Angeliño
A dynamic Spanish full-back whose attacking prowess and pinpoint crossing have made him a modern wing weapon across Europe's top leagues.
Born 1997 (age 29)·Spanish footballer·Birthday: January 4·Generation Z
Biography
Angeliño's career is a story of persistence and adaptation, a journey from Manchester City's academy to becoming a coveted modern full-back. Initially struggling to break into a star-studded squad, his path took him through loans in Spain and the Netherlands, where his game matured. The turning point was a transformative spell under Julian Nagelsmann at RB Leipzig, a system that perfectly utilized his relentless energy and lethal left foot. Deployed as a wing-back, he became an assist machine, his whipped crosses a constant threat. This success led him to the Bundesliga with Hoffenheim and later to Rome, showcasing a player who refined his defensive work while remaining, at heart, an attacking catalyst. His trajectory reflects the evolving demands of his position in the contemporary game.
Generation Z
1997–2012
Born into smartphones, social media, and school shootings. The most diverse generation in history. Pragmatic about money, fluid about identity, anxious about the climate. They do not remember a world before the internet.
Angeliño was born in 1997, placing them squarely in the Generation Z. The events that shaped this generation — social media, climate anxiety, and a pandemic — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Angeliño Was Born
The biggest hits of 1997
#1 Movie
Titanic
Best Picture
Titanic
#1 TV Show
ER
Angeliño's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1997Born
Princess Diana dies in Paris car crash; Harry Potter published
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $104,100Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Candle in the Wind 1997" — Elton JohnBest Picture: Titanic
2002Started school
Euro currency enters circulation
Gas: $1.36/galHome: $137,800Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"How You Remind Me" — NickelbackBest Picture: Chicago
2010Became a teenager
Deepwater Horizon oil spill; iPad launched
Gas: $2.79/galHome: $147,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Tik Tok" — KeshaBest Picture: The King's Speech
2013Could drive
Edward Snowden reveals NSA surveillance programs
Gas: $3.53/galHome: $152,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Thrift Shop" — Macklemore & Ryan LewisBest Picture: 12 Years a Slave
2015Could vote
Paris climate agreement; same-sex marriage legalized in the US
Gas: $2.43/galHome: $171,900Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Uptown Funk" — Mark Ronson ft. Bruno MarsBest Picture: Spotlight
2018Turned 21
Royal wedding of Harry and Meghan; Parkland shooting
Gas: $2.72/galHome: $211,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"God's Plan" — DrakeBest Picture: Green Book
2026Age 29 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Provided 11 assists in the 2020-21 Bundesliga season for RB Leipzig, one of the highest totals for a defender.
- Helped RB Leipzig reach the UEFA Champions League semi-finals in the 2019-20 season.
- Won the EFL Cup with Manchester City in 2016, though he was an unused substitute in the final.
- Named to the UEFA Champions League Squad of the Season for the 2019-20 campaign.
Did You Know?
His nickname, Angeliño, is a diminutive of his first name, Ángel.
He is a product of the famed Deportivo La Coruña youth academy before joining Manchester City.
Angeliño holds the record for the most assists by a defender in a single Bundesliga season for RB Leipzig.
He has played for clubs in five different countries: Spain, England, the Netherlands, Germany, and Italy.
“I had to leave City, prove myself elsewhere, and fight to come back.”
