Full name Andreu Fontàs Prat Playing position 1995–2006 Banyoles Weight 89 kg Salary 1 million EUR (2011) | Place of birth Banyoles, Spain Number 3 Height 1.86 m Career start 2008 | |
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Date of birth (1989-11-14) 14 November 1989 (age 27) Current team Celta de Vigo (#3 / Defender) Similar Sergi Gómez, Daniel Wass, Nemanja Radoja, Hugo Mallo, Jonathan Castro Otto Profiles | ||
Andreu Fontàs Prat ([ənˈdɾew funˈtas]; born 14 November 1989) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a central defender for Celta de Vigo.
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Early years
Born in Banyoles, Girona, Catalonia, Fontàs was a product of FC Barcelona's youth system, having previously played for amateurs CD Banyoles for 11 years.
Originally a defensive midfielder, he was reconverted into central defender by the B-team's coach Luis Enrique, a former Barcelona player.
Barcelona
Fontàs made his first team debut on 31 August 2009, replacing another La Masia graduate, Gerard Piqué, in the final six minutes of a 3–0 La Liga home win against Sporting de Gijón. Earlier into the 2009–10 campaign he was called by manager Pep Guardiola to the Spanish Supercup and UEFA Super Cup games, respectively against Athletic Bilbao and FC Shakhtar Donetsk, but finally did not make the bench on either occasion. He spent the vast majority of his first senior seasons registered with the reserves.
On 20 November 2010, Fontàs started for the first time in the league with the first team, assisting Pedro Rodríguez with a 50-meter pass for the fourth goal, as Barcelona trounced UD Almería 8–0 away. On 7 December he made his UEFA Champions League debut, against FC Rubin Kazan: as the Blaugrana had already progressed to the knock-out stages as group winners, he scored in the 2–0 home win, converting a pass from fellow youth graduate Thiago Alcântara.
On 16 March 2011, Fontàs was promoted to the senior team on a permanent basis after Éric Abidal was diagnosed with a tumour in his liver, thus becoming unavailable for the rest of the campaign. He appeared in three consecutive games in May for the eventual champions, always as a left back; on the 15th, as a starter, he returned to his natural position, in a 0–0 home draw against Deportivo de La Coruña.
Fontàs remained a backup in 2011–12. On 12 January 2012, in a game at CA Osasuna for the season's Copa del Rey, he suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury in the 10th minute of the game, being sidelined for several months.
On 15 October 2012, Fontàs was loaned to RCD Mallorca until the end of the season, as backup to João Victor who suffered a severe knee injury. He was almost exclusively used as a defensive midfielder during his spell in the Balearic Islands, with the campaign ending in relegation.
Celta
On 20 June 2013, Fontàs was signed by Celta de Vigo, who paid €1 million for the player and signed him to a three-year deal, with Barcelona reserving a buy-back option in addition to rights on any future transfer. He rejoined former Barcelona B boss Luis Enrique in the process.