Jordi Alba's link with Cornellà
Cornellà. A club known to Jordi Alba given that the FC Barcelona left-back played for the verdiblancos for two years.
From La Masia to the verdiblancos
It won't be just another match for the No.18 either. Cornellà v Barça (9.00pm CET) in the last 16 of the Copa del Rey 2020/21 will see Jordi Alba return to what was his home from 2005 to 2007. The player, from L'Hospitalet, played for the various Barça youth teams for seven years before joining the side from Baix Llobregat at U16.
Alba's football knowledge grew at Cornellà where he excelled as a player, combining what he'd learned at Barça with the tough and combative side he needed to display whilst at the verdiblancos.
At the Municipal de la Via Fèrria he wore the No.10 and gained his superior physical conditioning in the role, a quality he currently applies to the Barcelona left wing. His tireless forays into attack and his quick return to defensive positions are some of the characteristics that he began to forge in Cornellà.
Interestingly, Alba will also experience a reunion with a former team-mate. Álex Talavera, who was at La Masia and is the current president of Cornellà, played alongside Alba for the verdiblancos.
From there, he moved to Valencia's U19A side, then to Nàstic. Since 2012, he has been a consistent presence on Barça's left side.
On Thursday, January 21, Cornellà v Barça will reunite Alba with his past, which has had a real impact on his present.