Joan Capdevila Spanish Footballer From Tàrrega

Joan Capdevila Méndez is a Spanish former professional footballer who played as a left-back. Born on 3 February 1978 in Tàrrega, he spent most of his career in La Liga with Deportivo de La Coruña and Villarreal, and he was part of the Spain squads that won the 2008 European Championship and the 2010 World Cup.

Early life

Capdevila was born in Tàrrega, in the province of Lleida in Catalonia. He started his senior football with UE Tàrrega in 1996 and then joined the youth system of RCD Espanyol, where he began as a forward before settling into a defensive role down the left flank.

Career

After a season with Espanyol B, Capdevila made his first-team debut for Espanyol in the 1998-99 La Liga season, in a 2-2 draw away to Athletic Bilbao. He moved to Atlético Madrid for the following campaign, and when that club was relegated he signed for Deportivo de La Coruña in the summer of 2000. He stayed with Deportivo until 2007, first competing for the left-back place with Enrique Romero and later becoming the undisputed first choice. Deportivo won the Copa del Rey in 2001-02 and the Supercopa de España in 2002 during his time there.

In 2007 Capdevila joined Villarreal on a three-year contract. In his first season the club finished as league runners-up and qualified directly for the Champions League, and he missed only two league matches. He played most of the games in his next seasons too, scoring five league goals in each of two campaigns. In the 2010-11 season he made more than 40 appearances, including nine in Villarreal's run to the Europa League semi-final, where he scored in a 3-2 home win over Porto, the eventual winners.

On 21 July 2011 he went abroad for the first time, signing a two-year contract with Benfica in Portugal. He started the season outside the main rotation, but he became a regular starter near the end of it and made his Champions League debut for the club in April 2012. Benfica won the Taça da Liga in 2011-12. In July 2012 he returned to Espanyol, his first professional club, and he left in May 2014 after a limited number of appearances.

Capdevila then played in several countries. In July 2014 he joined NorthEast United as a marquee signing ahead of the first Indian Super League season, and he started the club's first match. He moved to the Belgian club Lierse in January 2015, and in June 2016 he signed for FC Santa Coloma of Andorra, with whom he won the Primera Divisió in 2016-17. He announced his retirement on 5 July 2017. Across 15 seasons in La Liga he played 410 matches and scored 36 goals, and his senior career lasted 21 years.

Recognition

For Spain, Capdevila took part in the 2000 Summer Olympics, where the team won the silver medal after losing the final to Cameroon on penalties; he scored his own attempt in the shootout. He made his debut for the full national team on 16 October 2002 in a friendly against Paraguay and scored his first international goal in a Euro 2008 qualifier against Sweden in November 2007. In all he earned 60 caps. He featured in all but one game at Euro 2008, which Spain won, and played every minute of the 2010 World Cup, again as a champion.

At the 2009 Confederations Cup, where Spain finished third, he provided the most assists in the group stage and was named in the FIFA.com users' team of the tournament. He was also included in the 2010 World Cup All-Star Team. His state honour is the Gold Medal of the Royal Order of Sports Merit.

Capdevila also represented the Catalonia national football team between 2002 and 2013, and he appeared for the Spain under-21 and under-23 sides earlier in his career. He stands 182 centimetres tall and was known as an attacking left-back, valued for his speed and passing and for the overlapping runs he made down the flank.