Cristian Tello
Tello playing for Porto in 2014
Personal information
Full name Cristian Tello Herrera[1]
Date of birth (1991-08-11) 11 August 1991 (age 32)[1]
Place of birth Sabadell, Spain[1]
Height 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)[1]
Position(s) Forward, winger
Team information
Current team
 Al Fateh
Number 37
Youth career
1999–2002 Can Rull
2002–2008 Barcelona
2007–2008 → Damm (loan)
2008–2010 Espanyol
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2010 Espanyol B 4 (1)
2010–2012 Barcelona B 39 (9)
2011–2017 Barcelona 59 (11)
2014–2016 → Porto (loan) 36 (7)
2016–2017 → Fiorentina (loan) 51 (6)
2017–2022 Betis 140 (17)
2022 Los Angeles FC 5 (0)
2023– Al Fateh 29 (10)
International career‡
2010 Spain U19 3 (0)
2011 Spain U20 5 (1)
2012–2013 Spain U21 12 (2)
2012 Spain U23 6 (0)
2013 Spain 1 (0)
2013– Catalonia 3 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 23:35, 30 December 2023 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 25 May 2022

Cristian Tello Herrera (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈkɾistjan ˈteʎo eˈreɾa]; born 11 August 1991) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a forward or winger for Saudi Pro League club Al Fateh.

He spent his youth at Espanyol and Barcelona, playing for both clubs' reserves before breaking through into the first team of the latter. He also spent one and a half seasons in Portugal with Porto and as many in Italy with Fiorentina. He returned Spain with Betis in 2017, where he made 172 total appearances and scored 24 goals, winning the Copa del Rey in 2022.

Tello represented Spain at the 2012 Olympics, and was part of the under-21 squad which won the European Championship in 2013. He won his only full cap in 2013.

Club career

Espanyol

Born in Sabadell, Barcelona, Catalonia, Tello started playing at the age of eight with CFU Can Rull, moving to FC Barcelona shortly after and being loaned to another club in the region, CF Damm, for one year.

In 2008, his contract expired and RCD Espanyol signed him. He made his senior debut in the 2009–10 season, playing four games with the B team and being relegated from the Segunda División B.[2]

Barcelona

In June 2010, Tello moved back to FC Barcelona Atlètic, who competed in the Segunda División.[3] On 9 November 2011 he made his debut for Barça's main squad, playing the full 90 minutes in a 1–0 away win against CE L'Hospitalet in the round of 32 of the Copa del Rey;[4] he scored a brace in the second leg, a 9–0 demolition.[5]

Tello made his first La Liga appearance on 28 January 2012, coming on as a substitute for Adriano in the 75th minute of a 0–0 draw at Villarreal CF.[6] The following weekend, in his first league start, he opened the score in the eighth minute of a 2–1 home victory over Real Sociedad after a through ball by Lionel Messi.[7]

Tello in action for Barcelona in the 2011–12 Champions League

On 7 March 2012, Tello replaced Andrés Iniesta early into the second half of a match against Bayer 04 Leverkusen at the Camp Nou, taking his bow in the UEFA Champions League: he scored his first goal within two minutes, after Cesc Fàbregas played him through over the top and he ran from the halfway line to net from just inside the penalty area for the 4–0; six minutes later, from a similar position, he made it 6–0 for the hosts in an eventual 7–1 win (10–2 on aggregate).[8]

Even though his future initially seemed uncertain,[9][10] Tello managed to convince new manager Tito Vilanova and stayed in roster for the 2012–13 campaign, inclusively going on to start in several games. On 19 September 2012 he scored the opener and assisted Messi in the second goal, in a 3–2 home defeat of FC Spartak Moscow in the Champions League group stage, where he was also chosen as Player of the match.[11]

On 13 December 2012, Tello signed a new contract with Barcelona, keeping him with the Blaugrana until June 2016.[12] Nine days later, he scored after only 30 seconds on the pitch in the last play of the 3–1 away win over Real Valladolid.[13]

Tello fell further down the offensive pecking order in 2013–14, following the arrival of Neymar.[14][15] He scored his first goal of the season on 11 December in a 6–1 home rout of Celtic in the Champions League group phase,[16] and six days later he also found the net, in a 3–0 victory against FC Cartagena in the domestic cup (7–1 on aggregate).[17] In the quarter-finals of the latter competition, away to Levante UD, he profited from three Messi assists to score his first hat-trick as a professional as his team won 4–1.[18]

Tello was loaned to FC Porto of the Primeira Liga on 16 July 2014, in a two-year deal.[19] He scored his first goal for the club on 25 November, entering as a substitute for Ricardo Quaresma and concluding a 3–0 win at FC BATE Borisov in the group stage of the Champions League.[20] Five days later, he netted his first league goal, the opener in a 5–0 home win over Rio Ave FC.[21] On 1 March 2015, he scored all of his side's goals as they beat Sporting CP 3–0.[22]

On 22 January 2016, Barcelona and ACF Fiorentina reached an agreement for the loan of Tello until 30 June 2016.[23] He made his Serie A debut on 3 February, starting a 2–1 defeat of Carpi F.C. 1909 at the Stadio Artemio Franchi, and scored his first goal 18 days later in a 3–2 victory at Atalanta BC.[24]

On 16 August 2016, the loan was renewed for the upcoming season.[25]

Betis

On 30 June 2017, Tello joined Real Betis on a five-year deal for €4 million.[26] He made his debut from the bench on 25 August in a 2–1 home win over RC Celta de Vigo,[27] and scored his first goal on 15 October as a consolation in a 6–3 loss to Valencia CF also at the Estadio Benito Villamarín.[28] On 30 November, he netted twice in a 5–3 defeat (6–5 aggregate) to fellow Andalusians Cádiz CF in the last 32 of the domestic cup.[29]

Tello scored four league goals in each of his first two seasons.[30] In 2019–20 he rarely started under manager Rubi and was linked to January moves to Espanyol or Celta;[31] he stayed and scored the late winner against Real Madrid on 8 March.[32]

Tello scored five goals in 2020–21.[33] On 22 May 2021, as the campaign ended with qualification for the UEFA Europa League via a 3–2 comeback win at Celta, he came on as a half-time substitute and received the first sending-off of his career for two yellow cards in as many minutes.[34]

Tello contributed six appearances and one goal as his side won the 2021–22 Spanish Cup.[35] This included nine minutes of the final against Valencia CF.[36]

Los Angeles FC

Tello signed a three-year deal with Los Angeles FC on 26 August 2022,[37][38] with his $1.78 million salary being one of the highest in Major League Soccer.[39] He made his debut on 13 September as a substitute in a 1–1 draw at Minnesota United FC,[40] as his team ended the season with the Supporters' Shield.[41] In the championship game, he came on in extra time as LAFC defeated the Philadelphia Union in a penalty shootout for their first MLS Cup; he took and missed the first attempt.[42]

Al Fateh

On 25 January 2023, Tello joined Saudi Arabian club Al Fateh SC on an 18-month contract.[43]

International career

Tello playing for Spain at the 2012 Olympics

Tello was a member of the Spanish squad that participated in the 2012 Summer Olympics in London,[44] playing all three games in an eventual group stage exit.[45] He made his only appearance with the full side on 14 August 2013, starting in a 2–0 friendly win in Ecuador.[46]

Tello also represented the unofficial Catalonia team, making his debut on 2 January 2013 in a 1–1 draw with Nigeria.[47]

Career statistics

As of match played 30 December 2023[48][49]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup[a] League cup[b] Continental Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Espanyol B 2009–10 Segunda División B 4 1 — — — 1[c] 0 5 1
Barcelona B 2010–11 Segunda División 23 4 — — — — 23 4
2011–12 16 5 — — — — 16 5
Total 39 9 — — — — 39 9
Barcelona 2010–11 La Liga 0 0 0 0 — — — 0 0
2011–12 15 3 4 2 — 3[d] 2 — 22 7
2012–13 22 7 6 0 — 4[d] 1 2[e] 0 34 8
2013–14 22 1 6 3 — 2[d] 1 0 0 30 5
Total 59 11 16 5 — 9 4 2 0 86 20
Porto (loan) 2014–15 Primeira Liga 25 7 1 0 3 0 8[d] 1 — 37 8
2015–16 11 0 3 1 1 0 5[d] 1 — 20 2
Total 36 7 4 1 4 0 13 2 — 57 10
Fiorentina (loan) 2015–16 Serie A 15 2 0 0 — 0 0 — 15 2
2016–17 36 4 0 0 — 5[f] 0 — 41 4
Total 51 6 0 0 — 5 0 — 56 6
Betis 2017–18 La Liga 32 4 1 2 — — — 33 6
2018–19 29 4 6 0 — 6[f] 1 — 41 5
2019–20 27 2 3 1 — — — 30 3
2020–21 29 5 4 0 — — — 33 5
2021–22 23 2 6 1 — 6[f] 2 — 35 5
Total 140 17 20 4 — 12 3 — 172 24
Los Angeles FC 2022 Major League Soccer 5 0 — — — 1[g] 0 6 0
Al Fateh 2022–23 Saudi Pro League 15 4 1 0 — — — 16 4
2023–24 14 6 2 1 — — — 16 7
Total 29 10 3 1 — — — 32 11
Career total 361 60 43 10 4 0 39 8 4 0 452 77
  1. ^ Includes Copa del Rey, Taça de Portugal, King Cup
  2. ^ Includes Taça da Liga
  3. ^ Appearance in Segunda División B relegation play-offs
  4. ^ a b c d e Appearances in UEFA Champions League
  5. ^ Appearances in Supercopa de España
  6. ^ a b c Appearances in UEFA Europa League
  7. ^ Appearance in MLS Cup Playoffs

Honours

Barcelona

Betis

Los Angeles FC

Spain U21

Individual

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Cristian Tello Herrera". Real Betis. Retrieved 9 December 2021.
  2. ^ "Cristian Tello e Isaac Cuenca, la historia de dos carreras paralelas" [Cristian Tello and Isaac Cuenca, the story of two parallel careers] (in Spanish). Cadena SER. 5 February 2012. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
  3. ^ "El Espanyol espera alguna contraprestación a la marcha de Tello al Barça" [Espanyol expect some compensation to Tello's departure to Barça]. Sport (in Spanish). 1 July 2010. Retrieved 14 August 2018.
  4. ^ Aldunate, Ramiro (9 November 2011). "Otro 'Iniestazo'" [Another 'Iniestazo']. Marca (in Spanish). Retrieved 10 November 2011.
  5. ^ Aldunate, Ramiro (22 December 2011). "Escabechina antes de Navidad" [Slaughter before Christmas]. Marca (in Spanish). Retrieved 23 December 2011.
  6. ^ "Barca slip up again to lose ground". ESPN Soccernet. 28 January 2012. Archived from the original on 2 February 2012. Retrieved 29 January 2012.
  7. ^ "Barcelona stay in the hunt". ESPN Soccernet. 4 February 2012. Retrieved 4 February 2012.[permanent dead link]
  8. ^ Bogunyà, Roger (8 March 2012). "FC Barcelona – Bayer 04 Leverkusen: The champions are a goalscoring machine (7–1)". FC Barcelona. Archived from the original on 10 March 2012. Retrieved 8 March 2012.
  9. ^ Sans, Gabriel (22 June 2012). "La negociación por Tello aún no ha arrancado" [Tello negotiations have not started yet]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). Retrieved 9 December 2021.
  10. ^ Fernández, Elena (13 July 2012). "El futuro de Tello, una incógnita" [Tello's future, in the air] (in Spanish). Merca Fútbol. Archived from the original on 15 July 2012. Retrieved 20 September 2012.
  11. ^ Hunter, Graham (19 September 2012). "Messi's Barcelona show sees off Spartak". UEFA. Retrieved 20 September 2012.
  12. ^ "Tello ends uncertainty with new Barcelona deal". UEFA. 13 December 2012. Retrieved 13 December 2012.
  13. ^ "Barcelona stay nine clear". ESPN FC. 22 December 2012. Retrieved 22 December 2012.
  14. ^ Chambers, Miles (19 July 2013). "'I can deal with Neymar competition' – Tello". Goal. Retrieved 10 January 2014.
  15. ^ "Tello: "No quiero escuchar ofertas, quiero triunfar en el Barça"" [Tello: "I don't want to hear about any offers, I want to make it big in Barça"] (in Spanish). La Ronda. 19 July 2013. Archived from the original on 10 January 2014. Retrieved 10 January 2014.
  16. ^ Hunter, Graham (11 December 2013). "Neymar treble helps Barcelona canter past Celtic". UEFA. Retrieved 23 January 2014.
  17. ^ Egea, Pablo (18 December 2013). "Felices fiestas para Neymar" [Merry Christmas Neymar]. Marca (in Spanish). Retrieved 10 January 2014.
  18. ^ Aldunate, Ramiro (22 January 2014). "Messi cocina y Tello se pone las botas" [Messi cooks it and Tello gets fired up]. Marca (in Spanish). Retrieved 23 January 2014.
  19. ^ "Transfer news: Barcelona forward Cristian Tello joins Porto on two-year loan deal". Sky Sports. 16 July 2014. Archived from the original on 24 July 2014. Retrieved 16 July 2014.
  20. ^ "Herrera pulls the strings as Porto march on". UEFA. 25 November 2014. Retrieved 25 November 2014.
  21. ^ Vilela, Mounique (30 December 2014). "Porto 5 x 0 Rio Ave: Dragão goleia, mas mantém distância para o líder Benfica" [Porto 5 x 0 Rio Ave: Dragon rout but keep distance to leaders Benfica] (in Portuguese). Goal. Retrieved 1 December 2014.
  22. ^ Ames, Nick (1 March 2015). "Cristian Tello hat-trick sinks Sporting as Porto maintain pressure on Benfica". The Guardian. Retrieved 7 March 2015.
  23. ^ "Agreement with Fiorentina for the loan of Cristian Tello". FC Barcelona. 22 January 2016. Retrieved 22 January 2016.
  24. ^ Matar, Daniella (21 February 2016). "Fiorentina wins 3–2 at Atalanta, Roma beats Palermo 5–0". Yahoo!. Retrieved 23 February 2016.
  25. ^ "Agreement between FC Barcelona and Fiorentina for the loan of Cristian Tello". FC Barcelona. 16 August 2016. Retrieved 16 August 2016.
  26. ^ "Cristian Tello completes five-year move from Barcelona to Betis". Diario AS. 30 June 2017. Retrieved 11 October 2022.
  27. ^ Lastra, Luis (25 August 2017). "Otro Villamarín, otro Betis (2-1)" [Another Villamarín, another Betis (2-1)]. El Correo de Andalucía (in Spanish). Retrieved 11 October 2022.
  28. ^ "Valencia go second after nine-goal thriller". Marca. 15 October 2017. Retrieved 11 October 2022.
  29. ^ "El Cádiz tumba al Betis en una borrachera de goles" [Cádiz sink Betis in a glut of goals]. Hoy (in Spanish). 30 November 2017. Retrieved 11 October 2022.
  30. ^ "Tello, el rendimiento más eficaz para el especialista de las faltas" [Tello, the most effective productivity for set piece specialist]. Diario de Sevilla (in Spanish). 14 April 2019. Retrieved 28 August 2022.
  31. ^ Naranjo, María (20 January 2020). "Tello seguirá en el Betis: para Rubi es "uno más"" [Tello will continue at Betis: for Rubi, he is just "another player"] (in Spanish). El Desmarque. Retrieved 11 October 2022.
  32. ^ Lowe, Sid (9 March 2020). "Rubi's Real Betis melodrama keeps rolling after victory over Real Madrid". The Guardian. Retrieved 11 October 2022.
  33. ^ Lagos, Daniel (8 May 2021). "Pellegrini espera al mejor Tello" [Pellegrini waiting for best Tello]. Diario AS (in Spanish). Retrieved 28 August 2022.
  34. ^ Morán, Miguel Ángel (22 May 2021). "Una remontada de Europa League" [A Europa League comeback]. Marca (in Spanish). Retrieved 11 October 2022.
  35. ^ Morán, Miguel Ángel (1 December 2021). "El Betis golea al Alicante con Joaquín en plan estelar" [Betis thrash Alicante with Joaquín as the star]. Marca (in Spanish). Retrieved 28 August 2022.
  36. ^ a b "Real Betis 1–1 Valencia (5–4 on pens): Real Betis win Copa del Rey final on penalties". BBC Sport. 23 April 2022. Retrieved 24 April 2022.
  37. ^ Serrano, Rodrigo (21 August 2022). "Cristian Tello has reached an agreement to join LAFC". Diario AS. Retrieved 25 August 2022.
  38. ^ "LAFC signs forward Cristian Tello". Los Angeles FC. 26 August 2022. Retrieved 26 August 2022.
  39. ^ Tannenwald, Jonathan (19 October 2022). "Certain MLS teams spent big on salaries this summer. Here are some of the biggest names". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved 9 November 2022.
  40. ^ Virgen, Benjamin (14 September 2022). "First takeaways from LAFC's 1-1 draw at Minnesota United". The Striker. Retrieved 11 October 2022.
  41. ^ a b Booth, Chuck (10 October 2022). "MLS Playoff Schedule: LAFC win Supporters Shield for best record; postseason begins Oct. 15". CBS Sports. Retrieved 11 October 2022.
  42. ^ a b Sánchez, Jordi (6 November 2022). "Cristian Tello triomfa a Los Angeles i guanya la MLS" [Cristian Tello triumphs in Los Angeles and wins MLS] (in Catalan). iSabadell. Retrieved 9 November 2022.
  43. ^ Al-Habib, Issa (25 January 2023). "الفتح يتعاقد مع كريستيان تيلو حتى2024" [Al-Fateh sign Cristian Tello until 2024]. Al Madina (in Arabic). Retrieved 25 January 2023.
  44. ^ "Euro 2012 trio Mata, Alba & Martinez in Spain Olympic squad". BBC Sport. 5 July 2012. Retrieved 8 September 2017.
  45. ^ "Spain 0–0 Morocco: La Roja fail to fire again to finish bottom of Olympics Group D". Goal. 1 August 2012. Retrieved 8 September 2017.
  46. ^ Estepa, Javier (15 August 2013). "Taconeo ante Ecuador" [Taconeo against Ecuador]. Marca (in Spanish). Retrieved 15 August 2013.
  47. ^ Rodríguez, Roberto (2 January 2013). "Catalunya empata con Nigeria en la despedida de Johan Cruyff" [Catalonia draw with Nigeria on Johan Cruyff's farewell]. La Vanguardia (in Spanish). Retrieved 11 October 2022.
  48. ^ a b Cristian Tello at Soccerway
  49. ^ Cristian Tello at ESPN FC
  50. ^ a b c "Tello". FC Barcelona. Archived from the original on 7 June 2013. Retrieved 24 January 2014.
  51. ^ "Tello eleito o melhor jogador do mês de março" [Tello voted March player of the month] (in Portuguese). SAPO. 15 April 2015. Retrieved 11 December 2019.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Cristian Tello.
Al Fateh SC – current squad
Spain men's football squad – 2012 Summer Olympics
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