Salva Ballesta

A goalscorer noted for his flair and workrate, he played for seven different top division clubs, most notably Atlético Madrid, Valencia – with whom he won his sole team trophy – and Málaga. He amassed totals of 235 games and 86 goals over 11 La Liga seasons, adding 126 matches and 52 goals in Segunda División.

On 11 July 2013, Salva was appointed as the new manager of Málaga's reserves Atlético Malagueño, in Tercera División. He left two years later, as his contract was not renewed.

In February 2013, Salva learnt that he was being turned down for the assistant coach job at RC Celta de Vigo over his political views.

As he spent most of 2008–09 hampered by recurrent injuries, Salva was still able to contribute, notably coming from the bench against neighbours UD Almería and helping turn the score from 0–2 to a 3–2 home win with two goals, on 8 February 2009. On 15 March, he added another brace against another neighbouring club, in a 2–2 home draw against former side Sevilla; when the season ended, he was released after his contract expired.

In the dying hours of the 2009 August transfer window, Salva signed a 1+1 contract with Albacete Balompié, aged 34. However, at the end of his first season, where he appeared almost exclusively as a backup, he was one of 14 players who were not given a contract extension, being released and retiring shortly after; subsequently he re-joined former team Málaga as a youth coach, alongside former teammate Francesc Arnau.

In late January 2007, Salva joined top flight strugglers Levante UD on loan from Málaga, now in the second division. On 4 February, he played his first league match for the club in an away win against Real Madrid, scoring the game's only goal; after the season's end, with the Valencians managing to retain their status, he returned to Málaga, and netted seven times to help to top division promotion.

Salva joined Valencia CF in summer 2001, netting five goals to help the side become league champions after a 31-year drought. He was rarely used in the following season, and was subsequently briefly part of the Bolton Wanderers squad that avoided Premier League relegation in 2003; he had another two loan stints from 2003 to 2005, with Málaga CF for which he netted 21 official goals, including a hat-trick in a 5–1 league home crushing of FC Barcelona on 3 December 2003, and Atlético Madrid, being subsequently released and signing with the former.

Salva played four matches with Spain, the first being a friendly against Poland on 26 January 2000, coming in for Ismael Urzaiz in the 70th minute of an eventual 3–0 win in Cartagena.

Salva was born in Zaragoza, Aragon. After making his professional debuts with Sevilla FC, he won the Pichichi Trophy in the 1999–2000 season, scoring 27 goals to lead La Liga's scoring charts for Racing de Santander. He then moved to Segunda División with Atlético Madrid (freshly relegated) and proceeded to lead the side with 21 successful strikes, although the Colchoneros did not return to the top level.

Salvador Ballesta Vialcho (born 22 May 1975), commonly known as Salva, is a Spanish former footballer who played as a striker, and the manager of Algeciras CF.