Marc Bartra Aregall (Catalan: [ˈmaɾɡ ˈbaɾtɾə əɾəˈɣaʎ], Spanish: [ˈmaɾɣ ˈβaɾtɾa aɾeˈɣal]; born 15 January 1991) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for La Liga club Real Betis.

Marc Bartra
Bartra with Barcelona in 2014
Personal information
Full name Marc Bartra Aregall[1]
Date of birth (1991-01-15) 15 January 1991 (age 33)[1]
Place of birth Sant Jaume dels Domenys, Spain[1]
Height 1.84 m (6 ft 0 in)[1]
Position(s) Centre-back
Team information
Current team
Betis
Number 5
Youth career
2000–2002 Espanyol
2002–2009 Barcelona
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2009–2012 Barcelona B 81 (2)
2010–2016 Barcelona 59 (5)
2016–2018 Borussia Dortmund 31 (2)
2018–2022 Betis 121 (6)
2022–2023 Trabzonspor 29 (4)
2023– Betis 9 (2)
International career
2009 Spain U18 3 (0)
2009–2010 Spain U19 11 (0)
2011 Spain U20 7 (0)
2011–2013 Spain U21 16 (2)
2013–2018 Spain 14 (1)
2010–2019 Catalonia 6 (0)
Medal record
Representing  Spain
UEFA European Under-21 Championship
Winner 2013 Israel
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 15:58, 10 November 2024 (UTC)

He started his career at Barcelona, where he played 103 professional games and scored six goals across seven seasons, winning 13 honours including five La Liga titles and two UEFA Champions League trophies (including a continental treble in 2015). In 2016, he joined Borussia Dortmund for €8 million, lifting the DFB-Pokal in his first season. He returned to Spain in 2018, playing 146 total games for Betis and winning the Copa del Rey in 2022.

Bartra won the 2013 European Championship with Spain's under-21 team. He made his senior debut in 2013, and was selected in the squad for Euro 2016.

Club career

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Bartra training with Barcelona in 2014

Barcelona

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Born in Sant Jaume dels Domenys, Tarragona, Catalonia, Bartra joined Espanyol as a child before moving to Barcelona's youth system, La Masia, at age 11. After progressing through its ranks, he was promoted to the B side in 2009.[2]

Bartra made his first-team debut on 14 February 2010, coming on as a substitute for Jeffrén Suárez for the final 30 minutes of a 2–1 loss to Atlético Madrid at the Vicente Calderón Stadium.[3] He started his first La Liga game one year and three months later, playing the entire 0–0 home draw against Deportivo de La Coruña,[4] and scored his first goal on 21 May 2011 to help them come from behind to win 3–1 at Málaga in the season's last round.[5]

In the 2012–13 campaign, Bartra joined the first team squad permanently, but manager Tito Vilanova tended to field Javier Mascherano, Alex Song and Adriano ahead of him,[6][7][8] and only appeared in 16 matches in all competitions. He signed a new three-year contract in March 2014.[9]

On 16 April 2014, in the final of the Copa del Rey against Real Madrid, with five minutes remaining, Gareth Bale outsprinted Bartra from the halfway line – with the former running off the field at one point – before scoring the 2–1 winner. He himself had levelled the score midway into the second half, from a Xavi corner kick.[10] He remained a third or fourth choice under new manager Luis Enrique,[11][12][13] making 25 appearances and scoring once as the team won the treble in 2014–15.[14]

Borussia Dortmund

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On 3 June 2016, Bartra was sold to German club Borussia Dortmund for an estimated fee of €8 million, signing a four-year deal.[15][16] He made his competitive debut on 14 August, playing the entire 2–0 loss against Bayern Munich in the DFL-Supercup,[17] and a month later scored his first goal in a 6–0 victory at Legia Warsaw in the group stage of the UEFA Champions League.[18]

On 11 April 2017, when Dortmund was heading to Westfalenstadion for their Champions League quarter-final tie against Monaco, the team bus was hit by three explosions.[19][20] Bartra, who broke the radial bone in his arm and had debris lodged in his hand in the bombing, underwent an operation the following day,[21][22] when the Germans played the rescheduled game and lost 3–2;[23] he later described the event as the "longest and hardest 15 minutes of my life",[24] and returned to training 29 days after his surgery.[25]

Bartra's first match after returning took place on 20 May 2017, and he played the entire 4–3 home win over Werder Bremen[26]– he had also been an unused substitute in the previous fixture against FC Augsburg.[27] One week later, he helped to the conquest of the DFB-Pokal after starting in the 2–1 defeat of Eintracht Frankfurt in Berlin.[28]

Betis

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On 30 January 2018, Bartra completed his transfer to Real Betis on a five-and-a-half-year contract.[29] He scored his first goal for his new team on 12 May, putting the hosts ahead in an eventual 2–2 derby home draw against Sevilla.[30]

From December 2020 to the following March, Bartra was sidelined with tendonitis in his Achilles and a gallbladder issue, leading to significant weight loss.[31] He played the full 120 minutes of the 2022 Copa del Rey final on 23 April, a penalty shootout win over Valencia.[32]

Trabzonspor

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On 14 August 2022, Bartra signed for Trabzonspor in the Turkish Süper Lig for €1.25 million.[33][34] He made his debut two days later in the Champions League play-off first leg away to Copenhagen, as a substitute in a 2–1 loss;[35] his first goal on 18 September came in added time to win 3–2 at home to Gaziantep.[36] On 28 December, he equalised away to Fatih Karagümrük but was sent off with a straight red card before half time in a 4–1 defeat.[37]

Bartra left the Şenol Güneş Sports Complex on 11 July 2023, by mutual agreement.[38]

Return to Betis

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On 24 July 2023, Bartra rejoined Betis on a one-year contract.[39] In October, he was diagnosed with Haglund's syndrome in the Achilles tendon of his right leg and missed several months.[40]

International career

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Bartra playing for Catalonia

Bartra won 37 caps for Spain across all youth levels, including 16 for the under-21s. He made his debut for the full side on 16 November 2013, playing the entire 2–1 friendly win in Equatorial Guinea.[41] This game was later annulled by FIFA as they had not been notified early enough that the referee would be from Equatorial Guinea,[42] and his first valid appearance took place on 8 September 2014 as he came on as a 68th-minute substitute for Sergio Ramos in a 5–1 home victory against Macedonia for the UEFA Euro 2016 qualifiers.[43]

On 17 May 2016, Bartra was named in Vicente del Bosque's provisional squad of 25 for the finals in France,[44] and he also made it to the final list of 23.[45] As the tournament ended at the round of 16, he was an unused member.

Bartra scored the only goal for his country on 11 October 2018, contributing to a 4–1 friendly defeat of Wales at the Millennium Stadium.[46]

Style of play

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Bartra is known for his pace and passing. He is mentally strong, is skilled in the air and is able to play as a right-back, where he can cut in and assist.[47]

Personal life

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Bartra's fraternal twin brother, Èric, also came through La Masia.[48] He started a relationship with Grand Prix motorcycle racing journalist Melissa Jiménez in February 2014, and welcomed daughter Gala on 18 August of the following year.[49]

Career statistics

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Club

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As of match played 10 November 2024[50]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League Cup Europe Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Barcelona B 2009–10 Segunda División B 30 1 30 1
2010–11 Segunda División 28 1 28 1
2011–12 23 0 23 0
Total 81 2 81 2
Barcelona 2009–10 La Liga 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
2010–11 2 1 2 0 1[a] 0 0 0 5 1
2011–12 1 0 0 0 1[a] 0 0 0 2 0
2012–13 8 0 2 0 6[a] 0 0 0 16 0
2013–14 20 1 6 1 4[a] 0 0 0 30 2
2014–15 14 1 5 0 6[a] 0 25 1
2015–16 13 2 5 0 4[a] 0 2[b] 0 24 2
Total 59 5 20 1 22 0 2 0 103 6
Borussia Dortmund 2016–17 Bundesliga 19 0 4 0 7[a] 1 1[c] 0 31 1
2017–18 12 2 3 2 4[a] 0 1[c] 0 20 4
Total 31 2 7 2 11 1 2 0 51 5
Betis 2017–18 La Liga 16 1 0 0 16 1
2018–19 33 1 7 0 6[d] 0 46 1
2019–20 30 3 3 0 33 3
2020–21 19 0 0 0 19 0
2021–22 23 1 5 1 4[d] 0 32 2
Total 121 6 15 1 10 0 146 7
Trabzonspor 2022–23 Süper Lig 29 4 1 0 10[e] 0 40 4
Betis 2023–24 La Liga 3 0 0 0 1[d] 0 4 0
2024–25 6 2 0 0 1[f] 0 7 2
Total 9 2 0 0 2 0 11 2
Career total 330 21 43 4 55 1 4 0 432 26
  1. ^ a b c d e f g h All appearances in UEFA Champions League
  2. ^ One appearance in UEFA Super Cup, one appearance in Supercopa de España
  3. ^ a b Appearance in DFL-Supercup
  4. ^ a b c All appearances in UEFA Europa League
  5. ^ Two appearances in UEFA Champions League, six appearances in UEFA Europa League, two appearances in UEFA Europa Conference League
  6. ^ Appearances in UEFA Conference League

International

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Appearances and goals by national team and year[51]
National team Year Apps Goals
Spain 2013 1 0
2014 3 0
2015 3 0
2016 5 0
2017 1 0
2018 1 1
Total 14 1
Scores and results list Spain's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Bartra goal.[51]
List of international goals scored by Marc Bartra
No. Date Venue Cap Opponent Score Result Competition
1 11 October 2018 Millennium Stadium, Cardiff, Wales 14   Wales 4–0 4–1 Friendly

Honours

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Barcelona[50]

Borussia Dortmund

Betis

Spain U19

Spain U21

Individual

  • UEFA European Under-21 Championship Team of the Tournament: 2013[54]
  • UEFA La Liga Team of The Season: 2017–18[55]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Marca Bartra Aregall" (in Spanish). Real Betis. Retrieved 21 February 2020.
  2. ^ "Bartra y Muniesa: finura y carácter defensivo" [Bartra and Muniesa: finesse and defensive character] (in Spanish). FC Barcelona. 13 February 2010. Archived from the original on 9 December 2010. Retrieved 13 February 2010.
  3. ^ "Barça lose unbeaten record (2–1)". FC Barcelona. 14 February 2010. Archived from the original on 26 July 2009. Retrieved 14 February 2010.
  4. ^ "Barca back-ups draw blank". ESPN Soccernet. 15 May 2011. Archived from the original on 24 October 2012. Retrieved 16 May 2011.
  5. ^ "Second XI ease to win". ESPN Soccernet. 21 May 2011. Archived from the original on 25 May 2011. Retrieved 21 May 2011.
  6. ^ "¿Debe jugar Bartra en Vallecas?" [Should Bartra play in Vallecas?]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). 24 October 2012. Retrieved 29 September 2013.
  7. ^ Romero, Ricky (25 October 2012). "Bartra, un central que "le da 25.000 vueltas a Song"" [Bartra, stopper who is "25.000 times better than Song"]. Diario AS (in Spanish). Retrieved 29 September 2013.
  8. ^ "Marc Bartra le pide más minutos a los Reyes Magos" [Marc Bartra asks Three Wise Men for more minutes] (in Spanish). Goal. 30 December 2012. Retrieved 29 September 2013.
  9. ^ "Marc Bartra, fins al 2017: "És un repte consolidar-se"" [Marc Bartra, until 2017: "It is a challenge to make room for oneself"] (in Catalan). FC Barcelona. 18 March 2014. Retrieved 18 March 2014.
  10. ^ "Gareth Bale's goal hailed as 'incredible' after Real Madrid win Copa del Rey final against Barcelona". The Daily Telegraph. 17 April 2014. Retrieved 15 April 2017.
  11. ^ Llorens, Moisés (5 December 2014). "Bartra se ofrece para el lateral: "Me atrae mucho esa posición"" [Bartra makes fullback offer: "I am very attracted to that position"]. Diario AS (in Spanish). Retrieved 3 June 2016.
  12. ^ Gimeno, Francesc J. (21 December 2015). "Ter Stegen y Bartra quedan señalados por Luis Enrique" [Luis Enrique points fingers to Ter Stegen and Bartra]. Sport (in Spanish). Retrieved 3 June 2016.
  13. ^ ""Si sigue así, lo normal es que Bartra se vaya del Barça"" [If this continues, it will be normal for Bartra to leave Barça]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). 4 March 2016. Retrieved 3 June 2016.
  14. ^ Giménez, Santi (8 April 2015). "Barcelona – Almería: El líder narcotiza la Liga" [Barcelona – Almería: Leaders turn League into yawn]. Diario AS (in Spanish). Retrieved 3 June 2016.
  15. ^ "Marc Bartra: Borussia Dortmund's new defensive ace". Bundesliga. 3 June 2016. Retrieved 25 June 2016.
  16. ^ Pearson, Matt (3 June 2016). "Bundesliga: Borussia Dortmund sign Barcelona defender Marc Bartra". Deutsche Welle. Retrieved 21 June 2016.
  17. ^ Uersfeld, Stephan (14 August 2016). "Second-half goals earn Bayern Munich Super Cup glory vs. Dortmund". ESPN FC. Retrieved 4 September 2016.
  18. ^ "Dortmund six-shooters wreck Legia's comeback". UEFA. 15 September 2016. Retrieved 10 March 2017.
  19. ^ "Marc Bartra injured after explosion near Borussia Dortmund's team bus ahead of Champions League tie". The Daily Telegraph. 11 April 2017. Retrieved 11 April 2017.
  20. ^ "Blasts hit German football team bus". BBC News. 11 April 2017. Retrieved 29 October 2017.
  21. ^ "Marc Bartra: Borussia Dortmund defender injured in bus attack 'doing much better'". BBC Sport. 12 April 2017. Retrieved 12 April 2017.
  22. ^ "Marc Bartra undergoes operation on arm and hand". Borussia Dortmund. 12 April 2017. Retrieved 29 October 2017.
  23. ^ "Monaco hold off Borussia fightback to run out 3–2 winners". Borussia Dortmund. 12 April 2017. Retrieved 29 October 2017.
  24. ^ Burrows, Ben (14 April 2017). "Marc Bartra opens up about being at the centre of the Borussia Dortmund bomb attack". The Independent. Retrieved 29 October 2017.
  25. ^ "Marc Bartra back in team training". Borussia Dortmund. 10 May 2017. Retrieved 29 October 2017.
  26. ^ Prenderville, Liam (20 May 2017). "Marc Bartra makes first Borussia Dortmund appearance since bomb blast in final day thriller with Werder Bremen". Daily Mirror. Retrieved 31 January 2018.
  27. ^ "Bartra in squad, Kagawa in for suspended Castro". Borussia Dortmund. 13 May 2017. Retrieved 29 October 2017.
  28. ^ a b "Teams & goals". Borussia Dortmund. 27 May 2017. Retrieved 29 October 2017.
  29. ^ "Real Betis signs Spanish international Marc Bartra". Real Betis. 30 January 2018. Archived from the original on 31 January 2018. Retrieved 30 January 2018.
  30. ^ "Atletico clinch second spot, Bale leads Real rout". The New York Times. 12 May 2018. Retrieved 14 May 2018.
  31. ^ "La alegría de Bartra por volver a entrenar con sus compañeros" [Bartra's joy to train with his teammates again]. ABC (in Spanish). 11 March 2021. Retrieved 7 January 2023.
  32. ^ a b "Real Betis 1–1 Valencia (5–4 on pens): Real Betis win Copa del Rey final on penalties". BBC Sport. 23 April 2022. Retrieved 23 April 2022.
  33. ^ Guevara, Rocío (14 August 2022). "Bartra se marcha al Trabzonspor" [Bartra moves to Trabzonspor]. Marca (in Spanish). Retrieved 14 August 2022.
  34. ^ "Results or ending of transfer meetings" (in Turkish). KAP. 15 August 2022. Retrieved 15 August 2022.
  35. ^ "Mal estreno del Trabzonspor de Marc Bartra en la previa de la Champions" [Bad Trabzonspor debut for Marc Bartra in the Champions League play-offs]. Diario de Sevilla (in Spanish). 16 August 2022. Retrieved 7 January 2023.
  36. ^ "Bartra da el triunfo al Trabzonspor en el descuento" [Bartra gives Trabzonspor triumph in added time]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). 19 September 2022. Retrieved 7 January 2023.
  37. ^ Sarigul, Emre (29 December 2022). "Pirlo guides Karagumruk to shock victory over Trabzonspor". Turkish Football. Retrieved 7 January 2023.
  38. ^ @Trabzonspor (11 July 2023). "Kamuoyuna duyuru" [Public announcement] (Tweet) (in Turkish). Retrieved 11 July 2023 – via Twitter.
  39. ^ "Marc Bartra, cuarta incorporación del Real Betis para la próxima temporada" [Marc Bartra, fourth Real Betis addition for next season] (in Spanish). Real Betis. 24 July 2023. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
  40. ^ Rovelló, Guiomar (10 October 2023). "Así es el síndrome de Haglund, la lesión que aparta a Marc Bartra del fútbol durante un largo periodo de tiempo" [Meet Haglund's syndrome, the injury that keeps Marc Bartra away from football for a long time]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). Retrieved 10 November 2023.
  41. ^ Estepa, Javier (17 November 2013). "De pasear la estrella a ver las estrellas" [From parading star to seeing stars]. Marca (in Spanish). Retrieved 17 November 2013.
  42. ^ "La FIFA anula el Guinea-España" [FIFA annul Guinea-Spain]. Diario AS (in Spanish). 31 December 2013. Retrieved 25 June 2014.
  43. ^ "EURO holders Spain brush FYROM aside". UEFA. 8 September 2014. Retrieved 16 November 2015.
  44. ^ "Euro 2016: Diego Costa, Juan Mata & Fernando Torres not in Spain squad". BBC Sport. 17 May 2016. Retrieved 17 May 2016.
  45. ^ Martín, Luis (31 May 2016). "Isco y Saúl fuera de la lista de Del Bosque para la Eurocopa 2016" [Isco and Saúl out of Del Bosque's list for 2016 European Championship]. El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 3 June 2016.
  46. ^ "Paco Alcacer scores twice as dominant Spain demolish Wales in Cardiff". ESPN. 11 October 2018. Retrieved 12 October 2018.
  47. ^ Sikdar, Anustup (16 October 2013). "FC Barcelona: The future is bright. The future is Bartra". The Hard Tackle. Retrieved 3 June 2016.
  48. ^ "Marc Bartra y su mellizo 'celebran' su cumpleaños en Facebook" [Marc Bartra and his twin 'celebrate' birthday in Facebook]. Sport (in Spanish). 15 January 2015. Retrieved 15 January 2015.
  49. ^ "El primer regalo de Marc Bartra a su hija" [The first gift of Marc Bartra to his daughter] (in Spanish). ¡Hola!. 9 April 2015. Retrieved 24 May 2015.
  50. ^ a b "Marc Bartra". Soccerway. Retrieved 5 March 2017.
  51. ^ a b "Marc Bartra". European Football. Retrieved 16 November 2015.
  52. ^ Haslam, Andrew (30 July 2010). "France fight back to claim U19 crown". UEFA. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
  53. ^ Mateo, Daniel (18 June 2013). "Los campeones de 'la rojita' aseguran el futuro de la selección" ['La rojita' champions confirm future for national team]. 20 minutos (in Spanish). Retrieved 11 September 2019.
  54. ^ "2023 Under-21 EURO Team of the Tournament". UEFA. 11 July 2023. Retrieved 13 July 2023.
  55. ^ "Equipo de la Liga 2017/18" [2017/18 League All-star team] (in Spanish). UEFA. 21 May 2018. Retrieved 11 September 2019.
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