Joan Capdevila facts for kids
Capdevila in action for Catalonia in 2013
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| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Joan Capdevila Méndez | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 3 February 1978 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Tàrrega, Spain | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Left-back | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tàrrega | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1996–1997 | Espanyol | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1995–1996 | Tàrrega | 33 | (3) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1997–1998 | Espanyol B | 45 | (4) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1998–1999 | Espanyol | 29 | (4) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1999–2000 | Atlético Madrid | 31 | (2) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2000–2007 | Deportivo La Coruña | 179 | (15) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2007–2011 | Villarreal | 140 | (15) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2011–2012 | Benfica | 5 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2012–2014 | Espanyol | 31 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2014 | NorthEast United | 12 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2015 | Lierse | 4 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2016–2017 | Santa Coloma | 2 | (2) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total | 511 | (45) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| International career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1998–2000 | Spain U21 | 13 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2000 | Spain U23 | 4 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2002–2011 | Spain | 60 | (4) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2002–2013 | Catalonia | 10 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Joan Capdevila Méndez, born on February 3, 1978, is a famous Spanish former professional footballer. He played as a left-back, which is a defender on the left side of the field.
He played for 15 seasons in La Liga, Spain's top football league. During this time, he played 410 matches and scored 36 goals. He spent most of his career with Deportivo and Villarreal.
Over his 21-year career, he also played in Portugal, India, Belgium, and Andorra. Capdevila played 60 games for the Spanish national team. He was a key player when Spain won the European Championship in 2008 and the World Cup in 2010.
Contents
Playing for Clubs
Early Career and Deportivo
Joan Capdevila was born in Tàrrega, Catalonia, Spain. He started playing football in the youth system of Espanyol. He began as a forward, a player who tries to score goals.
He made his first team debut for Espanyol in the 1998–99 season. This was a 2–2 draw against Athletic Bilbao in La Liga. The next year, he joined Atlético Madrid.
After Atlético Madrid was moved down to a lower league in 2000, Capdevila joined Deportivo de La Coruña. He became a regular player at left-back for Deportivo. He scored two goals on September 16, 2006, helping Deportivo beat Villarreal 2–0.
Time at Villarreal
For the 2007–08 season, Capdevila moved to Villarreal. He signed a three-year contract. He played in almost all the league games, helping his team finish second in the league. This meant they qualified directly for the UEFA Champions League.
In his second year, he played just as well and scored even more goals, with five. In the 2009–10 season, Capdevila continued to be a very important player. He missed only one league match and scored five more goals. On December 6, 2009, he scored twice in a 3–2 home win against Getafe.
During the 2010–11 season, Capdevila faced more competition for his spot. However, he still played in over 40 official matches. This included nine games in Villarreal's run to the UEFA Europa League semi-finals. He even scored a goal in a 3–2 home win against Porto.
Playing for Benfica
On July 21, 2011, when he was 33 years old, Capdevila moved to Portugal. He joined Benfica on a two-year contract. He made his first official appearance on August 20 in a 3–1 win against Feirense.
At first, he didn't play much in the UEFA Champions League. But later in the season, his coach gave him more chances to play. He made his Champions League debut for Benfica on April 4, 2012, against Chelsea. He also played a lot in the domestic League Cup, which Benfica won.
Later Career and Retirement
On July 27, 2012, Capdevila returned to his first professional club, Espanyol. He left the club on May 22, 2014.
On July 16, 2014, Capdevila signed with NorthEast United in India. He was their main player for the first Indian Super League season. He said he felt it was a "privilege" to help make football popular in India. He played as a central defender in his first match, a 1–0 win.
Capdevila moved to another country again on January 21, 2015, joining Lierse in Belgium. In May, he got a knee injury that kept him from playing for six months. He returned to Spain and Portugal on June 1, 2016, signing with Santa Coloma, the champions of Andorra's top league.
On July 5, 2017, Joan Capdevila announced he was retiring from football at the age of 39.
International Career for Spain
Capdevila played for the Spanish Under-23 team at the 2000 Summer Olympics. They won the silver medal, losing the final to Cameroon. He scored his penalty in the shootout.
He played his first game for the senior Spanish team on October 16, 2002. It was a 0–0 friendly match against Paraguay. He scored his first goal for Spain on November 17, 2007, in a 3–0 win against Sweden.
Capdevila was chosen for the Euro 2008 squad. He played in almost all the games as Spain won the championship. He was a key part of Spain's defense, helping them keep clean sheets (not let the other team score) in the knockout stages.
In the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup, Capdevila helped set up several goals. He provided the most assists (three) in the group stages. Spain finished third in this competition.
On May 20, 2010, Capdevila was chosen for the 2010 FIFA World Cup squad. He had played in all the qualifying matches. He played every minute of every game in the World Cup, which Spain won! He was the only player in the final's starting lineup who wasn't from Real Madrid or FC Barcelona.
How He Played
Joan Capdevila was known as an attacking left-back or wing-back. This means he was good at both defending and helping the team attack. He was fast and good at passing the ball. This allowed him to run forward, support the attack, and work well with his teammates.
Many people thought he was one of the best left-backs in the world during his best years. He was known for being a leader and playing consistently well. While he was strong defensively, his attacking skills were especially impressive.
Career Statistics
Club Appearances and Goals
| Club | Season | League | National cup | League cup | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Tàrrega | 1995–96 | Tercera División | 33 | 3 | — | — | — | — | 33 | 3 | ||||
| Espanyol B | 1996–97 | Segunda División B | 10 | 1 | — | — | — | — | 10 | 1 | ||||
| 1997–98 | Segunda División B | 32 | 3 | — | — | — | — | 32 | 3 | |||||
| 1998–99 | Segunda División B | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 3 | 0 | |||||
| Total | 45 | 4 | — | — | — | — | 45 | 4 | ||||||
| Espanyol | 1998–99 | La Liga | 29 | 4 | 4 | 0 | — | 5 | 0 | — | 38 | 4 | ||
| Atlético Madrid | 1999–2000 | La Liga | 31 | 2 | 4 | 0 | — | 5 | 1 | — | 40 | 3 | ||
| Deportivo | 2000–01 | La Liga | 16 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 3 | 0 | — | 21 | 0 | ||
| 2001–02 | La Liga | 20 | 0 | 7 | 1 | — | 8 | 1 | — | 35 | 2 | |||
| 2002–03 | La Liga | 25 | 3 | 7 | 0 | — | 9 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 42 | 4 | ||
| 2003–04 | La Liga | 27 | 3 | 4 | 0 | — | 6 | 0 | — | 37 | 3 | |||
| 2004–05 | La Liga | 21 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | 3 | 0 | — | 25 | 1 | |||
| 2005–06 | La Liga | 36 | 4 | 6 | 0 | — | 7 | 0 | — | 49 | 4 | |||
| 2006–07 | La Liga | 34 | 4 | 4 | 0 | — | — | — | 38 | 4 | ||||
| Total | 179 | 15 | 31 | 1 | — | 36 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 247 | 18 | |||
| Villarreal | 2007–08 | La Liga | 36 | 3 | 2 | 0 | — | 6 | 1 | — | 44 | 4 | ||
| 2008–09 | La Liga | 36 | 5 | 0 | 0 | — | 8 | 1 | — | 44 | 6 | |||
| 2009–10 | La Liga | 37 | 5 | 3 | 0 | — | 10 | 1 | — | 50 | 5 | |||
| 2010–11 | La Liga | 31 | 2 | 4 | 0 | — | 11 | 1 | — | 46 | 3 | |||
| Total | 140 | 15 | 9 | 0 | — | 35 | 4 | — | 184 | 19 | ||||
| Benfica | 2011–12 | Primeira Liga | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 11 | 0 | |
| Espanyol | 2012–13 | La Liga | 26 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 27 | 0 | |||
| 2013–14 | La Liga | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0 | — | — | — | 10 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 31 | 0 | 6 | 0 | — | — | — | 37 | 0 | |||||
| NorthEast United | 2014 | Indian Super League | 12 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 12 | 0 | ||||
| Lierse | 2014–15 | Belgian Pro League | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 4 | 0 | |||
| Santa Coloma | 2016–17 | Primera Divisió | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | — | 4 | 2 | ||
| 2017–18 | Primera Divisió | — | — | — | 2 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | |||||
| Total | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | — | 4 | 0 | — | 6 | 2 | ||||
| Career total | 511 | 45 | 55 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 86 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 657 | 53 | ||
International Appearances and Goals
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spain | 2002 | 2 | 0 |
| 2003 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2004 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2005 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2006 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2007 | 7 | 1 | |
| 2008 | 15 | 3 | |
| 2009 | 13 | 0 | |
| 2010 | 14 | 0 | |
| 2011 | 4 | 0 | |
| Total | 60 | 4 | |
- Scores and results list Spain's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Capdevila goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 17 November 2007 | Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid, Spain |  Sweden |
1–0 | 3–0 | UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying |
| 2 | 6 February 2008 | La Rosaleda, Málaga, Spain |  France |
1–0 | 1–0 | Friendly |
| 3 | 31 May 2008 | Nuevo Colombino, Huelva, Spain |  Peru |
2–1 | 2–1 | Friendly |
| 4 | 10 September 2008 | Carlos Belmonte, Albacete, Spain |  Armenia |
1–0 | 4–0 | 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification |
Trophies and Awards
Deportivo
- Copa del Rey: 2001–02 (Spanish Cup)
- Supercopa de España: 2002 (Spanish Super Cup)
Benfica
- Taça da Liga: 2011–12 (Portuguese League Cup)
Santa Coloma
- Primera Divisió: 2016–17 (Andorran League)
Spain U23
- Summer Olympic silver medal: 2000
Spain
- FIFA World Cup: 2010
- UEFA European Championship: 2008
- FIFA Confederations Cup third place: 2009
Individual Awards
- FIFA Confederations Cup FIFA.com Users' Top 11: 2009
- FIFA World Cup All-Star Team: 2010
Orders
- Gold Medal of the Royal Order of Sports Merit
See also
In Spanish: Joan Capdevila Méndez para niños
- List of La Liga players (400+ appearances)
