Albert Crusat

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Crusat and the second or maternal family name is Domènech.

Albert Crusat
Personal information
Full name Albert Crusat Domènech
Date of birth (1982-05-13) 13 May 1982 (age 42)
Place of birth Barcelona, Spain
Height 1.64 m (5 ft 5 in)
Position(s) Winger
Youth career
1993–1996 Rubí
1996–2000 Espanyol
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2000–2003 Espanyol B 76 (15)
2002–2003 Espanyol 5 (0)
2003 Rayo Vallecano 5 (1)
2004–2005 Lleida 54 (7)
2005–2011 Almería 199 (33)
2011–2013 Wigan Athletic 15 (1)
2014 Bnei Sakhnin 4 (0)
Total 358 (57)
International career
1998–1999 Spain U16 10 (1)
1999 Spain U17 3 (1)
2001 Spain U18 3 (0)
Medal record
Representing  Spain
UEFA European Under-16 Championship
Winner 1999 Czech Republic
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Albert Crusat Domènech (born 13 May 1982) is a Spanish retired footballer who played as a left winger.

After starting out at Espanyol, he spent most of his professional career with Almería, appearing in 212 competitive matches and scoring 34 goals over six seasons, four of those in La Liga.[1] He also played two years in England with Wigan Athletic.

Club career

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Early years

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Born in Barcelona, Catalonia, Crusat was a product of local RCD Espanyol's youth system. He appeared in five games with the first team during the 2002–03 season, the first on 2 September 2002 in a 2–0 away loss against Real Madrid where he played five minutes as a starter,[2] as the club went on to barely avoid La Liga relegation.

Subsequently, Crusat had Segunda División stints with Rayo Vallecano and UE Lleida: in the first, as the Madrid side were relegated, he only managed to take the field on five occasions, leaving in December 2003.[3]

Almería

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In 2005–06, Crusat joined UD Almería, being instrumental in the Andalusians' first-ever top-flight promotion the following season by scoring 11 goals.[4] He missed just four games in the subsequent eighth-place finish in the 2007–08 campaign, totalling 2,693 minutes of action.

Crusat had his most successful year in the top division in 2009–10, as his team retained their status for the third consecutive year. Without the presence of striker Álvaro Negredo, he was much more depended upon in scoring matters and netted seven times in 33 matches – joint-second in the team – as they finished in 13th position (he also collected 13 yellow cards).[5]

On 19 January 2011, Crusat scored one of Almería's most important goals, in a 3–2 win at Deportivo de La Coruña (4–2 on aggregate) which meant the club reached the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey for the first time ever.[6]

Wigan Athletic

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On 30 August 2011, it was confirmed by Wigan Athletic manager Roberto Martínez that his compatriot Crusat was having a medical after a £2 million bid was accepted by Almería. Four days later, the player completed his move to the English club,[7] and made his Premier League debut on 10 September, appearing as a substitute in a 3–0 away loss to Manchester City.[8]

Crusat scored his first goal for the Latics on 19 November 2011, making it 3–2 for the hosts in the 88th minute of an eventual 3–3 draw against Blackburn Rovers.[9] He spent the vast majority of his second season on the sidelines, nursing a severe knee injury,[10][11] and left the DW Stadium on 22 May 2013 after his contract expired.[12]

Bnei Sakhnin

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On 30 January 2014, after more than one year away from football, Crusat joined Bnei Sakhnin F.C. of the Israel Premier League.[13] In September, after recurring problems in his knee, he retired at the age of 32 and with the intention of getting a manager degree.[14]

Honours

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Lleida

Spain U16

References

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  1. ^ Laynez, Pablo (15 October 2010). "Albert Crusat, la piedra angular de los rojiblancos" [Albert Crusat, red-and-whites' cornerstone]. Diario de Almería (in Spanish). Retrieved 18 December 2013.
  2. ^ Alcaide, Jesús (2 September 2002). "El Madrid redondea un día grande" [Madrid put icing on cake to big day]. El Mundo (in Spanish). Retrieved 10 February 2016.
  3. ^ García Jodar, Antonio (23 April 2018). "Que fue de.... Albert Crusat" [What happened to.... Albert Crusat] (in Spanish). Vavel. Retrieved 9 December 2022.
  4. ^ García, Nico (4 August 2010). "La bala humana" [The human bullet] (in Spanish). La Escuadra de Mago. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 20 February 2015.
  5. ^ Gregorio, Paco (13 May 2010). "Kalu Uche y el trío Soriano-Crusat-Piatti, la clave del gol" [Kalu Uche and the trio Soriano-Crusat-Piatti, the key to goal]. Diario de Almería (in Spanish). Retrieved 28 July 2020.
  6. ^ Rincón, Jaime (19 January 2011). "El Almería se niega a despertar del sueño" [Almería refuse to awake from dream]. Marca (in Spanish). Retrieved 12 April 2011.
  7. ^ "Wigan Athletic sign Spanish winger Albert Crusat". BBC Sport. 30 August 2011. Retrieved 30 August 2011.
  8. ^ Magowan, Alistair (10 September 2011). "Manchester City 3–0 Wigan". BBC Sport. Retrieved 10 September 2011.
  9. ^ "Yakubu salvages dramatic point". ESPN Soccernet. 19 November 2011. Archived from the original on 25 November 2011. Retrieved 20 November 2011.
  10. ^ "Premier League previews: Bale back for Spurs". The Times. 21 December 2012. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
  11. ^ Ley, John (3 May 2013). "West Bromwich Albion v Wigan Athletic: match preview". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
  12. ^ "Wigan exodus begins as Di Santo, Figueroa, Alcaraz, Stam and Crusat leave". Daily Express. 22 May 2013. Retrieved 24 December 2013.
  13. ^ קרוסאט חתם בסכנין, הקבוצה נגד המשטרה [Crusat signed with Sakhnin, the team against the police] (in Hebrew). One. 30 January 2014. Retrieved 30 January 2014.[permanent dead link]
  14. ^ García, Nico (8 September 2014). "Estaría en la Premier ahora si no llego a lesionarme" [I would be in the Premier now if not for my injury]. Diario de Almería (in Spanish). Retrieved 20 February 2015.
  15. ^ Bobrowsky, Josef. "European U-16 Championship 1999". RSSSF. Retrieved 9 December 2022.
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