Diego Capel

Diego Ángel Capel Trinidad (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈdjeɣo kaˈpel]; born 16 February 1988) is a Spanish former professional footballer who played as a left winger.

He made his senior debut with Sevilla at 16, going on to appear in 173 competitive matches for the club over seven La Liga seasons (12 goals) and win four major trophies, including two UEFA Cups. In 2011, he signed for Sporting CP, totalling 142 games and winning the 2014–15 Taça de Portugal; subsequently, he had a nomadic career.

Capel earned 60 caps for Spain across all age groups, representing the under-21s in two European Championships. He made his full debut in 2008.

Groomed in Sevilla FC's youth system (after a brief spell at FC Barcelona), Capel was born in Albox, Province of Almería, and he made his first professional appearance aged only 16, playing three minutes in a 2–1 home win against Atlético Madrid on 24 October 2004. In the following seasons he would alternate between the A and B teams, playing four further games in 2005–06 with the main squad; on 1 December 2005 he appeared 18 minutes in the Andalusians' 3–1 victory over Vitória de Guimarães also at the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán Stadium, in an eventual victorious campaign in the UEFA Cup.

Capel became first-choice in the 2007–08 season due to the death of another left-footed winger, Antonio Puerta, in late August. He scored his first goal in La Liga on 9 February 2008, in a 1–1 home draw with Barcelona. The previous month, he had netted in a Copa del Rey tie against the same opponent (also 1–1 and in Seville).

In June 2008, Premier League's Tottenham Hotspur were linked with a £12.5 million bid for Capel. He admitted he would consider leaving Sevilla to "grow as a footballer", if the clubs could agree on a signing fee, but nothing came of it. Also at the end of the league campaign, Barcelona-based daily Sport further speculated that Real Madrid were considering Capel as a potential replacement for the recently departed Robinho, but no move ever materialised.

In the 2009–10 campaign, Capel lost his position to Argentine Diego Perotti, but still managed to feature in 29 matches – one goal in a 5–1 win at Racing de Santander– as Sevilla edged RCD Mallorca for the fourth position, with the subsequent qualification for the UEFA Champions League. Additionally, on 19 May 2010, he opened the score at the Camp Nou in a 2–0 defeat of Atlético in the final of the domestic cup.

Capel appeared again regularly in 2010–11, playing 27 league games and starting in 17 as the team finished in fifth position.