Alexander 'Álex' Vallejo Mínguez (born 16 January 1992) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Hungarian club Diósgyőr. He has previously played for Spanish clubs Alavés, Sestao, Mallorca, Córdoba and Fuenlabrada, before moving to England in 2020, Cyprus in 2022 and Poland in 2023.

Álex Vallejo
Personal information
Full name Alexander Vallejo Mínguez
Date of birth (1992-01-16) 16 January 1992 (age 32)
Place of birth Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain
Height 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in)
Position(s) Midfielder
Team information
Current team
Diósgyőr
Number 50
Youth career
2003–2011 Alavés
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2011–2012 Alavés B 18 (0)
2011–2012 Alavés 1 (0)
2012Sestao (loan) 7 (0)
2012–2015 Mallorca B 75 (2)
2013–2017 Mallorca 23 (1)
2017–2019 Córdoba 46 (0)
2019–2020 Fuenlabrada 10 (0)
2020–2022 Huddersfield Town 21 (1)
2022–2023 Doxa Katokopias 18 (0)
2023 Stal Mielec 14 (0)
2023– Diósgyőr 31 (2)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 12 August 2024

Football career

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Born in Vitoria-Gasteiz, Álava, Vallejo finished his graduation with Deportivo Alavés' youth setup, and made his senior debut with the club's reserves in the 2011–12 season, in the Tercera División. On 20 August 2011, he made his first-team debut, but was substituted after 24 minutes after conceding a penalty in a 2–2 away draw against CA Osasuna B, in the Segunda División B championship.[1]

On 25 January 2012, Vallejo signed a new deal with Alavés and was immediately loaned to Sestao River Club, also in the third division.[2] On 2 August, he joined fellow third-division side RCD Mallorca B[3] and was a regular starter in the 2012–13 season, in which the club were relegated.

On 23 November 2013, Vallejo played his first professional game with the club's first team, starting in a 2–1 home win over former club Alavés, in the Segunda División.[4] On 26 June of the following year, he renewed his association with the Balearic outfit for three years, being definitively promoted to the first-team.[5]

On 20 December 2014, Vallejo scored his first professional goal in a 3–1 away loss to SD Ponferradina; this match proved to be his last one with the main squad before suffering a severe knee injury in April 2015, sidelining him for nearly two years.[6]

On 2 July 2017, after suffering relegation from the Segunda División, free agent Vallejo signed a two-year contract with fellow second-tier team Córdoba CF.[7] On 5 August 2019, after another relegation, he signed a one-year deal with second division newcomers CF Fuenlabrada.[8]

On 31 January 2020, after appearing sparingly, Vallejo cut ties with Fuenla.[9]

On 18 October 2020, Vallejo joined EFL Championship side Huddersfield Town as a free agent on a contract running until the end of the 2020–21 season with Huddersfield having the option of a further year’s extension.[10] After a period of adapting to manager Carlos Corberán’s physical demands, he made 16 appearances for the club in the 2020–21 campaign. Huddersfield activated the one year option for the 2021–22 season.[11] He scored his first goal for Huddersfield against Blackburn Rovers on 28 September 2021.[12] Huddersfield announced on 1 June 2022 that he had been released.[13]

After a short stint with Cypriot side Doxa Katokopias, on 26 January 2023 Vallejo signed a six-month deal with Polish Ekstraklasa side Stal Mielec, with a two-year extension option.[14]

Career statistics

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As of match played 27 May 2023[15][16]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National Cup League Cup Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Alavés 2011–12 Segunda División B 1 0 0 0 1 0
Sestao (loan) 2011–12 Segunda División B 7 0 0 0 7 0
Mallorca B 2012–13 Segunda División B 36 1 36 1
2013–14 Tercera División 30 1 30 1
2014–15 Segunda División B 9 0 9 0
Total 75 2 75 2
Mallorca 2013–14 Segunda División 6 0 0 0 6 0
2014–15 Segunda División 4 1 1 0 5 1
2015–16 Segunda División 0 0 0 0 0 0
2016–17 Segunda División 13 0 0 0 13 0
Total 23 1 1 0 24 1
Córdoba 2017–18 Segunda División 18 0 2 0 20 0
2018–19 Segunda División 28 0 1 0 29 0
Total 46 0 3 0 49 0
Fuenlabrada 2019–20 Segunda División 10 0 1 0 11 0
Huddersfield Town 2020–21 Championship 16 0 1 0 0 0 17 0
2021–22 Championship 5 1 0 0 1 0 6 1
Total 21 1 1 0 1 0 23 1
Doxa Katokopias 2022–23 Cypriot First Division 18 0 1 0 19 0
Stal Mielec 2022–23 Ekstraklasa 14 0 14 0
Career total 215 4 7 0 1 0 0 0 223 4

References

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  1. ^ El Alavés cede dos puntos en el minuto 93 (Alavés gives away two points in the 93rd minute); El Correo, 20 August 2011 (in Spanish)
  2. ^ Álex Vallejo renueva y se marcha cedido al Sestao (Álex Vallejo renews and goes on loan to Sestao); El Correo, 25 January 2012 (in Spanish)
  3. ^ Nuevos fichajes del Mallorca B (New signings of Mallorca B); RCD Mallorca, 2 August 2012 (in Spanish)
  4. ^ Los bermellones respiran en tres minutos mágicos (Los bermellones breathes in three magic minutes); Marca, 23 November 2013 (in Spanish)
  5. ^ Moreno y Vallejo renuevan con el RCD Mallorca (Moreno and Vallejo renew with RCD Mallorca); RCD Mallorca, 26 June 2014 (in Spanish)
  6. ^ La vuelta de Álex Vallejo y las quejas justificadas de Vázquez (The return of Álex Vallejo and the justified complains of Vázquez); Futbol Desde Mallorca, 11 October 2016 (in Spanish)
  7. ^ Seis fichajes y dos renovaciones para poner caras al nuevo proyecto del CCF (Six signings and two renewals to start up the new project of CCF); El Día de Córdoba, 2 July 2017 (in Spanish)
  8. ^ "El CF Fuenlabrada ficha a Álex Vallejo" [CF Fuenlabrada sign Álex Vallejo] (in Spanish). CF Fuenlabrada. 5 August 2019. Retrieved 7 August 2019.
  9. ^ "El CF Fuenlabrada y Vallejo acuerdan la rescisión de su contrato" [CF Fuenlabrada and Vallejo agree the rescision of his contract] (in Spanish). CF Fuenlabrada. 31 January 2020. Retrieved 20 February 2020.
  10. ^ Threlfall-Sykes, David (18 October 2020). "SIGNING: MIDFIELDER ÁLEX VALLEJO JOINS TOWN". Huddersfield Town A.F.C. Archived from the original on 19 October 2020. Retrieved 13 May 2021.
  11. ^ Tomlinson, Adam (11 May 2021). "RETAINED LIST CONFIRMED". Huddersfield Town A.F.C. Archived from the original on 11 May 2021. Retrieved 13 May 2021.
  12. ^ "Huddersfield 3-2 Blackburn". BBC. 28 September 2021. Retrieved 30 September 2021.
  13. ^ "2021/22 RETAINED LIST CONFIRMED". www.htafc.com. Retrieved 3 June 2022.
  14. ^ "Alexander Vallejo Mínguez podpisał kontrakt z FKS Stal Mielec S.A." (in Polish). Stal Mielec. 26 January 2023.
  15. ^ "ÁLEX VALLEJO". lapreferente.com. Retrieved 28 March 2022.
  16. ^ Álex Vallejo at Soccerway
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