Damià Abella

Damià
Personal information
Full name Damià Abella Pérez
Date of birth (1982-04-15) 15 April 1982
Place of birth Olot, Spain
Height 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)
Playing position Full back / Midfielder
Youth career
1998–2000 Ferrán Martorell
2000–2001 Caprabo
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2001–2002 Peralada
2002–2003 Valencia C
2003–2004 Figueres 19 (3)
2004–2005 Barcelona B 22 (0)
2004–2006 Barcelona 9 (0)
2006 → Racing Santander (loan) 18 (3)
2006–2010 Betis 79 (2)
2010–2014 Osasuna 120 (0)
2014–2016 Middlesbrough 6 (0)
National team
2004 Catalonia 4 (0)

* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 9 November 2014.


This name uses Spanish naming customs: the first or paternal family name is Abella and the second or maternal family name is Pérez.

Damià Abella Pérez (born 15 April 1982), known simply as Damià, is a Spanish retired professional footballer who played as a full back.

After starting out at Barcelona, he went on to amass La Liga totals of 198 games and five goals over the course of nine seasons, also representing in the competition Racing de Santander, Betis and Osasuna.

Club career

Born in Olot, Girona, Catalonia, Damià's first professional club was local UE Figueres, for whom he played during the 2003–04 season, in Segunda División B. He was subsequently acquired by national giants FC Barcelona, being incorporated to its B-side.[1]

Due to many injuries to the main squad, Damià made his La Liga debut for Barça's first team against Athletic Bilbao on 30 October 2004, playing 90 minutes in a 1–1 away draw as right back.[2] However, he could never break into the main squad, finishing the campaign with nine top flight appearances while continuing to appear for the reserves.

In January 2006, Damià joined Racing de Santander on a one 1/2-year loan deal. He mainly operated at the position he knew from Barcelona B, right midfielder, and scored his first top level goal on 12 February in a 2–0 success at RCD Espanyol,[3] eventually helping the Cantabrians narrowly avoid top level relegation (15 starts, 1,371 minutes of play).

During the summer of 2006, Real Betis signed Damià on a five-year contract for €1 million. Although Racing had agreed with Barcelona that the player would stay with them for the duration of the loan arrangement, they decided not to block the move. However, a serious hip injury, contracted while still with Racing,[4] meant that he would be unregistered for the entire length of 2006–07;[5][6] he made his competitive debut on 30 September 2007, playing as right back in a 3–0 win over RCD Mallorca[7] after having successfully undergone surgery in the United States.[8]

Damià netted his first goals for the Andalusians in 2008–09, in consecutive matches early into the campaign (1–2 loss at Villarreal CF,[9] 3–0 home win against Mallorca[10]), but Betis suffered relegation after nine years. In late July 2010, after the club's unsuccessful attempt in regaining its top division status, the player signed with CA Osasuna,[11] going on to compete in several seasons in that tier exclusively as a defender.[12][13]

On 16 August 2014, Damià joined Middlesbrough of the Football League Championship on a free transfer, signed by countryman Aitor Karanka. He received international clearance just hours before his debut against Leeds United at Elland Road, playing the full 90 minutes in a 0–1 defeat.[14]

Damià left the Riverside Stadium in May 2016, upon the expiration of his contract. He appeared in only seven competitive games during his spell,[15] and decided to retire at 34 soon afterwards.

Honours

Barcelona

References

  1. ↑ "Debe ser el número 23" [Must be number 23] (in Spanish). ESPN Deportes. 18 November 2006. Retrieved 15 September 2015.
  2. ↑ Barcelona protect unbeaten start; UEFA.com, 30 October 2004
  3. ↑ Espanyol 0–2 Racing Santander; ESPN Soccernet, 12 February 2006
  4. ↑ La recuperación de Damià, viento en popa (Damià's recovery, at full steam); FC Barcelona, 8 July 2006 (Spanish)
  5. ↑ "El Betis presenta a sus nuevos fichajes: Ilic y Caffa" [Betis presents its new signings: Ilic and Caffa] (in Spanish). Marca. 30 January 2007. Retrieved 28 April 2016.
  6. ↑ Damià, tras un año parado, empezará la pretemporada con normalidad (Damià, after one year out, will begin season normally); Marca, 12 July 2007 (Spanish)
  7. ↑ "El Betis firma su mejor partido de la temporada" [Betis sign their best game of the season] (in Spanish). El Mundo. 30 September 2007. Retrieved 16 June 2016.
  8. ↑ "Damiá es operado en EEUU" [Damiá has surgery in the US] (in Spanish). El Desmarque. 1 December 2006. Retrieved 16 June 2016.
  9. ↑ Villarreal 2–1 Real Betis; ESPN Soccernet, 4 October 2008
  10. ↑ Real Betis 3–0 Mallorca; ESPN Soccernet, 19 October 2008
  11. ↑ Damiá se incorpora a Osasuna para las próximas tres temporadas (Damiá added to Osasuna for the next three seasons); Marca, 21 July 2010 (Spanish)
  12. ↑ "Del maratón sólo hemos andado dos kilómetros" [We are only two miles into the marathon] (in Spanish). Diario AS. 13 September 2012. Retrieved 16 June 2016.
  13. ↑ "Damiá: "Diego Costa es un incordio"" [Damiá: "Diego Costa is a pain in the neck"] (in Spanish). Marca. 15 March 2013. Retrieved 16 June 2016.
  14. ↑ "Middlesbrough: Aitor Karanka reveals Patrick Bamford interest". BBC Sport. 16 August 2014. Retrieved 17 August 2014.
  15. ↑ "Jonathan Woodgate and Damia join Rhys Williams in departing Boro". Middlesbrough F.C. 24 May 2016. Retrieved 24 May 2016.

External links

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