Borja Valero

Borja Valero

Personal information
Full name	Borja Valero Iglesias
Date of birth	12 January 1985 (1985-01-12)
Place of birth	Madrid, Spain
Height	1.76 m (5 ft 9 in)
Playing position	Midfielder
Club information
Current club	Villarreal
Number	20
Youth career
1995–2004	Real Madrid
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
2004–2005	Real Madrid C	0	(0)
2005–2007	Real Madrid B	76	(4)
2007–2008	Mallorca	34	(4)
2008–2011	West Bromwich Albion	31	(0)
2009–2010	→ Mallorca (loan)	33	(5)
2010–2011	→ Villarreal (loan)	35	(3)
2011–	Villarreal	23	(5)
National team‡
2002–2003	Spain U17	15	(3)
2003	Spain U18	3	(1)
2004	Spain U19	4	(2)
2011–	Spain	1	(0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 19 February 2012. † Appearances (Goals). ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 4 June 2011

This name uses Spanish naming customs; the first or paternal family name is Valero and the second or maternal family name is Iglesias.

Borja Valero Iglesias (born 12 January 1985 in Madrid) is a Spanish footballer who plays for Villarreal CF in La Liga, as a central midfielder.

Club career

Real Madrid

Grown through the ranks of Real Madrid, Valero made his first team debut against Écija Balompié, substituting Javi García at the 60-minute mark, in a Spanish Cup match, on 25 October 2006. He made another appearance in a UEFA Champions League group stage away match against FC Dynamo Kyiv, replacing Miguel Ángel Nieto in a 2–2 draw, but spent his first two professional seasons with Real Madrid B, in the country's second division.

Mallorca

In August 2007, Valero signed a five-year contract with RCD Mallorca following his release from Real Madrid, and scored his first La Liga goals in a 7–1 home home win over Recreativo de Huelva, on 9 March 2008. On 5 April, Valero added another, against his former team, in a 1–1 home draw.

West Brom

On 22 August 2008, Valero signed for Championship winners West Bromwich Albion, for a club record fee of €7 million (£4.7 million). The midfielder agreed a four-year contract with the option of a further year in the clubs' favour. He made his debut four days later in Albion's 3–1 League Cup defeat away to Hartlepool United.

Just hours before the close of the August 2009 transfer window, Valero returned to Mallorca for 2009–10, loaned by West Brom. On 13 September as a starter in the first match in his second spell, he scored the Balearic Islands club's 1000th first division goal, in a 1–1 draw at Villarreal CF; in the following month, he netted in the last minute for nine-man Mallorca, for the 1–1 at Atlético Madrid, and was an ever present figure as Mallorca eventually finished fifth (fourth until the last minute of the last round) and qualified for the UEFA Europa League.

Return to Spain

For 2010–11, Valero was poised to sign a five-year contract with Villarreal CF but, shortly after, W.B.A. and the Valencian eventually agreed on a season-long loan, with the move being made permanent at the season's end. He scored on his home debut for the team, a 4–0 win against RCD Espanyol on 12 September 2010, and featured heavily throughout the season as the club finished in fourth position and qualified to the Champions League.

International career

Valero starred for Spain at the 2004 UEFA European Under-19 Football Championship, scoring a last-minute goal in a 1–0 final win over Turkey.

On 4 June 2011, he made his debut for the full side, replacing David Silva in the second half of a 4–0 win with the United States, in Boston, and assisting Fernando Torres in the last goal.

Club statistics

Accurate as of 19 February 2012.

Club	Season	League			Cup1			Continental			Total
		Apps	Goals	Assists	Apps	Goals	Assists	Apps	Goals	Assists	Apps	Goals	Assists
Real Madrid B	2005–06	39	2	–	—			—			39	2	—
	2006–07	37	2	–	—			—			37	2	—
	Total	76	4	–	—			—			76	4	—
Real Madrid	2006–07	0	0	0	1	0	0	1	0	0	2	0	0
	Total	0	0	0	1	0	0	1	0	0	2	0	0
Mallorca	2007–08	34	4	7	6	0	1	—			40	4	8
	Total	34	4	7	6	0	1	—			40	4	8
West Bromwich Albion	2008–09	30	0	3	4	0	0	—			34	0	3
	2009–10	1	0	0	1	0	0	—			2	0	0
	Total	31	0	3	5	0	0	—			36	0	3
Mallorca	2009–10	33	5	8	5	0	0	—			38	5	8
	Total	33	5	8	5	0	0	—			38	5	8
Villarreal	2010–11	35	3	8	5	0	0	13	2	3	53	5	11
	2011–12	23	5	4	2	1	0	6	0	0	31	6	4
	Total	58	8	12	7	1	0	19	2	3	84	11	15
Career totals		232	21	30	24	1	1	20	2	3	276	24	34

¹In West Bromwich Albion, includes FA Cup and Football League Cup.

Honours

Country

• UEFA U-19 Championship: 2004

Individual

• Don Balón Award – Spanish Player of the Year: 2010

External links

• Villarreal official profile
• BDFutbol profile
• National team data (Spanish)
• WBA official profile
• Borja Valero career stats at Soccerbase
• Transfermarkt profile