{
  "id": 17378277,
  "title": "Three well-known players you did not play for Barcelona and Alaves",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/31/three-well-known-players-you-did-not-play-for-barcelona-and-alaves",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-31T09:40:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/three-well-known-players-did-094000041.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Three notable players - Jordi Cruyff, Bojan Krkic, and Denis Suarez - have represented both Barcelona and Alaves, despite the clubs' contrasting ambitions in La Liga. These players share a unique connection through their histories with both teams.\n\nJordi Cruyff, son of legendary Barcelona player Johan Cruyff, played for Alaves between 2000 and 2003. The attacking midfielder made 54 appearances and scored 11 goals for the Basque club, including a memorable goal in the 2000-01 UEFA Cup final against Liverpool. Cruyff later returned to Barcelona as the club's sporting director from 2021 to 2023.\n\nBojan Krkic, once considered one of the most promising talents from La Masia, played for Alaves on a season-long loan in the 2017-18 season. The forward joined the club from Stoke City but made only 13 La Liga appearances without scoring during his time at Mendizorroza. Krkic later retired from professional football and became Barcelona's football coordinator in 2023, responsible for monitoring young players at La Masia.\n\nDenis Suarez, a former Barcelona player, completed the trio by joining Alaves in August 2025. The midfielder initially played for Barcelona's reserve team before progressing through spells at Sevilla, Villarreal, Arsenal, Celta Vigo, Espanyol, and Villarreal. Suarez returned to Barcelona for a second spell in 2016, making 71 appearances for the first team before leaving in 2019. In his first season with Alaves, he made 32 appearances, and in the current season, he has played nine La Liga matches as of the writing date.",
  "summary": "Barcelona and Deportivo Alaves meet in La Liga with very different ambitions, but their histories share an interesting connection through several players who have represented both clubs. While Barcel...",
  "key_points": [
    "Jordi Cruyff played for Barcelona and Alaves between 2000-2003",
    "Bojan Krkic briefly joined Alaves on loan in 2017-18",
    "Denis Suarez returned to Alaves in 2025 after playing for Barcelona"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}