Raúl Albentosa Redal (born 7 September 1988) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a centre-back.

Raúl Albentosa
Albentosa with CSKA Sofia in 2019
Personal information
Full name Raúl Albentosa Redal[1]
Date of birth (1988-09-07) 7 September 1988 (age 36)[2]
Place of birth Alzira, Spain
Height 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in)[2]
Position(s) Centre-back
Youth career
1997–2003 Alzira
2003–2007 Elche
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2008–2010 Elche 3 (0)
2009Caravaca (loan) 0 (0)
2010–2011 Murcia B 34 (10)
2011–2012 San Roque 31 (3)
2012–2013 Cádiz 33 (3)
2013–2015 Eibar 50 (4)
2015–2016 Derby County 8 (0)
2015–2016Málaga (loan) 29 (2)
2016–2019 Deportivo La Coruña 47 (2)
2018–2019Gimnàstic (loan) 11 (2)
2019–2020 CSKA Sofia 15 (2)
2021 Dinamo București 10 (1)
2022–2024 Vejle 72 (7)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 28 May 2024

Club career

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Born in Alzira, Valencia, Albentosa played youth football with local Elche CF, making his senior debut in 2007–08 season with the B team in the Tercera División. On 15 June 2008 he played his first official game with the main squad, starting in a 1–0 away loss against Xerez CD.[3]

In August 2009, Albentosa was loaned to Caravaca CF.[4] He returned to Elche in January of the following year, however, and appeared in a further two matches in the Segunda División until the end of the campaign.

In the following years, Albentosa did not settle with any team. He competed in the fourth tier with Real Murcia Imperial, representing CD San Roque de Lepe[5] and Cádiz CF in the Segunda División B.[6]

On 21 July 2013, Albentosa signed with SD Eibar, recently promoted to the second division.[7] He scored his first professional goal on 2 March of the following year, the last in a 3–0 home victory over Sporting de Gijón.[8]

Albentosa made 33 appearances in 2013–14, helping the Armeros achieve promotion to La Liga for the first time ever.[9] He made his debut in the competition on 24 August 2014, starting in a 1–0 home defeat of Real Sociedad.[10] On 19 September, through a header, he scored his first goal in the top flight, his being the second in a 2–0 win at Elche CF.[11]

On 16 January 2015, Albentosa signed for Derby County on a 2+12-year deal, after the English club paid the 600,000 of his buyout clause.[12] He made his competitive debut for his new team eight days later, playing the first half of a 2–0 home victory against Chesterfield in the fourth round of the FA Cup.[13]

Albentosa returned to Spain and its top division in the summer of 2015, after agreeing to a one-year loan deal with Málaga CF.[14] On 9 July 2016, he signed a permanent four-year contract with fellow league club Deportivo de La Coruña.[15]

On 31 August 2018, after suffering relegation, Albentosa was loaned to Gimnàstic de Tarragona in the second division, for one year.[16] He was recalled the following January,[17] terminating his contract shortly after.[18]

Albentosa moved abroad again in late July 2019, with the 30-year-old joining PFC CSKA Sofia of the First Professional Football League (Bulgaria).[19] He played his first competitive match on 2 August in a 1–0 away loss to NK Osijek in the second qualifying round of the UEFA Europa League,[20] and scored his first goal two months later in the 2–2 Eternal Derby draw against PFC Levski Sofia.[21]

In April 2020, Albentosa left the Stadion Balgarska Armia by mutual consent.[22] He moved to Romania with FC Dinamo București one year later,[23] scoring his only Liga I goal on 2 May against FC Viitorul Constanța[24] and leaving at the end of the season.[25]

On 12 January 2022, Albentosa signed with Danish Superliga club Vejle Boldklub.[26] On July 7, 2024, Vejle confirmed that Albentosa would not continue at the club as his contract expired on June 30, 2024.[27]

Honours

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Eibar

References

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  1. ^ "EFL: Retained list: 2015/16" (PDF). English Football League. p. 21. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 December 2016. Retrieved 29 June 2016.
  2. ^ a b "Albentosa". Diario AS. Retrieved 11 March 2022.
  3. ^ Romero, Manuela (16 June 2008). "El Elche facilita la permanencia del Xerez (1–0)" [Elche enable Xerez's survival (1–0)]. Diario Información (in Spanish). Retrieved 13 September 2013.
  4. ^ "El defensa Albentosa llega al Caravaca cedido por el Elche" [Defender Albentosa arrives at Caravaca on loan from Elche]. La Verdad (in Spanish). 30 August 2009. Retrieved 13 September 2013.
  5. ^ Armand, F. (27 June 2011). "El Murcia deja escapar a Raúl Albentosa" [Murcia let Raúl Albentosa leave] (in Spanish). Info Deporte Murcia. Archived from the original on 13 September 2013. Retrieved 13 September 2013.
  6. ^ "El Cádiz presenta oficialmente a Aitor Núñez y Raúl Albentosa" [Cádiz officially present Aitor Núñez and Raúl Albentosa]. Diario de Cádiz (in Spanish). 21 August 2012. Retrieved 13 September 2013.
  7. ^ "Raúl Albentosa y Lillo potencia la defensa armera" [Raúl Albentosa and Lillo bolster armera defence]. Marca (in Spanish). 21 July 2013. Retrieved 13 September 2013.
  8. ^ "Ipurua recupera a lo grande el liderato de la División de Plata" [Ipurua recovers Silver Division's leadership in style]. Marca (in Spanish). 2 March 2014. Retrieved 26 July 2014.
  9. ^ "Albentosa paga la cláusula de rescisión y ficha por el Derby County" [Albentosa pays the buyout clause and signs for Derby County]. Marca (in Spanish). 15 January 2015. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
  10. ^ "Lara seals dream start for Eibar". ESPN FC. 24 August 2014. Retrieved 20 September 2014.
  11. ^ "Elche 0–2 Eibar". ESPN FC. 19 September 2014. Retrieved 20 September 2014.
  12. ^ "Raul Albentosa: 'This is a dream come true'". Derby County F.C. 16 January 2015. Retrieved 16 January 2015.
  13. ^ "Darren Bent sends Derby County through after Chesterfield give them a scare". The Guardian. 24 January 2015. Retrieved 28 January 2015.
  14. ^ "Málaga CF incorporates Albentosa after loan agreement for one season with Derby County FC". Málaga CF. 21 July 2015. Retrieved 21 July 2015.
  15. ^ "Raúl Albentosa, nuevo jugador del Deportivo" [Raúl Albentosa, new player of Deportivo] (in Spanish). Deportivo La Coruña. 9 July 2016. Retrieved 9 July 2016.
  16. ^ "Raúl Albentosa jugará cedido en el Nàstic" [Raúl Albentosa will play on loan at Nàstic] (in Spanish). Deportivo La Coruña. 31 August 2018. Retrieved 6 September 2018.
  17. ^ "El Dépor ejecuta la cláusula de salida del Nástic de Albentosa, pendiente ahora de definir su nuevo destino" [Dépor exercise Albentosa's clause of departure from Nástic, his new destination pending] (in Spanish). Deportivo La Coruña. 10 January 2019. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
  18. ^ "El Deportivo y Raúl Albentosa acuerdan la rescisión del contrato del central" [Deportivo and Raúl Albentosa agree to termination of the stopper's contract] (in Spanish). Deportivo La Coruña. 23 January 2019. Retrieved 11 February 2019.
  19. ^ "ЦСКА привлече бранител със солиден опит в Примера дивизион" [CSKA acquired defender solid Primera División experience] (in Bulgarian). CSKA Sofia. 22 July 2019. Retrieved 22 July 2019.
  20. ^ Mitev, Krasian (2 August 2019). "ЦСКА отстрани Осиек след изпълнение на дузпи" [CSKA eliminated Osijek on penalties] (in Bulgarian). Topsport. Retrieved 18 April 2020.
  21. ^ Petkov, Georgi (1 September 2019). "ЦСКА и Левски не се победиха – 2:2" [CSKA and Levski did not win – 2:2] (in Bulgarian). Topsport. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
  22. ^ "Албентоса с емоционално писмо, обяви причините за раздялата си с ЦСКА-София" [Albentosa announced the reasons for his departure from CSKA Sofia in an emotional letter] (in Bulgarian). Sportal. 16 April 2020. Retrieved 18 April 2020.
  23. ^ Bolat, Leila (1 April 2021). "Spaniolul Raul Albentosa la FC Dinamo" [Spaniard Raúl Albentosa to FC Dinamo] (in Romanian). News.ro. Retrieved 1 April 2021.
  24. ^ Zanfir, Alexandru-Robert (2 May 2021). "Jonathan Morsay și Raul Albentosa au spart gheața în Liga 1! Golurile care pot însemna viață pentru Dinamo. Cum au dat lovitura cu Viitorul | FOTO & VIDEO" [Jonathan Morsay and Raúl Albentosa broke the ice in League 1! Goals that can mean life for Dinamo. How they beat Viitorul | PHOTO & VIDEO]. ProSport (in Romanian). Retrieved 10 May 2021.
  25. ^ Turcu, Luminiţa (26 May 2021). "Raul Albentosa şi-a anunţat plecarea de la Dinamo" [Raúl Albentosa has announced his departure from Dinamo] (in Romanian). News.ro. Retrieved 26 May 2021.
  26. ^ Pelch, Morten (12 January 2022). "Vejle Boldklub henter rutineret forsvarsklippe" [Vejle Boldklub sign experienced defensive rock] (in Danish). Vejle Boldklub. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
  27. ^ Vejle Boldklub tager afsked med Raúl, vejle-boldklub.dk, 7 July 2024
  28. ^ "El Eibar debutará en Primera contra la Real Sociedad en Ipurua" [Eibar will make Primera debut against Real Sociedad in Ipurua]. El Mundo (in Spanish). 24 July 2014. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
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