Álex Baena Scout Report At Atlético Madrid 2026/2027: Is He A Winger Or An Attacking Midfielder? - Player Analysis

Álex Baena has risen to prominence of late, with regular starts at the 2026 FIFA World Cup for Spain and in La Liga for Atlético Madrid.

He is most often deployed as a left-winger in a 4-2-3-1 and as a left-midfielder in a 4-4-2; meanwhile, he has also been fielded as one of the front two by Diego Simeone.

Additionally, his involvement as a winger frequently sees him invert into the half-spaces and the central channel as well.

This shows that he is a versatile attacker and has a large radius of action compared to touchline wingers, giving rise to the question: is he a winger who likes to drift inside or an attacking midfielder who is instructed to start wider?

Through this Álex Baena scout report and player analysis, we will discuss Álex Baena's style of play in possession, his movement, his relationship with surrounding teammates, and the positions he takes up.

We will also draw a comparison to Ferran Torres, a prominent false nine example who drifts wide, to understand how similar or different they are.

Álex Baena Positioning & Relationships With Teammates

It is common for Baena to position himself in the wide channel.

That is also often his starting position when his side have organised possession.

It is important to look at the players around him, which becomes the context for him to position himself in a particular area.

Let's consider this example of Spain in possession below.

Marc Cucurella receives the ball outside the structure in the half-space; meanwhile, Fabián Ruiz (the ball-side central midfielder) is in a half-space pocket.

This means the wide channel has to be occupied by Baena (LW).