Imanol García de Albéniz should not be confused with Imanol García.
| Imanol | |
| Full Name: | Imanol García de Albéniz Crecente |
| Birth Date: | 8 June 2000 |
| Birth Place: | Gallarta, Spain |
| Height: | 1.77 m |
| Position: | Left back |
| Currentclub: | Sparta Prague |
| Clubnumber: | 3 |
| Youthclubs1: | Gallarta |
| Youthyears2: | 2010–2018 |
| Youthclubs2: | Athletic Bilbao |
| Years1: | 2018–2019 |
| Caps1: | 36 |
| Goals1: | 1 |
| Years2: | 2019–2023 |
| Caps2: | 44 |
| Goals2: | 2 |
| Years3: | 2021–2022 |
| Clubs3: | → Mirandés (loan) |
| Caps3: | 34 |
| Goals3: | 2 |
| Years4: | 2022–2023 |
| Clubs4: | → Eibar (loan) |
| Caps4: | 27 |
| Goals4: | 0 |
| Years5: | 2023–2024 |
| Caps5: | 9 |
| Goals5: | 0 |
| Years6: | 2024– |
| Caps6: | 0 |
| Goals6: | 0 |
| Nationalyears1: | 2024– |
| Nationalteam1: | Basque Country[1] |
| Nationalcaps1: | 1 |
| Nationalgoals1: | 0 |
| Club-Update: | 4 June 2024 |
| Nationalteam-Update: | 24 March 2024 |
Imanol García de Albéniz Crecente (born 8 June 2000), sometimes known simply as Imanol, is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a left back for Czech First League club Sparta Prague.
Imanol was born in Gallarta, Biscay, Basque Country, and joined Athletic Bilbao's Lezama youth academy in 2010 from hometown side CD Gallarta. He made his senior debut with the farm team on 26 August 2018, starting and scoring his team's second in a 2–2 Tercera División home draw against SD Deusto.[2]
Imanol was promoted to the reserves in Segunda División B ahead of the 2019–20 season, and immediately became a regular starter for the side. He renewed his contract with the Lions until 2025 on 5 March 2021,[3] and moved to Segunda División side CD Mirandés on a one-year loan deal on 1 July, along with Iñigo Vicente.[4]
Imanol made his professional debut on 16 August 2021, starting in a 0–0 away draw against Málaga CF.[5] He scored his first professional goal seven days later, netting his team's second in a 2–0 home win over SD Amorebieta.
On 14 July 2022, Imanol was loaned to SD Eibar in the second division for the season.[6] In February 2023, he suffered an Achilles tendon rupture, being sidelined for the remainder of the campaign.[7]
Back to Athletic in July 2023, Imanol was definitely assigned to the first team during the pre-season,[8] and made his La Liga debut for the club as a second-half substitute on the opening matchday of the 2023–24 season, a 2–0 loss to Real Madrid at San Mamés.[9]
On 16 July 2024, Imanol joined Czech First League club Sparta Prague for an undisclosed fee.[10] [11]
| Club | Season | League | Copa del Rey | Europe | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
| Basconia | 2018–19 | Tercera Federación | 36 | 1 | — | — | — | 36 | 1 | ||||
| Bilbao Athletic | 2019–20 | Segunda División B | 20 | 1 | — | — | 1 | 0 | 21 | 1 | |||
| 2020–21 | Segunda División B | 24 | 1 | — | — | 2 | 0 | 26 | 1 | ||||
| Total | 44 | 2 | — | — | 3 | 0 | 47 | 2 | |||||
| Mirandés (loan) | 2021–22 | Segunda División | 34 | 2 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 34 | 2 | |||
| Eibar (loan) | 2022–23 | Segunda División | 27 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 28 | 0 | |||
| Bilbao | 2023–24 | La Liga | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 10 | 0 | |||
| Career total | 150 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 155 | 5 | |||
Athletic Bilbao