Oriol Soldevila

Oriol Soldevila
Personal information
Full name Oriol Soldevila Puig[1]
Date of birth (2001-03-26) 26 March 2001 (age 23)[1]
Place of birth Barcelona, Spain
Height 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)[1]
Position(s) Midfielder
Team information
Current team
 Hércules
Number 18
Youth career
2015–2018 Cornellà
2018–2020 Barcelona
2020–2022 Birmingham City
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2022–2024 Intercity 68 (7)
2024– Hércules 7 (5)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 6 October 2024

Oriol Soldevila Puig (born 26 March 2001) is a Spanish footballer who plays as a midfielder for Hércules.

Career

Soldevila was born in Barcelona. He began playing futsal at the age of five. After training in seven-a-side football with RCD Espanyol, he continued at Atlètic Sant Just FC, and turned down an approach from UE Cornellà in order to continue playing with his friends. In his first season of 11-a-side, his delayed growth meant that he only played the last two games, but that was enough to be scouted by Cornellà in the División de Honor Infantil.[2]

Soldevila's performances for Cornellà attracted the attention of the two largest teams in Catalonia, FC Barcelona and Espanyol, and he joined the former's La Masia academy in 2018.[2] He won the under-19 league in his first season and made substitute appearances in the following year's UEFA Youth League, from which Barcelona were eliminated at the group stage. He left at the end of his second season and trialled at Birmingham City – managed by compatriot Aitor Karanka – before signing for its under-21 team in the Premier League 2.[3]

After 19 games, four goals and five assists in his second season in England, Soldevila returned to Spain. He signed a two-year deal with CF Intercity of the third-tier Primera Federación on 29 June 2022.[4] Facing his former club Barcelona in the last 32 of the Copa del Rey on 4 January 2023, he scored a hat-trick to equalise three times, but Intercity still lost, 4–3 after extra time. He became the first player to score a hat-trick against Barcelona since Kylian Mbappé in 2021.[5][6]

In the summer of 2024, Soldevila signed with Hércules in Primera Federación.[7]

Personal life

Soldevila, whose grandfather Oriol Puig was a national motocross champion, idolised the Spanish motorcycle rider Marc Márquez. He practised the sport himself until his Barcelona contract prohibited it.[2][3]

References

  1. ^ a b c "Soldevila, Oriol Soldevila Puig". BDFutbol. Retrieved 20 June 2024.
  2. ^ a b c Rogé, Albert (18 November 2018). "Oriol Soldevila, un futbolista sobre ruedas" [Oriol Soldevila, a footballer on wheels]. Sport (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 5 January 2023. Retrieved 18 January 2023.
  3. ^ a b Dick, Brian (5 January 2023). "Oriol Soldevila and Birmingham City: The lowdown on the man who stunned Barcelona". Birmingham Mail. Archived from the original on 28 February 2021. Retrieved 18 January 2023.
  4. ^ Vera, Pedro (29 June 2022). "Oriol Soldevila, tercer refuerzo del Intercity para el nuevo curso" [Oriol Soldevila, Intercity's third addition for the new season] (in Spanish). Cadena SER. Archived from the original on 29 June 2022. Retrieved 18 January 2023.
  5. ^ Giménez, Santi (4 January 2023). "Ansu evita el desastre" [Ansu avoids disaster]. Diario AS (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 14 February 2023. Retrieved 20 June 2024.
  6. ^ May, Sam (5 January 2023). "Oriol Soldevila scores first hat-trick against Barcelona since Kylian Mbappe to help third-tier Spanish minnows Intercity come from behind three times, only for Ansu Fati to send Barca through to Copa del Rey last-16". Talksport. Archived from the original on 5 January 2023. Retrieved 20 June 2024.
  7. ^ "Soldevila, nuevo jugador del Hércules CF" [Soldevila, new Hércules CF player] (in Spanish). Hércules. Retrieved 12 October 2024.