Alberto Cifuentes
Alberto Cifuentes Martínez (born 29 May 1979) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays for Cádiz CF as a goalkeeper.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Alberto Cifuentes Martínez | ||
| Date of birth | 29 May 1979 | ||
| Place of birth | Albacete, Spain | ||
| Height | 1.89 m (6 ft 2 in) | ||
| Playing position(s) | Goalkeeper | ||
| Club information | |||
Current team | Cádiz | ||
| Number | 1 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Albacete | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1998–1999 | Albacete B | ||
| 1998 | Albacete | 2 | (0) |
| 1999–2000 | Dos Hermanas | 24 | (0) |
| 2000–2003 | Mallorca B | 83 | (0) |
| 2003–2005 | Mallorca | 0 | (0) |
| 2004 | → Ciudad Murcia (loan) | 18 | (0) |
| 2005–2007 | Rayo Vallecano | 70 | (0) |
| 2007–2009 | Salamanca | 55 | (0) |
| 2009–2013 | Murcia | 90 | (0) |
| 2013–2014 | La Hoya Lorca | 37 | (0) |
| 2014–2015 | Piast Gliwice | 15 | (0) |
| 2015– | Cádiz | 203 | (0) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 17 July 2020 | |||
Club career
Born in Albacete, Castile-La Mancha, Cifuentes started playing as a senior with local Albacete Balompié's reserves. On 15 November 1998, after starter Julio Iglesias was sent off early into a home game against CP Mérida, he made his debut in Segunda División with the first team, going on to concede twice in a 0–2 home loss.[1]
Cifuentes spent several years of his career in Segunda División B, representing in the second level, other than Albacete, Ciudad de Murcia, UD Salamanca, Real Murcia and Cádiz CF for a total of 293 appearances. In the 2004–05 season he was part of RCD Mallorca's La Liga roster, being only third-choice behind Miguel Ángel Moyá and Sander Westerveld.[2]
Cifuentes moved abroad for the first time in summer 2014 at the age of 35, joining a host of compatriots – including manager Ángel Pérez García – at Polish club Piast Gliwice. He made his debut in top-flight football on 20 July of that year, starting in a 0–4 Ekstraklasa defeat at Lech Poznań.[3]
In July 2015, Cifuentes returned to Spain after signing a contract with Cádiz CF.[4] He played 42 matches in his debut campaign, which ended in promotion from the third tier.[5]
Cifuentes rarely missed a game for the Andalusians in the following seasons, notably winning the Ricardo Zamora Trophy for the category in 2017–18.[6] He was again instrumental as they returned to the top flight in 2020 after 14 years, still under coach Álvaro Cervera.[7][8]
References
- Líbero, Pedro (16 November 1998). "La expulsión del meta local, decisiva" [Ejection of local goalie, decisive]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). Retrieved 19 September 2017.
- Anelo Moreno, Daniel (25 August 2016). "Alberto Cifuentes, frente a su pasado bermellón" [Alberto Cifuentes, against his bermellón past] (in Spanish). La Voz Digital. Retrieved 6 September 2019.
- "Lech – Piast (4:0): Ubiparip kompletuje hat tricka" [Lech – Piast (4:0): Ubiparip completes hat-trick]. Przegląd Sportowy (in Polish). 20 July 2014. Retrieved 6 September 2019.
- "¿Quién es Alberto Cifuentes?" [Who is Alberto Cifuentes?] (in Spanish). El Desmarque. 4 July 2015. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
- "Anuario VAVEL 2016: Cádiz CF, un año de plata" [2016 VAVEL yearbook: Cádiz CF, a silver year] (in Spanish). Vavel. 28 December 2016. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
- Jaques Nuche, Jesús (29 May 2019). "Alberto Cifuentes cumple 40 años" [Alberto Cifuentes turns 40]. Diario de Cádiz (in Spanish). Retrieved 23 July 2020.
- López, Rubén (22 June 2020). "Los 200 partidos de Alberto Cifuentes en 5 momentos" [Alberto Cifuentes' 200 matches in 5 moments] (in Spanish). La Voz Digital. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
- Corrigan, Dermot (13 July 2020). "Cadiz, the club and city where the rules are different, finally return to La Liga". The Athletic. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
External links
- Alberto Cifuentes at BDFutbol
- Alberto Cifuentes at Futbolme (in Spanish)
- Alberto Cifuentes at Soccerway