Early years Alba was born in
L'Hospitalet de Llobregat,
Barcelona,
Catalonia. He started his career in the
youth ranks of
Barcelona as a
left winger, but was released by the club in 2005 for being too small. He then joined neighbouring club
Cornellà and, after almost two years, departed in a €6,000 transfer to
Valencia where he finished his football education. After helping
the reserves earn promotion from
Tercera División in
2007–08, Alba played on
loan at
Segunda División club
Gimnàstic Tarragona the following season, where he made 22 starts.
Valencia in 2011 After returning to
Los Che, Alba made his
La Liga debut on 13 September 2009, in a 4–2 win at
Real Valladolid. He then started in two consecutive
UEFA Europa League group stage matches, against
Lille and
Slavia Prague (both 1–1 draws, respectively
away and
home). Due to continuing injuries in Valencia's defence, he played much of
2009–10 as a
left-back, posting overall good performances. In that position, on 11 April 2010, he scored his first goal for the club, in a 2–3
away loss to
Mallorca. In
2010–11, still with
Unai Emery in charge, Alba was used almost always as a defender, battling for first-choice status with
Jérémy Mathieu. He made 27 league appearances as the team again finished third, subsequently qualifying for the
2011–12 UEFA Champions League. In
the following campaign, Emery began using both players on Valencia's left side, a strategy he had tested the previous season. This proved an effective tactic as Alba and Mathieu frequently interchanged position and offered support for one another in both attacking and defensive areas; ultimately, Alba credited Emery as a "key man" in his successful transition to a more defensive role.
Barcelona of
Napoli in 2014 On 28 June 2012, Alba signed a 5-year contract with Barcelona for a transfer fee of €14 million. He made his official debut on 19 August, playing the full 90 minutes in a 5–1
home win against
Real Sociedad. Alba scored his first goal for the
Blaugrana on 20 October 2012, the opener in a 5–4 win at
Deportivo La Coruña, and scoring an
own goal. In the following game, at home against
Celtic in the
Champions League group stage, he found the net in the
93rd minute of a 2–1 win. On 12 March 2013, Alba scored his fifth goal of the campaign, scoring in the
last minute to complete Barcelona's 4–0 home win over
A.C. Milan in the
Champions League round of 16 after a 0–2 first leg defeat at the
San Siro, when his team became the first in the competition's history to overturn such a deficit. He ended
his first season at Barcelona as
league champion, as
Tito Vilanova's side regained the title from
Real Madrid. On 2 June 2015, Alba agreed to a new 5-year contract with a new buyout clause of €150 million. Four days later, he started in the
Champions League final, helping the club to its fifth win in the competition by beating
Juventus 3–1 at
Berlin's
Olympiastadion. He made 38 appearances in all competitions, with one goal, as Barça won a
treble. On 22 May 2016, Alba won the second
Copa del Rey of his career, scoring in the 97th minute of
the final against
Sevilla after a through pass from
Lionel Messi, in an eventual 2–0
extra-time win at the
Vicente Calderón in
Madrid. in 2019On 11 March 2019, Alba agreed to a new five-year contract with a new
buyout clause of €500 million. Alba missed out on 50% of the games in the
2019–20 season, missing 12 out of 24 games, due to a
hamstring injury and a muscle injury. Alba had his best performance in the
2020–21 season where he scored 5 goals and 13 assists in all competitions as he won the
Copa del Rey with his club. On 9 August 2021, Jordi Alba was announced as the 4th captain of Barcelona after captain Lionel Messi left the club ahead of the
2021–22 season. On 24 May 2023, it was announced that Alba would leave Barcelona at the end of the 2022–23 season, after the player and the club reached an agreement to terminate the contract one year earlier than its expiration.
Inter Miami On 20 July 2023,
Inter Miami announced the signing of Alba on a one-and-a-half-year contract, with the option of a further year. His presentation was right before his debut for the club on 3 August against
Orlando City in a
Leagues Cup play-off game, coming on in the second half to help his team secure a 3–1 win. On 15 August he scored his first goal for the club in the semi-final of the Leagues Cup against
Philadelphia Union in a 4–1 victory. He would go on and win his first title with the club on 20 August when Inter Miami beat
Nashville SC in the
2023 Leagues Cup final after a penalty shootout. On 7 September, Alba scored his first regular season goal for the club in a 3–1 victory over
Los Angeles FC. On 9 December 2024, Inter Miami triggered Alba's contract extension, keeping him at the club until the end of the
2025 season. On 15 May 2025, he extended his contract with the club until 2027. On 7 October 2025, Alba announced he would retire from football after the end of the 2025 MLS season. With Inter Miami making it to the
2025 MLS Cup championship game, Alba played his final professional match in a 3–1 victory over
Vancouver Whitecaps FC on 6 December; fellow Inter Miami and former Barcelona teammate
Sergio Busquets also played his final match. ==International career==