Alberto Moreno

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(Redirected from Alberto Moreno (footballer))
For other people named Alberto Moreno, see Alberto Moreno (disambiguation).
In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Moreno and the second or maternal family name is Pérez.

Alberto Moreno
Moreno lining up for Liverpool in 2017
Personal information
Full name Alberto Moreno Pérez[1]
Date of birth (1992-07-05) 5 July 1992 (age 31)[2]
Place of birth Seville, Spain
Height 1.71 m (5 ft 7 in)[3]
Position(s) Left-back
Team information
Current team
 Villarreal
Number 18
Youth career
2004–2011 Sevilla
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2011–2013 Sevilla Atlético 49 (7)
2012–2014 Sevilla 45 (3)
2014–2019 Liverpool 90 (3)
2019– Villarreal 93 (4)
International career‡
2013 Spain U21 10 (0)
2013–2017 Spain 4 (0)
Medal record
Men's football
Representing  Spain
UEFA European Under-21 Championship
Gold medal – first place 2013 Israel
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 23:35, 10 March 2024 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 20:06, 20 March 2018 (UTC)

Alberto Moreno Pérez (Spanish pronunciation: [alˈβeɾto moˈɾeno ˈpeɾeθ]; born 5 July 1992) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a left-back for La Liga club Villarreal.

An academy graduate of local side Sevilla, he made his senior debut for the club's reserve side in 2011 before going on to feature in 62 official games for the first team. During his time with Sevilla, he was part of the squad which won the Europa League title in 2014. The following season, he joined Premier League club Liverpool for a reported fee of £12 million, where he made 141 appearances and collected runners-up medals in the EFL Cup and the Europa League, and a winner's medal in the Champions League.

Moreno was part of the Spain under-21 team that won the 2013 UEFA European Championship and made his senior debut the same year.

Club career[edit]

Sevilla[edit]

Moreno with Sevilla in 2013

Moreno was born in the Andalusian capital of Seville and at the age of 13 joined local side Sevilla.[4][5] There he progressed through the club's youth academy and made his senior debut for the reserve side, Sevilla Atlético, on 12 June 2011 in a 3–1 home win over Guadalajara in the Segunda División B play-offs. The club ultimately lost 5–4 on aggregate, however.[6] His first full season followed thereafter during which he scored four goals in 30 games, including his first senior goal directly from a corner kick in added time against Cádiz.[7] Whilst playing for the reserve side, Moreno operated under the tutelage of Ramón Tejada who rotated him between attacking and defensive positions down the left-flank of the field.[5] The positional rotation was later credited for his tactical awareness which contributed to him making his first team, and La Liga debut.[5] This took place on 8 April 2012 when he came on as a substitute for Manu del Moral in the last minutes of a 1–0 away loss against Athletic Bilbao.[5][8]

In February 2013, Moreno was permanently promoted to the first team and he scored his first professional goal on 20 October, netting the second in a 2–2 draw at Real Valladolid.[9][10] He ultimately made 17 appearances during a campaign blemished only by a straight red card he received following a confrontation with Gabi in a league match against Atlético Madrid.[11][12] He enjoyed a breakthrough season in the 2013–14 campaign where he made 44 appearances in total for the club, including 14 in Sevilla's victorious run in the UEFA Europa League.[12][13] His performances throughout the season also contributed towards Sevilla ending the fifth in the league and earned him a spot in Spain's provisional squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup.[12]

On 12 August 2014, and on the eve of Sevilla's 2014 UEFA Super Cup match against Real Madrid, Moreno was withdrawn from the club's match-day squad after the club agreed a £12 million deal with Premier League side Liverpool for his signature.[14] Following the match, Moreno was in tears and had to be consoled as he was given a send off by the club's fans.[15] He later explained that he was emotional to be leaving Sevilla as the club was the "club of his life" but that he was equally motivated to succeed at Liverpool.[16]

Liverpool[edit]

On 16 August 2014, Moreno officially completed his move to Liverpool and he made his debut for the club 10 days later in a 3–1 league loss to Manchester City.[17][18] He then scored his first goal on 31 August, netting the third goal in 3–0 away win against Tottenham Hotspur after dispossessing Andros Townsend and sprinting 40 yards to score.[19][20] He scored again in December, against Swansea City, but ultimately endured an inconsistent debut season at Anfield, with his attacking output not matched by his defensive performances.[21][22]

Moreno spent the first four games of the next season as a substitute as new teammate Joe Gomez started in his position. However, on 20 September 2015, he made his first league start of the season, providing the assist for Danny Ings' first Liverpool goal in a 1–1 draw against Norwich City,[23] and was praised for his man of the match performance.[24] His performance in the 2016 UEFA Europa League Final, where Liverpool lost 1–3 to his former club Sevilla, was heavily criticised by pundits and journalists for positioning and defensive errors.[25][26][27][28][29][30]

Moreno (bottom-left) lining-up for Liverpool's Champions League match against Spartak Moscow in 2017

On 14 August 2016, Moreno started in the first game of the season, a 4–3 win at Arsenal, where he conceded a penalty and was criticised heavily for his performance, prompting a defence from his manager Jürgen Klopp.[31] Despite his manager's intervention, he was dropped and used only as a late substitute for the next game, an 0–2 loss at Burnley.[32] He made 18 appearances over the season, just eight as a starter, as James Milner was preferred in the left-back slot.[33]

In April 2017, Serie A teams AC Milan and Inter Milan spoke to Liverpool about a transfer for Moreno, and in June the Reds rejected a €12.5 million bid for him from another Italian club, Napoli.[33]

Moreno played more frequently at the start of the 2017–18 season,[34] but was criticised in November in a Champions League group game against Sevilla, in which Liverpool led 3–0 at half time but drew 3–3, and was defended by Klopp.[35][36][37] He ultimately lost his position to new signing Andrew Robertson for the rest of the season.[38]

Despite not playing in the 2019 UEFA Champions League Final against Tottenham Hotspur on 1 June 2019, Moreno won his first Champions League winner's medal as Liverpool won 2–0.[39] Three days later, after making just five appearances all season, Moreno was released by Liverpool.[40]

Villarreal[edit]

On 9 July 2019, Moreno signed a five-year contract with Villarreal CF.[41] In September 2020, he was ruled out for an estimated six months with a cruciate ligament injury to the left knee.[42]

On 26 May 2021, Moreno won the Europa League Final with Villarreal, scoring a penalty in the tense 11-10 shootout.

International career[edit]

Youth[edit]

Moreno represented the Spain under-21s at the 2013 UEFA European Championship, being first-choice as he helped them retain their European title. Following the competition's completion he was announced in UEFA's official team of the tournament.[43]

Senior[edit]

Moreno was called up to the senior team on 4 October 2013 for the last 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Georgia,[44] and he made his debut on 15 October, playing the full 90 minutes in a 2–0 win in Albacete.[45]

Moreno was included in Vicente del Bosque's 30-man provisional list for the tournament in Brazil, but was one of seven players cut from the final squad.[46]

Over three years since his last cap, Moreno was recalled by Julen Lopetegui for friendlies against Costa Rica and Russia in November 2017.[47]

Personal life[edit]

Moreno has many tattoos. In April 2016, he had his leg decorated with an image of a gun-toting chimpanzee dressed in a suit and wearing headphones; ESPN FC's verdict was "Please don't ask, because we haven't got the slightest clue."[48] The back of his leg is decorated with the coordinates of his hometown's Plaza de España.[49] Moreno has two children with his partner Lilia Granadilla.[50]

Career statistics[edit]

Club[edit]

As of match played 10 March 2024
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup[a] League cup Europe Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Sevilla Atlético 2010–11[51] Segunda División B 0 0 — — — 1[b] 0 1 0
2011–12[52] 30 4 — — — — 30 4
2012–13[53] 19 3 — — — — 19 3
Total 49 7 — — — 1 0 50 7
Sevilla 2011–12[52] La Liga 1 0 0 0 — 0 0 — 1 0
2012–13[53] 15 0 2 0 — — — 17 0
2013–14[54] 29 3 1 0 — 14[c] 0 — 44 3
Total 45 3 3 0 — 14 0 0 0 62 3
Liverpool 2014–15[55] Premier League 28 2 4 0 2 0 7[d] 0 — 41 2
2015–16[56] 32 1 0 0 5 0 13[c] 0 — 50 1
2016–17[57] 12 0 3 0 3 0 — — 18 0
2017–18[58] 16 0 1 0 0 0 10[e] 0 — 27 0
2018–19[59] 2 0 1 0 1 0 1[e] 0 — 5 0
Total 90 3 9 0 11 0 31 0 0 0 141 3
Villarreal 2019–20[60] La Liga 18 0 1 0 — — — 19 0
2020–21[61] 5 0 0 0 — 4[c] 0 — 9 0
2021–22[62] 24 3 3 2 — 7[e] 1 1[f] 0 35 6
2022–23[63] 24 0 1 0 — 3[g] 0 — 28 0
2023–24[64] 22 1 2 0 — 4[c] 0 — 28 1
Total 93 4 7 2 — 18 1 1 0 119 7
Career total 277 17 19 2 11 0 63 1 2 0 372 20
  1. ^ Includes Copa del Rey and FA Cup
  2. ^ Appearance(s) in Segunda División B play-offs
  3. ^ a b c d Appearance(s) in UEFA Europa League
  4. ^ Five appearances in UEFA Champions League, two appearances in UEFA Europa League
  5. ^ a b c Appearance(s) in UEFA Champions League
  6. ^ Appearance in UEFA Super Cup
  7. ^ Appearance(s) in UEFA Europa Conference League

International[edit]

As of match played 14 November 2017[65]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps Goals
Spain 2013 2 0
2014 1 0
2017 1 0
Total 4 0

Honours[edit]

Sevilla

Liverpool

Villarreal

Spain U21

Individual

  • UEFA European Under-21 Championship Team of the Tournament: 2013[43]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Updated squads for 2017/18 Premier League confirmed". Premier League. 2 February 2018. Retrieved 11 February 2018.
  2. ^ "Alberto Moreno Profile". Premier League. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
  3. ^ "18. Alberto Moreno". Liverpool F.C. Archived from the original on 24 December 2015. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
  4. ^ "Alberto Moreno: Sevilla is my home but I want to win". Marca. 17 May 2016. Retrieved 19 May 2016.
  5. ^ a b c d Wilkes, Paul (13 April 2014). "Alberto Moreno: The Prem-bound La Liga left-back who bettered Gareth Bale". Four Four Two. Retrieved 8 January 2019.
  6. ^ "El Sevilla Atlético roza la remontada" [Sevilla Atlético grind a comeback]. Marca (in Spanish). Madrid. 12 June 2011. Retrieved 12 April 2016.
  7. ^ "Victoria del Sevilla Atlético sobre el Cádiz con gol olímpico de Alberto" [Victory for Sevilla Atlético over Cádiz with an Olympic goal by Alberto] (in Spanish). El Desmarque. 13 November 2011. Retrieved 12 April 2016.
  8. ^ "Llorente leads Leones to victory". ESPN FC. 8 April 2012.\Archived 9 April 2013 at archive.today
  9. ^ "Alberto Moreno reconoce que vive "en una pompa de jabón" en el primer equipo" [Alberto Moreno acknowledges living in "a bubble" in first team] (in Spanish). La Liga. 20 March 2013. Archived from the original on 29 March 2013. Retrieved 23 April 2013.
  10. ^ "Valladolid snatch unlikely draw". ESPN FC. 20 October 2013. Archived from the original on 23 December 2013. Retrieved 25 November 2013.
  11. ^ "Atlético Madrid 1–1 Sevilla". BBC Sport. 19 January 2014. Retrieved 12 April 2016.
  12. ^ a b c "Transfer news: Liverpool linked with Sevilla left-back Alberto Moreno". Sky Sports. 30 May 2014. Retrieved 8 January 2019.
  13. ^ Smith, Ben (16 August 2014). "Alberto Moreno completes £12m Liverpool move from Sevilla". BBC Sport. Retrieved 8 January 2019.
  14. ^ "Alberto Moreno: Liverpool agree £12m fee with Sevilla for defender". BBC. 12 August 2014. Retrieved 13 August 2014.
  15. ^ Prendenerville, Liam (13 August 2014). "Liverpool-bound Alberto Moreno bids emotional farewell to Sevilla team-mates after Super Cup defeat". Daily Mirror. Retrieved 8 January 2019.
  16. ^ Orr, James (13 August 2014). "Alberto Moreno to Liverpool: Defender admits it has been emotional leaving Seville but is 'super-motivated' to succeed at Anfield". The Independent. Archived from the original on 1 December 2015. Retrieved 8 January 2019.
  17. ^ "Alberto Moreno completes £12m Liverpool move from Sevilla". BBC Sport. 16 August 2014. Retrieved 16 August 2014.
  18. ^ Winter, Henry (25 August 2014). "Manchester City 3 Liverpool 1: Stevan Jovetic and Sergio Agüero on target as Premier League champions secure win". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 25 August 2014.
  19. ^ "Tottenham Hotspur 0-3 Liverpool". BBC Sport. 31 August 2014. Retrieved 31 August 2014.
  20. ^ "Alberto Moreno's first goal for Liverpool was spectacular". USA Today. Tysons Corner. 31 August 2014. Retrieved 31 August 2014.
  21. ^ Bascombe, Chris (29 December 2014). "Liverpool 4 Swansea City 1: Adam Lallana shows his class as Liverpool cruise to victory". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 30 December 2014.
  22. ^ Lusby, Jack (4 June 2015). "Alberto Moreno 2014/15 Season Review: A difficult first season for the Spanish left-back". This is Anfield. Retrieved 8 January 2019.
  23. ^ Jennings, Patrick (20 September 2015). "Liverpool 1 - 1 Norwich City". BBC Sport. Retrieved 21 September 2015.
  24. ^ Usher, David (20 September 2015). "Simon Mignolet's errors undoes Danny Ings' impact for Liverpool". ESPN FC. Retrieved 21 September 2015.
  25. ^ Prentice, David (18 May 2016). "Moreno slammed by McManaman and Owen for second-half display". Liverpool Echo. Liverpool. Retrieved 19 May 2016.
  26. ^ Mariner, James (19 May 2016). "Liverpool 1 Sevilla 3: Jamie Carragher deletes Twitter message slagging off Alberto Moreno". The Independent. Archived from the original on 18 May 2016. Retrieved 19 May 2016.
  27. ^ Doyle, Ian (18 May 2016). "Liverpool 1-3 Sevilla player ratings: 4-4-2...not a formation but the three worst performances". Liverpool Echo. Retrieved 19 May 2016.
  28. ^ "Was Alberto Moreno's Europa League horror show the biggest individual nightmare in a final?". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 19 May 2016.
  29. ^ McNulty, Phil (19 May 2016). "Europa League final: What next for Jurgen Klopp and Liverpool?". BBC Sport. Retrieved 19 May 2016.
  30. ^ "Villarreal's Alberto Moreno: 'I'll go to my grave not understanding why I got all the blame". Guardian. 24 May 2021. Retrieved 25 May 2021.
  31. ^ "Jurgen Klopp defends Alberto Moreno after left-back is widely criticised for Arsenal performance". 18 August 2016. Archived from the original on 18 August 2016.
  32. ^ Pearce, James (20 August 2016). "Moreno dropped by Jurgen Klopp". Liverpool Echo. Retrieved 9 April 2017.
  33. ^ a b Price, Glenn (22 June 2017). "Liverpool reject €12.5m Napoli bid for Alberto Moreno - source". ESPN FC. Retrieved 22 June 2017.
  34. ^ Lowe, Sid (16 November 2017). "Alberto Moreno: 'I used to think attack, attack, attack – but I have changed'". The Guardian. Retrieved 28 November 2017.
  35. ^ de Menezes, Jack (23 November 2017). "Roy Keane tears into Alberto Moreno and says performance against Sevilla should be the final straw for Liverpool". The Independent. Archived from the original on 23 November 2017. Retrieved 28 November 2017.
  36. ^ Wilson, Jonathan (23 November 2017). "Liverpool's defensive problems do not begin and end with Alberto Moreno". The Guardian. Retrieved 28 November 2017.
  37. ^ Pearce, James (24 November 2017). "Jurgen Klopp's message to underfire Liverpool left-back Alberto Moreno". Liverpool Echo. Retrieved 28 November 2017.
  38. ^ Bonn, Kyle (4 June 2019). "Sturridge, Moreno to leave Liverpool; Jagielka departing Everton". NBC Sports. Retrieved 5 June 2019.
  39. ^ Taylor, Daniel (1 June 2019). "Liverpool win Champions League after Salah and Origi sink Tottenham". The Guardian. Retrieved 1 June 2019.
  40. ^ "Liverpool: Daniel Sturridge and Alberto Moreno to leave club". BBC Sport. 4 June 2019. Retrieved 4 June 2019.
  41. ^ "Alberto Moreno: Villarreal sign former Liverpool defender". BBC Sport. 9 July 2019. Retrieved 18 July 2020.
  42. ^ "Terrible noticia en el Villarreal: lesión de ligamento cruzado y casi adiós a la temporada" [Terrible news for Villarreal: cruciate ligament injury and near-enough goodbye to the season] (in Spanish). El Desmarque. 9 September 2020. Retrieved 17 March 2021.
  43. ^ a b "Thiago leads all-star squad dominated by Spain". UEFA. Retrieved 21 June 2013.
  44. ^ "Vicente del Bosque recluta a cuatro del Atlético de Madrid" [Vicente del Bosque calls four from Atlético de Madrid]. Diario AS (in Spanish). Madrid. 4 October 2013. Retrieved 14 October 2013.
  45. ^ "Spain top Group I to clinch finals place". UEFA. 15 October 2013. Retrieved 16 October 2013.
  46. ^ "World Cup 2014: Spain drop Alvaro Negredo and Jesus Navas". BBC Sport. 31 May 2014. Retrieved 31 May 2014.
  47. ^ Marrow, Alex (3 November 2017). "Alberto Moreno earns Spain recall after Liverpool resurgence". Sky Sports. Retrieved 28 November 2017.
  48. ^ Wright, Chris (12 April 2016). "Liverpool's Alberto Moreno unveils perplexing new monkey tattoo". ESPN FC. Retrieved 19 May 2016.
  49. ^ "Alberto Moreno's Sevilla tattoo". Daily Express. 18 May 2016. Retrieved 19 May 2016.
  50. ^ Kelly, Andy (18 November 2017). "Why Alberto Moreno's performance against Southampton deserves extra credit". Liverpool Echo. Retrieved 18 November 2017.
  51. ^ "Alberto Moreno: Alberto Moreno Pérez: Matches: 2010–11". BDFutbol. Retrieved 20 March 2018.
  52. ^ a b "Alberto Moreno: Alberto Moreno Pérez: Matches: 2011–12". BDFutbol. Retrieved 20 March 2018.
  53. ^ a b "Alberto Moreno: Alberto Moreno Pérez: Matches: 2012–13". BDFutbol. Retrieved 20 March 2018.
  54. ^ "Alberto Moreno: Alberto Moreno Pérez: Matches: 2013–14". BDFutbol. Retrieved 20 March 2018.
  55. ^ "Games played by Alberto Moreno Perez in 2014/2015". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 20 March 2018.
  56. ^ "Games played by Alberto Moreno Perez in 2015/2016". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 20 March 2018.
  57. ^ "Games played by Alberto Moreno Perez in 2016/2017". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 20 March 2018.
  58. ^ "Games played by Alberto Moreno Perez in 2017/2018". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 20 March 2018.
  59. ^ "Games played by Alberto Moreno Perez in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 6 December 2018.
  60. ^ "Games played by Alberto Moreno Perez in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 3 April 2020.
  61. ^ "Games played by Alberto Moreno Perez in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
  62. ^ "Games played by Alberto Moreno Perez in 2021/2022". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 11 August 2021.
  63. ^ "Games played by Alberto Moreno Perez in 2022/2023". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 17 October 2022.
  64. ^ "Games played by Alberto Moreno Perez in 2023/2024". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 13 August 2023.
  65. ^ "Moreno, Alberto". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmermann. Retrieved 20 March 2018.
  66. ^ "Spot-on Sevilla leave Benfica dreams in tatters". UEFA. 14 May 2014. Retrieved 15 May 2014.
  67. ^ McNulty, Phil (1 June 2019). "Tottenham Hotspur 0–2 Liverpool". BBC Sport. Retrieved 1 June 2019.
  68. ^ McNulty, Phil (26 May 2018). "Real Madrid 3–1 Liverpool". BBC Sport. Retrieved 27 May 2018.
  69. ^ McNulty, Phil (28 February 2016). "Liverpool 1–1 Manchester City". BBC Sport. Retrieved 27 May 2018.
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  71. ^ Stone, Simon (26 May 2021). "Villarreal 1–1 Manchester United". BBC Sport. Retrieved 26 May 2021.
  72. ^ "Alberto Moreno". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 19 May 2016.

External links[edit]

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