Rayo Vallecano completes contract extension with Albania international defender Ivan Balliu..

Rayo Vallecano announced on its official website on Friday that the club has renewed the contract of its Albania international defender Ivan Balliu.

According to Rayo Vallecano's official statement, Balliu has signed on a short-term two-year deal with the club which will only run until the summer of 2027.

About Ivan Balliu

Ivan Balliu, 33, was born on January 1, 1992 in Girona, Catalonia, Spain. He is 1.72 meters tall and primarily plays as a right back. He can also play as a left back. He has dual Spanish and Albanian nationality.

Balliu played for Girona's youth academy when he was a child. In 2004, he moved to the city's arch-rivals, Barcelona's famous La Masia youth academy. In 2011, he began to play for Barcelona B team. During this spell, he completed the Treble with Barcelona U19A team.

After leaving Barcelona in the summer of 2013, Balliu joined Arouca as a free agent and completed his Arouca first-team debut in September of the same year.

In the summer of 2015, Balliu joined Metz as a free agent.

During his four-year spell with Metz, Balliu won the Ligue 2 once with the club.

In the summer of 2019, Balliu joined Almeria as a free agent.

In the summer of 2021, Balliu moved to Rayo Vallecano as a free agent.

Since becoming a member of Rayito, Balliu has played 131 times for the La Liga club in all competitions, scoring 1 goal and providing 4 assists.