Centenary Balde! Alejandro celebrates 100 matches with Barça

Published:15/12/2024 - 22:27h

Updated:15/12/2024 - 22:41h

Against Leganés, Alejandro Balde reached his 100th match with FC Barcelona. The full-back debuted in the 21/22 season and is already an undisputed member of the first team

Sunday, December 15, was a very special night for Alejandro Balde. The left-back, who has been with FC Barcelona since he was eight years old, has entered the history of the Catalan club by celebrating his 100th match with the first team in the clash against Leganés at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys.

The defender reached this milestone just over three years after his debut in a 3-0 defeat against Bayern Munich in the group stage of the Champions League. On that September 14, Ronald Koeman brought the player on in the 74th minute, replacing Jordi Alba, marking the beginning of a sweet transition at the left-back position for the Blaugrana.

Balde, the future left-back of Barça

The following season, 2022/23, was the one where Balde established himself in the first team under Xavi. The Catalan took ownership of the starting position, playing 3,110 minutes, scoring 1 goal, and providing 6 assists in 44 matches, also playing a fundamental role in winning the league title and the Supercopa de España.

Although in the 23/24 season a tendon injury reduced his participation to 28 matches, the club showed its confidence in him by extending his contract until 2028 with a one billion euro clause. In the current season, the full-back has played 20 of the 23 matches, with 4 assists in 1,482 minutes.

In total, Balde has scored 2 goals (one in La Liga and one in the Copa del Rey) and provided 10 assists in his 100 matches with Barça, and at just 21 years old, he has made it clear that the future of the Blaugrana left-back position is more than secured with his presence.