1. Early life and youth career
Born in Oviedo, Asturias, Barrera began his football journey at a young age. In 1998, when he was seven years old, he joined the youth academy of his neighboring club, Sporting de Gijón. He progressed through the ranks, eventually making his senior debut with the reserve team on 21 March 2010 against CD Toledo. Following this, he established himself as a regular starter for the reserves in the subsequent Segunda División B seasons. Standing at 75 in (190 cm) and weighing 176 lb (80 kg), Barrera is a right-footed player.
2. Professional career
Alejandro Barrera García's professional career saw him play for a variety of clubs across different divisions in Spain, India, and Japan, contributing to promotions and league titles.
2.1. Sporting de Gijón
Barrera made his first official appearance with Sporting de Gijón's main squad on 19 August 2012, starting in a 2-0 defeat against CD Numancia in the Segunda División. In March 2013, he extended his contract with Sporting until 2016. His first competitive goal for the senior team came on 1 September 2013, scoring the second goal in a 3-0 home victory over RCD Mallorca. During the 2014-15 campaign, he played 11 matches, starting four, and scored one goal, contributing to the club's return to La Liga after a three-year absence. His maiden appearance in La Liga took place on 30 December 2015, when he came on as a late substitute in a 2-0 away loss to SD Eibar.
2.2. Real Zaragoza
On 11 July 2016, Barrera signed a two-year contract with Real Zaragoza, a club in the Segunda División. He spent one season with the club before moving on.
2.3. Extremadura UD
After being sparingly used at Real Zaragoza, Barrera moved to Extremadura UD in the third division on 31 August 2017. He played a crucial role in helping the club achieve its first-ever promotion to the Segunda División in 2018. On 19 August 2018, Barrera scored the equalizer in a 1-1 away draw against Real Oviedo, marking Extremadura's inaugural goal in the second division. However, on 31 January of the following year, he terminated his contract with the club.
2.4. Bengaluru FC
In March 2019, Barrera joined Bengaluru FC in the Indian Super League, where he played until the summer. During his time with the club, he contributed to their victory in the 2018-19 Indian Super League.
2.5. Other Clubs
Following his stint in India, Barrera returned to Spain. In January 2020, he joined Barakaldo CF. Later that summer, he transferred to CD Atlético Baleares. In the summer of 2021, he moved to Algeciras CF, but departed the club in the same summer.
On 13 July 2022, Barrera signed with Japanese club FC Ryukyu in the J2 League. He made his debut in Japan on 6 August 2022, coming on as a substitute for Katsuya Nakano in a match against Ventforet Kofu. This was his only appearance for the club, and his departure was announced on 8 November 2022. In 2023, he joined CD Calahorra. He currently plays for UD Llanera.
3. Career statistics
| Season | Club | League | Apps | Goals | Cup Apps | Cup Goals | Total Apps | Total Goals | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010-11 | Sporting de Gijón B | Segunda División B | 25 | 3 | - | 25 | 3 | ||
| 2011-12 | 32 | 4 | 32 | 4 | |||||
| 2012-13 | 18 | 0 | 18 | 0 | |||||
| Sporting de Gijón | Segunda División | 12 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 15 | 0 | ||
| 2013-14 | 38 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 38 | 3 | |||
| 2014-15 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 1 | |||
| 2015-16 | Primera División | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | ||
| 2016-17 | Real Zaragoza | Segunda División | 15 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 16 | 0 | |
| 2017-18 | Extremadura UD | Segunda División B | 34 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 34 | 2 | |
| 2018-19 | Segunda División | 10 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 1 | ||
| 2018-19 | Bengaluru FC | Indian Super League | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2019-20 | Barakaldo CF | Segunda División B | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | |
| 2020-21 | CD Atlético Baleares | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 0 | ||
| Algeciras CF | 13 | 0 | - | 13 | 0 | ||||
| 2022 | FC Ryukyu | J2 League | 1 | 0 | - | 1 | 0 | ||
| Career total | 230 | 14 | 7 | 0 | 237 | 14 | |||
4. Honours
Bengaluru
- Indian Super League: 2018-19