On 5 July 2012, Jordi Alba became FC Barcelona’s first signing of the 2012/13 season after the club reached an agreement with Valencia for his transfer. Born in Hospitalet de Llobregat on 21 March 1989, Alba had already been with Barça since the age of 10, progressing through the academy teams alongside notable players such as Bojan Krkic and Fran Mérida.

However, he left Barça at the end of the 2007 season and joined UE Cornellà for a season before moving to Valencia, who paid €6,000 for his signing. After playing for the U19A team and València CF Mestalla, he spent the 2008/09 season on loan at Gimnàstic de Tarragona, playing 30 games in the Second Division, and represented the Spain U19 and U21 teams. Upon returning to Valencia, he made his league debut on 13 September 2009 and became a first-team regular, playing in various positions and making 108 appearances, including 48 matches in his final season.

Alba made his official debut for Barça on 19 August 2012 in La Liga against Real Sociedad, scoring a goal in the 5-1 win. He quickly became a first-team regular and scored five goals in 44 official games in his debut season as the team won the Liga title with 100 points. However, he had a less prominent role in the 2013/14 season due to several injuries and only appeared in 26 games.

In his third season, he made his 100th appearance for the club and played in 27 La Liga, 11 Champions League, and 5 cup games, scoring two goals. On 8 June, he renewed his contract until 30 June 2020. Alba made 45 appearances in his fourth season and reached his 200th official appearance for the club on 16 August 2017.

Alba’s excellent performances at Valencia earned him a call-up to the Spanish squad in September 2011, and he made his debut under coach Vicente Del Bosque on 11 October 2011 against Scotland. He was a key player in Spain’s triumph in the 2012 European Championships, and he also played in the Confederations Cup final and the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. Alba represented Spain in the 2018 World Cup in Russia and the 2022 tournament in Qatar.