Álex Grimaldo
Squad number 3 · Bayer Leverkusen
Their 2026 World Cup
Álex Grimaldo travelled to the 2026 World Cup with Spain, wearing number 3, without ever getting on the pitch. His side played 8 matches (7 wins and 1 draw) and lifted the trophy after winning the final against Argentina by 1-0.
Defence went to Marc Cucurella (8 matches, 750′) and Pau Cubarsí Paredes (8 matches, 750′).
Another 2 players in the Spain squad ended up the same way, without a single minute. The full run is on the Spain team page.
Who he is
- Born
- 20 September 1995 · aged 30 at the World Cup
- Birthplace
- Valencia
- Club
- Atlético Madrid
- Height
- 1.70 m
Data: Wikidata (CC0).
Biography
Alejandro "Álex" Grimaldo García (born 20 September 1995) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a left wing-back for La Liga club Atlético Madrid and the Spain national team. He previously played for Barcelona's youth teams as well as Benfica and Bayer Leverkusen.
Born in Valencia, Valencian Community, Grimaldo joined Barcelona's youth system in 2008. He made his official debut for the B-team on 4 September 2011, starting in a 4–0 away win against Cartagena at the age of 15 years and 349 days and becoming the youngest player ever to appear in a Segunda División game, before he was surpassed by Lamine Yamal in 2023. On 23 February 2013, Grimaldo suffered a serious knee injury, being ruled out for the remainder of the season. He returned to action in January of the following year, appearing in 14 matches to help his team finish in third position. On 13 September 2014, Grimaldo scored his first professional goal, netting his side's last in a 3–2 success at Alavés.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0) · opening summary of the article.
See all the tournament stats on the World Cup data hub.
Photo: Bryan Berlin · Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)