Alberto Moreno (footballer)

Alberto Moreno

Moreno playing for Sevilla in 2013
Personal information
Full name	Alberto Moreno Pérez[1]
Date of birth	5 July 1992[1]
Place of birth	Seville, Spain
Height	1.71 m (5 ft 7 in)[1]
Playing position	Left back
Club information
Current team	Liverpool
Number	18
Youth career
0000–2011	Sevilla
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2011–2013	Sevilla Atlético	49	(7)
2012–2014	Sevilla	45	(3)
2014–	Liverpool	65	(3)
National team^‡
2013–2014	Spain U21	10	(0)
2013–	Spain	3	(0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 01:25, 30 October 2016 (UTC). ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 00:34, 19 May 2016 (UTC)

Alberto Moreno Pérez (Spanish pronunciation: [alˈβerto moˈɾeno ˈpeɾeθ]; born 5 July 1992) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a left back for Premier League club Liverpool and the Spain national team.

He began his career at Sevilla, playing 62 official games and winning the UEFA Europa League in 2014, before moving to Liverpool for a fee of £12 million.

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

Sevilla

Moreno was born in Seville, Andalusia and came through the youth ranks at Sevilla.^[2] He made his first-team debut for Sevilla Atlético on 12 June 2011, in a 3–1 home win over Guadalajara in the Segunda División B play-offs second round second leg (4–5 aggregate).^[3]

In his first full season, he scored four goals in 30 games, as his team missed the play-offs. His first senior goal was the only one of the home game against Cádiz on 13 November, direct from a corner kick in added time as a substitute.^[4] On 12 February 2012 when hosting Cacereño, he was sent off after concluding a 2–0 win.^[5]

On 8 April 2012 he made his first-team – and La Liga – debut, coming off the bench for Manu del Moral in the last minutes of a 0–1 away loss against Athletic Bilbao.^[6]

In February 2013, Moreno was promoted to the main squad.^[7] On 4 October he renewed his link with the club, signing until 2018.^[8]

On 20 October 2013 Moreno scored his first professional goal, netting the second in a 2–2 draw at Real Valladolid;^[9] the following 19 January he got a straight red card at the end of a 1–1 draw at high-flying Atlético Madrid for confronting Gabi.^[10] He played 14 games in Sevilla's victorious campaign in the UEFA Europa League, converting his attempt on 20 March 2014 as the team defeated city rivals Real Betis in a penalty shootout in the last 16.^[11]

Liverpool

On 12 August 2014, it was revealed, after a month and a half of negotiations, that Liverpool had agreed a £12 million deal with Sevilla for Moreno. He was subsequently withdrawn from Sevilla's matchday squad for their 2014 UEFA Super Cup match against Real Madrid at the Cardiff City Stadium that evening.^[12] He completed the transfer four days later.^[13]

On 26 August 2014, Moreno made his Liverpool debut in a league match against Manchester City, starting and playing the full 90 minutes in a 1–3 away loss.^[14] He scored his first goal for the Reds five days later, netting the last of a 3–0 away win against Tottenham Hotspur, after dispossessing Andros Townsend and sprinting 40 yards to goal in the 60th minute.^[15][16] On 29 December he scored the opening goal against Swansea City in a 4–1 victory for Liverpool at Anfield.^[17]

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,^[18] and was praised for his man of the match performance.^[19] 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.^{[20][21][22][23][24]}

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 defense from his manager Jurgen Klopp.^[25]

International career

Youth

Moreno represented the Spanish 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.^[26]

Senior

Moreno was called up to the senior team on 4 October 2013 for the last 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Georgia,^[27] and he made his debut on 15 October, playing the full 90 minutes in a 2–0 win in Albacete.^[28]

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.^[29]

Personal life

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."^[30] The back of his leg is decorated with the coordinates of his hometown's Plaza de España.^[31]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 20 September 2016

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			National Cup		League Cup		Europe		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Sevilla Atlético	2010–11[32]	Segunda División B	0	0	—		—		1[lower-alpha 1]	0	1	0
	2011–12[33]	Segunda División B	30	4	—		—		—		30	4
	2012–13[34]	Segunda División B	19	3	—		—		—		19	3
	Total		49	7	—		—		1	0	50	7
Sevilla	2011–12[33]	La Liga	1	0	0	0	—		0	0	1	0
	2012–13[34]	La Liga	15	0	2	0	—		—		17	0
	2013–14[35]	La Liga	29	3	1	0	—		14[lower-alpha 2]	0	44	3
	Total		45	3	3	0	—		14	0	62	3
Liverpool	2014–15[36]	Premier League	28	2	4	0	2	0	7[lower-alpha 3]	0	41	2
	2015–16[37]	Premier League	32	1	0	0	5	0	13[lower-alpha 2]	0	50	1
	2016–17[38]	Premier League	3	0	0	0	1	0	—	—	4	0
	Total		63	3	4	0	8	0	20	0	95	3
Career total			157	13	7	0	8	0	35	0	207	13

1. Appearances in Segunda División B play-offs
2. Appearances in UEFA Europa League
3. Five appearances in UEFA Champions League, two in UEFA Europa League

International

As of match played 30 May 2014^[39]

Appearances and goals by national team and year

National team	Year	Apps	Goals
Spain	2013	2	0
	2014	1	0
Total		3	0

Honours

Club

Sevilla

• UEFA Europa League: 2013–14^[40]

International

Spain U21

• UEFA European Under-21 Championship: 2013^[1]

Individual

• UEFA European Under-21 Championship: Team of the Tournament 2013^[26]

References

1. "Alberto Moreno". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 19 May 2016.
2. "Alberto Moreno: Sevilla is my home but I want to win". Marca. 17 May 2016. Retrieved 19 May 2016.
3. "El Sevilla Atlético roza la remontada" [Sevilla Atlético grind a comeback]. Marca (in Spanish). Madrid. 12 June 2011. Retrieved 12 April 2016.
4. "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.
5. "Un sólido Sevilla Atlético acaba con el Cacereño en 7 minutos" [A solid Sevilla Atlético finishes off Cacereño in seven minutes]. El Correo (in Spanish). Bilbao. 12 February 2012. Retrieved 12 April 2016.
6. "Llorente leads Leones to victory". ESPN FC. 8 April 2012.
7. "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. Retrieved 23 April 2013.
8. "Alberto Moreno, sevillista hasta 2018" [Alberto Moreno, Sevillista until 2018] (in Spanish). Sevilla FC. 4 October 2013. Archived from the original on 14 October 2013. Retrieved 14 October 2013.
9. "Valladolid snatch unlikely draw". ESPN FC. 20 October 2013. Archived from the original on 23 December 2013. Retrieved 25 November 2013.
10. "Atlético Madrid 1–1 Sevilla". BBC Sport. 19 January 2014. Retrieved 12 April 2016.
11. "Spot-on Sevilla get the better of Betis". UEFA. 20 March 2014. Retrieved 12 April 2016.
12. "Alberto Moreno: Liverpool agree £12m fee with Sevilla for defender". BBC. 12 August 2014. Retrieved 13 August 2014.
13. "Alberto Moreno completes £12m Liverpool move from Sevilla". BBC Sport. 16 August 2014. Retrieved 16 August 2014.
14. 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.
15. "Tottenham Hotspur 0-3 Liverpool". BBC Sport. 31 August 2014. Retrieved 31 August 2014.
16. "Alberto Moreno's first goal for Liverpool was spectacular". USA Today. Tysons Corner. 31 August 2014. Retrieved 31 August 2014.
17. 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.
18. Jennings, Patrick (20 September 2015). "Liverpool 1 - 1 Norwich City". BBC Sport. Retrieved 21 September 2015.
19. Usher, David (20 September 2015). "Simon Mignolet's errors undoes Danny Ings' impact for Liverpool". ESPN FC. Retrieved 21 September 2015.
20. Prentice, David (18 May 2016). "Moreno slammed by McManaman and Owen for second-half display". Liverpool Echo. Liverpool. Retrieved 19 May 2016.
21. Mariner, James (19 May 2016). "Liverpool 1 Sevilla 3: Jamie Carragher deletes Twitter message slagging off Alberto Moreno". The Independent. Retrieved 19 May 2016.
22. 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.
23. "Was Alberto Moreno's Europa League horror show the biggest individual nightmare in a final?". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 19 May 2016.
24. McNulty, Phil (19 May 2016). "Europa League final: What next for Jurgen Klopp and Liverpool?". BBC Sport. Retrieved 19 May 2016.
25. "Jurgen Klopp defends Alberto Moreno after left-back is widely criticised for Arsenal performance". 18 August 2016.
26. "Thiago leads all-star squad dominated by Spain". UEFA. Retrieved 21 June 2013.
27. "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.
28. "Spain top Group I to clinch finals place". UEFA. 15 October 2013. Retrieved 16 October 2013.
29. "World Cup 2014: Spain drop Alvaro Negredo and Jesus Navas". BBC Sport. 31 May 2014. Retrieved 31 May 2014.
30. Wright, Chris (12 April 2016). "Liverpool's Alberto Moreno unveils perplexing new monkey tattoo". ESPN FC. Retrieved 19 May 2016.
31. "Alberto Moreno's Sevilla tattoo". Daily Express. 18 May 2016. Retrieved 19 May 2016.
32. "Alberto Moreno: Alberto Moreno Pérez: 2010–11". BDFutbol. Retrieved 19 May 2016.
33. "Alberto Moreno: Alberto Moreno Pérez: 2011–12". BDFutbol. Retrieved 19 May 2016.
34. "Alberto Moreno: Alberto Moreno Pérez: 2012–13". BDFutbol. Retrieved 19 May 2016.
35. "Alberto Moreno: Alberto Moreno Pérez: 2013–14". BDFutbol. Retrieved 19 May 2016.
36. "Games played by Alberto Moreno Perez in 2014/2015". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 19 May 2016.
37. "Games played by Alberto Moreno Perez in 2015/2016". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 19 May 2016.
38. "Games played by Alberto Moreno Perez in 2016/2017". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 16 August 2016.
39. "Moreno, Alberto". National Football Teams. Retrieved 19 May 2016.
40. "Spot-on Sevilla leave Benfica dreams in tatters". UEFA. 14 May 2014. Retrieved 15 May 2014.

External links

• Alberto Moreno profile at the official Liverpool F.C. website
• Alberto Moreno profile at BDFutbol
• Alberto Moreno career statistics at Soccerbase