1. Early life and youth career
Alberto Tomás Botía Rabasco was born on 27 January 1989 in Alquerías, a village in the Region of Murcia, Spain. He began his football journey at the age of eight, playing for CD Beniel. After three years with Beniel, he moved to join his regional neighbors, Real Murcia, where he continued his youth development for another three years. In 2003, at 14 years old, Botía joined the esteemed FC Barcelona youth system, La Masia. After three more seasons progressing through the academy, he was integrated into Barcelona's B team in 2006.
2. Club career
Botía's professional career saw him play for several clubs across Spain, Greece, and Saudi Arabia, making significant contributions and achieving notable success in each country.
2.1. FC Barcelona
After joining FC Barcelona's renowned La Masia academy in 2003, Alberto Botía spent three years developing his skills before being promoted to the B team in 2006. He quickly established himself as a key defensive player for the B team during the 2008-09 season. His strong performances led to him being frequently called up to the main squad during the season, particularly when the senior team faced numerous injuries. In late May 2009, Botía, alongside fellow youth graduate Marc Muniesa, received his first call-up to the senior squad for a UEFA Champions League match against Manchester United. He made his official debut for the first team on 30 May 2009, coming on as a second-half substitute for Gerard Piqué in the final game of the 2008-09 La Liga campaign, which ended in a 1-1 away draw against Deportivo de La Coruña.
During his time with Barcelona B, Botía made 15 appearances in the 2006-07 season, 17 appearances with 1 goal in 2007-08, and 27 appearances with 2 goals in 2008-09, totaling 59 appearances and 3 goals. For the senior Barcelona team, he made 1 appearance with no goals.
2.2. Sporting de Gijón
On 14 July 2009, Botía was sent to fellow La Liga club Sporting de Gijón on a season-long loan for the 2009-10 La Liga campaign. He quickly became a regular starter in the top tier, establishing himself as a crucial part of the team's defense under coach Manuel Preciado. His contributions were instrumental in helping Sporting de Gijón avoid relegation. Due to his impressive performances, Botía decided to make his stay with the Asturians permanent, signing a four-year deal on 18 June 2010. FC Barcelona retained a buy-back clause for the first three years of his contract.
Botía scored his first top-flight goal on 12 September 2010, netting the opening goal in a 2-0 home victory over RCD Mallorca at El Molinón. On 14 November 2010, he received a red card in the final minute of a 1-0 home loss to Real Madrid for a foul on Cristiano Ronaldo. He continued to be a central figure in Sporting Gijón's defense for two more seasons. However, the club was eventually relegated to the Segunda División at the end of the 2011-12 La Liga season.
Overall, Botía made 26 appearances during his loan spell in 2009-10. Following his permanent transfer, he played 28 league matches and scored 1 goal in 2010-11, and 34 league matches with 1 goal in 2011-12. His total record for Sporting de Gijón stands at 88 appearances and 2 goals in the league.
2.3. Sevilla and Elche
Following Sporting de Gijón's relegation, Botía signed with Sevilla on 8 August 2012, for a fee of approximately 3.00 M EUR. His transfer was facilitated with the support of the Doyen Group, an Anglo-Portuguese investment firm. He officially debuted for Sevilla 18 days later, playing the second half of a 1-1 away draw against Granada on 26 August 2012. On 23 February 2013, Botía scored against his former club, Barcelona, putting Sevilla ahead before they ultimately lost 2-1.
After making 25 official appearances for the Andalusian team, he was loaned to Elche for the 2013-14 La Liga season. He joined teammates Manu del Moral and Miroslav Stevanović at Elche. Botía's spell at the Estadio Martínez Valero ended prematurely on 3 May 2014, when he was ejected from a match against Málaga for kicking the ball at an opponent and then confronting the referee. This incident resulted in a two-match suspension.
For Sevilla, Botía played 18 league matches and scored 1 goal, along with 7 cup appearances and 1 goal, totaling 25 appearances and 2 goals. For Elche, he appeared in 33 league matches and 2 cup matches, without scoring any goals, for a total of 35 appearances.
2.4. Olympiacos
On 1 August 2014, Alberto Botía moved to Greece, joining Olympiacos on a four-year contract for a fee of 2.00 M EUR. In his debut season, 2014-15, he made 26 appearances across all competitions, playing a key role in helping Olympiacos secure the domestic double. He continued to be a regular player in the 2015-16 season under new manager Marco Silva. On 25 October 2015, Botía scored both goals in a 2-1 away victory over Atromitos, becoming the first defender for Olympiacos to achieve this feat since Avraam Papadopoulos two years prior. On 6 November 2016, he scored the opening goal in a dominant 3-0 home win against arch-rivals Panathinaikos in the Derby of the eternal enemies. After four successful seasons with the club, his contract was terminated by mutual consent on 4 May 2018.
During his time with Olympiacos, Botía played 17 league matches with 1 goal in 2014-15, 17 league matches with 4 goals in 2015-16, 20 league matches with 2 goals in 2016-17, and 13 league matches with 1 goal in 2017-18. He also made 14 cup appearances with 1 goal and 26 continental appearances with 1 goal, accumulating a total of 107 appearances and 10 goals.
2.5. Saudi Arabia
On 26 June 2018, Botía became the first signing for new Al Hilal manager Jorge Jesus, agreeing to a two-year deal with an option for an additional season. He made an immediate impact, as the club won the Saudi Super Cup on his debut, a 2-1 victory over Al Ittihad at Loftus Road in London on 18 August 2018. After Al Hilal finished as runners-up to Al Nassr in the 2018-19 Saudi Professional League season, Botía moved to Al Wehda, another club in the Saudi Pro League. He scored the equalizer on his debut for Al Wehda on 30 August 2019, in a 2-1 home loss to Abha Club.
For Al Hilal, Botía played 26 league matches with 2 goals, 2 cup matches, and 6 other appearances (including 1 in the Saudi Super Cup and 5 in the Arab Club Champions Cup), totaling 34 appearances and 2 goals. For Al Wehda, he appeared in 24 league matches with 1 goal in 2019-20, 19 league matches in 2020-21, and 7 league matches with 1 goal in 2022-23. He also made 2 cup appearances. His total record for Al Wehda is 50 league appearances and 2 goals, with an overall total of 114 appearances and 11 goals across all competitions for the club.
2.6. Return to Greece
In July 2023, at the age of 34, Botía returned to Greek football, joining A.E. Kifisia in the Greek top division. As of the 2023-24 season, he has played 13 league matches and scored 1 goal, along with 1 cup appearance, accumulating a total of 14 appearances and 1 goal for the club.
3. International career
Alberto Botía's international career saw him represent Spain at various youth levels. On 7 February 2007, he was called up for the Spain under-19 team for the "XXXIII International Atlantic Cup," though he remained an unused squad member during the tournament. Almost exactly two years later, in February 2009, he received his first call-up to the under-21 team for a friendly match against Norway.
On 25 August 2011, Botía was selected for the first time to the senior national team by manager Vicente del Bosque, for matches against Chile and Liechtenstein. He was also included in Luis Milla's squad for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. During the tournament, he played in the last two group stage matches against Honduras and Morocco. However, the Spanish team was eliminated from the tournament without scoring a single goal.
4. Personal life
In 2017, Alberto Botía began a relationship with Eleni Foureira, a Greek singer who represented Cyprus at the 2018 Eurovision Song Contest. The couple's son was born in 2023.
5. Career statistics
| Club | Season | League | National cup | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Barcelona B | 2006-07 | Segunda División B | 15 | 0 | - | - | - | 15 | 0 | |||
| 2007-08 | Tercera División | 17 | 1 | - | - | - | 17 | 1 | ||||
| 2008-09 | Segunda División B | 27 | 2 | - | - | - | 27 | 2 | ||||
| Total | 59 | 3 | - | - | - | 59 | 3 | |||||
| Barcelona | 2008-09 | La Liga | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | 1 | 0 | |
| Sporting Gijón | 2009-10 | La Liga | 26 | 0 | 1 | 0 | - | - | 27 | 0 | ||
| 2010-11 | La Liga | 28 | 1 | 1 | 0 | - | - | 29 | 1 | |||
| 2011-12 | La Liga | 34 | 1 | 2 | 0 | - | - | 36 | 1 | |||
| Total | 88 | 2 | 4 | 0 | - | - | 92 | 2 | ||||
| Sevilla | 2012-13 | La Liga | 18 | 1 | 7 | 1 | - | - | 25 | 2 | ||
| Elche | 2013-14 | La Liga | 33 | 0 | 2 | 0 | - | - | 35 | 0 | ||
| Olympiacos | 2014-15 | Super League Greece | 17 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 1 | - | 26 | 2 | |
| 2015-16 | Super League Greece | 17 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0 | - | 27 | 4 | ||
| 2016-17 | Super League Greece | 20 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 12 | 0 | - | 36 | 2 | ||
| 2017-18 | Super League Greece | 13 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 | - | 18 | 2 | ||
| Total | 67 | 8 | 14 | 1 | 26 | 1 | - | 107 | 10 | |||
| Al Hilal | 2018-19 | Saudi Pro League | 26 | 2 | 2 | 0 | - | 6 | 0 | 34 | 2 | |
| Al Wehda | 2019-20 | Saudi Pro League | 24 | 1 | 1 | 0 | - | - | 25 | 1 | ||
| 2020-21 | Saudi Pro League | 19 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | 20 | 0 | ||
| 2021-22 | Saudi First Division League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2022-23 | Saudi Pro League | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | - | - | 7 | 1 | |||
| Total | 50 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | 114 | 11 | |||
| A.E. Kifisia | 2023-24 | Super League Greece | 13 | 1 | 1 | 0 | - | - | 14 | 1 | ||
| Career total | 355 | 19 | 32 | 2 | 26 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 419 | 22 | ||
6. Honours
Alberto Botía has achieved several significant honors throughout his career at both club and international levels.
6.1. Club honours
- Barcelona
- La Liga: 2008-09
- Copa del Rey: 2008-09
- UEFA Champions League: 2008-09
- Olympiacos
- Super League Greece: 2014-15, 2015-16, 2016-17
- Greek Football Cup: 2014-15; Runner-up: 2015-16
- Al-Hilal
- Saudi Super Cup: 2018
6.2. International honours
- Spain U20
- Mediterranean Games: 2009
- Spain U21
- UEFA European Under-21 Championship: 2011
6.3. Individual honours
- 2016-17 Super League Greece MVP of the Matchday: Matchday 10
- Fútbol Draft Awards: Best Centre-back, 2009-10