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Iván Balliu
Albanian footballer (born 1992) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Iván Balliu Campeny (born 1 January 1992) is a professional footballer who plays as a right-back for La Liga club Rayo Vallecano and the Albania national team.
_77_(Balliu).jpg)
After starting out at Barcelona B, he went on to compete professionally in Spain, Portugal and France. In La Liga, he appeared for Rayo Vallecano.
Balliu represented his native Spain at youth level before declaring for Albania, for which he qualified via his father. He was first included in an Albanian senior squad in 2017, making his debut in October of that year and being selected for Euro 2024.
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Club career
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Barcelona
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Born in Caldes de Malavella, Girona, Catalonia to an Albanian father and a Spanish mother,[3] Balliu joined Barcelona's youth system in 2004, aged 12. He made his senior debut in the 2010–11 season, playing two Segunda División games with the reserves and starting against Girona in a 2–0 away win.[4] In that year, he was also captain of the treble-winning Juvenil A team.[5]
Arouca
On 30 May 2013, Balliu's contract expired and he was told by Barcelona that he would be released.[6] One month later, he signed with Arouca in Portugal for two seasons,[7] making his Primeira Liga debut on 1 September in a 1–0 home victory over Rio Ave (90 minutes played).[8]
Metz
Balliu joined French club Metz on 17 July 2015, on a two-year deal.[9] He scored his first goal as a professional on 16 October, helping the hosts come from behind in the 2–2 home draw with Clermont.[10]
After contributing 24 appearances in his first season to help his team to return to Ligue 1 after a one-year absence, Balliu's first match in the competition occurred on 13 August 2016, in a 3–2 home win over Lille.[11]
Almería
On 12 August 2019, Balliu agreed to a two-year contract with Almería of the Spanish second division.[12] He scored his first goal in his country of birth on 7 March 2020, helping the hosts defeat Deportivo de La Coruña 4–0.[13]
Rayo Vallecano
Balliu moved to newly promoted Rayo Vallecano on 14 July 2021, on a two-year deal.[14] He made his La Liga debut on 15 August at the age of 29, playing the entire 3–0 defeat at Sevilla.[15] His first goal came the following 9 January, when he closed the 1–1 home draw against Real Betis.[16][17]
Balliu made his debut in European competition in the 2025–26 campaign, aged 33.[18] He started both legs of the 5–0 aggregate win over Belarusian club Neman Grodno in the play-off round of the UEFA Conference League.[19][20]
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International career
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Of Albanian descent on his father's side, Balliu was eligible to represent Albania, speaking of his interest in an interview on 24 October 2016.[21][22] On 22 August 2017 he received Albanian citizenship, thus becoming eligible to play for the national team.[23] He was called up for the first time shortly after when newly appointed coach Christian Panucci picked him for 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Liechtenstein and Macedonia on 2 and 5 September,[24] and earned his first cap also during that stage, playing the first half of the 3–0 loss to Spain in Alicante on 6 October.[25]
Balliu soon faced strong competition for a place in the squad, mostly from established right-back Elseid Hysaj. Later on, he had to fight for position with emerging defensive options such as Mario Mitaj.[26][27][28]
Following his transfer to Almería, Balliu began being regularly overlooked by new manager Edoardo Reja despite having two solid seasons in the second tier.[29][30] On 10 June 2022, in a 2022–23 UEFA Nations League B fixture against Israel, he won a penalty after being fouled late in the first half which Armando Broja converted for the opening goal, but the hosts were eventually beaten 2–1 at the Arena Kombëtare.[31]
Balliu was selected by coach Sylvinho for the UEFA Euro 2024 finals.[32] In a group-stage exit, his only appearance of the tournament was a 1–0 defeat against his native Spain in Düsseldorf.[33][34]
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Personal life
On 17 June 2017, Balliu married Marta Soler.[3]
Career statistics
Club
- As of match played 2 October 2025[35]
- Appearances in La Liga play-offs
- Appearances in UEFA Conference League
International
- As of match played 4 September 2025[36]
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Honours
Metz
References
External links
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