BBC Sport. 4 May 2024. Retrieved 4 May 2024.
  62. ^ "Real Madrid 2–1 Osasuna: Rodrygo scores twice as Madrid win Copa del Rey". BBC. 6 May 2023. Retrieved 6 May 2023.
  63. ^ "Acta del Partido celebrado el 13 de agosto de 2017, en Barcelona" [Minutes of the Match held on 13 August 2017, in Barcelona] (in Spanish). Royal Spanish Football Federation. Archived from the original on 18 August 2017. Retrieved 20 June 2020.
    "Acta del Partido celebrado el 16 de agosto de 2017, en Madrid" [Minutes of the Match held on 16 August 2017, in Madrid] (in Spanish). Royal Spanish Football Federation. Archived from the original on 28 January 2023. Retrieved 20 June 2020.
  64. ^ Mctear, Euan (16 January 2022). "Modric and Benzema fire Real Madrid to the Supercopa title". Marca. Retrieved 16 January 2022.
  65. ^ "El Real Madrid recupera su corona en la Supercopa (4–1)". Real Federación Española de Fútbol (in Spanish). 14 January 2024. Retrieved 15 January 2024.
  66. ^ "Dani Ceballos". Real Madrid.
  67. ^ "Champions League final: Vinícius Júnior scores only goal as Real Madrid deny Liverpool again". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 28 May 2022. Retrieved 28 May 2022.
  68. ^ "Champions League: Real Madrid beat Dortmund for 15th title". espn.co.uk. 1 June 2024. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
  69. ^ "Real Madrid 2–0 Eintracht Frankfurt: Five-star Madrid triumph in Helsinki". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 10 August 2022. Retrieved 11 August 2022.
  70. ^ Sutcliffe, Steven (14 August 2024). "Real Madrid 2–0 Atalanta". BBC Sport. Retrieved 15 August 2024.
  71. ^ "Match report: Real Madrid Club de Fútbol – Grêmio Foot-Ball Porto Alegrense". FIFA. Archived from the original on 18 July 2018.
  72. ^ "Club World Cup 2018: Final: Real Madrid – Al Ain FC 4:1: Match details". worldfootball.net. HEIM:SPIEL. Retrieved 20 June 2020.
  73. ^ "Vinicius and Valverde dazzle as five-star Madrid conquer". FIFA. 11 February 2023. Retrieved 11 February 2023.
  74. ^ McNulty, Phil (1 August 2020). "Arsenal 2–1 Chelsea". BBC Sport. Retrieved 1 August 2020.
  75. ^ "Final: Spain 2–0 Russia: Line-ups". UEFA. Retrieved 6 September 2020.
  76. ^ "Final: Spain 2–1 Germany: Line-ups". UEFA. Retrieved 6 September 2020.
  77. ^ "Final: Germany 1–0 Spain: Line-ups". UEFA. Retrieved 6 September 2020.
  78. ^ "Tokyo Olympics: Brazil defend gold medal, down Spain in extra time of men's soccer final". cbssports.com. 7 August 2021. Retrieved 7 August 2021.
  79. ^ "Official Under-21 Team of the Tournament". UEFA. 1 July 2017. Retrieved 1 July 2017.
edit