Álex Baena
Spanish footballer (born 2001)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Alejandro "Álex" Baena Rodríguez (born 20 July 2001) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a left midfielder or attacking midfielder for La Liga club Atlético Madrid and the Spain national team.
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Baena with Spain in 2026 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Alejandro Baena Rodríguez[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 20 July 2001[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Roquetas de Mar, Spain[2] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.74 m (5 ft 9 in)[3] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Positions | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Team information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Current team | Atlético Madrid | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Number | 10 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2007–2011 | Roquetas | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2011–2019 | Villarreal | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2018–2019 | Villarreal C | 1 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2019–2020 | Villarreal B | 23 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2020–2025 | Villarreal | 108 | (15) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2021–2022 | → Girona (loan) | 38 | (5) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2025– | Atlético Madrid | 28 | (3) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| International career‡ | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2017 | Spain U16 | 3 | (2) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2017–2018 | Spain U17 | 11 | (3) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2018–2019 | Spain U18 | 10 | (3) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2019–2020 | Spain U19 | 7 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2019 | Spain U20 | 5 | (1) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2022–2023 | Spain U21 | 12 | (2) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2024 | Spain U23 | 5 | (2) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2023– | Spain | 24 | (3) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 19 August 2026 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 19 July 2026 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Club career
Villarreal
Baena was born in Roquetas de Mar,[2] and joined Villarreal's youth setup in 2011, from Roquetas.[4][5] He made his senior debut with the C-team on 21 December 2018, coming on as a second-half substitute in a 2–0 Tercera División home victory against Rayo Ibense.[6]
Ahead of the 2019–20 season, Baena was assigned to the reserves in Segunda División B, debuting as a starter on 14 September 2019 in a 3–0 victory against Llagostera.[7] On 13 July of the following year, he made his first-team league debut, replacing fellow youth graduate Manu Trigueros in a 1–2 home loss against Real Sociedad.[8]
Baena scored his first professional goal on 5 November 2020, netting his club's third in a 4–0 UEFA Europa League home routing of Maccabi Tel Aviv.[9] Seven days later, he renewed his contract until 2025.[10] On 19 August 2021, Baena moved to Segunda División club Girona on a one-year loan.[11] On 26 August 2022, he and teammate Nicolas Jackson were fully promoted to the main squad.[12] In the 2023–24 season, he became the top assist provider in La Liga with 14 assists.[13]
Atlético Madrid
On 2 July 2025, Baena joined Atlético Madrid, signing a five-year-contract.[14] Later that year, on 27 October, he scored his first goal for the club in a 2–0 away win over Real Betis.[15]
International career
Baena represented Spain at under-16, under-17, under-18, under-19 and under-20 levels, appearing in the 2018 UEFA European Under-17 Championship.[16] He also called up to the under-21 team for the 2023 UEFA European Under-21 Championship where Spain finished as runners-up.[17][18]
In August 2023, Baena received his first call-up to the Spain senior national team by head coach Luis de la Fuente, for two UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying matches against Georgia and Cyprus.[19] He went on to score his first goal for Spain on his debut against the latter opponent in a 6–0 victory.[20] In May 2024, Baena was named in the 26-man squad for the UEFA Euro 2024.[21]
In July 2024, Baena was included in the Spain U23 squad for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.[22] He scored a goal from a free kick in the gold medal match against France,[23] where Spain won by 5–3 after extra time.[24]
On 25 May 2026, Baena was named in Spain's squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.[25] A month later, on 26 June, he scored the only goal and was named Man of the Match in a 1–0 victory over Uruguay, helping his country secure a place in the knockout stage.[26] He started the World Cup final, which ended in a 1–0 victory over Argentina after extra time.[27] With the triumph, he became the first player to win the FIFA World Cup, the UEFA European Championship, and an Olympic gold medal.[28]
Career statistics
Club
- As of match played 19 August 2026[29]
| Club | Season | League | Copa del Rey | Europe | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Villarreal C | 2019–20 | Tercera División | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | |||
| Villarreal B | 2019–20 | Segunda División B | 23 | 0 | — | — | — | 23 | 0 | |||
| Villarreal | 2019–20 | La Liga | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 2 | 0 | ||
| 2020–21 | La Liga | 6 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 9[a] | 2 | — | 20 | 2 | ||
| 2022–23 | La Liga | 35 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 9[b] | 4 | — | 48 | 12 | ||
| 2023–24 | La Liga | 34 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 8[a] | 2 | — | 45 | 5 | ||
| 2024–25 | La Liga | 32 | 7 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 33 | 7 | |||
| Total | 108 | 15 | 14 | 3 | 26 | 8 | — | 148 | 26 | |||
| Girona (loan) | 2021–22 | Segunda División | 38 | 5 | 3 | 0 | — | 4[c] | 0 | 45 | 5 | |
| Atlético Madrid | 2025–26 | La Liga | 27 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 13[d] | 0 | 1[e] | 0 | 46 | 2 |
| 2026–27 | La Liga | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Total | 28 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 47 | 3 | ||
| Career total | 198 | 23 | 22 | 3 | 39 | 8 | 5 | 0 | 264 | 34 | ||
- Appearances in UEFA Europa League
- Appearances in UEFA Europa Conference League
- Appearances in Segunda División promotion play-offs
- Appearances in UEFA Champions League
- Appearance in Supercopa de España
International
- As of match played 19 July 2026[30]
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spain | 2023 | 1 | 1 |
| 2024 | 7 | 1 | |
| 2025 | 6 | 0 | |
| 2026 | 10 | 1 | |
| Total | 24 | 3 | |
- As of match played 26 June 2026
- Spain score listed first, score column indicates score after each Baena goal.[30]
| No. | Date | Venue | Cap | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12 September 2023 | Nuevo Los Cármenes, Granada, Spain | 1 |  Cyprus | 5–0 | 6–0 | UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying |
| 2 | 15 October 2024 | Estadio Nuevo Arcángel, Córdoba, Spain | 7 |  Serbia | 3–0 | 3–0 | 2024–25 UEFA Nations League A |
| 3 | 26 June 2026 | Estadio Akron, Zapopan, Mexico | 19 |  Uruguay | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2026 FIFA World Cup |
Honours
Villarreal
Atlético Madrid
- Copa del Rey runner-up: 2025–26[32]
Spain U21
- UEFA European Under-21 Championship runner-up: 2023[18]
Spain U23
- Summer Olympics gold medal: 2024[33]
Spain
- FIFA World Cup: 2026[34]
- UEFA European Championship: 2024[35]
- UEFA Nations League runner-up: 2024–25[36]
Individual
