Players - Alberto Moreno

Alberto Moreno
Birthdate: 5 July 1992
Birthplace: Seville, Spain
Other clubs: Sevilla (2004-14), Villareal (2019-)
Signed from: Sevilla
Signed for LFC: £12m, 16.08.2014
International debut: 15.10.2013 vs Georgia
International caps: 4/0 (2 at LFC) -14.11.2017
Liverpool debut: 25.08.2014
Last appearance: 07.01.2019
Debut goal: 31.08.2014
Last goal: 10.04.2016
Contract expiry: 01.07.2019
Win ratio: 46.81% W:66 D:37 L:38
Games/assists ratio: 12.82
Honours: Champions League 2019
League games / goals / assists: 90 / 3 / 5
Total games / goals / assists: 141 / 3 / 11

Player Profile

In signing a second young Spanish full-back in Alberto Moreno only a week after the arrival of Javier Manquillo Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers appeared to have finally become satisfied that he had enough options to cover both full-back positions and his arrival at Anfield will be a concern to Jose Enrique and Jack Robinson as well as Glen Johnson, whose best chance to make the first 11 this season seems to be as a left-back.

Moreno is nearly two years older than Manquillo but his past playing record is similar to his compatriot’s in that he has only represented a club from the city of his birth and progressed from being a youth player to the “B” team and from there into the senior team. So for Manquillo’s Atlético Madrid read Moreno’s Sevilla, the club that earlier in 2014 matched Juventus, Internazionale of Milan and Liverpool by winning the UEFA Cup (or it’s rebranded successor the Europa League) for a third time with Moreno playing throughout the final against Benfica in Turin which the Spanish club won on penalties following a 0-0 draw after extra-time. That completed a third season in which the young full-back had played for Sevilla’s first team but in the first of those seasons (2011-12), he had only played once in coming on as a late substitute for Manu in a 1-0 defeat to Athletic Club at the San Mamés Stadium in Bilbao.

2012/13 was the big breakthrough season for the 20-year-old at both club and international level. He played in 15 La Liga matches (12 from the start and 3 as a substitute) and added 2 more appearances in the Copa del Rey. He played at left full-back in all the matches he started (14) with the exception of the away league match at Mallorca in March when he played in a more attacking role as a left-winger or a left wing-back. Moreno is essentially a winger, who has been converted to a full-back. He began to represent his country regularly, appearing in the finals of the 2013 UEFA European Under-21 Championships which were held in Israel. Moreno played in the group matches against Russia and Germany but was left out of the last group match against the Netherlands with the Spaniards having already qualified for the knock-out stage. He was back in the starting eleven for a 3-0 victory over Norway in the semi-final and kept his place for the Jerusalem final three days later when Spain beat Italy 4-2 to take the trophy. 

More success followed in 2013-14. Moreno appeared in 76% of Sevilla’s league matches and 12 times in the Europa League as Los Rojiblancos progressed all the way through to the final, where they regained the trophy they had last won in 2007. Even without the European success Sevilla’s finishing league position of fifth would have meant that the club went straight into the group stage of the 2014/15 Europa League. For Señor Moreno, however, the goalposts have shifted because he now has the opportunity of playing in the Champions League for the first time as his new club reclaim their place at Europe’s top table after an absence of four seasons. At international level Vicente del Bosque named Moreno in his provisional squad of thirty players for the 2014 World Cup Finals in Brazil, but he failed to make the final 23. 

Moreno can be lightning quick so he appeared perfect for the Brendan Rodgers wants Liverpool to play, being able to go forward but also get back quickly to defend if necessary. It is probably fair to say that the young Spanish full-back started the season better than he ended it. A shaky start at Manchester City was followed by a thrilling goal at Tottenham six days later and gave hope that the club had found another marauding, goal-soring back in the John Arne Riise mould. Sadly, that never came to fruition and Moreno only scored once more, in a home match against Swansea City between Christmas and New Year. Moreno started 2015/16 on the bench as newcomer Joe Gomes was given the left back slot. However Moreno got back into the side when Gomes injured his knee and he played fifty games in all competitions. His goal goal return was a disappointment, managing just one all season. After Liverpool's defeat in the Europa League final, he was widely criticised by fans and media pundits who blamed him for Liverpool's second half collapse. He spent most of 2016/17 on the bench, starting just two Premier League games as James Milner was preferred as a makeshift left back. The following season he was first choice left back from the start, but when he suffered an ankle injury in December 2017 Andy Robertson came in and was outstanding.

On his return to fitness Moreno started just two more games in the rest of the campaign. He failed to make the squad for the opening game of 2018/19, but was an unused substitute in the next five games. By the end of the campaign he had started just four games and came off the bench once, with James Milner usually being preferred as a makeshift left back if Robertson was unavailable. It was no surprise when it was announced on 4th June 2019 that he would be released from the club on expiry of his contract that month. On 9th July he agreed a five year deal to join Spanish side Villareal where he was frustrated by a muscle injury for the first half of the 2019/20 season, but was the club's first choice eft back when the season resumed following the COVID 19 suspension. There was frustration for Moreno in 2021/22 when an cruciate ligament injury ruled him out of facing Liverpool when they were drawn against Villareal in the semi final of the Champions League.
Appearances per season
Season League FA LC Europe Other Total
Totals 90 9 11 31 0 141
2014-2015 28 4 2 7 0 41
2015-2016 32 0 5 13 0 50
2016-2017 12 3 3 0 0 18
2017-2018 16 1 0 10 0 27
2018-2019 2 1 1 1 0 5
A more detailed look at the player's appearances
Apps Minutes Opponent
8 647 Chelsea
7 537 Stoke City
7 423 Leicester City
7 412 Manchester United
6 540 Tottenham
6 455 Crystal Palace
6 429 Manchester City
6 378 West Ham United
5 450 Newcastle United
5 431 Aston Villa
5 404 Sunderland
5 363 Arsenal
5 360 WBA
4 360 Everton
4 300 Southampton
3 268 Watford
3 244 Swansea City
3 243 Sevilla
3 151 Burnley
2 210 Besiktas
2 180 Hoffenheim
2 180 Augsburg
2 180 Bordeaux
2 180 Villarreal
2 180 Rubin
2 180 NK Maribor
2 180 Wolves
2 180 Real Madrid
2 180 Borussia Dortmund
2 180 Plymouth Argyle
2 179 Norwich City
2 135 Spartak Moscow
2 98 Ludogorets
2 97 Hull City
1 120 Carlisle United
1 90 Bolton Wanderers
1 90 Cardiff City
1 90 Derby
1 90 Blackburn Rovers
1 90 Huddersfield Town
1 90 Leeds United
1 90 Porto
1 44 Basel
1 44 Sion
1 9 Bournemouth
1 8 Red Star Belgrade
1 4 Middlesbrough
Total Started/substitutions
118 Started
79 On the bench
23 Substitute
19 Substituted
Total Venue
75 Home
66 Away
Total Competition
90 Premier League
16 Champions League
15 Europa League
11 League Cup
9 FA Cup
Total W D L Win % Manager
90 45 24 21 50% Jürgen Klopp
51 21 13 17 41.2% Brendan Rodgers
Goals per season
Season League FA LC Europe Other Total
Totals 3 0 0 0 0 3
2014-2015 2 0 0 0 0 2
2015-2016 1 0 0 0 0 1
2016-2017 0 0 0 0 0 0
2017-2018 0 0 0 0 0 0
2018-2019 0 0 0 0 0 0
A more detailed look at the player's goalscoring
Total Opponent
1 Swansea City
1 Stoke City
1 Tottenham
Total Started/substitutions
3 Started
0 Substitute
Total Competition
3 Premier League
Total Goal minute period
1 1-15 minutes
1 31-45 minutes
1 46-60 minutes
Total Goal origin
3 Open play
Assists per season
Season League FA LC Europe Other Total
Totals 5 0 2 4 0 11
2014-2015 0 0 0 1 0 1
2015-2016 4 0 2 0 0 6
2016-2017 1 0 0 0 0 1
2017-2018 0 0 0 3 0 3
2018-2019 0 0 0 0 0 0
A more detailed look at the player's assists
Milestone Appearances
# Date Against Stadium Competition
1 25.08.2014 Manchester City Etihad Stadium League
50 01.10.2015 Sion Anfield Europe
100 27.12.2016 Stoke City Anfield League
Milestone Goals
# Minute Date Against Stadium Competition
1 60 31.08.2014 Tottenham White Hart Lane League
Other Clubs
Club Season Club rank League apps League goals Total apps Total goals
Sevilla 2011-2012 Spain 1 1 0 1 0
Sevilla 2012-2013 Spain 1 15 0 17 0
Sevilla 2013-2014 Spain 1 29 3 44 3
Villarreal 2019-2020 Spain 1 18 0 19 0
Total 63 3 81 3