Bellerín started his career at Barcelona, and moved to Arsenal in 2011. He played 239 games across all competitions, winning three FA Cups and two FA Community Shields, as well as a Copa del Rey while on loan at Real Betis. He returned to Barcelona in September 2022, and had a brief spell at Sporting CP in the Portuguese Primeira Liga before a permanent move to Betis.
Bellerín played internationally for Spain from under-16 to under-21 levels. He made his senior debut for Spain in 2016 and was later chosen for the European Championship of that year.
Early life
Born in Badalona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Bellerín started his club football career in Barcelona's youth team. He moved to Arsenal in the summer of 2011, and signed his first professional contract the following year.[4] While a youth player at Arsenal, Bellerín also helped the club to reach fourth place of the NextGen Series of 2012–13.[citation needed]
Club career
Arsenal
Early career and loan to Watford
Bellerín was first included in an Arsenal squad on 26 September 2012, remaining unused in their League Cup third round 6–1 win at home to Coventry City.[5] He made his competitive debut away to West Bromwich Albion in the same competition the following 25 September, coming on in the 95th minute as a substitute in a penalty shootout victory after a 1–1 draw.[6]
Two months later, Bellerín joined Championship club Watford on a two-month loan deal, and made his debut against Yeovil Town eight days after signing.[7] The loan at Watford was extended until the end of the season,[8] but he was recalled by Arsenal in February 2014.[9]
Bellerín was selected to start for Arsenal in the 2015 FA Cup Final on 30 May, helping the team keep a clean sheet in a 4–0 win over Aston Villa at Wembley Stadium.[13]
2015–2018: PFA Team of the Year, second FA Cup win
He signed a new long-term contract before the 2015–16 season and played the entirety of Arsenal's 1–0 win over rivalsChelsea in the 2015 FA Community Shield.[14] He was the sole Arsenal player listed in that season's PFA Team of the Year,[15] and came in third place in Arsenal's Player of the Season voting.[16] On 21 November 2016, he signed a new long-term contract after agreeing to a deal that ties him to the club until 2022.[17][18]
Bellerín featured in the following season throughout Arsenal's victorious 2016–17 FA Cup campaign. He played in the Cup final which Arsenal went on to win by a 2–1 margin against Chelsea.[19] He was again triumphant in the Gunners lifting the 2017 Community Shield by beating Chelsea 4–1 on penalties.[20]
Bellerín scored his first goal of Arsenal's 2017–18 season in Arsenal's 3–1 victory over 1. FC Köln.[21] On 3 January 2018, Bellerín earned a draw for Arsenal against Chelsea with what BBC Sport described as 'stunning injury-time strike' in the 92nd minute, having earlier conceded a penalty for a foul on Eden Hazard.[22] Bellerín played the full time match as Arsenal lost the EFL Cup by 3–0 to Manchester City at Wembley.[23] On 7 March 2018, Bellerín was ruled out of the Europa League first leg clash against Milan with an unknown return date.[24]
2018–2021: Injury, third FA Cup win
Bellerín missed out the first five weeks of the 2018–19 season due to a calf problem.[25] During a league game against Chelsea on 19 January he suffered a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his left knee and was stretchered off of the pitch in the 70th minute at the Emirates Stadium. He was later ruled out for nine months, consequently missing the remainder of the season and the start of the 2019–20 season.[26] Arsenal coach Unai Emery perceives Bellerín as "very mature" and believes that "he is already preparing to come back stronger than before".[27][28]
On 24 September 2019, Bellerín made his return from injury as a substitute in Arsenal's 5–0 victory against Nottingham Forest in the EFL Cup.[29] On 21 January 2020, he scored in the 87th minute to help Arsenal earn a 2–2 draw against Chelsea in the Premier League. That was his only goal of the season.[30] On 1 August 2020, Bellerín was selected to start in the FA Cup Final against Chelsea, and went on to win his third winners' medal as Arsenal won their 14th FA Cup.[31]
On 14 February 2021, Bellerín scored his first goal of the 2020–21 season in a 4–2 win over Leeds United in the Premier League.[32]
2021–22 season: Loan to Real Betis
On 31 August 2021, Bellerín returned to Spain after a decade, joining Real Betis on a season-long loan.[33] He made his debut in La Liga 13 days later, in a 2–1 win at Granada.[34] On 21 November, he was sent off at Elche for a foul on Tete Morente while his team were winning 3–0, the final score.[35] In the 2022 Copa del Rey Final on 23 April, he played the full 120 minutes as his team defeated Valencia to lift the cup.[36]
Barcelona
On 1 September 2022, Bellerín returned to Barcelona following the termination of his contract at Arsenal. He signed a one-year deal, with Arsenal retaining 25% of a future transfer fee.[37] He was signed to cover the absence of injured right-backSergiño Dest; Barcelona had previously wanted César Azpilicueta to cover this role, but he renewed at Chelsea instead.[38]
Bellerín made his debut for his hometown club on 10 September, starting in a 4–0 win at Cádiz.[39] Having made only two further substitute appearances, he totalled 141 minutes in the league by the turn of the year.[38][40] In January 2023, Bellerín told the newspaper Ara that his annual salary was €500,000, far below the reported salaries of some teammates; he called for footballers to earn less and pay more tax.[41]
Sporting CP
On 31 January 2023, Bellerín signed a six-month contract with Primeira Liga club Sporting CP,[42] for a fee of €500,000, which could rise to €1.5 million with add-ons.[43] He made his debut six days later in a 1–0 win at Rio Ave as a late substitute.[44] He played 13 total games for the team from Lisbon, scoring once on 27 February to open a 2–0 home win over G.D. Estoril-Praia; it was two years to the month since his last goal, for Arsenal against Leeds.[45]
Return to Betis
On 18 July 2023, Bellerín returned to Betis on a five-year deal, on a free transfer.[46]
In November 2020, Bellerín was recalled to the Spain squad for the first time in over four years, as Jesús Navas withdrew through injury.[51] He played in a 1–1 friendly draw away to the Netherlands in his comeback match.[52]
Style of play
Early in his career Bellerín was known for his pace, which allowed him to take on opposition defenders as well as provide defensive cover. At the beginning of the 2014–15 season, he broke Theo Walcott's 40-metre (130 ft; 44 yd) Arsenal sprint record by 1/100 of a second.[53]
Personal life
Bellerín is known for his unconventional eccentric character revolving around his progressive stances,[54] London accent,[55][56][57][58] fashionable looks[59] and dandy lifestyle.[60] Bellerín became a vegan in 2017, which he credits for improving his health.[61] In an interview in August 2019, he said that footballers have a responsibility to create awareness around environmental issues and that "It's nice to show what we have—our cars, our watches—but good to send a more meaningful message than 'look how cool we are'."[62]
The 2019–20 Premier League was suspended in March 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. When it returned in June, Bellerin pledged to plant 3,000 trees for every Arsenal victory in the remainder of the season.[63]
Bellerín became the second-largest shareholder of EFL League Two club Forest Green Rovers in September 2020. He praised their commitments to veganism and environmentalism.[64]
Bellerín is also a creative director for the EA Sports FIFA Volta game mode.[65]
Politics
Known for his opinions on political matters, Bellerín has declared himself left-wing and not a supporter of any political party.[66]
In March 2022, Bellerín spoke against what he described as double standards of the West on other issues compared to its response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. "It is quite difficult to see that we are more interested in this war than in others", he told La Media Inglesa. "I don't know if it is because they are more like us or because the conflict can affect us more directly both economically and in terms of refugees. The Palestinian war has been completely silenced, no one speaks about it. Yemen, Iraq... now Russia not being able to play in the World Cup is something that other countries have faced for many years." He went on to say it was racist to "[turn] a blind eye to other conflicts" and that it also showed "a lack of empathy for the number of lives lost in many conflicts and we are prioritising those that are near to us."[68]
In January 2023, Bellerín declared his opposition to Catalan independence, calling himself "Catalan and Spanish" as his parents were born outside the region.[69][66]
^Haramis, Nick (19 November 2022). "Soccer's Most Stylish Man". The New York Times. Retrieved 1 October 2023. Now 27, he'd come back to La Liga as a zoomer's David Beckham: a world-famous athlete with a cockney accent, [...].
^Pithers, Ellie (10 March 2019). "Why Héctor Bellerín Is Football's Most Stylish Player". British Vogue. Retrieved 1 October 2023. If his clothing choices are unexpected, then so are his outspoken views on everything from climate change to education, delivered in a mellifluous Cockney-meets-Catalonia accent.
^Sandison, Dan. "Issue 15: An audience with Hector Bellerin". Mundial. Retrieved 1 October 2023. From his accent to his mannerisms, the way he dresses and the people he surrounds himself with: Héctor Bellerín is a Londoner.
^Northcroft, Jonathan (7 February 2016). "Héctor Bellerin: Born to run". The Times. Retrieved 1 October 2023. Bellerin has absorbed local linguistics: he has the best Euro-London accent since Jeremie Aliadiere and says "mate" more often than Ray Parlour.
^Moreno, Jonathan (30 March 2018). "La dieta de Héctor Bellerín para evitar lesiones" [Héctor Bellerín's diet for avoiding injuries]. Sport (in Spanish). Barcelona. Archived from the original on 3 January 2019. Retrieved 3 January 2019.
