Damià Abella
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Damià Abella Pérez | ||
| Date of birth | 15 April 1982 | ||
| Place of birth | Olot, Spain | ||
| Height | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) | ||
| Playing position | Full back / Midfielder | ||
| Club information | |||
Current team | Middlesbrough | ||
| Number | 2 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1998–2000 | Ferrán Martorell | ||
| 2000–2001 | Caprabo | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2001–2002 | Peralada | ||
| 2002–2003 | Valencia C | ||
| 2003–2004 | Figueres | 19 | (3) |
| 2004–2005 | Barcelona B | 22 | (0) |
| 2004–2006 | Barcelona | 9 | (0) |
| 2006 | → Racing Santander (loan) | 18 | (3) |
| 2006–2010 | Betis | 79 | (2) |
| 2010–2014 | Osasuna | 120 | (0) |
| 2014– | Middlesbrough | 6 | (0) |
| National team | |||
| 2004– | Catalonia | 4 | (0) |
|
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 9 November 2014. | |||
Damià Abella Pérez (born 15 April 1982), known simply as Damià, is a Spanish professional footballer who plays for English club Middlesbrough mainly as a full back.
After starting out at Barcelona he went on to amass La Liga totals of 198 games and five goals over the course of nine seasons, also representing in the competition Racing de Santander, Betis and Osasuna.
Club career
Born in Olot, Girona, Catalonia, Damià's first professional club was local UE Figueres, for whom he played during the 2003–04 season, in Segunda División B. He was subsequently acquired by national giants FC Barcelona, being incorporated to its B-side.[1]
Due to many injuries to the main squad, Damià made his La Liga debut for Barça's first team against Athletic Bilbao on 30 October 2004, playing 90 minutes in a 1–1 away draw as right back.[2] However, he could never break into the main squad, finishing the campaign with nine top flight appearances while continuing to appear for the reserves.
In January 2006, Damià joined Racing de Santander on a one 1/2-year loan deal. He mainly operated at the position he knew from Barcelona B, right midfielder, and scored his first top level goal on 12 February in a 2–0 success at RCD Espanyol,[3] eventually helping the Cantabrians narrowly avoid top level relegation (15 starts, 1,371 minutes of play).
During the summer of 2006, Real Betis signed Damià on a five-year contract for €1 million. Although Racing had agreed with Barcelona that the player would stay with them for the duration of the loan arrangement, the Cantabria side decided not to block the move. However, a serious hip injury, contracted while still with Racing,[4] meant that he would be unregistered for the entire length of 2006–07;[5][6] he made his Betis debut on 30 September 2007, playing as right defender in a 3–0 win over RCD Mallorca after having successfully undergone surgery in the United States.
Damià netted his first goals for the Andalusians in the 2008–09 season, in consecutive matches early into the campaign (1–2 loss at Villarreal CF,[7] 3–0 home win against Mallorca[8]), but Betis suffered relegation after nine years. In late July 2010, after the club's unsuccessful attempt in regaining its top division status, the player signed with CA Osasuna,[9] going on to compete in several seasons in the main category exclusively as a defender.
On 16 August 2014, Damià joined Middlesbrough of the Football League Championship on a free transfer, signed by countryman Aitor Karanka. He received international clearance just hours before his debut against Leeds United at Elland Road, playing the full 90 minutes in a 0–1 defeat.[10]
Honours
- Barcelona
References
- ↑ "Debe ser el número 23" [Must be number 23] (in Spanish). ESPN Deportes. 18 November 2006. Retrieved 15 September 2015.
- ↑ Barcelona protect unbeaten start; UEFA.com, 30 October 2004
- ↑ Espanyol 0–2 Racing Santander; ESPN Soccernet, 12 February 2006
- ↑ La recuperación de Damià, viento en popa (Damià's recovery, at full steam); FC Barcelona, 8 July 2006 (Spanish)
- ↑ "El Betis presenta a sus nuevos fichajes: Ilic y Caffa" [Betis presents its new signings: Ilic and Caffa] (in Spanish). Marca. 30 January 2007. Retrieved 28 April 2016.
- ↑ Damià, tras un año parado, empezará la pretemporada con normalidad (Damià, after one year out, will begin season normally); Marca, 12 July 2007 (Spanish)
- ↑ Villarreal 2–1 Real Betis; ESPN Soccernet, 4 October 2008
- ↑ Real Betis 3–0 Mallorca; ESPN Soccernet, 19 October 2008
- ↑ Damiá se incorpora a Osasuna para las próximas tres temporadas (Damiá joins Osasuna for the next three seasons); Marca, 21 July 2010 (Spanish)
- ↑ "Middlesbrough: Aitor Karanka reveals Patrick Bamford interest". BBC Sport. 16 August 2014. Retrieved 17 August 2014.
External links
- Damià Abella profile at BDFutbol
- Damià Abella profile at Soccerway
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