Alejandro Grimaldo García

Álex Grimaldo, whose full name is Alejandro Grimaldo García, is a Spanish left-footed defender born in Valencia in 1995. He developed at Valencia before joining Barcelona’s La Masia academy in 2008, initially playing in midfield before moving to left-back. In 2011, Grimaldo made his Barcelona B debut in Spain’s Segunda División at 15, becoming the competition’s youngest player to appear for the club’s reserve side. He did not reach Barcelona’s senior team and signed for Benfica in December 2015. During seven seasons in Lisbon, he became a regular starter, won four Primeira Liga titles and developed a reputation for set pieces and attacking deliveries. In July 2023, Grimaldo joined Bayer Leverkusen on a free transfer and flourished as an advanced wing-back under Xabi Alonso. He scored 10 Bundesliga goals and supplied 13 assists in Leverkusen’s unbeaten 2023–24 league campaign, while also helping Spain win Euro 2024.