Borja Valero Iglesias (Spanish pronunciation:[ˈboɾxaβaˈleɾo]; born 12 January 1985) is a Spanish former professional footballer who played as a midfielder.
In August 2007, Valero signed a five-year contract with Mallorca following his release from Real Madrid.[6] He scored his first La Liga goals in a 7–1 home win over Recreativo on 9 March 2008,[7] and added another a month later, against his former team in a 1–1 home draw.[8]
Valero scored the first goal on 11 May 2008, as his side came back from 2–0 down to beat BarcelonainFrank Rijkaard's last home game as the latter's manager.[9] He made 17 starts and played a total of 1,892 minutes during the season, helping to a seventh-place finish.
In mid-August 2008, Mallorca's president stated that he had rejected bids from West Bromwich Albion for Valero and Óscar Trejo,[10] but a week later, the former signed for the latter – newly promoted to the Premier League – for a club record fee of €7 million (£4.7 million). He agreed a four-year contract, with the option of a further year.[11]
Valero made his debut four days later in Albion's 3–1 League Cup defeat away to Hartlepool United.[12] Manager Tony Mowbray said that he would have benefited from his first game in English football, only hours after receiving international clearance, despite the loss.[13]
Following the team's relegation to the Championship after just one season, Valero said that he intended to remain at the club: "I still have a three-year contract here and would like to be true to that. For sure playing in the second division is not ideal. But if I have to put up with it then I am going to put up with it."[14] By the beginning of the next campaign, however, he had changed his mind: "I prefer to play in Mallorca and not to be in the second division in England. This is clear. I am disposed for a loan return but it is necessary for an accord between the clubs".[15]
Just hours before the close of the transfer window, Valero returned to Mallorca on loan for 2009–10.[16] On 13 September, in the first match in his second spell, he scored their 1000th top-flight goal in a 1–1 draw at Villarreal.[17] In another away fixture, he netted in the last minute for the nine-man side to clinch a 1–1 draw against Atlético Madrid in October,[18] and was ever-present as they finished fifth and qualified for the UEFA Europa League; he also won the prestigious Don Balón Award for the best Spanish player in the Spanish League.[19]
At the end of the campaign, Valero returned to his parent club after Mallorca confirmed they could not afford to take up the agreed fee of £2.5 million to make the move permanent.[20]
For 2010–11, it was reported that Valero was joining Villarreal on a five-year contract,[19] but the clubs eventually agreed on a season-long loan, with the move to be made permanent at the end of the campaign.[21] He scored on his home debut, a 4–0 victory over Espanyol on 12 September 2010,[22] and featured heavily throughout the season as the team finished in fourth position and qualified for the Champions League.
On 1 July 2011, Villarreal signed Valero on a permanent basis for an undisclosed fee.[23] The former were relegated at the end of the campaign, and it was reported that he was among a number of players expected to leave.[24]
On 1 August 2012, Fiorentina agreed with Villarreal for the transfer of Valero.[25] The move was confirmed three days later, and he joined the Serie A side alongside teammate Gonzalo Rodríguez;[26] he stated that leaving his previous club was not easy and that he still had not come to terms with its relegation.[27]
Valero made an immediate impact at the Viola, scoring five league goals in 37 games in his first season and providing 11 assists[28] as the team qualified for the Europa League. He scored his first goal in 2013–14 on 15 September in a 1–1 home draw against Cagliari,[29] and, on 2 November, contributed to a 2–0 win at AC Milan;[30] subsequently, he was named in Goal.com's Serie A Team of the Season.[31]
On 10 July 2017, Valero transferred to Inter Milan on a three-year contract.[33][34] He scored his first goal for his new club on 30 October, in a 2–1 away victory against Hellas Verona.[35]
Valero scored twice from 19 appearances in the 2019–20 campaign for the runners-up.[36]
On 16 September 2020, aged 35, Valero returned to Fiorentina.[37] On 30 June 2021, he announced his retirement from professional football,[38] but on 19 August confirmed to have agreed to join Florence-based fan-owned Promozione amateur club CS Lebowski.[39]
^ abLisanti, Francesco (23 June 2017). "All'Inter serve davvero Borja Valero?" [Do Inter really need Borja Valero?] (in Italian). Ultimo Uomo. Retrieved 24 June 2020.