Albacete Balompié

Founded on 5 July 1939, it currently plays in Segunda División, the second tier of Spanish football, holding home matches at Estadio Carlos Belmonte, with a capacity of 17,524.

Albacete Balompié

Full name	Albacete Balompié, S.A.D.
Nickname(s)	Queso Mecánico (Clockwork Cheese) Alba
Founded	5 July 1939; 84 years ago (5 July 1939) (as Albacete Foot-ball Association)
Ground	Estadio Carlos Belmonte
Capacity	17,524
Owner	Skyline International
President	Georges Kabchi [es]
Head coach	Alberto González
League	Segunda División
2022–23	Segunda División, 6th of 22
Website	Club website
Home colours Away colours Third colours
Current season

 

This team is from Albacete a city in Castilla-La Mancha. It's been reported in at least four sources that football was first taught in Albacete by John Hulse, an English Engineer of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railways Company, establishing the foundation of Locomotoras Albacete, after the same-named steam locomotive factory in the city, owned by the Goicoechea family, owners of Talgo. Thus, like in Swindon, football in Albacete is originally linked to the railway industry. Hulse introduced the Sheffield Rules in Albacete, and some of the first matches to be reported are against recreational clubs from Murcia (1897), Alcázar de San Juan (1899), and Villarrobledo (1899).

 

After years of amateur and regional development of football, it would not appear formally until the end of the Spanish Civil War. The club was founded in 1939 under the name Albacete Foot-ball Association, being later changed in an attempt to make it sound "more Spanish". At the ^{[clarification needed]} second division in 1985–86, repeating the feat five seasons later.

In 1989, Benito Floro consecutively promoted the club from the third division to La Liga, overachieving for a seventh place in the first season in the top level. Floro would later coach Real Madrid, returning to Alba two seasons later as the club was relegated in 1995–96.

After years in the second division facing serious economic and sporting difficulties, Albacete returned to the top flight in the 2002–03 campaign, led by César Ferrando (later of Atlético Madrid). However, Albacete dropped in 2004–05 after posting just 6 wins from 38 matches, going on to stabilize in the subsequent seasons in the second level.

The 2010–11 season brought two coaching changes, with both Antonio Calderón and David Vidal (who returned to the club only a few months after leaving) being fired, as Albacete returned to the third division after 21 years. That season the club finished last in Segunda División with only 32 points in 42 matches. On 6 December 2011, Andrés Iniesta – who played for the club in his youth before joining Barcelona – became the club's major shareholder, donating €420,000 to the cash-strapped club. The club managed to reach the round of 16 of the 2011–12 Copa del Rey, notably beating Atlético Madrid 3–1 on aggregate.

In March 2013, Agustín Lázaro, chief executive officer (CEO) of Andrés Iniesta's winery enterprise, was appointed as Albacete's chairman. In June, Iniesta loaned the club a further €240,000 to cover unpaid wages, thus preventing its administrative relegation to the fourth tier.

In 2014, Albacete returned to the Segunda División, but was relegated two seasons later after finishing the season in the 21st position. The club again returned to the Segunda División in the 2016–17 season after winning against Valencia Mestalla in the last round of the promotion play-offs. Albacete finished the 2018–19 season in 4th position of the Segunda División, but then lost to RCD Mallorca in the La Liga play-offs and remained in Segunda División for the 2019–20 season. On next season, Albacete finished last in second division and were relegated to the third division. Thus ending their four-years stay in the second division.

Albacete promoted to Segunda in the 2021–22 Primera RFEF season playoffs, by defeating Deportivo de La Coruña in their home turf. The team came back from a 1–0 deficit, winning 1–2 with an overtime goal.

 

 

Season to season

• 7 seasons in La Liga
• 25 seasons in Segunda División
• 1 season in Primera División RFEF
• 11 seasons in Segunda División B
• 29 seasons in Tercera División
• 9 seasons in Categorías Regionales

The numbers are established according to the official website: [1] and www.lfp.es

As of 13 February 2024

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player 1 GK   ESP Bernabé Barragán (captain) 2 DF   CMR Mohammed Djetei 3 DF   ARG Jonathan Silva (on loan from Getafe) 4 MF   ESP Agus Medina 5 DF   ESP Juan Antonio Ros 6 MF   ESP Rai Marchán 7 FW   ESP Juanma García 8 MF   ESP Riki Rodríguez 9 FW   ESP Higinio Marín 10 FW   ESP Manu Fuster 11 FW   ESP Fidel 13 GK   ESP Diego Altube 14 FW   ESP Pedro Benito

No. Pos. Nation Player 15 DF   BRA Kaiky (on loan from Almería) 16 FW   ESP Dani Escriche 17 DF   ESP Julio Alonso 18 MF   ESP Antonio Pacheco 19 MF   ESP Lander Olaetxea 20 MF   ENG Samuel Shashoua 21 FW   ESP Alberto Quiles 22 DF   ESP Carlos Isaac 23 DF   ESP Álvaro Rodríguez 24 DF   ESP Cristian Glauder 25 GK   CZE Tomáš Vaclík — DF   ISL Diegui

Reserve team

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player 29 MF   ESP Capi 30 FW   ESP Javi Vargas 33 MF   ESP Neco Rubayo

No. Pos. Nation Player 34 FW   ESP Marcos Moreno 35 MF   ESP Luis Roldán

Out on loan

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player — DF   ESP Juan María Alcedo (at Mirandés until 30 June 2024) — FW   ESP Dani González (at Celta Fortuna until 30 June 2024)

No. Pos. Nation Player — FW   VEN Jovanny Bolívar (at Huesca until 30 June 2024)

Current technical staff

Position	Staff
Head coach	Alberto González
Assistant coach	Enrique González
Goalkeeping coach	Carlos Cano
Fitness coach	Juanjo Rico
Technical assistant	Salva Todolí
Delegate	José Manuel León
Match delegate	Borja Longueira
Kit man	Alberto Rodenas   Cristian Martínez
Doctor	Javier Soro
Rehab fitness coach	Sergio García
Physiotherapist	Germán Schwarz   Juanfer Pardo   Pablo Ruiz
Nutritionist	Celia Monteagudo

• Segunda División: (1) 1990–91
• Segunda División B: (2) 1989–90, 2013–14, 2016–17
• Tercera División: (8) 1945–46, 1946–47, 1948–49, 1958–59, 1960–61, 1963–64, 1964–65, 1981–82
• La Liga promotion: (2) 1990–91, 2002–03
• Segunda División promotion: (2) 1984–85, 1989–90

 

The club plays its home matches at the Estadio Carlos Belmonte, which has an all-seated capacity of 17,524. Originally built in 1960, the stadium underwent two major redevelopments, the last being in 1998.

• Atlético Albacete, Albacete Balompié's reserve team
• Fundación Albacete, Albacete Balompié's women's team.
• Albacete FS, a futsal club from the same city.