Albert Crusat

Albert Crusat Domènech (born 13 May 1982) is a Spanish retired footballer who played mostly as a left winger, from where he often relied on his dribbling ability and incredible pace.

After starting out at Espanyol, he spent most of his professional career with Almería, appearing in 212 competitive matches and scoring 34 goals during six seasons, four of those in La Liga. He also played two years in England with Wigan Athletic.

Early years

Born in Barcelona, Catalonia, Crusat was a product of local RCD Espanyol's youth system. He played five games with the first team during the 2002–03 season, the first on 2 September 2002 in a 0–2 away loss against Real Madrid where he only played five minutes as a starter, as the club went on to barely avoid La Liga relegation.

Subsequently, Crusat had second division stints with Rayo Vallecano and UE Lleida: in the first, as the Madrid side was relegated, he only managed to appear five times, leaving in December 2003.

Almería

In 2005–06, Crusat joined UD Almería, being instrumental in the Andalusians' first-ever top flight promotion the following season by scoring 11 goals. He only missed four games in the subsequent eighth-place finish in the 2007–08 campaign, totalling 2,693 minutes of action.

Crusat had his most successful year in the top division in 2009–10, as Almería retained its status for the third consecutive year. Without the presence of striker Álvaro Negredo, he was much more depended upon in goalscoring matters and netted seven times in 33 matches – joint-second in the team – as they finished in 13th position (he also collected 13 yellow cards).

On 19 January 2011, Crusat scored one of Almería's most important goals, in a 3–2 win at Deportivo de La Coruña (4–2 on aggregate) which meant the club reached the semifinals of the Copa del Rey for the first time ever.

Wigan Athletic

On 30 August 2011, it was confirmed by Wigan Athletic manager Roberto Martínez that his fellow countryman Crusat was having a medical at the club after a £2 million bid was accepted by Almería. Four days later the player completed his move to the English club, and made his Premier League debut on 10 September, appearing as a substitute in a 0–3 away loss against Manchester City.

Crusat scored his first goal for the Latics on 19 November 2011, making it 3–2 for the hosts in the 88th minute of an eventual 3–3 draw against Blackburn Rovers. He spent the vast majority of his second season on the sidelines, nursing a severe knee injury, and left the club on 22 May 2013 after his contract expired.

Bnei Sakhnin

On 30 January 2014, after more than one year away from football, Crusat joined Bnei Sakhnin FC. In September, after recurring problems in his knee, he retired at the age of 32 and with the intention of getting a manager degree.

Club

Lleida

• Segunda División B: 2003–04

Country

Spain U16

• UEFA European Under-16 Championship: 1999