Spain Born in
El Masnou,
Barcelona,
Catalonia, Bruno Saltor was a product of
Espanyol's youth system. He appeared only once for the first team, playing eight minutes in a 3–1 home win over
Rayo Vallecano on 29 September 2001; he was used almost exclusively by
the B-side during his tenure, spending three of his four years in
Segunda División B. After a further two stints in his native region, with
Gimnàstic (loan) and
Lleida, Bruno Saltor joined
Almería in the summer of 2006, being instrumental in the
Andalusia side's
first ever promotion to
La Liga as a
late bloomer. In
2007–08, he missed only four league games as his team overachieved for a final eighth place, and produced similar numbers in
the following season. In mid-June 2009, Bruno Saltor signed a three-year deal with
Valencia and reunited with former Almería manager
Unai Emery. He had previously arranged a transfer to
Real Betis, but the move collapsed as the club was eventually relegated.
Brighton & Hove Albion in 2015 On 25 June 2012, after a further 33 league appearances for Valencia in two seasons combined,
free agent Bruno signed a two-year contract for
EFL Championship club
Brighton & Hove Albion. He scored his first goal for his new team on 24 November, in a 1–1 draw at home to
Bolton Wanderers. At the age of 35/36, Bruno Saltor was still the automatic first choice in his position, helping the club gain promotion to the
Premier League at the end of the
2016–17 campaign after 34 years. Previously, in March 2017, the
captain agreed to a one-year contract extension, and on 20 April he was included in the Championship Team of the Year for the second year running. Bruno Saltor made his debut in the
English top flight on 12 August 2017, playing the whole of a 2–0 home loss to
Manchester City. On 3 April 2018, he signed a new one-year deal. Two weeks later, he made his first league start since January, at home to
Tottenham Hotspur in a 1–1 draw that gave his team "a big point" in their fight against relegation, and remained in the side for the 1–0 home win against
Manchester United that
ensured their safety, to which the player contributed with 25 appearances (26 overall). A
hamstring injury during the opening match of 2018–19 lost Bruno Saltor his place to fellow Spaniard
Martín Montoya. Despite his return to the side in early October coinciding with three consecutive winning
clean sheets, it proved short-lived. He played in the early rounds of the
2018–19 FA Cup, but not in the quarter-final or semi-final, and started five of the last six league matches as Brighton narrowly avoided relegation. On 10 May 2019, Bruno Saltor announced his retirement at the end of the season. He started the 4–1 defeat at home to Manchester City that confirmed their second consecutive Premier League title, and ended his post-match speech of appreciation and farewell with the words "Once a Seagull, always a Seagull". ==Coaching career==