Joan Capdevila

Joan Capdevila Méndez (Catalan pronunciation: [ʒuˈaŋ ˌkabdəˈβilə]; born 3 February 1978) is a Spanish former professional footballer who played as a left-back.

Over 15 seasons in La Liga, he amassed totals of 410 matches and 36 goals, mainly for Deportivo and Villarreal. In a 21-year senior career, he also played in Portugal, India, Belgium and Andorra.

Capdevila won 60 caps for Spain, and was part of the squads which won Euro 2008 and the 2010 World Cup.

Born in Tàrrega, Lleida, Catalonia, and a product of Espanyol's youth system, Capdevila started playing football as a forward, and he made his debut for its first team during the 1998–99 season in a 2–2 La Liga draw at Athletic Bilbao. He joined Atlético Madrid the following year.

After the Colchoneros' relegation, Capdevila signed with Deportivo de La Coruña in the summer of 2000, and would be a regular fixture in the team as left-back, first competing with Enrique Romero then as the undisputed first choice. On 16 September 2006, he scored twice as the Galicians overcame Villarreal 2–0 at the Riazor Stadium.

For the 2007–08 campaign, Capdevila moved to Villarreal on a three-year deal, and played in all the league games except two for a side that finished runners-up, achieving direct qualification for the UEFA Champions League. He produced similar numbers in his second year, bettering his goal total in the process (five).

In the 2009–10 season, with no real competition for his position, Capdevila continued to figure prominently, only missing one league match – the defender added another five goals, but his team could not qualify for the UEFA Europa League this time after finishing seventh. On 6 December 2009 he scored twice in a 3–2 home win against Getafe, precisely the side that prevented the Valencians from reaching that achievement, even though they were later reinstated at the expense of Mallorca.

Capdevila faced stiff competition from José Catalá midway through 2010–11, even being relegated to the bench on occasion. He did finish the campaign with more than 40 official appearances, including nine in Villarreal's Europa League semi-final run, where he scored in a 3–2 home victory over eventual winners Porto (7–4 aggregate loss).