As a 20-year-old, during the 2021/22 season, Alex Baena played a pivotal role in helping Girona get promoted from the Segunda Division.
Since then, Alex Baena has become a regular at Villarreal, became a full Spanish international and is now linked with a move to some of the top clubs in Europe, including Manchester City.
The visualisation below highlights Baena’s key numbers from this season compared with the other left-wingers from the Tier-1 leagues.
Álex Baena Radar Map At Villarreal
Having played the second-most minutes for an outfield player at Villarreal last season, Alex Baena has gradually risen to become the most important player for the Yellow Submarine.
Alex Baena ranks joint-third for assists in Europe’s top-five leagues this season, with five to his name.
Baena averages 0.99 key passes per 90 minutes; only Raúl Moro averages more among players who have played 500 or minutes in La Liga so far and ranks higher than Jude Bellingham and Antoine Griezmann for that metric.
A very good progressor of the ball, Baena has mostly played on the left side and occupies the left channel to receive the pass and progress it.
With 8.44 progressive passes per 90 minutes, Baena ranks in the top 20% for ball progression.
His ability to play impressively in tight spaces means he is more suited to a possession-based side, which explains his links to a club like Manchester City.
A high-volume shooter and an excellent creator of big chances, Baena’s flexible positioning in attacks makes him vital to his team’s play.
His biggest area of improvement is his ability to win in defensive actions and his defensive work rate.
A versatile player in the attacking aspect, Baena bears a lot of similarity to someone like İlkay Gündoğan whose future next season with City is up in the air and the Spanish international could very much be an option not just for Pep Guardiola’s team but a number of other clubs in Europe.
