Alberto Bueno brought a breath of fresh air and Spanish flair on his arrival at Pride Park on loan from Real Valladolid.

The La Liga side opted to send the creative attacking midfielder to experience the tough and demanding nature of the Championship just under a decade ago. Though, the Spaniard took to England’s second tier pretty well and impressed during his time in the Midlands.

He debuted in England during the 2010/11 season under Nigel Clough and was exceptional in the central attacking role. In his first season, he instantly became a regular starter and, come the end of his stint at Derby, he had made 29 appearances for the club.

In that spell, he managed five goals and was Derby’s top creator with seven assists. His two best performances in a Derby shirt came early on in the season against Crystal Palace and Preston North End in which the Rams won 5-0 and 3-0 respectively. Against the former, he bagged a brace.

Against Palace, the skilful attacker’s second goal was a half volley that flew into the far corner to beat Julian Speroni amid his first and only brace in English football.

After his loan expired, Derby failed to retain his services on a permanent basis, and he returned to Valladolid. After that, he has had stints at Porto and Malaga before he eventually ended up at Portuguese outfit Boavista.

So, how has he been getting on there?

Bueno – now 31-years-old – has made a solid start in the Primeira Liga. In his seven appearances so far this season, the attacker has scored one goal and helped with three assists.

Similar to his time at Derby, he is playing anywhere between the central attacking midfield role and the second striker position. Whilst not being a prolific goalscorer, his style is perfectly adapted for creating space for a fellow striker to score.

This season, the side have not lost when he has been included in the squad. On the two occasions where the player happened to be absent from the squad, the club lost their only two games of the season. Coincidence?

Nevertheless, the side are doing well this season and are sat in 7th place of the division. Overall, during his two-season long stay at the club, Bueno has grabbed three goals and seven assists in 22 games, just two goals short of what he managed in 29 games for the Rams.