Alberto Aguilar Leiva (born 12 July 1984), known simply as Alberto, is a Spanish former footballer who played as a defensive midfielder or central defender.
He totalled 278 games and 18 goals in the Segunda División, with Málaga B, Granada 74, Albacete, Córdoba and Ponferradina. In La Liga he represented Málaga (one appearance) and Getafe (32), and also played professionally in Australia and Cyprus.
Club career
Alberto was born in Benamejí, Córdoba. A product of Málaga CF's youth system, he made his professional debut for the first team in the last match of the 2002–03 season, a 1–0 La Liga away loss against RCD Mallorca, while also helping the reserves achieve a 2003 promotion to Segunda División.
For the 2005–06 campaign, Alberto signed with Madrid's Getafe CF, totalling 30 top-flight appearances in his first two years and also playing an important part in the team's runner-up run in the Copa del Rey. However, the arrival of coach Michael Laudrup deemed him surplus to requirements in his third, which prompted a release in January 2008 with a move to second division club Granada 74 CF.
Alberto stayed in that tier ahead of the following season, joining Albacete Balompié. In August 2010, as a free agent, he returned to his native Andalusia after agreeing to a deal at Córdoba CF.
From 2013 to 2015, Alberto continued competing in division two, with SD Ponferradina. On 9 August 2015, aged 31, he moved abroad for the first time, signing for Western Sydney Wanderers.
On 5 May 2016, after having helped his team reach the Grand Final, Alberto was released. In June, he joined Cypriot club Anorthosis Famagusta F.C. on a one-year deal.
Honours
Getafe
Copa del Rey runner-up: 2006–07
References
External links
1984 births
Living people
Footballers from the Province of Córdoba (Spain) Spanish men's footballers Men's association football defenders Men's association football midfielders Men's association football utility players La Liga players Segunda División players Segunda División B players Tercera División players Atlético Malagueño players Málaga CF players Getafe CF footballers Granada 74 CF footballers Albacete Balompié players Córdoba CF players SD Ponferradina players FC Cartagena footballers Antequera CF footballers A-League Men players Western Sydney Wanderers FC players Cypriot First Division players Anorthosis Famagusta FC players Spanish expatriate men's footballers Expatriate men's soccer players in Australia Expatriate men's footballers in Cyprus Spanish expatriate sportspeople in Australia Spanish expatriate sportspeople in Cyprus