Éder Fabián Álvarez Balanta (; born 28 February 1993) is ÉderÁa Colombian professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Belgian First Division A side Club Brugge, and the Colombia national team. River Plate former coach Ramón Díaz has compared Álvarez Balanta's talents to that of 1970s legend Daniel Passarella.
A Colombian international, he made his debut against Tunisia on 5 March 2014 and was later named in Colombia's squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
Álvarez Balanta is described by FIFA's official website as "left-footed, powerfully built, strong in the air and a fearless tackler ... blessed with skill and speed."
Club career
Early career
Álvarez Balanta was born in Bogotá, where he signed with the now dissolved club Academia in 2010 (who later became Llaneros). After a successful youth run winning various titles, he attracted the scouts of River Plate. Prior to his move to the Argentinian club, Balanta was never able to represent the Colombian national youth squads due to vast injuries.
River Plate
In early 2011, Álvarez Balanta was tested in the youth division of the Argentinean Club and passed the trials and became a sub with the youth squad. In 2012, he was becoming more of a regular which led to an eventual championship victory in the 2012 U-20 Copa Libertadores. Due to his success with the youth team and impressive talent, he moved into the senior squad officially in 2013.
Álvarez Balanta made his debut with the senior squad against Racing Club. In just his third league match, he scored his first goal against Godoy Cruz. Álvarez Balanta scored yet another goal in his very next match, this time against Quilmes Atlético Club. He played his first Superclásico derby match against River Plate's fierce rivals, Boca Juniors. He played a huge part countering and cancelling the attacking plays in a fierce game that ended 1–1. Inter Milan reportedly made a bid for the young Colombian after just five league appearances. River Plate set a €12 million price tag. During a match against All Boys, Álvarez Balanta tore his internal obturador muscle resulting in a two-week absence on the pitch.
In July 2013, Álvarez Balanta officially signed his first senior contract with the club on a three-year term deal with a $30 million release clause.
Álvarez Balanta noticeably put on a man of the match performance in the 2013 Copa Sudamericana match against San Lorenzo. Throughout the match, he was praised for being "impassable".
In September 2013, it was reported that Barcelona had taken interest in Álvarez Balanta, and they plan to watch the player to evaluate his development. It was also mentioned that Álvarez Balanta could possibly be a successor to Barça's aging defender Carles Puyol, but that River Plate would require €50 million in any transfer deal. Weeks later, however, River Plate brought down his release clause to €15 million.
In River Plate's match against Lanús, Álvarez Balanta received his first ever red card within the last two minutes of regulation time.
On 19 February 2015, Álvarez Balanta made his debut in the 2015 Copa Libertadores against Bolivian club San José in which River Plate lost 2–0. On 12 March 2015, Balanta scored his first goal in the Copa Libertadores in 1–1 draw against Juan Aurich of Peru.
Basel
On 15 July 2016, Swiss club Basel announced that they had signed Éder Balanta on a four-year contract lasting until 30 June 2020. He joined Basel's first team for their 2016–17 season under head coach Urs Fischer. After playing in two test games he made his domestic league debut on 24 July in the 3–0 home win at the St. Jakob-Park against Sion. Balanta made his Champions League group stage debut in a 1–1 draw against PFC Ludogorets Razgrad on 12 September 2016. He scored his first league goal for his new club in the away game in the Olympique de la Pontaise on 21 September 2016. It was the winning goal of the match, in the 93rd minute, as Basel won 2–1 against Lausanne-Sport. He scored his first Swiss Cup goal for his team on 26 October in the third round away game as Basel won 4–1 against Tuggen. Under trainer Urs Fischer Balanta won the Swiss Super League championship at the end of the 2016–17 Super League season. For the club this was the eighth title in a row and their 20th championship title in total. They also won the Swiss Cup for the twelfth time, which meant they had won the double for the sixth time in the club's history. Balanta had played 19 league games and one in the cup.