Official: Atletico Madrid Sign álex Baena from Villarreal for 5 years
Club statement
Our club and Villarreal have reached an agreement for the transfer of the player born in Almería, who will wear the red and white sweater for the next five seasons.
Atlético de Madrid and Villarreal have reached an agreement for the transfer of álex Baena, a 23-year-old midfielder who signed with our club until 30 June 2030.
Born on July 20, 2001, in Roquetas de Mar (Almería), he joined the youth system of the Castellón team in 2011 and made his first team debut on July 13, 2020, in a competition match against Real Sociedad.
A high -speed midfielder, striking capacity and vision, he played during his career in every possible position in midfield, especially as a left wing, although his natural foot is his right foot. He also has excellent passing skills, which led him last season to become Liga's top aid provider with 14 assists.
A UEFA Europa League winner in 2021 while he was wearing the yellow jersey, he spent the following season in Girona, where he played a key role in the promotion from the Catalan side to the first division and played 45 games for them.
An international in all youth categories of the Spanish national team, his consolidation in the elite after his return to Villarreal opened its doors for the senior team, making his debut against Cyprus on 12 September 2023. His debut turned out to be unbeatable, because only two minutes after it comes to the field, he scored a goal with the first ball he touched. For example, a love affair started with the national team that would lead him to a semifone in the summer of 2024 and participated in both the European Championship and the Olympic gold at the Paris Olympic Games. The last competition saw him share a midfield with Pablo Barrios, with whom he will again share a dressing room in Atlético de Madrid.
Our new player has adopted the necessary medical research in the Vithas-In-Invictum High-Performance Sports Medicine Center in the Arturo Soria University Hospital in Madrid, before he went to the club offices in the Riyadh Air Metropolitano. There he was welcomed by our CEO, Miguel Ángel Gil, with whom he signed his contract with our club.
Welcome, Alex!