Cristian Tello · Biography

Cristian Tello Herrera was born on 11 August 1991 in Sabadell, in the province of Barcelona, and came through the academy of FC Barcelona, which he joined in 2002 from Can Rull. A quick winger who liked to take on defenders, he played in Spain, Portugal, Italy, the United States, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, and ended his career in 2026 with 498 official appearances and 91 goals as a professional.

Youth years at Barça and Espanyol

After spending 1999 to 2002 at Can Rull, Tello came up through Barcelona’s youth ranks until 2008, including a season on loan at CF Damm in 2007-08. That summer he moved across the city to Espanyol’s academy. He made his senior debut with Espanyol B in the Segunda División B in 2009-10, scoring once in a campaign that ended in relegation. In June 2010 he returned to Barcelona to play for the reserve side, where he made 39 appearances and scored 9 goals between 2010 and 2012.

Breaking into the Barcelona first team

Pep Guardiola handed him his first-team debut in November 2011, in a Copa del Rey round-of-32 tie against L’Hospitalet; he scored twice in the second leg. On 28 January 2012 he made his La Liga debut away at Villarreal, and on 4 February he scored his first league goal, against Real Sociedad. On 7 March 2012 he made his Champions League debut and scored twice in a 7-1 win over Bayer Leverkusen. That season ended with the 2012 Copa del Rey.

On 19 September 2012 he opened the scoring in a 3-2 win over Spartak Moscow, and that December he signed a new contract. He was part of the squad that won the 2012-13 La Liga title and added the Spanish Super Cup in August 2013. In January 2014 he scored a hat-trick in a Copa del Rey quarter-final away at Levante (4-1). For the first team he made 86 official appearances and scored 20 goals.

Loans to Porto and Florence

On 16 July 2014 Barcelona loaned him to Porto for two seasons. On 1 March 2015 he scored a hat-trick in a 3-0 win over Sporting CP, and the Portuguese players’ union (SJPF) named him its Player of the Month for March 2015. He left Porto with 57 appearances and 10 goals.

In January 2016 he joined Fiorentina on loan, a deal extended in August of that year until June 2017. He made his Serie A debut on 3 February 2016 and scored in a 3-2 win away at Atalanta. In Florence he made 56 appearances and scored 6 goals.

Five seasons at Betis

On 30 June 2017 Real Betis announced his signing on a five-year deal for 4 million euros plus add-ons, with Barcelona keeping 50 per cent of any future sale. On 8 March 2020, after replacing Joaquín in the 66th minute, he scored an 82nd-minute winner to make it 2-1 against Real Madrid at the Benito Villamarín, a result that cost Madrid top spot in the table. In 2022 Betis won the Copa del Rey, his last trophy with the club, which he left after 172 official appearances and 24 goals.

United States, Saudi Arabia and the Emirates

On 26 August 2022 he signed for Los Angeles FC. He made his MLS debut on 13 September 2022, coming off the bench in a 1-1 draw at Minnesota United, and across his five appearances he was part of a season in which the club won the Supporters’ Shield, the Western Conference and the 2022 MLS Cup.

On 25 January 2023 he joined Saudi side Al-Fateh, making his debut on 3 February against Al-Nassr and going on to record 47 appearances and 16 goals. In August 2024 he moved to Al-Orobah, where he spent one season (27 appearances, 5 goals), and in autumn 2025 he signed for Palm City in the UAE second division, playing four matches for the club.

Spain national team

Tello represented Spain at under-19, under-20, under-21 and under-23 level. With the under-20s he played at the 2011 World Cup, where Spain reached the quarter-finals. He started all three of Spain’s matches at the London 2012 Olympic Games, where the team went out in the group stage, and in 2013 he won the European Under-21 Championship in Israel, starting four of the five games. On 14 August 2013 Vicente del Bosque gave him his senior debut in a friendly against Ecuador in Guayaquil, a 2-0 win and his only senior cap. Between 2013 and 2022 he also played three matches for the Catalonia team.

Honours and retirement

With Barcelona he won the 2012 Copa del Rey, the 2013 La Liga title and the 2013 Spanish Super Cup; with Betis, the 2022 Copa del Rey; with Los Angeles FC, the 2022 MLS Cup and Supporters’ Shield; and with Spain, the 2013 European Under-21 Championship. On 7 September 2026 he announced his retirement from professional football on social media.