The Man Who Challenged Usain Bolt in the Field: Héctor Bellerín

A brief look into Spanish defender Héctor Bellerín's professional football career.

22 Jan, 20244 min read

Héctor Bellerín is a Spanish professional footballer who primarily plays as a right-back. Born on March 19, 1995, in Barcelona, Spain, Bellerín began his youth career at FC Barcelona's La Masia academy before joining Arsenal's youth setup in 2011.

Héctor Bellerín made his breakthrough into the Arsenal first team during the 2014-2015 season. After a brief loan spell with Watford, he won the first of his three FA Cups in 2015 and was named in the Premier League Team of the Season for 2015/16. He immediately became one of Europe’s most exciting footballers at the age of 16 and broke many records during his time as an Arsenal player. His lightning-fast speed and outstanding performance made Bellerín one of the most admired players in the team. Bellerín became a crucial player for Arsenal, displaying both his attacking and defensive skills as a right-back.

During his time at Arsenal which is considered as his prime, Bellerín experienced both individual success and team achievements. He played a crucial role in Arsenal's FA Cup triumph in the 2016-2017 season.

Héctor Bellerín is known for his exceptional speed, particularly as a right-back. His quick acceleration and pace make him one of the fastest players in football. In 2015, the BBC reported that Bellerín who was said to have run 40 meters in 4.42 seconds, was faster than the first 40 meters of Bolt's 100-meter world record run in Berlin. His records against Bolt continued in 2016 and 2017 as well.

His Career After the ACL Injury

Héctor Bellerín experienced a significant setback in his career due to an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury. He sustained the injury during a Premier League match against Chelsea on 19 January 2019. Since ACL injuries are serious and typically require a lengthy rehabilitation process, he had to take a break from the pitch. Bellerín was ruled out for nine months until his return from injury as a substitute in Arsenal’s match against Nottingham Forest.

Bellerín worked hard to regain fitness and returned to the field for Arsenal during the 2019-2020 season. However, the process of recovering from such injuries can be challenging, and players may need additional time to reach their previous performance levels. In 2021, Bellerín and the Arsenal team released a documentary about his recovery process titled “Héctor Bellerín: Unseen Journey” on YouTube.

Unfortunately, Bellerín’s return was at the end of 2019, which gave him a little time on the field before Covid-19 started. Plus, his contract with Arsenal was coming to an end after being with the Gunners for a decade.

On 31 August 2021, Bellerín was transferred to Real Betis Balompié on loan. The right-back had a good season on loan at Real Betis, helping the Spanish team to Copa del Rey success. It was about that time that the other teams of La Liga kept an eye on the exceptional Héctor Bellerín. Atlético de Madrid wanted to sign Hector Bellerin from Arsenal in the summer of 2021, along with Real Betis who wanted to make a long contract with the talented footballer.

Bellerín was happy at Real Betis last season and in an ideal world, he would have already made a permanent move to his hometown club. When he returned to Betis last season, he found his love for football again. Indeed, his wish came true along with his dream to play at FC Barcelona’s A team, the team that raised him as a footballer. However, his time at FC Barcelona became a disappointment instead of a joyful experience. Bellerín could not enjoy his short time at Barcelona due to participating in the matches from the bench. He was aware that his chances of playing for Barça in the second round of the season were minimal. Koundé and Sergi Roberto were dividing up the right-back position and even Araujo was an added possibility. The Spanish defender settled for another team, one of which was particularly interested in him: Sporting CP.

Sadly, he did not find what he was looking for in Sporting. He made little appearance in the club and did not want to stay as a bench player. Bellerín returned to Spain after six months with Sporting in Portugal. Although Sporting CP wanted him to stay, the right-back has chosen Real Betis, where he previously found happiness. On 18 July 2023, Real Betis Balompié finalized a 5-year contract following the expiry of his contract at Sporting CP.