He played as a left winger, and also as a left-back. He made a name for himself at Espanyol (with whom he won a Copa del Rey and reached the 2007 UEFA Cup final) and also played professionally in France, England, Greece, Turkey, Italy and Slovenia, notably spending three years with Galatasaray.
In the summer of 2003, Riera moved to Bordeaux.[7] He made 66 competitive appearances for the Ligue 1 side over a two-year spell, netting nine times;[8] this included five in a run to the quarter-finals of the UEFA Cup in his first season before elimination by eventual winners Valencia.[9][10][11][12][13]
Espanyol
Riera returned to Spain in 2005, when he signed for Espanyol.[14] In his first season he played only eight league matches, prompting a January 2006 loan move to Manchester City[15] where he was also unable to establish himself, scoring his only goal against Newcastle United in a 3–0 home win on 1 February.[16]
Riera returned to Catalonia prior to 2006–07. During that season, Espanyol reached the final of the UEFA Cup at Hampden Park, Glasgow, where they played fellow Spaniards Sevilla; he scored to level the game at 1–1, but his team eventually lost 3–1 on penalties.[17] At the end of the campaign, he extended his contract until 2011.[18]
Liverpool
Riera (left) in action for Liverpool
On 1 September 2008 (transfer deadline day), Riera signed a four-year deal with Liverpool for a fee of £8 million, being given the number 11 shirt.[6] He made his Premier League debut on the 13th, playing 71 minutes of a 2–1 home win against Manchester United,[19] and scored his first goal for the Reds as they beat Wigan Athletic 3–2 on 18 October,[20] adding another in the 3–1 victory at PSV Eindhoven in the group stage of the Champions League.[21]
On 18 March 2010, Riera was suspended after comments made to the Spanish press regarding his first team opportunities and the approach of manager Rafael Benítez. The player was quoted as saying: "He's never sorted out a situation with a player by talking with him."[24] He was transfer listed following the comments, with Russian clubs CSKA Moscow and Spartak Moscow thought to be interested in a permanent move.[25] On the 23rd of that month it was announced that Liverpool had accepted a £6 million bid from CSKA for the player;[26] however, it appeared to be solely rumours, any interest was officially denied[27]– additionally, the player's agent, Ángel Castells, confirmed that only Spartak had made a proposal.[28]
Olympiacos
On 23 July 2010, Riera joined Olympiacos on a four-year contract.[29] The deal was reported to be worth around €6 million (€4 million plus another potential €2 million in bonuses), with a salary of around €2.5 million per season; he became one of the most expensive transfers in the country's history, as he reunited with former Espanyol manager Ernesto Valverde.[30]
Riera playing for Galatasaray against Ankaragücü (2012)
On 3 September 2011, Riera completed a €3 million move to Turkish side Galatasaray, signing a four-year deal.[34] He scored his first goal in the Süper Lig on 25 January 2012 in a 4–0 home defeat of Ankaragücü, and was an habitual first-choice in his first season as the Istanbul-based team won the national championship; he was also involved, however, in a punching session with teammate Felipe Melo just before the playoffs started.[35]
Riera scored his first and only goal for Watford on 19 April 2014, in the 3–1 home win over Ipswich Town.[40] He had an extended run until late in the month, when he was sent off for two bookable offences in a 3–1 loss at Charlton Athletic after a high challenge on Diego Poyet.[41] After the match, he was charged by The Football Association for improper conduct, having confronted the officials and having to be dragged away by his team-mates;[42] he was given a two-match ban although only one remained to end the campaign,[43] and he subsequently returned to Udinese.[44]
Later career
On 29 November 2014, Riera was sacked by Udinese for attending a poker tournament rather than reporting to play against Chievo,[45][46] also taking to Twitter to insult the organisation.[47] He returned to his first club Mallorca the following 5 March, after agreeing to a one-and-a-half-year deal.[48] In May, he was subjected to disciplinary proceedings after claiming he would not appear again for the team as long as Miquel Soler was the manager.[49]
On 11 September 2015, Slovenian sports newspaper Ekipa reported that Riera would sign a contract with Zavrč.[50] Three days later, he was officially presented.[51]
Riera terminated his contract on 22 January 2016,[52] but remained in the country as he joined Koper until June 2018 shortly after.[53] He joined the team also as an assistant sporting director, and made one brief appearance against Primorje in the first game of the second half of the season; he was then suspended from training and his contract was cancelled unilaterally in July 2016.[54]
International career
Riera made his debut for the Spain national team on 13 October 2007 in an UEFA Euro 2008qualifier against Denmark, and scored from outside the box in a 3–1 away win.[55][56] However, he failed to make the final cut for the final stages, where the nation won the tournament.[57]
Riera officially announced his retirement from football on 24 January 2018, through a social media post portraying himself having literally hung up his boots on a tree.[62] He obtained a UEFA Pro Licence in 2019, and in August of the following year he returned to Galatasaray to be an assistant coach to Fatih Terim.[63] In January 2022, he went back to the Nef Stadium to work alongside compatriot Domènec Torrent.[64]
Olimpija Ljubljana
On 4 July 2022, Riera returned to the Slovenian top tier when he was appointed manager of Olimpija Ljubljana.[65] He was forced out of his first press conference by Olimpija ultras, Green Dragons, unhappy with the dismissal of predecessor Robert Prosinečki.[66] He made his debut three days later at home to Differdange 03 in the first qualifying round of the UEFA Europa Conference League, drawing 1–1,[67] and requiring extra time in the second leg to advance through the tie.[68] His team began the league season on 14 July with a 2–0 home win over Mura,[69] followed by a further seven victories for the club's best start since 1994.[70]
Riera eventually led Olimpija to the national championship, clinching their first title since 2018 after defeating archrivalsMaribor 2–0 with five rounds to go.[71] He completed the double after defeating Maribor in the Slovenian Cup with a 130th-minute penalty kick by Timi Max Elšnik.[72] For his achievements, he was named Manager of the Year; however, at the ceremony, he announced that he had not been offered a new deal and would leave after his contract expired at the end of May.[73][74]
A day after leaving Celje, Riera became the new manager of Bordeaux – now in Ligue 2 – returning to the club 18 years after his playing tenure and signing a contract until June 2025.[80] His debut on 21 October was a 2–0 loss at Angers.[81]
Riera led his team to a 12th-place finish.[82] However, Bordeaux were administratively relegated to the Championnat National and declared bankruptcy before the start of the new season.[83]
Return to Celje
Riera returned to Celje on 29 July 2024, on a two-year deal.[84][85] Just one day later, he oversaw a 5–0 away defeat against Slovan Bratislava in the Champions League second qualifying round, being eliminated 6–1 on aggregate; this was the club's heaviest defeat in European competitions, and also the manager's joint-heaviest in that role.[86][87]
Personal life
Riera's younger brother, Sito, is also a footballer. He too represented Espanyol, but only their reserves.[88]
In 2009, Riera married Julia Koroleva, fathering three children with his Russian bride.[89] He moved to Omsk in Siberia, where he set up a football academy.[90]
Career statistics
Club
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition[91][92][93]
^"Riera vuelve a casa" [Riera returns home] (in Spanish). RCD Mallorca. 5 March 2015. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 15 March 2015.
^Uredništvo (26 January 2016). "Rieri pogodba kar do leta 2018" [Riera signed until 2018] (in Slovenian). Nogomania. Retrieved 27 January 2016.
^Dominko, Peter (22 July 2016). "Riera ni več član Kopra" [Riera is no longer a member of Koper] (in Slovenian). Slovenski nogometni portal. Retrieved 22 July 2016.
^Ortega, Ignacio (19 March 2020). "La vida de Albert Riera en Siberia" [Albert Riera's life in Siberia]. Diario de Mallorca (in Spanish). Retrieved 30 January 2022.
