Background and career
Raúl Albiol Tortajada (born 4 September 1985) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a central defender. He spent most of his career with Valencia, Real Madrid and Villarreal, winning five major titles between the first two teams and the 2020–21 UEFA Europa League with the third. He amassed La Liga totals of 394 matches and eight goals over 16 seasons, and also played several years in Serie A with Napoli. A Spain international since 2007, Albiol represented the country in two World Cups and as many European Championships, winning three tournaments including the 2010 World Cup.
Born in Vilamarxant, Valencian Community, Albiol started playing football with two modest clubs in his native region, moving to local giants Valencia before celebrating his 10th birthday. He made his first-team debut on 24 September 2003 in a UEFA Cup first-round tie against AIK at 18 years and 20 days, but spent the first year still registered with the reserves. In August 2004, whilst travelling to sign a deal to join Getafe on loan, Albiol was involved in a serious car accident, being put in intensive care. He managed to recover completely and, after reappearing in January, played an important role in the team surviving the relegation battle. He made his La Liga debut on 15 January 2005 in a 1–1 home draw with Atlético Madrid, and scored against another side from the capital, Real Madrid, in a 2–1 home win two months later. Albiol returned to the Mestalla Stadium the following season, and quickly established himself as first-choice due to his versatility. In the opening game of 2006–07, he scored the winner against Real Betis in a 2–1 home victory. He also scored from long distance against Olympiacos on 12 September 2006 in the group stage of the UEFA Champions League, which Valencia won 4–2 away. During his four-season spell with the first team, Albiol played at least 29 league games, and he helped to victory in the 2007–08 edition of the Copa del Rey.
On 25 June 2009, Albiol joined Real Madrid for a fee thought to be in the region of €15 million, becoming the first Spanish player signed by Florentino Pérez upon his return to the presidency. He scored his first goal on 8 December in a 3–1 Champions League win away to Marseille. He was an undisputed starter during the league campaign, mainly due to Pepe's serious knee injury. In the 2010–11 season, Albiol was relegated to the bench as Real brought in another player for his position, Ricardo Carvalho, only appearing in the league through injury or suspension to teammates; he did start, however, in the club's domestic cup run. On 26 January 2011, in the semi-final first leg against Sevilla (1–0 away victory), he cleared a Luís Fabiano shot just before it crossed the goal line. On 16 April, he was sent off for fouling former Valencia teammate David Villa inside the penalty area during El Clásico with Barcelona, which resulted in the first goal in a 1–1 league home draw. On 6 August 2012, Albiol renewed his contract until June 2017. On 27 November, in his first appearance as captain, at home against Alcoyano in the Spanish Cup, he had to be stretchered off after only one minute, being sidelined for approximately one month with an ankle injury.
On 21 July 2013, Albiol joined Napoli for a reported €12 million, signing a four-year contract. He made his Serie A debut on 25 August, in a 3–0 home win over Bologna. Albiol scored his first goal for the Rafael Benítez-led team on 25 January 2014, with an 88th-minute equaliser in a 1–1 home draw against ChievoVerona. On 3 May, he played the entire final of the Coppa Italia, helping to a 3–1 defeat of Fiorentina.
On 4 July 2019, the 33-year-old Albiol returned to Spain after agreeing to a three-year deal with Villarreal. He made his debut on 17 August, in a 4–4 home draw with Granada. Albiol scored twice from 11 appearances in the 2020–21 UEFA Europa League, as the club won the first major honour of its 98-year history. In the 2021 UEFA Super Cup against Chelsea, he missed the decisive penalty in the shoot-out. On 12 April 2022, Albiol was named player of the match in a 1–1 away draw against Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarter-finals second leg, securing Villarreal's qualification by winning 2–1 on aggregate. In May 2025, four months shy of his 40th birthday, he left the La Cerámica Stadium.
Albiol returned to Italy and its top tier in September 2025, joining newly-promoted Pisa as a free agent.
Sources
Net-worth figure: Celebrity Net Worth (October 2026), in USD. Biography and career facts: the person's Wikipedia article and linked reporting. Snapshot date for all StarWorth figures: 28 October 2026.
