Álex Balboa

Álex Balboa
Balboa with Equatorial Guinea in 2022
Personal information
Full name Alejandro Balboa Bandeira[1]
Date of birth (2001-03-06) 6 March 2001[2]
Place of birth Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain
Height 1.81 m (5 ft 11 in)[3]
Position Midfielder
Team information
Current team
 Valladolid
Youth career
2005–2013 Aurrerá Vitoria
2013–2020 Alavés
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2020–2021 San Ignacio 11 (2)
2021–2023 Alavés B 37 (0)
2022–2024 Alavés 11 (0)
2023–2024 → Huesca (loan) 13 (1)
2024–2025 Almere City 10 (1)
2025–2026 Lugo 34 (3)
2026– Valladolid 0 (0)
International career‡
2021– Equatorial Guinea 16 (0)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 9 June 2026
‡ National team caps and goals as of 9 September 2024

Alejandro 'Álex' Balboa Bandeira (born 6 March 2001) is a professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Segunda División club Valladolid. 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] On 1 July of the following year, he signed for Primera Federación club Lugo on a one-year deal with the option for a second.[9]

On 25 July 2026, Valladolid announced the signing of Balboa on a two-year contract.[10]

International career

Balboa made his senior debut for Equatorial Guinea on 7 September 2021.[11]

Personal life

Balboa's uncle is former Real Madrid footballer Javier Balboa,[12] who also played for the Equatorial Guinea national football team.

Career statistics

Club

As of 09 February 2025[3]
Club Season League National Cup Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
San Ignacio 2020-21 Tercera División 112—112
Alavés B 2020-21 Segunda División B 150—150
2021-22 Tercera División 200—200
2022-23 Segunda Federación 20—20
Total 370—370
Alavés 2021-22 La Liga 001010
2022-23 Segunda División 11040150
2023-24 La Liga 00—00
Total 11050160
Huesca (loan) 2023-24 Segunda División 10010110
Almere City 2024-25 Eredivisie 400040
Career Total 73260792

International

As of 10 June 2024
Equatorial Guinea
YearAppsGoals
202140
202230
202340
202440
Total120

References

  1. ↑ "Álex Balboa". Global Sports Archive. Retrieved 28 January 2022.
  2. ↑ Álex Balboa at BDFutbol. Retrieved 7 September 2021.
  3. 1 2 Álex Balboa at Soccerway. Retrieved 7 September 2021.
  4. ↑ "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.
  5. ↑ "El último salto de Álex Balboa" [The latest jump of Álex Balboa] (in Spanish). El Correo. 30 November 2021. Retrieved 9 August 2023.
  6. ↑ "Alex Balboa, albiazul hasta 2026" [Alex Balboa, white-and-blue until 2026] (in Spanish). Deportivo Alavés. 12 July 2023. Retrieved 9 August 2023.
  7. ↑ "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.
  8. ↑ "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.
  9. ↑ "Álex Balboa, nuevo jugador del CD Lugo".
  10. ↑ "Balboa, más fuerza para la medular" [Balboa, more strength for the midfield] (in Spanish). Real Valladolid. 25 July 2026. Retrieved 27 July 2026.
  11. ↑ "Match Report of Equatorial Guinea vs Mauritania". Global Sports Archive. 7 September 2021. Retrieved 7 September 2021.
  12. ↑ "El CD Castellón tantea la cesión del capitán del Alavés B" (in Spanish). 17 June 2021. Retrieved 7 September 2021.
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