Carles Aleñá · Biography

On 30 November 2016, Carles Aleñá Castillo made his first-team debut for FC Barcelona in the Copa del Rey, away to Hércules. He started and scored the equaliser in a 1-1 draw. The central midfielder was born in Mataró on 5 January 1998 and came through La Masia. He went on to play for Real Betis and Getafe, and has played for Deportivo Alavés since 2025.

Youth career at La Masia

Aleñá joined Barcelona's academy in 2005 after a trial. He worked his way up through the club's age groups, moving into the under-16 side in July 2013 and into the under-18 ranks in July 2014. With the under-19s he played in the 2015-16 UEFA Youth League and scored six goals, including braces against BATE Borisov and Roma. The team went out in the quarter-finals.

Barcelona B

He made his debut for the reserve team on 29 August 2015, on the second matchday of Segunda División B. He came on in the 77th minute of a goalless home draw with Pobla de Mafumet. His first senior goal came on 19 December 2015, in his first start, a 4-2 defeat away to Eldense. In 2016-17 he was part of the side that won promotion to the Spanish second division. In 2017-18 he was the reserves' top scorer with 11 goals. He finished his Barcelona B spell with 89 appearances and 18 goals.

Barcelona first team

Luis Enrique first named him in a squad on 10 February 2016, for the second leg of the Copa del Rey semi-final at Valencia, but he stayed on the bench. After his scoring debut at Hércules, he made his La Liga debut on 2 April 2017, replacing Ivan Rakitić in a 4-1 win at Granada. Three days later he played at the Camp Nou for the first time, in a 3-0 win over Sevilla. On 28 June 2017 he signed his first professional contract. His first league goal came against Villarreal on 2 December 2018, in the 86th minute and from a Lionel Messi assist. Two days later, on 4 December 2018, he was officially promoted to the first team. At Barcelona he won the Copa del Rey in 2017 and 2018 and the 2018-19 La Liga title. According to the club, he made 43 official first-team appearances and scored three goals.

Loan to Real Betis

On 28 December 2019, Barcelona announced his loan to Real Betis until the end of the 2019-20 season, with no purchase option. He made his league debut for the Seville club against Alavés, replacing Nabil Fekir in the 80th minute. His only goal for Betis came on 8 July 2020, in a 3-0 home win over Osasuna. He made 19 appearances on loan and returned to Barcelona in the summer of 2020.

Four years at Getafe

On 6 January 2021 he joined Getafe on loan until the end of the season. He scored his first goal for the club on 27 February 2021, in a 3-0 win over Valencia. He finished the 2020-21 campaign with 22 appearances and two goals. On 10 July 2021 the two clubs announced his permanent move to Getafe. Barcelona kept 50 per cent of any future sale, a buy-back option and a right to match any offer. Under José Bordalás, Aleñá became a regular in midfield and made more than 130 appearances for Getafe.

Deportivo Alavés

On 3 February 2025 he joined Deportivo Alavés on loan until the end of the 2024-25 season and played 14 matches. The Vitoria club signed him permanently on 24 July 2025, after Aleñá terminated his contract with Getafe.

Spain youth teams

He made his debut for Spain's under-16s under Albert Celades on 3 September 2013, wearing the number 10 shirt in a 3-3 draw with Switzerland. In 2014 he won the Copa Presidente in Astana, where he was named player of the tournament, and he was also voted best player at the Miljan Miljanić tournament. With the under-17s he played at the 2015 European Championship, where Spain went out in the quarter-finals and he was named in the team of the tournament. He made his under-19 debut under Luis de la Fuente on 8 September 2015, against Portugal in Ceuta. With that team he won the 2016 UEFA Development Tournament in Georgia and was named its best player. His under-21 debut came on 21 March 2019, in a friendly against Romania. He has also played for Catalonia since 2022.