Andreu Fontàs

Personal information
Full name	Andreu Fontàs i Prat
Date of birth	(1989-11-14) 14 November 1989 (age 22)
Place of birth	Banyoles, Spain
Height	1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)
Playing position	Centre back
Club information
Current club	Barcelona
Number	24
Youth career
1995–2006	Banyoles
2006–2007	Girona
2007–2008	Barcelona
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
2008–2011	Barcelona B	72	(2)
2009–	Barcelona	8	(0)
National team‡
2008	Spain U19	2	(0)
2009	Spain U20	9	(0)
2010–2011	Spain U21	3	(0)
2010–	Catalonia	2	(0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 11 September 2011. † Appearances (Goals). ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 28 March 2011

Andreu Fontàs i Prat (Catalan pronunciation: [ənˈdɾew funˈtas]; born 14 November 1989) is a Spanish footballer who plays for FC Barcelona, mainly as a central defender.

Club career[link]

Early career[link]

Born in Banyoles, Girona, Catalonia, Fontàs was a product of FC Barcelona's youth system, having previously played for amateurs CD Banyoles for 11 years. Originally a defensive midfielder, he was reconverted into central defender by the B team's coach Luis Enrique, a former Barcelona player.^[1]

Barcelona[link]

Fontàs made his first team debut on 31 August 2009, replacing another La Masia graduate, Gerard Piqué, in the final six minutes of a 3–0 La Liga home win against Sporting de Gijón. Earlier into the 2009–10 season, he was called by manager Josep Guardiola to the Spanish Supercup and UEFA Super Cup games, respectively against Athletic Bilbao and FC Shakhtar Donetsk, but finally did not make the bench on either occasion.^[2] Fontàs spent the vast majority of his first senior seasons registered with the reserve team.

On 20 November 2010, Fontàs started for the first time in the league with the first team, assisting Pedro Rodríguez with a 50-meter pass for the fourth goal, as Barcelona trounced UD Almería 8–0 away. On 7 December, he made his UEFA Champions League debut, against FC Rubin Kazan: as the Catalans had already progressed to the knock-out stages as group winners, he scored in the 2–0 home win, converting a pass from fellow youth graduate Thiago Alcântara.^[3]

On 16 March 2011, Fontàs was promoted to the senior team on a permanent basis after Éric Abidal was diagnosed with a tumour in his liver, thus becoming unavailable for the rest of the season.^[4] He appeared in three consecutive games in May for the eventual champions, always as a left back. On the 15th, as a starter, he returned to his natural position, in a 0–0 home draw against Deportivo de La Coruña.^[5]

Fontàs remained a backup in 2011–12. On 12 January 2012, in a game at CA Osasuna for the season's Copa del Rey, he suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury in the 10th minute of the game, being sidelined for several months.^[6][7]

Club statistics[link]

As of 13 January 2012^[8]

Honours[link]

Barcelona[link]

• La Liga: 2009–10, 2010–11
• Copa del Rey: 2011–12; Runner-up 2010–11
• Supercopa de España: 2009, 2010, 2011
• UEFA Champions League: 2008–09, 2010–11
• UEFA Super Cup: 2011
• FIFA Club World Cup: 2011

Spain[link]

• Mediterranean Games: 2009

References[link]

External links[link]

• FC Barcelona profile
• BDFutbol profile
• Futbolme profile (Spanish)
• Andreu Fontàs – FIFA competition record
• Andreu Fontàs – UEFA competition record
• Transfermarkt profile

v t e Spain squad – 2009 FIFA U-20 World Cup 1 Asenjo 2 Azpilicueta (c) 3 José Ángel 4 Domínguez 5 Botía 6 Gullón 7 Aarón 8 Herrera 9 Kike 10 Parejo 11 Alba 12 Fontàs 13 Mejías 14 Laguardia 15 Dídac 16 Romeu 17 Mérida 18 De Marcos 19 Falqué 20 Nsue 21 Mariño Coach: Milla

Ander Herrera Agüera (born 14 August 1989 in Bilbao, Biscay) is a Spanish footballer who plays for Athletic Bilbao as a midfielder.

Club career[link]

After completing his football formation at Real Zaragoza, where his father Pedro (a former player himself) worked as club director, Basque-born Herrera made his professional debuts in 2008–09, in the second division, contributing with 19 matches as the Aragonese immediately returned to La Liga.

He made his first division debut on 29 August 2009, in a 1–0 home triumph against CD Tenerife. During the 2009–10 season, Herrera was one of Zaragoza's most used players, as the club managed to retain its top flight status; the player netted his first goal in the top division on 6 December, but in a 1–4 loss at RCD Mallorca.^[1]

In 2010–11, Herrera continued to feature regularly with Zaragoza, under both José Aurelio Gay and his successor Javier Aguirre. On 7 February 2011, he agreed to join hometown's Athletic Bilbao on a five-year contract, effective as of 1 July.^[2]

Herrera made his official debut for Athletic on 18 August 2011, playing the full 90 minutes in a 0–0 home draw against Trabzonspor for the season's UEFA Europa League.

International career[link]

Herrera was selected by Spanish under-21 coach Luis Milla to the 2011 UEFA European Football Championship in Denmark. On 12 June, in the group stage opener against England, he scored a controversial goal in an eventual 1–1 draw.^[3]

In the final against Switzerland, through another header, Herrera scored the first goal in an eventual 2–0 win in Aarhus.^[4]

Club statistics[link]

As of 16 March 2012^[5]

Honours[link]

Athletic Bilbao

• UEFA Europa League: Runner-up 2011–12
• Copa del Rey: Runner-up 2011–12

Spain U21

• UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship: 2011

Spain U20

• Mediterranean Games: 2009

Personal[link]

Herrera's father, Pedro María, was also a footballer and a midfielder. He too played for Zaragoza (in a total of three professional clubs), amassing top division totals of 155 games and 18 goals with the club, where he also served as general manager.^[6][7]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Athletic Bilbao profile
• BDFutbol profile
• Ander Herrera – FIFA competition record
• Transfermarkt profile

Spain squads v t e Spain squad – 2009 FIFA U-20 World Cup 1 Asenjo 2 Azpilicueta (c) 3 José Ángel 4 Domínguez 5 Botía 6 Gullón 7 Aarón 8 Herrera 9 Kike 10 Parejo 11 Alba 12 Fontàs 13 Mejías 14 Laguardia 15 Dídac 16 Romeu 17 Mérida 18 De Marcos 19 Falqué 20 Nsue 21 Mariño Coach: Milla v t e Spain squad – 2011 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship Winners (3rd Title) 1 Miño 2 Azpilicueta 3 Domínguez 4 J. Martínez 5 San José 6 Jeffrén 7 Adrián 8 Parejo 9 Bojan 10 Mata 11 Capel 12 Montoya 13 De Gea 14 Nsue 15 José Ángel 16 Ruiz 17 Dídac 18 Herrera 19 Thiago 20 Botía 21 R. Pérez 22 Muniain 23 Mariño Coach: Milla

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Ander Herrera