Alejandro "Álex" Padilla Pérez (born 1 September 2003) is a footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Bilbao Athletic. Born in Spain, he plays for the Mexico national under-23 team.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Alejandro Padilla Pérez | ||
| Date of birth | 1 September 2003 | ||
| Place of birth | Zarautz, Spain | ||
| Height | 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Goalkeeper | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Bilbao Athletic | ||
| Number | 1 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Zarautz | |||
| 2019–2021 | Athletic Bilbao | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2021–2022 | Basconia | 24 | (0) |
| 2022– | Bilbao Athletic | 25 | (0) |
| International career | |||
| 2021–2022 | Spain U19 | 6 | (0) |
| 2024– | Mexico U23 | 1 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 28 May 2023 | |||
Early life edit
Padilla was born in Zarautz, Gipuzkoa, Basque Country to a Spanish father (from Bergara) and a Mexican mother,[1][2] At three months old, he moved with his parents to his mother's hometown of Camargo, Chihuahua and lived there until age 7.[3]
Club career edit
Padilla joined Athletic Bilbao's Lezama Facilities in 2019, from hometown side CD Zarautz.[4] He made his senior debut with the farm team CD Basconia on 15 September 2021, starting in a 2–2 Tercera División RFEF away draw against CD Anaitasuna.
Promoted to the reserves in Primera Federación ahead of the 2022–23 season, Padilla first appeared with the side on 28 August 2022, starting in a 2–1 home loss to CF La Nucía. In 2023, he was called up to the pre-season with the main squad.[5][6]
International career edit
On 2 September 2021, Padilla made his debut for the Spain U19's, coming on as a half-time substitute for Alejandro Iturbe in a 5–1 win agaisnt Mexico.
In November 2021, Padilla was included for Spain’s squad for the qualifying matches of the 2022 UEFA European Under-19 Championship. He started and played the full 90 minutes against Azerbaijan, as his side cruised to a 6–0 win, qualifying for the elite round. In the elite round, Padilla had played the full matches over Austria and Poland, suffering a 2–2 and 3–3 draw and finishing second behind Austria, thus failing to qualify for the final tournament.
In March 2024, Padilla was called up by the Mexico national under-23 team.[3] On 22 March, Padilla made his debut for Mexico in a 2–4 defeat against Argentina.
References edit
- ^ "¿Quién es Alex Padilla?". goal.com (Archived).
- ^ "Álex Padilla - Record article". 22 December 2021.
- ^ a b "El portero del Bilbao Athletic Padilla, citado con México".
- ^ "El portero zarauztarra Álex Padilla ficha por el Athletic" [The zarauztarra goalkeeper Álex Padilla signs for Athletic] (in Spanish). La Cantera de Lezama. 25 April 2019. Retrieved 30 August 2023.
- ^ "Padilla y Arana, dos guardametas con futuro". diariovasco.com. 5 July 2023.
- ^ "La pretemporada más especial de Alex Padilla". deia.eus. 18 July 2023.
External links edit
- Álex Padilla at Athletic Bilbao
- Álex Padilla at BDFutbol
- Álex Padilla at Soccerway