Albert Riera

Personal information
Full name	Alberto Riera Ortega
Date of birth	April 15, 1982 (1982-04-15) (age 27)
Place of birth	Manacor, Spain
Height	1.87 m (6 ft 1+1⁄2 in)
Playing position	Winger
Club information
Current club	Liverpool
Number	11
Youth career
1999–2000	Mallorca
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps (Gls)†
2000–2003	Mallorca	044 0(6)
2003–2005	Bordeaux	053 0(4)
2005–2008	Espanyol	072 0(8)
2006	→ Manchester City (loan)	015 0(1)
2008–	Liverpool	032 0(3)
National team‡
2002–2003	Spain U21	015 0(2)
2007–	Spain	016 0(4)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 22:00, 19 September 2009 (UTC). † Appearances (Goals). ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 22:00, 7 October 2009 (UTC)

Albert Riera Ortega (born 15 April 1982 in Manacor, Balearic Islands) is a Spanish footballer who currently plays for Premier League side Liverpool, as a left winger. He is known for his thunderous shots and pace running up the left wing.

[edit] Club career

[edit] Mallorca

Riera started his professional career with hometown RCD Mallorca, but could only amass 11 La Liga appearances in his first two seasons combined. In 2002-03, already an undisputed starter, he helped the Balearic Islands outfit to the Spanish Cup, and scored four goals in the league, from 35 contests.

[edit] Bordeaux

In the summer of 2003, Riera moved to Girondins de Bordeaux,^[1] where he was a first team regular for two seasons. He made more than fifty league appearances for the French club, and scored four goals.

[edit] Espanyol

Riera returned to Spain in 2005, when he signed for RCD Espanyol.^[2] In his first season, he played only eight league matches, prompting a January 2006 move to Manchester City,^[3] where he was also unable to establish himself in the first team, scoring once against Newcastle United.^[4] He returned to Catalonia prior to 2006–07.

During that season, which included an almost 100% successful run in the UEFA Cup (Espanyol lost on penalties to Sevilla FC in the final, with Riera scoring in regulation time), Riera displayed a vast array of skills, netting eight goals in 41 matches between the two competitions combined. At the season's closure, he renewed his link to the club until 2011.^[5]

[edit] Liverpool

On 1 September 2008 (transfer deadline day), Riera signed a four-year deal with Liverpool, for a fee of £8 million, being given the number 11 jersey.^[6][7] He made his league debut on the 13th, playing 72 minutes of a 2–1 home win against Manchester United, and scored his first goal for Liverpool as they beat Wigan Athletic 3–2 on 18 October, adding another in the UEFA Champions League at PSV Eindhoven, on December 9 (3-1 win). He also scored Liverpool's first goal in 2009 and his first FA Cup one, on 3 January, against Preston North End.^[8]

Later during that season, he scored against Aston Villa in a 5-0 home win, on March 22, 2009. He found the net with a spectacular first time volley after goalkeeper's Pepe Reina long goal kick.

[edit] International career

Riera made his debut for the Spanish national team on October 13, 2007, in an Euro 2008 qualifier against Denmark, and scored from outside the box in a 3–1 away win. However, he failed to make the final cut for the final stages, where the nation emerged victorious.

Riera was again called for the squad for the October qualifiers for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, after Sevilla's Diego Capel withdrew with an injury. In the following year, on April 1, he scored a last minute winner in Turkey (2-1).^[9]

Manager Vicente Del Bosque named Riera in the squad for the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup. He and left-back Joan Capdevila played a vital role, especially in Spain's opening game against New Zealand, a 5-0 routing, linking up to set up all five goals.

[edit] Club statistics

All-time club performance

Club	Season	La Liga		Copa del Rey		Supercopa de España		Europe		Total
		App	Goals	App	Goals	App	Goals	App	Goals	App	Goals
Real Mallorca	2000–01	3	1	-	-	-	-	-	-	3	1
	2001–02	8	1	2	1	-	-	3	0	13	2
	2002–03	35	4	5	0	-	-	-	-	40	4
	Club Total	46	6	7	1	0	0	3	0	56	7
Club	Season	Ligue 1		Coupe de France		Coupe de la Ligue		Europe		Total
		App	Goals	App	Goals	App	Goals	App	Goals	App	Goals
Bordeaux	2003–04	32	2	2	0	-	-	10	5	44	7
	2004–05	21	2	2	0	-	-	-	-	23	2
	Club Total	53	4	4	0	0	0	10	5	67	9
Club	Season	La Liga		Copa del Rey		Supercopa de España		Europe		Total
		App	Goals	App	Goals	App	Goals	App	Goals	App	Goals
Espanyol	2005–06	8	0	-	-	-	-	3	0	11	0
		Premier League		FA Cup		League Cup		Europe		Total
Manchester City (loan)	2005–06	15	1	4	0	-	-	-	-	19	1
	Club Total	15	1	4	0	0	0	0	0	19	1
		La Liga		Copa del Rey		Supercopa de España		Europe		Total
Espanyol	2006–07	28	4	1	0	2	0	13	4	44	8
	2007–08	36	4	3	0	-	-	-	-	39	4
	Club Total	72	8	4	0	2	0	16	4	94	12
		Premier League		FA Cup		League Cup		Europe		Total
Liverpool	2008–09	28	3	3	1	-	-	9	1	40	5
	2009–10	4	0	0	0	-	-	1	0	5	0
	Club Total	32	3	3	1	0	0	10	1	45	5
Career totals		218	22	22	2	2	0	39	10	280	34

[edit] International goals

International goals

#	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	2007-10-13	NRGi Park, Aarhus, Denmark	Denmark	1–3	1–3	UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying
2	2009-04-01	Ali Sami Yen Stadium, Istanbul, Turkey	Turkey	1–2	1–2	2010 FIFA World Cup qualification
3	2009-06-09	Tofik Bakhramov Stadium, Baku, Azerbaijan	Azerbaijan	0–4	0–6	Friendly match
4	2009-08-12	Philip II Arena, Skopje, Macedonia	Macedonia	2–3	2–3	Friendly match

[edit] Honours

[edit] Club

• Mallorca:
  • Spanish Cup: 2002-03

• Espanyol:
  • Spanish Cup: 2005-06
  • UEFA Cup: Runner-up 2006-07

• Liverpool:
  • English League: Runner-up 2008-09

[edit] Country

• FIFA Confederations Cup: Third-place 2009

[edit] Personal

Riera's younger brother, Sito, is also a footballer. He too represented Espanyol, albeit only with the B side.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Official Liverpool profile
• Liverpool historic profile
• BDFutbol profile
• Albert Riera career stats at Soccerbase
• National team data (Spanish)
• FIFA.com stats
• ESPN Profile

v • d • e Spain squad – 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup Third Place 1 Casillas (c) • 2 Albiol • 3 Piqué • 4 Marchena • 5 Puyol • 6 Pablo H. • 7 Villa • 8 Xavi • 9 F. Torres • 10 Fàbregas • 11 Capdevila • 12 Busquets • 13 D. López • 14 Xabi Alonso • 15 S. Ramos • 16 Llorente • 17 Güiza • 18 Riera • 19 Arbeloa • 20 Cazorla • 21 Silva • 22 Mata • 23 Reina • Coach: del Bosque