Iker Almena
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Iker Almena Horcajo | ||
| Date of birth | 4 May 2004 | ||
| Place of birth | L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Spain | ||
| Height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Winger | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Al Qadsiah | ||
| Number | 30 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Can Vidalet | |||
| 2011–2017 | Barcelona | ||
| 2017–2019 | Cornellà | ||
| 2019–2020 | Gavà | ||
| 2020 | Académica | ||
| 2020–2022 | Can Vidalet | ||
| 2022–2023 | Girona | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2021–2022 | Can Vidalet | 24 | (1) |
| 2022–2024 | Girona B | 37 | (6) |
| 2023–2024 | Girona | 2 | (0) |
| 2024– | Al Qadsiah | 0 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 30 August 2024 | |||
Iker Almena Horcajo (born 4 May 2004) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a right back or right winger for Saudi Pro League club Al Qadsiah FC.
Career
[edit]Born in L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Catalonia, Almena began his career with CF Can Vidalet before joining FC Barcelona's La Masia in 2011, aged seven.[1] After leaving the club in 2017, he subsequently represented UE Cornellà and CF Gavà's youth sides EF Gavà before moving to Portuguese side Académica de Coimbra in 2020; however, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, he returned to his first club Can Vidalet.[2]
Initially a member of the Juvenil squad, Almena made his senior on 16 May 2021, playing the last 20 minutes in a 2–2 Primera Catalana home draw against CFJ Mollerussa, and scored his first goal seven days later in a 4–0 away routing of FC Alcarràs. In 2022, after another campaign alternating between the Juvenil and the first teams, he moved to Girona FC and returned to youth football.[3]
On 4 September 2023, after already making his debut with the reserves and featuring with the main squad in the pre-season, Almena renewed his contract with the Blanquivermells until 2026.[4] He made his first team debut on 7 December, starting in a 5–2 away win over Orihuela CF, for the season's Copa del Rey.[5]
After impressing in the 2024 pre-season,[6] Almena made his La Liga debut on 15 August of that year; after coming on as a second-half substitute for Portu, he assisted Gabriel Misehouy's equalizer in a 1–1 away draw against Real Betis.[7][8]
Almena was transferred to Al Qadsiah FC on 30 August 2024.[9]
Career statistics
[edit]- As of match played 25 August 2024
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Europe | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Can Vidalet | 2021–22 | Primera Catalana | 11 | 1 | — | — | — | 11 | 1 | |||
| 2022–23 | Primera Catalana | 13 | 0 | — | — | — | 13 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 24 | 1 | — | — | — | 24 | 1 | |||||
| Girona B | 2022–23 | Tercera Federación | 7 | 0 | — | — | — | 7 | 0 | |||
| 2023–24 | Tercera Federación | 30 | 6 | — | — | — | 30 | 6 | ||||
| Total | 37 | 6 | — | — | — | 37 | 6 | |||||
| Girona | 2023–24 | La Liga | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2024–25 | La Liga | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | ||
| Total | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | ||
| Career total | 63 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 64 | 7 | ||
References
[edit]- ^ "Iker Almena Horcajo" (in Spanish). Futbol Base Català. Retrieved 15 August 2024.
- ^ "Mucha suerte Iker 🍀⚽" [Best of luck Iker 🍀⚽]. CF Can Vidalet (in Spanish). Facebook. 11 July 2021. Retrieved 15 August 2024.
- ^ "La 'perla' que ilusiona en Girona: "Si está a este nivel..."" [The 'pearl' who brings high hopes at Girona: "If he remains at this level..."] (in Spanish). Sport. 21 July 2024. Retrieved 15 August 2024.
- ^ "Iker Almena, until 2026". Girona FC. 4 September 2023. Retrieved 15 August 2024.
- ^ "El Girona despierta como un campeón de la pesadilla de Orihuela" [Girona wake up as a champion from the nightmare of Orihuela] (in Spanish). Diario AS. 7 December 2023. Retrieved 15 August 2024.
- ^ "Almena: goles de atención" [Almena: goals of warning] (in Spanish). Diario AS. 19 July 2024. Retrieved 15 August 2024.
- ^ "Almena y Misehouy amargan al Betis" [Almena and Misehouy bitter Betis] (in Spanish). Diario AS. 15 August 2024. Retrieved 15 August 2024.
- ^ "Iker Almena derriba la puerta de Míchel... y de Primera" [Iker Almena brings down Míchel... and Primera's door] (in Spanish). Diario AS. 17 August 2024. Retrieved 19 August 2024.
- ^ "Iker Almena, traspasado al Al Qadisiyah" [Iker Almena, transferred to Al Qadisiyah]. Girona FC (in Spanish). Retrieved 30 August 2024.
External links
[edit]- Iker Almena at BDFutbol
- Iker Almena at LaPreferente.com (in Spanish)
- Iker Almena at Soccerway
- 2004 births
- Living people
- Footballers from L'Hospitalet de Llobregat
- Spanish men's footballers
- Men's association football wingers
- La Liga players
- Tercera Federación players
- Divisiones Regionales de Fútbol players
- Saudi Pro League players
- Girona FC B players
- Girona FC players
- Al Qadsiah FC players
- Spanish expatriate men's footballers
- Expatriate men's footballers in Saudi Arabia
- Spanish expatriate sportspeople in Saudi Arabia
- 21st-century Spanish sportsmen