Héctor Bellerín Moruno (born 19 March 1995) is a Spanish professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...

who plays as a

right-back In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield position whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Centre-backs are usually positioned in pairs, with one full-back on either s ...

or wing-back for Primeira Liga club

Sporting CP Sporting Clube de Portugal, founded Sporting Club de Portugal (), otherwise referred to as Sporting CP, often known abroad as Sporting Lisbon , is a Portuguese professional sports club based in Lisbon. It is best known for the professional foot ...

and the Spain national team. Bellerín started his career at Barcelona, and moved to Arsenal in 2011. He played 239 games across all competitions, winning three

FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...

s and two FA Community Shields, as well as a

Copa del Rey The Campeonato de España–Copa de Su Majestad el Rey, commonly known as Copa del Rey or simply La Copa and formerly known as Copa del Presidente de la República (1932–36) and Copa del Generalísimo (1939–76), is an annual knockout footb ...

while on loan at

Real Betis Real Betis Balompié, known as Real Betis () or just Betis, is a Spanish professional football club based in Seville in the autonomous community of Andalusia. Founded in 1907, it plays in La Liga. It holds home games at the Estadio Benito Vill ...

. He returned to Barcelona in September 2022. Bellerín played internationally for Spain from under-16 to under-21 levels. He made his senior debut for Spain in 2016 and was later chosen for the European Championship of that year.

Early life

Born in

Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...

Catalonia Catalonia (; ca, Catalunya ; Aranese Occitan: ''Catalonha'' ; es, Cataluña ) is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a '' nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy. Most of the territory (except the Val d'Aran) lies on the nort ...

, Bellerín started his club football career in

's youth team. He moved to Arsenal in the summer of 2011, and signed his first professional contract the following year. While a youth player at Arsenal, Bellerín also helped the club to reach fourth place of the NextGen Series of

2012–13 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...

Club career

Arsenal

Early career and loan to Watford

Bellerín was first included in an Arsenal squad on 26 September 2012, remaining unused in their

League Cup In several sports, most prominently association football, a league cup or secondary cup generally signifies a cup competition for which entry is restricted only to teams in a particular league. The first national association football tournament t ...

third round 6–1 win at home to

Coventry City Coventry City Football Club is a professional association football club based in Coventry, West Midlands, England. The team currently compete in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. The club is nicknamed t ...

. He made his competitive debut away to

West Bromwich Albion West Bromwich Albion Football Club () is an English professional football club based in West Bromwich, West Midlands, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football. The club was formed in 1878 and has pl ...

at the same stage of the same competition the following 25 September, coming on in the 95th minute as a substitute in a

penalty shootout The penalty shootout is a method of determining a winner in sports matches that would have otherwise been drawn or tied. The rules for penalty shootouts vary between sports and even different competitions; however, the usual form is similar to pe ...

victory after a 1–1 draw. Two months later, Bellerín joined

Championship In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion. Championship systems Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship. Title match system In this system ...

club

Watford Watford () is a town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, 15 miles northwest of Central London, on the River Colne. Initially a small market town, the Grand Junction Canal encouraged the construction of paper-making mills, print works, and ...

on a two-month loan deal, and made his debut against

Yeovil Town Yeovil Town may refer to: * Yeovil Town F.C., an English football team based in Yeovil, Somerset * Yeovil Town L.F.C. Bridgwater United Women's Football Club are an English women's association football club based in Bridgwater, Somerset who wer ...

eight days after signing. The loan at Watford was extended until the end of the season, but he was recalled by Arsenal in February 2014.

2014–15 season: First FA Cup win

Following injuries to

Mathieu Debuchy Mathieu Debuchy (born 28 July 1985) is a French professional footballer who plays as a right-back for Ligue 2 club Valenciennes. Debuchy started his senior career at Lille, where he won a Ligue 1 and Coupe de France double in the 2010–11 se ...

Calum Chambers Calum Chambers (born 20 January 1995) is an English professional footballer who plays as a centre-back or right-back for club Aston Villa. Originally a member of Southampton's academy system, Chambers was promoted to the first team at the be ...

and

Nacho Monreal Ignacio "Nacho" Monreal Eraso ( or ; born 26 February 1986) is a Spanish former professional footballer who played as a left-back or centre-back. He started playing with Osasuna in 2005, going on to appear in 144 official games over the cou ...

, Bellerín made his Champions League debut on 16 September 2014 in a 2–0 defeat away to

Borussia Dortmund Ballspielverein Borussia 09 e. V. Dortmund, commonly known as Borussia Dortmund (), BVB (), or simply Dortmund (), is a German professional sports club based in Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia. It is best known for its men's professional fo ...

. He scored his first goal for Arsenal on 1 February 2015, in a 5–0 win against Aston Villa, and added a second on 4 April to open a 4–1 win over

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a populat ...

despite also conceding a

penalty kick A penalty shot or penalty kick is a play used in several sports whereby a goal is attempted during untimed play. Depending on the sport, when a player commits certain types of penalties, the opposition is awarded a penalty shot or kick attempt. ...

through a foul on

Raheem Sterling Raheem Shaquille Sterling (born 8 December 1994) is a professional footballer who plays as a winger and attacking midfielder for club Chelsea. Born in Jamaica, he represents the England national team. Born in Jamaica to Jamaican parents, S ...

. Bellerín was selected to start for Arsenal in the

2015 FA Cup Final The 2015 FA Cup Final was an association football match played between Arsenal and Aston Villa at Wembley Stadium, London, on 30 May 2015. Organised by the Football Association (FA), it was the 134th final of the Football Association Challeng ...

on 30 May, helping the team keep a clean sheet in a 4–0 win over Aston Villa at

Wembley Stadium Wembley Stadium (branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE for sponsorship reasons) is a football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the original Wembley Stadium, which was demolished from 2002 to 2003. The stadium ...

2015–2018: PFA Team of the Year, second FA Cup win

He signed a new long-term contract before the 2015–16 season and played the entirety of Arsenal's 1–0 win over

rivals A rivalry is the state of two people or groups engaging in a lasting competitive relationship. Rivalry is the "against each other" spirit between two competing sides. The relationship itself may also be called "a rivalry", and each participant ...

Chelsea Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to: Places Australia * Chelsea, Victoria Canada * Chelsea, Nova Scotia * Chelsea, Quebec United Kingdom * Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames ** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...

in the 2015 FA Community Shield. He was the sole Arsenal player listed in the season's PFA Team of the Year, and came in third place in Arsenal's Player of the Season voting. On 21 November 2016, he signed a new long-term contract after agreeing to a deal that ties him to the club until 2022. Bellerín featured in the following season throughout Arsenal's victorious 2016–17 FA Cup campaign. He played in the Cup final which Arsenal went on to win by a 2–1 margin against Chelsea. He was again triumphant in the Gunners lifting the 2017 Community Shield by beating Chelsea 4–1 on penalties. Bellerín scored his first goal of Arsenal's 2017–18 season in Arsenal's 3–1 victory over 1. FC Köln. On 3 January 2018, Bellerín earned a draw for Arsenal against

with what

BBC Sport BBC Sport is the sports division of the BBC, providing national sports coverage for BBC television, radio and online. The BBC holds the television and radio UK broadcasting rights to several sports, broadcasting the sport live or alongside flag ...

described as 'stunning injury-time strike' in the 92nd minute, having earlier conceded a penalty for a foul on

Eden Hazard Eden Michael Walter Hazard (born 7 January 1991) is a Belgian professional footballer who plays as a winger or attacking midfielder for La Liga club Real Madrid. Known for his creativity, dribbling, passing and vision, Hazard is considered o ...

. Bellerín played the full time match as Arsenal lost the EFL Cup by 3–0 to Manchester City at Wembley. On 7 March 2018, Bellerín was ruled out of the

Europa League The UEFA Europa League (abbreviated as UEL, or sometimes, UEFA EL), formerly the UEFA Cup, is an annual football club competition organised since 1971 by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European football clubs. It ...

first leg clash against

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...

with an unknown return date.

2018–2021: Injury, third FA Cup win

Bellerín missed out the first five weeks of the 2018–19 season due to a calf problem. During a league game against

on 19 January he suffered a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his left knee and was stretchered off of the pitch in the 70th minute at the Emirates Stadium. He was later ruled out for nine months, consequently missing the remainder of the season and the start of the 2019–20 season. Arsenal coach

Unai Emery Unai Emery Etxegoien (born 3 November 1971) is a Spanish football manager and former player who is the head coach of Premier League club Aston Villa. After a career spent playing mostly in Spain's Segunda División, Emery transitioned into coa ...

perceives Bellerín as "very mature" and believes that "he is already preparing to come back stronger than before". On 24 September 2019, Bellerín made his return from injury as a substitute in Arsenal's 5–0 victory against

Nottingham Forest Nottingham Forest Football Club is an association football club based in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England. Nottingham Forest was founded in 1865 and have been playing their home games at the City Ground, on the banks of the River Tren ...

in the EFL Cup. On 21 January 2020, he scored in the 87th minute to help Arsenal earn a 2–2 draw against

in the Premier League. That was his only goal of the season. On 1 August 2020, Bellerín was selected to start in the

FA Cup Final The FA Cup Final, commonly referred to in England as just the Cup Final, is the last match in the Football Association Challenge Cup. It has regularly been one of the most attended domestic football events in the world, with an official atten ...

against Chelsea, and went on to win his third winners' medal as Arsenal won their 14th FA Cup. On 14 February 2021, Bellerín scored his first goal of the 2020–21 season in a 4–2 win over

Leeds United Leeds United Football Club is a professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire in England. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of England's football league system, and plays its home matches at Elland Road ...

in the Premier League.

2021–22 season: Loan to Real Betis

On 31 August 2021, Bellerín returned to Spain after a decade, joining

on a season-long loan. He made his debut in

La Liga The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Primera División, commonly known simply as Primera División in Spain, and as La Liga in English-speaking countries and officially as LaLiga Santander for sponsorship reasons, stylized as LaLiga, is the men' ...

13 days later, in a 2–1 win at Granada. On 21 November, he was sent off at

Elche Elche ( ca-valencia, Elx) is a city and municipality of Spain, belonging to the province of Alicante, in the Valencian Community. According to 2014 data, Elche has a population of 228,647 inhabitants,Tete Morente while his team were winning 3–0, the final score. In the

2022 Copa del Rey Final The 2022 Copa del Rey Final was a football match that decided the winner of the 2021–22 Copa del Rey, the 120th edition of Spain's primary football cup. The match was played on 23 April 2022 at the Estadio de La Cartuja in Seville between Real B ...

on 23 April, he played the full 120 minutes as his team defeated

Valencia Valencia ( va, València) is the capital of the autonomous community of Valencia and the third-most populated municipality in Spain, with 791,413 inhabitants. It is also the capital of the province of the same name. The wider urban area al ...

to lift the cup.

Barcelona

On 1 September 2022, Bellerín returned to Barcelona following the termination of his contract at Arsenal. He signed a one-year deal, with Arsenal retaining 25% of a future transfer fee. He was signed to cover the absence of injured

Sergiño Dest Sergiño Gianni Dest (born November 3, 2000) is a professional soccer player who plays as a full-back for club AC Milan, on loan from Barcelona. Born in the Netherlands to a Dutch mother and Surinamese-American father, he represents the Unit ...

; Barcelona had previously wanted

César Azpilicueta César Azpilicueta Tanco (born 28 August 1989) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a defender for club Chelsea and the Spain national team. A youth product of Osasuna, Azpilicueta spent three seasons in La Liga before switchin ...

to cover this role, but he renewed at Chelsea instead. Bellerín made his debut for his hometown club on 10 September, starting in a 4–0 win at

Cádiz Cádiz (, , ) is a city and port in southwestern Spain. It is the capital of the Province of Cádiz, one of eight that make up the autonomous community of Andalusia. Cádiz, one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Western Europe, ...

. Having made only two further substitute appearances, he totalled 141 minutes in the league by the turn of the year. In January 2023, Bellerín told the newspaper ''Ara'' that his annual salary was €500,000, far below the reported salaries of some teammates; he called for footballers to earn less and pay more tax.

Sporting CP

On 31 January 2023, Bellerín was signed by Primeira Liga club

on a loan deal for the rest of the season. He made his debut six days later in a 1–0 win at Rio Ave as a late substitute.

International career

Having reached the semi-finals of the 2013 European Championship with the under-19 team, Bellerín made his debut for

Albert Celades Albert Celades López (born 29 September 1975) is a Spanish former footballer who played as a defensive midfielder, currently a manager. A tactically astute player with a strong defensive mentality, he was best known for his stints with Barcel ...

's under-21 team on 30 March 2015, playing the full 90 minutes of a 4–0 friendly win over Belarus in León. On 29 May 2016, after being named as a stand-by player for the year's European Championship, Bellerín made his debut for the full squad by starting in a 3–1 friendly win against

Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and H ...

at the

AFG Arena The Kybunpark, formerly known as AFG Arena, is a multi-use stadium in St. Gallen, Switzerland, completed in 2008. It is used mostly for football matches and hosts the home matches of FC St. Gallen of the Swiss Super League. It replaces the Esp ...

St. Gallen , neighboring_municipalities = Eggersriet, Gaiserwald, Gossau, Herisau (AR), Mörschwil, Speicher (AR), Stein (AR), Teufen (AR), Untereggen, Wittenbach , twintowns = Liberec (Czech Republic) , website = ...

, Switzerland. Two days later, he was chosen for the final squad after

Dani Carvajal Daniel "Dani" Carvajal Ramos (; born 11 January 1992) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a right back for La Liga club Real Madrid and the Spain national team. Having risen through the Real Madrid youth ranks, he spent a sea ...

withdrew through injury. He was unused as they reached the last 16. In November 2020, Bellerín was recalled to the Spain squad for the first time in over four years, as Jesús Navas withdrew through injury. He played in a 1–1 friendly draw away to the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

in his comeback match.

Style of play

Early in his career Bellerín was known for his pace, which allowed him to take on opposition defenders as well as provide defensive cover. At the beginning of the 2014–15 season, he broke

Theo Walcott Theo James Walcott (born 16 March 1989) is an English professional footballer who plays as a forward for Southampton and previously for the English national team. Walcott is a product of the Southampton Academy and started his career with ...

's Arsenal sprint record by 1/100th of a second.

Personal life

Known for his unconventional eccentric character revolving around his progressive stances, fashionable looks and

dandy A dandy is a man who places particular importance upon physical appearance, refined language, and leisurely hobbies, pursued with the appearance of nonchalance. A dandy could be a self-made man who strove to imitate an aristocratic lifestyle des ...

lifestyle, Bellerín became a

vegan Veganism is the practice of abstaining from the use of animal product—particularly in diet—and an associated philosophy that rejects the commodity status of animals. An individual who follows the diet or philosophy is known as a vegan. ...

in 2017, which he credits for improving his health. In an interview in August 2019, he said that footballers have a responsibility to create awareness around environmental issues and that "It's nice to show what we have—our cars, our watches—but good to send a more meaningful message than 'look how cool we are'." The

2019–20 Premier League The 2019–20 Premier League was the 28th season of the Premier League, the top English professional football league, since its establishment in 1992, and the 121st season of top-flight English football overall. The season started on 9 August 2 ...

was suspended in March 2020 because of the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

. When it returned in June, Bellerin pledged to plant 3,000 trees for every Arsenal victory in the remainder of the season. Bellerín became the second-largest shareholder of EFL League Two club

Forest Green Rovers Forest Green Rovers Football Club are a professional football club based in Nailsworth, Gloucestershire, England. The team compete in , the third tier of the English football league system, and have played their home games at The New Lawn since ...

in September 2020. He praised their commitments to veganism and environmentalism. Bellerín is also a creative director for the '' EA Sports FIFA'' Volta game mode.

Politics

Known for his opinions on political matters, Bellerín has declared himself left-wing and not a supporter of any political party. On the day of the 2019 United Kingdom general election, Bellerin criticised

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister i ...

and eventual winner

Boris Johnson Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson (; born 19 June 1964) is a British politician, writer and journalist who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2019 to 2022. He previously served as F ...

in a tweet where he encouraged young people to vote accompanied by a hashtag #F*ckBoris. In March 2022, Bellerín spoke against what he described as double standards of the West on other issues compared to its response to the

Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, which began in 2014. The invasion has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths on both sides. It has caused Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War II. An ...

. "It is quite difficult to see that we are more interested in this war than in others", he told ''La Media Inglesa''. "I don't know if it is because they are more like us or because the conflict can affect us more directly both economically and in terms of refugees. The Palestinian war has been completely silenced, no one speaks about it.

Yemen Yemen (; ar, ٱلْيَمَن, al-Yaman), officially the Republic of Yemen,, ) is a country in Western Asia. It is situated on the southern end of the Arabian Peninsula, and borders Saudi Arabia to the Saudi Arabia–Yemen border, north and ...

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to the north, Iran to the east, the Persian Gulf and K ...

... now Russia not being able to play in the

World Cup A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the concept i ...

is something that other countries have faced for many years." He went on to say it was racist to "

urn An urn is a vase, often with a cover, with a typically narrowed neck above a rounded body and a footed pedestal. Describing a vessel as an "urn", as opposed to a vase or other terms, generally reflects its use rather than any particular shape or ...

a blind eye to other conflicts" and that it also showed "a lack of empathy for the number of lives lost in many conflicts and we are prioritising those that are near to us." In January 2023, Bellerín declared his opposition to

Catalan independence The Catalan independence movement ( ca, independentisme català; Spanish: ''independentismo catalán'') is a social and political movement (with roots in Catalan nationalism) which seeks the independence of Catalonia from Spain. The beginning ...

, calling himself "Catalan and Spanish" as his parents were born outside the region.

Career statistics

Club

International

Honours

Arsenal *

: 2014–15, 2016–17, 2019–20 * FA Community Shield: 2015,

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a s ...

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global social and economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, worldwide lockdowns and the largest economic recession since the Great Depression in t ...

* EFL Cup runner-up: 2017–18 Real Betis *

: 2021–22 Barcelona * Supercopa de España: 2022–23 Spain U21 *

UEFA European Under-21 Championship The UEFA European Under-21 Championship, the UEFA Under-21 Championship or simply the Euro Under-21, is a biennial football competition contested by the European men's under-21 national teams of the UEFA member associations. Since 1992, the comp ...

runner-up:

Individual *

UEFA European Under-19 Championship The UEFA European Under-19 Championship, or simply UEFA Under-19 Championship or the UEFA Euro U-19, is an annual football competition contested by the European men's under-19 national teams of the member associations of UEFA. Spain and England ...

Team of the Tournament:

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fa ...

* PFA Team of the Year:

2015–16 Premier League The 2015–16 Premier League (known as the Barclays Premier League for sponsorship reasons) was the 24th season of the Premier League, the top English professional league for association football clubs, since its establishment in 1992, and the ...

References

External links

Profile
at the FC Barcelona website
Profile
at the Premier League website * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bellerin, Hector 1995 births Living people Footballers from Barcelona Spanish footballers Association football defenders FC Barcelona players Arsenal F.C. players Watford F.C. players Real Betis players Sporting CP footballers English Football League players Premier League players La Liga players Primeira Liga players FA Cup Final players Spain youth international footballers Spain under-21 international footballers Spain international footballers UEFA Euro 2016 players Spanish expatriate footballers Expatriate footballers in England Expatriate footballers in Portugal Spanish expatriate sportspeople in England Spanish expatriate sportspeople in Portugal English football chairmen and investors