Damià Abella facts for kids
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Damià Abella Pérez | ||
| Date of birth | 15 April 1982 | ||
| Place of birth | Olot, Spain | ||
| Height | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) | ||
| Position(s) | 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) |
| Total | 273 | (8) | |
| International career | |||
| 2004 | Catalonia | 4 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Damià Abella Pérez (born on April 15, 1982), known simply as Damià, is a Spanish former professional footballer. He played as a full-back, which means he defended the sides of the field.
Damià started his career at Barcelona, one of the biggest football clubs. He played in 198 matches and scored five goals in La Liga, Spain's top football league. He also played for Racing de Santander, Betis, and Osasuna in Spain. Later, he spent two years playing in England for Middlesbrough.
Contents
Damià Abella Pérez: A Football Journey
Early Career and Barcelona Days
Damià was born in Olot, a town in Catalonia, Spain. His first professional team was Figueres in the Segunda División B, which is a lower league in Spain. This was during the 2003–04 season.
After playing well, he joined Barcelona. He was first assigned to their B team, Barcelona B. This team helps young players get ready for the main squad.
Because many players in the main Barcelona team were injured, Damià got his chance to play in La Liga. His first game was on October 30, 2004, against Athletic Bilbao. He played the whole game as a right-back. Even though he played ten games for the main team, he mostly played for the reserves.
In January 2006, Damià went to Racing de Santander on a loan. A loan means a player temporarily plays for another team. He played as a right midfielder and scored his first top-league goal on February 12. This goal helped Racing de Santander avoid being moved down to a lower league.
Playing for Betis
In the summer of 2006, Real Betis signed Damià. They paid €1 million for him. However, Damià had a serious hip injury. Because of this, he could not play for the entire 2006–07 season.
He finally played his first game for Betis on September 30, 2007. He played as a right-back in a 3–0 win against Mallorca. He had surgery in the United States to fix his hip.
Damià scored his first goals for Betis in the 2008–09 season. He scored in two games in a row. However, after nine years in the top league, Betis was moved down to a lower division that season.
Time at Osasuna
In July 2010, Damià joined Osasuna. This happened after Betis tried but failed to get back into the top league. Damià played several seasons for Osasuna. Even though he was right-footed, he mostly played as a left-back for this team.
Moving to England: Middlesbrough
On August 16, 2014, Damià moved to England. He joined Middlesbrough, a team in the Football League Championship. He joined on a free transfer, which means no money was paid for him. His fellow Spaniard, Aitor Karanka, was the coach who signed him.
Damià played his first game for Middlesbrough against Leeds United. He played the full 90 minutes in a 1–0 loss. He left Middlesbrough in May 2016 when his contract ended. He played only seven games for the team. He decided to retire from football at 34 years old.
Trophies and Achievements
Damià won one major trophy during his career:
See also
In Spanish: Damià Abella para niños
