Miguel Albiol

Miguel Albiol

Personal information
Full name	Miguel Albiol Tortajada
Date of birth	(1981-09-02) 2 September 1981
Place of birth	Vilamarxant, Spain
Height
Position(s)	Midfielder
Team information
Current team	Retired
Youth career
	Ribarroja
	Valencia
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1999–2003	Valencia B	81	(8)
2002–2003	Valencia	1	(0)
2003	→ Murcia (loan)	19	(0)
2003–2004	Recreativo	37	(0)
2004–2009	Rayo Vallecano	190	(18)
2009–2015	Murcia	135	(6)
Total		463	(32)
International career
1999	Spain U17	3	(0)
2001	Spain U20	1	(0)
2002	Spain U21	2	(0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

This name uses Spanish naming customs: the first or paternal family name is Albiol and the second or maternal family name is Tortajada.

Miguel Albiol Tortajada (born 2 September 1981) is a Spanish retired footballer who played mainly as a right midfielder.

During a 16-year professional career, he amassed Segunda División totals of 178 games and two goals during seven seasons, in representation of three clubs. In La Liga, he appeared for Valencia.

Club career

Born in Vilamarxant, Valencian Community, Albiol was a product of hometown Valencia CF's youth ranks, as younger brother Raúl after him, and played once with its first team, during 2002–03's La Liga. He finished that season in the second division with Real Murcia, featuring regularly en route to the club's promotion.

Released by the Che, Albiol spent a further year with Recreativo de Huelva (also second level), then had a steady period with Rayo Vallecano. He was instrumental in the latter side's 2008 promotion to division two, after four consecutive playoff failures.

In July 2009, apparently after having everything arranged with Hércules CF, Albiol agreed on a return move to Murcia, signing for three years. He appeared in 30 games in his first season – 22 starts, 2,200 minutes of play – in a relegation-ending second division campaign.

Personal life

Albiol's younger brother, Raúl, was also a footballer. He represented with success Valencia, Real Madrid and the Spanish national team.

External links

• Miguel Albiol profile at BDFutbol
• Miguel Albiol profile at Futbolme (Spanish)
• Miguel Albiol at Soccerway

• Albiol, dos años (Albiol, two years); Diario Información, 3 July 2009 (Spanish)
• Mercado: Miguel Albiol vuelve al Murcia (Market: Miguel Albiol returns to Murcia); Goal.com, 7 July 2009 (Spanish)
• RealAlbiol: "Mourinho nos ha dado carácter. Día a día demuestra lo gran entrenador que es" (RealAlbiol: "Mourinho has built our character. Every day he shows the great manager he is"); Real Madrid's official website, 17 November 2011 (Spanish)