Quick Facts
LibraBiography
Daniel "Dani" Abalo Paulos ([daˈnjel ˈdani aˈβalo ˈpaulos]; born 29 September 1987) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a right winger for Racing de Ferrol.
He began his career at Celta, playing almost exclusively in Segunda División, and won the Bulgarian league title twice with Ludogorets Razgrad.
Club career
Celta
Born in Vilagarcía de Arousa, Province of Pontevedra, Abalo joined local RC Celta de Vigo for his last year as a junior, then proceeded to make his senior debuts with the B-team in Segunda División B. On 3 December 2006 he made his first official appearance with the main squad, coming in as a late substitute in a 2–2 La Liga away draw against RCD Mallorca; in late July 2009 he extended his contract with the Galicians until 2013, with a buyout clause of €10 million.
From 2008 to 2011, with Celta in Segunda División, Abalo was an important first-team element. However, in the 2011–12 season, as the club returned to the top flight after an absence of five years, he only contributed with four games and 67 minutes, being subsequently loaned in quick succession to Gimnàstic de Tarragona and S.C. Beira-Mar (the latter in Portugal).
Ludogorets
On 26 June 2013, Bulgarian champions PFC Ludogorets Razgrad announced they were set to sign Abalo after he became a free agent shortly after. The transfer was completed the following day after he passed his medical, and the player agreed to a two-year contract, being given the number 17 shirt.
Abalo played his first game with his new team on 17 July 2013, featuring in a 1–2 away defeat against ŠK Slovan Bratislava for the second qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League. He made his league debut three days later, in a 0–1 loss at FC Lyubimets 2007; in the second leg tie against Slovan on the 24th, he scored twice for a 3–0 win at Ludogorets Arena and the subsequent qualification.
Abalo made his debut in the Champions League group phase on 16 September 2014, grabbing a 1–1 equalizer away against Liverpool in the 90th minute, but in an eventual 1–2 loss. He repeated the feat in the second match between the two sides, in a 2–2 draw.
Having won the league title in both of his seasons, Abalo left Ludogorets in May 2015 with the intention of returning to Spain or moving to England.
Later career
On 24 July 2015, Abalo signed a two-year contract at Turkish Süper Lig club Sivasspor. He made his debut on 23 August, scoring from Cicinho's assist in a 2–4 loss at Eskişehirspor.
On 20 January 2016, Abalo returned to his country and signed with Deportivo Alavés until the end of the second level campaign. After gaining promotion with the Basques he travelled abroad again, signing with Poland's Korona Kielce on 3 September. A week later he made his debut in Ekstraklasa, replacing compatriot Miguel Palanca for the final seven minutes of a 1–0 home win over Arka Gdynia; his first goal came on 17 October, again off the bench to equalise in a 1–2 loss to Śląsk Wrocław at the Kielce City Stadium.
On 31 August 2017, Abalo signed a three-year deal at FC Cartagena in Spain's third tier. His team won their group in his first season, but were eliminated from the playoffs by former club Celta B, and in his second year he was loaned to UP Langreo of the same division; his contract was rescinded on 3 July 2019.
Club statistics
- As of 25 May 2015
| Club | Season | Division | League | Cup | Europe | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
| Celta B | 2005–06 | Segunda División B | 15 | 3 | – | – | – | – | 15 | 3 |
| 2006–07 | 34 | 3 | – | – | – | – | 34 | 3 | ||
| Celta | 2006–07 | La Liga | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 1 | 0 |
| Celta B | 2007–08 | Segunda División B | 35 | 4 | – | – | – | – | 35 | 4 |
| Celta | 2007–08 | Segunda División | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 2 | 0 |
| 2008–09 | 35 | 2 | 1 | 0 | – | – | 36 | 2 | ||
| 2009–10 | 29 | 2 | 8 | 0 | – | – | 38 | 2 | ||
| 2010–11 | 33 | 3 | 1 | 1 | – | – | 34 | 4 | ||
| 2011–12 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | – | – | 6 | 0 | ||
| Gimnàstic | 2011–12 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 17 | 0 | |
| Celta | 2012–13 | La Liga | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | – | 1 | 0 |
| Total | Spain | 207 | 17 | 14 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 221 | 21 | |
| Beira-Mar | 2012–13 | Primeira Liga | 8 | 2 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 8 | 2 |
| Total | Portugal | 8 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 2 | |
| Ludogorets | 2013–14 | A Group | 26 | 6 | 7 | 1 | 9 | 3 | 42 | 10 |
| 2014–15 | 28 | 7 | 5 | 1 | 10 | 3 | 43 | 11 | ||
| Total | Bulgaria | 54 | 13 | 12 | 2 | 19 | 6 | 85 | 21 | |
Honours
Ludogorets
- Bulgarian A Professional Football Group: 2013–14, 2014–15
- Bulgarian Cup: 2013–14
- Bulgarian Supercup: 2014
Alavés
- Segunda División: 2015–16