He’s now a World Cup winner and a household name, but Alex Baena is never too far away from home.

The 25-year-old proudly hails from the seaside town of Roquetas de Mar in Almeria, and often returns to visit his family – admitting he is still very close to his mother, describing her as his rock.

The Atletico Madrid midfielder was born in the town and spent his childhood there before joining Villarreal’s academy at the age of 12.

But while Baena’s career has skyrocketed, so too have house prices in his hometown.

According to the latest figures, the average asking price for property in Roquetas de Mar has climbed to €1,722 per square metre, representing a 19.4% increase over the past year and a 5.5% rise in just three months.

Over the past three decades, Roquetas de Mar has transformed into one of Andalucia’s fastest-growing municipalities.

Home to more than 114,000 people today, the town had fewer than 27,000 residents in the early 1990s, with its rapid expansion fuelled by tourism and the region’s thriving greenhouse agriculture industry.

It boasts six Blue Flag beaches, including Aguadulce, Playa Serena and Las Salinas, helping attract buyers from across Spain and overseas.

It is hugely popular among British expats and tourists, with the former having been attracted by its much cheaper property prices compared to the likes of the Costa del Sol.

That is still very much the case, with new, two-bedroom apartments just a short walk from the beach still going for €175,000 – sometimes lower.

Among its biggest attractions is the 16th-century Santa Ana Castle, which overlooks the seafront and now hosts exhibitions and cultural events, while nature lovers flock to the nearby Punta Entinas-Sabinar nature reserve.

The protected reserve is home to dunes, salt flats and an impressive variety of birdlife, with the nearby Roquetas salt lagoons also offering spectacular scenery.

Visitors can also enjoy kilometres of promenade, watersports including paddleboarding and kayaking, and some of Almeria’s finest seafood restaurants.

No trip to Roquetas de Mar would be complete without sampling its cuisine.

Fresh Mediterranean fish and seafood feature heavily on restaurant menus, alongside vegetables grown in the fertile Almeria countryside, giving visitors a taste of one of Spain’s most productive agricultural regions.

With property values continuing to climb and Spain’s newest football hero putting the town firmly in the spotlight, Roquetas de Mar is increasingly becoming one of Andalucia’s hottest places to buy a home.