Equatoguinean footballer (born 2001)
In this
Spanish name , the first or paternal
surname is
Balboa and the second or maternal family name is
Bandeira .
Alejandro 'Álex' Balboa Bandeira (born 6 March 2001) is a professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Eredivisie club Almere City . Born in Spain, he plays for the Equatorial Guinea national team .
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]
In July 2024, Balboa joined Eredivisie club Almere City on a two-year deal with the option for a third.[ 8]
International career
Balboa made his senior debut for Equatorial Guinea on 7 September 2021.[ 9]
Personal life
Balboa's uncle is former Real Madrid footballer Javier Balboa ,[ 10] who also played for the Equatorial Guinea national football team .
Career statistics
Club
As of 10 August 2024 [ 3]
International
As of 10 June 2024
References
^ "Álex Balboa" . Global Sports Archive . Retrieved 28 January 2022 .
^ Álex Balboa at BDFutbol. Retrieved 7 September 2021.
^ a b Álex Balboa at Soccerway. Retrieved 7 September 2021.
^ "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.
^ "El último salto de Álex Balboa" [The latest jump of Álex Balboa] (in Spanish). El Correo . 30 November 2021. Retrieved 9 August 2023 .
^ "Alex Balboa, albiazul hasta 2026" [Alex Balboa, white-and-blue until 2026] (in Spanish). Deportivo Alavés. 12 July 2023. Retrieved 9 August 2023 .
^ "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 .
^ "Álex Balboa de ring in namens Almere City FC" [Álex Balboa enters the ring for Almere City FC]. almerecity.nl (in Dutch). 4 July 2024. Retrieved 4 July 2024 .
^ "Match Report of Equatorial Guinea vs Mauritania" . Global Sports Archive . 7 September 2021. Retrieved 7 September 2021 .
^ "El CD Castellón tantea la cesión del capitán del Alavés B" (in Spanish). 17 June 2021. Retrieved 7 September 2021 .
External links