Joan Capdevila facts for kids
Capdevila in action for Catalonia in 2013
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Joan Capdevila Méndez | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 3 February 1978 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Tàrrega, Spain | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.82 m | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Playing position | 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) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| National team | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1998–2000 | Spain U21 | 13 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2000 | Spain U23 | 4 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2002–2011 | Spain | 60 | (4) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2002–2013 | Catalonia | 10 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Honours
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||
Joan Capdevila Méndez (born on 3 February 1978) is a Spanish former footballer. He played as a left-back, which is a defender on the left side of the field.
Capdevila played for 15 seasons in La Liga, Spain's top football league. He played 410 matches and scored 36 goals. Most of his time was spent with Deportivo and Villarreal. During his 21-year career, he also played in Portugal, India, Belgium, and Andorra.
He played 60 games for the Spanish national team. He was part of the teams that won the Euro 2008 and the 2010 World Cup.
Contents
Playing for Clubs: Capdevila's Journey
Starting Out and Playing for Deportivo
Joan Capdevila was born in Tàrrega, a town in Catalonia, Spain. He started playing football as a forward. He began his youth career at Espanyol.
He made his first team debut for Espanyol in the 1998–99 season. This was in 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, Capdevila joined Deportivo de La Coruña in 2000. He became a regular player at left-back for Deportivo. On 16 September 2006, he scored two goals. This helped Deportivo win 2–0 against Villarreal.
Time with Villarreal: A Key Player
For the 2007–08 season, Capdevila moved to Villarreal. He signed a three-year contract. He played in almost all league games for Villarreal. His team finished second in the league that year. This meant they qualified directly for the UEFA Champions League.
In his second year, he played just as well. He even scored more goals, getting five that season. In the 2009–10 season, Capdevila continued to be a very important player. He missed only one league match. He scored another five goals that season.
In 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 in a 3–2 home win against Porto.
Playing Abroad: Portugal and India
On 21 July 2011, when he was 33, Capdevila moved to Portugal. He joined Benfica on a two-year deal. He made his first official appearance on 20 August in a 3–1 win. However, he was not chosen for the Champions League group stage. This led to rumors that he might leave.
Later in the season, his coach gave him more chances to play. He made his Champions League debut for Benfica on 4 April 2012. He played in the quarter-finals against Chelsea. He also played regularly in the domestic League Cup. Benfica won this cup for the fourth time in a row.
Later Career and Retirement
On 27 July 2012, Capdevila returned to his first professional club, Espanyol. He played for two more seasons there. He was released from the club on 22 May 2014.
On 16 July 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 game.
Capdevila moved to Belgium on 21 January 2015, joining Lierse. He later suffered a knee injury. On 1 June 2016, he signed with Santa Coloma in Andorra. He announced his retirement from football on 5 July 2017, at the age of 39.
International Career: Playing for Spain
Capdevila played for the Spanish Under-23 team at the 2000 Summer Olympics. They won the silver medal. He scored his penalty in the shootout, but Spain lost the final to Cameroon.
He played his first game for the senior national team on 16 October 2002. This was a 0–0 friendly draw against Paraguay. He scored his first goal for Spain on 17 November 2007. This was in a Euro 2008 qualifier against Sweden, which Spain won 3–0.
Euro 2008 and World Cup 2010 Success
On 6 February 2008, Capdevila scored the winning goal. This was in Spain's 1–0 friendly victory over France. He was then chosen for the Euro 2008 squad. He played in almost every game as Spain became champions. He helped the team keep clean sheets in the knockout stages.
In the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup, Capdevila was very important. He helped set up goals for his teammates. He assisted Fernando Torres's third goal in a 5–0 win against New Zealand. He also helped David Villa score the only goal in a 1–0 win against Iraq. Spain finished third in the tournament. Capdevila was named in the team of the tournament.
On 20 May 2010, Capdevila was chosen for the 2010 FIFA World Cup squad. He had played in all the qualifying games. He played every minute of every game in the World Cup. Spain went on to win the tournament. He was the only player in the final starting lineup who did not play for Real Madrid or FC Barcelona.
How Capdevila Played: His Style
Joan Capdevila was known as an attacking wing-back or left-back. He was fast and good at passing the ball. This allowed him to run forward and help with attacks. He was also known for his leadership and playing consistently well. While he was strong defensively, his attacking skills were a big part of his game.
Career Statistics
Club
| 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
| 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 | 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 World Cup qualification |
Awards and Achievements
Deportivo
- Copa del Rey: 2001–02
- Supercopa de España: 2002
Benfica
- Taça da Liga: 2011–12
Santa Coloma
- Primera Divisió: 2016–17
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
Special Honors
- 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)
