Éder Álvarez Balanta facts for kids
Balanta playing for Basel in 2017
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Éder Fabián Álvarez Balanta | ||
| Date of birth | 28 February 1993 | ||
| Place of birth | Bogotá, Colombia | ||
| Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Defensive midfielder, centre-back | ||
| Team information | |||
|
Current team
|
América de Cali | ||
| Number | 3 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2010 | Academia | ||
| 2011–2013 | River Plate | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2013–2016 | River Plate | 60 | (2) |
| 2016–2019 | Basel | 58 | (3) |
| 2019–2024 | Club Brugge | 100 | (4) |
| 2023 | → Schalke 04 (loan) | 6 | (0) |
| 2024– | América de Cali | 29 | (1) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2014–2022 | Colombia | 9 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 10 May 2025 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 24 July 2022 |
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Éder Fabián Álvarez Balanta is a professional footballer from Colombia. He was born on February 28, 1993. Éder plays as a defensive midfielder or a centre-back. He currently plays for América de Cali and the Colombian national team.
Many people think Éder is a very talented player. A former coach, Ramón Díaz, even compared him to a famous football legend, Daniel Passarella. Éder made his first appearance for the Colombian national team in 2014. He was also part of the team for the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
FIFA's official website describes Éder as a strong player. They say he is good with his left foot and great at tackling. He is also fast and good at heading the ball.
Contents
Club Career Highlights
Starting His Football Journey
Éder Álvarez Balanta was born in Bogotá, Colombia. He started playing football with a club called Academia in 2010. He played very well in youth tournaments and won many titles. This caught the eye of scouts from River Plate in Argentina.
Before joining River Plate, Éder had some injuries. Because of these injuries, he could not play for Colombia's national youth teams.
Playing for River Plate
In 2011, Éder tried out for the youth team at River Plate. He passed the trials and became a substitute player. By 2012, he was playing more regularly. His team even won the U-20 Copa Libertadores championship that year.
Because of his success and talent, he joined the senior team in 2013. Éder played his first senior game against Racing Club. In only his third league match, he scored his first goal against Godoy Cruz. He scored again in his very next game against Quilmes Atlético Club.
Éder also played in the famous Superclásico derby against River Plate's big rivals, Boca Juniors. He helped stop the other team's attacks in a tough game that ended in a 1–1 draw. Some big European clubs, like Inter Milan, became interested in him very quickly.
In July 2013, Éder signed his first professional contract with River Plate. He played a fantastic game in the 2013 Copa Sudamericana against San Lorenzo. People said he was "impassable" during that match.
In September 2013, it was reported that Barcelona was also watching Éder. They thought he could be a future replacement for their famous defender Carles Puyol. Éder made his debut in the 2015 Copa Libertadores in February 2015. He scored his first goal in that competition in March 2015.
Moving to Basel
On July 15, 2016, Éder joined the Swiss club Basel. He signed a four-year contract. He played his first league game for Basel on July 24, 2016, in a 3–0 win against Sion.
Éder also played in the UEFA Champions League group stage for Basel. He scored his first league goal for Basel on September 21, 2016. It was the winning goal in the 93rd minute against Lausanne-Sport.
In the 2016–17 season, Éder helped Basel win the Swiss Super League championship. This was Basel's eighth title in a row! They also won the Swiss Cup that season, achieving a "double" (winning both the league and the cup). Éder played 19 league games and one cup game that season.
Basel also won the Swiss Cup again in the 2018–19 season. Éder played five cup games and scored one goal in that competition. He played a total of 113 games for Basel, scoring six goals, before leaving the club.
Joining Club Brugge
On September 2, 2019, Éder signed a three-year contract with Club Brugge in Belgium. He played many games for them.
Loan to Schalke 04
On January 31, 2023, Éder joined Bundesliga club Schalke 04 on loan. He played for them until the end of that season.
Back to Colombia with América de Cali
On June 27, 2024, Éder Álvarez Balanta returned to play in Colombia for the first time in his professional career. He signed with América de Cali.
International Career
Éder Álvarez Balanta first got attention from the Colombian Football Federation in May 2013. He was asked to join the U-20 team for the 2013 FIFA U-20 World Cup. However, due to injuries and contract issues, his club, River Plate, did not allow him to go.
On November 7, 2013, Éder received his first call-up to the senior national team. He made his international debut in a friendly game against Tunisia. He came into the game in the 65th minute.
On June 6, 2014, Éder was chosen by coach José Pékerman to be part of Colombia's squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
Playing Style
Éder Álvarez Balanta is highly praised in Argentina. Many people called him the "best defender" in the league during his first season. He is compared to other Colombian football legends. People say he has the strong leadership of Jorge Bermúdez and the speed of Iván Córdoba. He is also known for his great strength and balance. This makes him a very complete centre-back.
Éder is naturally left-footed, but he can also play well with his right foot. His former coach at River Plate, Ramón Díaz, even compared his talent to the legendary player Daniel Passarella.
Éder is very humble about his success. He once said that he is still learning and not a "star" yet. He focuses on playing well for his club and hopes to represent Colombia in a World Cup.
Career Statistics
Club Appearances and Goals
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| River Plate | 2012–13 | Argentine Primera División | 9 | 2 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 3 | 0 | ||
| 2013–14 | Argentine Primera División | 29 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | — | 33 | 0 | ||
| 2014 | Argentine Primera División | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 3 | 0 | ||
| 2015 | Argentine Primera División | 11 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 23 | 1 | |
| 2016 | Argentine Primera División | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | — | 15 | 0 | ||
| Total | 60 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 20 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 83 | 3 | ||
| Basel | 2016–17 | Swiss Super League | 19 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 0 | — | 26 | 2 | |
| 2017–18 | Swiss Super League | 15 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 0 | — | 26 | 2 | ||
| 2018–19 | Swiss Super League | 20 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 6 | 0 | — | 31 | 3 | ||
| 2019–20 | Swiss Super League | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | — | 8 | 0 | ||
| Total | 58 | 3 | 9 | 2 | 22 | 0 | — | 89 | 5 | |||
| Club Brugge | 2019–20 | Belgian First Division A | 16 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 6 | 0 | — | 27 | 3 | |
| 2020–21 | Belgian First Division A | 25 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 0 | — | 34 | 1 | ||
| 2021–22 | Belgian First Division A | 29 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 38 | 3 | |
| 2022–23 | Belgian First Division A | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | — | 13 | 0 | ||
| Total | 79 | 4 | 11 | 3 | 21 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 112 | 7 | ||
| Schalke 04 (loan) | 2022–23 | Bundesliga | 6 | 0 | — | — | — | 6 | 0 | |||
| Career total | 203 | 9 | 21 | 5 | 63 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 290 | 15 | ||
International Appearances and Goals
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colombia | 2014 | 5 | 0 |
| 2015 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2016 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2017 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2018 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2019 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2020 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2021 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2022 | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 9 | 0 | |
Football Achievements
Éder Álvarez Balanta has won many titles with his teams:
River Plate Youth
- U-20 Copa Libertadores: 2012
River Plate
- Argentine Primera División: Torneo Final 2014
- Copa Libertadores: 2015
- Copa Sudamericana: 2014
- Recopa Sudamericana: 2015
Basel
- Swiss Super League: 2016–17
- Swiss Cup: 2016–17, 2018–19
Club Brugge
- Belgian First Division A: 2019–20, 2020–21, 2021–22
- Belgian Super Cup: 2021
See also
In Spanish: Éder Álvarez Balanta para niños
