Iván Balliu

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In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Balliu and the second or maternal family name is Campeny.
Iván Balliu
Balliu with Metz in 2019
Personal information
Full name Iván Balliu Campeny[1]
Date of birth (1992-01-01) 1 January 1992 (age 33)[2]
Place of birth Caldes de Malavella, Spain
Height 1.72 m (5 ft 8 in)[2]
Position(s) Right-back
Team information
Current team
 Rayo Vallecano
Number 20
Youth career
2000–2004 Girona
2004–2011 Barcelona
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2011–2013 Barcelona B 54 (0)
2013–2015 Arouca 58 (0)
2015–2019 Metz 104 (1)
2019–2021 Almería 62 (1)
2021– Rayo Vallecano 132 (1)
International career‡
2008 Spain U16 3 (1)
2008 Spain U17 3 (0)
2017– Albania 21 (0)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 11:17, 25 September 2025 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals as of 19:24, 5 September 2025 (UTC)

Iván Balliu Campeny (born 1 January 1992) is a professional footballer who plays as a right-back for La Liga club Rayo Vallecano and the Albania national team.

After starting out at Barcelona B, he went on to compete professionally in Spain, Portugal and France. In La Liga, he appeared for Rayo Vallecano.

Balliu represented his native Spain at youth level before declaring for Albania, for which he qualified via his father. He was first included in an Albanian senior squad in 2017, making his debut in October of that year and being selected for Euro 2024.

Club career

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Barcelona

[edit]
Balliu playing for Barcelona B in 2012

Born in Caldes de Malavella, Girona, Catalonia to an Albanian father and a Spanish mother,[3] Balliu joined Barcelona's youth system in 2004, aged 12. He made his senior debut in the 2010–11 season, playing two Segunda División games with the reserves and starting against Girona in a 2–0 away win.[4] In that year, he was also captain of the treble-winning Juvenil A team.[5]

Arouca

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On 30 May 2013, Balliu's contract expired and he was told by Barcelona that he would be released.[6] One month later, he signed with Arouca in Portugal for two seasons,[7] making his Primeira Liga debut on 1 September in a 1–0 home victory over Rio Ave (90 minutes played).[8]

Metz

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Balliu joined French club Metz on 17 July 2015, on a two-year deal.[9] He scored his first goal as a professional on 16 October, helping the hosts come from behind in the 2–2 home draw with Clermont.[10]

After contributing 24 appearances in his first season to help his team to return to Ligue 1 after a one-year absence, Balliu's first match in the competition occurred on 13 August 2016, in a 3–2 home win over Lille.[11]

Almería

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On 12 August 2019, Balliu agreed to a two-year contract with Almería of the Spanish second division.[12] He scored his first goal in his country of birth on 7 March 2020, helping the hosts defeat Deportivo de La Coruña 4–0.[13]

Rayo Vallecano

[edit]

Balliu moved to newly promoted Rayo Vallecano on 14 July 2021, on a two-year deal.[14] He made his La Liga debut on 15 August at the age of 29, playing the entire 3–0 defeat at Sevilla.[15] His first goal came the following 9 January, when he closed the 1–1 home draw against Real Betis.[16][17]

Balliu made his debut in European competition in the 2025–26 campaign, aged 33.[18] He started both legs of the 5–0 aggregate win over Belarusian club Neman Grodno in the play-off round of the UEFA Conference League.[19][20]

International career

[edit]

Of Albanian descent on his father's side, Balliu was eligible to represent Albania, speaking of his interest in an interview on 24 October 2016.[21][22] On 22 August 2017 he received Albanian citizenship, thus becoming eligible to play for the national team.[23] He was called up for the first time shortly after when newly appointed coach Christian Panucci picked him for 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Liechtenstein and Macedonia on 2 and 5 September,[24] and earned his first cap also during that stage, playing the first half of the 3–0 loss to Spain in Alicante on 6 October.[25]

Balliu soon faced strong competition for a place in the squad, mostly from established right-back Elseid Hysaj. Later on, he had to fight for position with emerging defensive options such as Mario Mitaj.[26][27][28]

Following his transfer to Almería, Balliu began being regularly overlooked by new manager Edoardo Reja despite having two solid seasons in the second tier.[29][30] On 10 June 2022, in a 2022–23 UEFA Nations League B fixture against Israel, he won a penalty after being fouled late in the first half which Armando Broja converted for the opening goal, but the hosts were eventually beaten 2–1 at the Arena Kombëtare.[31]

Balliu was selected by coach Sylvinho for the UEFA Euro 2024 finals.[32] In a group-stage exit, his only appearance of the tournament was a 1–0 defeat against his native Spain in Düsseldorf.[33][34]

Personal life

[edit]

On 17 June 2017, Balliu married Marta Soler.[3]

Career statistics

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Club

[edit]
As of match played 2 October 2025[35]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup League cup Continental Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Barcelona B 2010–11 Segunda División 2 0 — — — — 2 0
2011–12 21 0 — — — — 21 0
2012–13 31 0 — — — — 31 0
Total 54 0 — — — — 54 0
Arouca 2013–14 Primeira Liga 26 0 3 0 2 0 — — 31 0
2014–15 32 0 1 0 3 0 — — 36 0
Total 58 0 4 0 5 0 — — 67 0
Metz 2015–16 Ligue 2 24 1 1 0 2 0 — — 27 1
2016–17 Ligue 1 27 0 — 3 0 — — 30 0
2017–18 25 0 3 0 — — — 28 0
2018–19 Ligue 2 28 0 3 1 2 0 — — 33 1
Total 104 1 7 1 7 0 — — 118 2
Almería 2019–20 Segunda División 30 1 0 0 — — 2[a] 0 32 1
2020–21 32 0 1 0 — — 2[a] 0 35 0
Total 62 1 1 0 — — 4 0 67 1
Rayo Vallecano 2021–22 La Liga 35 1 5 0 — — — 40 1
2022–23 37 0 0 0 — — — 37 0
2023–24 33 0 0 0 — — — 33 0
2024–25 25 0 4 0 — — — 29 0
2025–26 2 0 0 0 — 3[b] 0 — 5 0
Total 132 1 9 0 — 3 0 — 144 1
Career total 410 3 21 1 12 0 3 0 4 0 450 4
  1. ^ a b Appearances in La Liga play-offs
  2. ^ Appearances in UEFA Conference League

International

[edit]
As of match played 4 September 2025[36]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps Goals
Albania 2017 1 0
2019 1 0
2021 1 0
2022 5 0
2023 3 0
2024 6 0
2025 4 0
Total 21 0

Honours

[edit]

Metz

References

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  1. ^ "I. Balliu" (in Portuguese). Mais Futebol. Retrieved 11 October 2020.
  2. ^ a b "Iván Balliu" (in French). FC Metz. Retrieved 24 August 2017.
  3. ^ a b "Sergi Roberto, representante culé en la boda de Balliu" [Sergi Roberto, culé representative at Balliu's wedding]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). 18 June 2017. Retrieved 17 September 2017.
  4. ^ Van Eeckhout, Robert (21 May 2011). "Girona – Barcelona B: El Barça B se lleva un derbi insulso (0–2)" [Girona – Barcelona B: Barça B take dull derby (0–2)]. Diario Siglo XXI (in Spanish). Retrieved 9 April 2014.
  5. ^ Jurado, Carlos D. (30 April 2017). "Ivan Balliu, un capitán de la Masía en la Ligue 1" [Ivan Balliu, a Masía captain in Ligue 1]. Marca (in Spanish). Retrieved 19 April 2020.
  6. ^ "El club ha comunicat la baixa a Gus Ledes, Balliu, Lobato i Luis Alberto per a la temporada vinent" [Club announce that Gus Ledes, Balliu, Lobato and Luis Alberto will not stay for next season] (in Catalan). FC Barcelona. 7 June 2013. Retrieved 14 June 2013.
  7. ^ Gonçalves, André (21 July 2013). "Iván Balliu assina por duas épocas" [Iván Balliu signs for two seasons]. Record (in Portuguese). Archived from the original on 22 September 2013. Retrieved 12 September 2013.
  8. ^ "Ivan Balliu debuta i l'Arouca guanya el seu primer partit" [Ivan Balliu makes debut and Arouca win first match]. Diari de Girona (in Catalan). 3 September 2013. Retrieved 12 September 2013.
  9. ^ "Ivan Balliu, du Barça au FC Metz!" [Ivan Balliu, from Barça to FC Metz!] (in French). FC Metz. 17 July 2015. Archived from the original on 19 July 2015. Retrieved 17 July 2015.
  10. ^ Jougleux, Christian (20 October 2015). "FC Metz: Ivan Balliu et son terrible but" [FC Metz: Ivan Balliu and his cracker of a goal]. Le Républicain Lorrain (in French). Retrieved 30 November 2015.
  11. ^ "Le LOSC s'écroule à Metz" [LOSC collapse at Metz] (in French). France 3. 14 August 2016. Retrieved 25 August 2017.
  12. ^ "Iván Balliu es el primer fichaje de la nueva etapa de la UD Almería" [Iván Balliu is the first signing of the new era of UD Almería] (in Spanish). UD Almería. 12 August 2019. Retrieved 19 August 2019.
  13. ^ Laynez, Pablo (7 March 2020). "Marzo devuelve la sonrisa al Almería (4–0)" [March returns smile to Almería (4–0)]. Diario de Almería (in Spanish). Retrieved 11 October 2020.
  14. ^ "Balliu nuevo jugador del Rayo Vallecano" [Balliu new Rayo Vallecano player] (in Spanish). Rayo Vallecano. 14 July 2021. Retrieved 14 July 2021.
  15. ^ Fernández, Alberto (16 August 2021). "El 'calor' del Sevilla" [Sevilla's 'heat']. Marca (in Spanish). Retrieved 23 August 2021.
  16. ^ "El Betis sale vivo del asedio del Rayo" [Betis emerge alive from Rayo's assault]. El Periódico de Aragón (in Spanish). 9 January 2022. Retrieved 28 September 2022.
  17. ^ Gascón, Javier (11 January 2022). "El primer gol de Balliu en LaLiga, con mucha clase" [Balliu's first goal in LaLiga, with a lot of class]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). Retrieved 28 September 2022.
  18. ^ Villa, Pablo (13 August 2025). "Iván Balliu: "Jugar en Europa con el Rayo es un regalo para la afición"" [Iván Balliu: "Playing in Europe with Rayo is a treat for the fans"]. Marca (in Spanish). Retrieved 29 September 2025.
  19. ^ Castro, Raúl (21 August 2025). "Neman 0–1 Rayo Vallecano: resumen, gol y resultado" [Neman 0–1 Rayo Vallecano: highlights, goal and score]. Diario AS (in Spanish). Retrieved 29 September 2025.
  20. ^ Rivas, Jon (28 August 2025). "El Rayo Vallecano jugará la fase regular de la Conference" [Rayo Vallecano will play the Conference's regular phase]. El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 29 September 2025.
  21. ^ "Ivan Balliu "katalanasi" që ëndërron Kombëtaren e Shqipërisë" [Catalan Ivan Balliu dreams of Albania national team] (in Albanian). Mapo. 24 October 2016. Archived from the original on 7 August 2017. Retrieved 6 August 2017.
  22. ^ "Spain-born former Barcelona defender could join Albania". Tirana Times. 24 October 2016. Retrieved 6 August 2017.
  23. ^ "Dekret për dhënie të shtetësisë shqiptare nr. 10596" [Decree on granting Albanian citizenship no. 10596] (in Albanian). President of Albania. 22 August 2017. Retrieved 23 August 2017.
  24. ^ "Trajneri Panucci shpall listën e lojtarëve për ndeshjet zyrtare eleminatore kundër Lihtenshteinit dhe Maqedonisë" [Coach Panucci announces list of players for official qualifying matches against Liechtenstein and Macedonia] (in Albanian). Albanian Football Association. 25 August 2017. Retrieved 26 September 2025.
  25. ^ McGee, Nicholas (6 October 2017). "Spain 3 Albania 0: World Cup place wrapped up as Pique gets mixed reception". Goal. Retrieved 7 October 2017.
  26. ^ "Mario Mitaj titullar tek Shqipëria e Sylvinhos ndaj Moldavisë" [Mario Mitaj starts for Sylvinho's Albania against Moldova] (in Albanian). ABC News. 17 June 2023. Retrieved 25 September 2025.
  27. ^ "'The kidnapping of the decade', Mario Mitaj". Vox News. 13 September 2023. Retrieved 25 September 2025.
  28. ^ "Mario Mitaj e nis si titullar në Shqipëri–Ishujt Faroe, formacionet zyrtare" [Mario Mitaj a starter in Albania–Faroe Islands, official lineups] (in Albanian). Top Channel. 20 November 2023. Retrieved 25 September 2025.
  29. ^ "Nga Balliu te injorimi i 13 golave të Albion Ademit: kujt ia kurseu ftesën Edi Reja?" [From Balliu to ignoring Albion Ademi's 13 goals, who did Edi Reja "spare" from the invitation?]. Panorama Sport (in Albanian). 11 November 2020. Retrieved 21 September 2025.
  30. ^ "Lojtarët jashtë liste: të anashkaluarit e Rejës, ja ecuria e tyre sezonale" [Players off the squad: Reja's overlooked players, here's their seasonal performance]. Panorama Sport (in Albanian). 24 March 2021. Retrieved 21 September 2025.
  31. ^ Halickman, Joshua (12 June 2022). "Blue-and-white heat up before Iceland visit". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 22 September 2025.
  32. ^ "Euro 2024 squad lists: Hosts Germany, France, Netherlands, England, Scotland, Italy and more". Sky Sports. 12 June 2024. Retrieved 17 June 2024.
  33. ^ Emons, Michael (24 June 2024). "Albania 0–1 Spain". BBC Sport. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
  34. ^ Cobos, Luis (24 June 2024). "Balliu: el catalán que se infiltró en Albania y que lo dio todo para ganar a España" [Balliu: the Catalan who infiltrated Albania and gave it all to beat Spain]. Okdiario (in Spanish). Retrieved 20 November 2024.
  35. ^ Iván Balliu at Soccerway
  36. ^ Iván Balliu at EU-Football.info
  37. ^ Ruiz, Joseph (17 May 2019). "Antonetti continuera à accompagner Metz "dans un rôle adapté"" [Antonetti will continue to be with Metz "in adapted role"] (in French). BFM TV. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
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