Alejandro Balde Martínez (Barcelona, October 18, 2003) is a Spanish footballer who plays as a defender for F.C. Barcelona in the Spanish Primera División. He is an international with the Spanish national football team.

Balde’s Career

Born to a Bissau-Guinean father and a Dominican mother, he joined F.C. Barcelona in 2011 at the age of eight, after progressing through R.C.D. Espanyol’s academy. In July 2021, he signed a contract extension with Barcelona until 2024 with a €500 million release clause.

Playing as a left-back, for the 2021-22 season Balde was called up to the first team for the first and second matches of the season against Real Sociedad de Fútbol and Athletic Club respectively. His debut occurred on September 14, coming on as a substitute for Jordi Alba in the 74th minute of a 3-0 defeat to Bayern Munich in the Champions League group stage.

Balde started the 2022-23 season with a greater presence in the first team, playing several matches as a starter, and being among the top assist providers in La Liga in the first two months. By March 2023, he was the U20 player with the most assists in Europe’s top five leagues. In the final stretch of that season, coinciding with the day they clinched the La Liga title, he scored his first goal in a derby against R.C.D. Espanyol.

In September 2023, he was officially registered as a first-team player and changed his jersey number to 3. That same month, he extended his contract until June 2028 with a release clause of €1 billion.

National Team

An international for Spain, having played with the U-16 since 2019, Balde won the Torneo de Exentos with the U-17 category, a preparatory tournament for the subsequently canceled Euro 2020. In August 2021, he was called up for the first time to the Spanish U-19 national team, debuting the following month in a double header against Mexico. On September 22, 2022, Balde debuted with the Spanish U-21 national team in a friendly match against Romania U-21, which ended in a 1-4 victory.

On November 18, 2022, Balde was called up for the World Cup in Qatar as a replacement for José Luis Gayà, who was injured during the training camp. His debut for the national team took place on November 23, during the second half of the match against Costa Rica.