Pablo Daniel Piatti (born 31 March 1989) is an Argentine professional
footballer
A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...
who plays for
Estudiantes de La Plata
Club Estudiantes de La Plata ( lit. "Students from La Plata"), simply referred to as Estudiantes de La Plata , is an Argentine professional sports club based in La Plata. The club's football team currently competes in the Primera División, wh ...
. He operates mainly as a
left winger
A midfielder is an outfield position in association football.
Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...
, but can also play as a
forward
Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward.
Forward may also refer to:
People
* Forward (surname)
Sports
* Forward (association football)
* Forward (basketball), including:
** Point forward
** Power forward (basketball)
** Sm ...
.
He spent the vast majority of his career in Spain after starting out at
Estudiantes, appearing in 313
La Liga
The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Primera División, commonly known simply as Primera División in Spain, and as La Liga in English-speaking countries and officially as LaLiga Santander for sponsorship reasons, stylized as LaLiga, is the men's ...
matches over 14 seasons and scoring a total of 48 goals for
Almería
Almería (, , ) is a city and municipality of Spain, located in Andalusia. It is the capital of the province of the same name. It lies on southeastern Iberia on the Mediterranean Sea. Caliph Abd al-Rahman III founded the city in 955. The city gr ...
,
Valencia
Valencia ( va, València) is the capital of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, Valencia and the Municipalities of Spain, third-most populated municipality in Spain, with 791,413 inhabitants. It is ...
,
Espanyol
Reial Club Deportiu Espanyol de Barcelona (; "Royal Spanish Sports Club of Barcelona"), commonly known as Espanyol, is a professional sports club based in Barcelona, Spain, that competes in La Liga, the top tier of the Spanish football league sy ...
and
Elche
Elche ( ca-valencia, Elx) is a city and municipality of Spain, belonging to the province of Alicante, in the Valencian Community. According to 2014 data, Elche has a population of 228,647 inhabitants,[Toronto FC
Toronto Football Club (commonly known as Toronto FC or TFC) is a Canadian professional soccer club based in Toronto. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home matches at BMO ...]
in
Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport's highest level in the United States. The league comprises 29 teams—26 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada ...
, having signed in 2020.
Piatti was
capped
In sport, a cap is a player's appearance in a game at international level. The term dates from the practice in the United Kingdom of awarding a cap to every player in an international match of rugby football and association football. In the ea ...
once for the
Argentina national team, in 2011.
Club career
Estudiantes
Born in ,
Córdoba of
Italian descent, Piatti was a product of
Estudiantes de La Plata
Club Estudiantes de La Plata ( lit. "Students from La Plata"), simply referred to as Estudiantes de La Plata , is an Argentine professional sports club based in La Plata. The club's football team currently competes in the Primera División, wh ...
's youth ranks. He made the headlines when coach
Diego Simeone
Diego Pablo Simeone González (; ; born 28 April 1970, nicknamed El Cholo (), is an Argentine professional football manager and former player who played as a midfielder; he has been the manager of Atlético Madrid since December 2011.
In his cl ...
gave him his first opportunity against
Newell's Old Boys
Club Atlético Newell's Old Boys () is an Argentine sports club based in Rosario, Santa Fe. The club was founded on 3 November 1903, and is named after Isaac Newell of the English county of Kent, one of the pioneers of Argentine football.
A ...
on 18 November 2006, as the player was just 17. He scored the winning goal (2–1) deep into injury time, and became one of the heroes of Estudiantes' championship-winning team.
Piatti made the side's starting eleven in the
2007 ''Clausura'' tournament, alongside
José Luis Calderón
José Luis Calderón (born October 24, 1970) is an Argentine former football striker. He played for 17 years between 1989 and 2006 without winning a trophy, but since then, between the ages of 36 and 39 he won four major championships with thre ...
,
José Sosa
José Ernesto Sosa (born 19 June 1985) is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Argentina Primera Division club Estudiantes de La Plata.
Club career Estudiantes
140px, left, Sosa with Estudiantes
Sosa played for ...
, and
Juan Sebastián Verón
Juan Sebastián Verón (; born 9 March 1975) is an Argentine former professional footballer and current chairman of Estudiantes de La Plata, where he had served as Director of Sports. A former midfielder, Verón's career started in Estudiantes, ...
.
Almería
After making 60 appearances in all competitions for Estudiantes in two years, Piatti was sold to
UD Almería
Unión Deportiva Almería, S.A.D. () is a Spanish professional football club based in Almería, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. Founded on 26 July 1989 and known as ''Almería Club de Fútbol'' until 2001, when it was renamed ''Unión D ...
in Spain for an undisclosed fee believed to be in the region of
€
The euro sign () is the currency sign used for the euro, the official currency of the eurozone and unilaterally adopted by Kosovo and Montenegro. The design was presented to the public by the European Commission on 12 December 1996. It consists o ...
7 million. Initially an undisputed starter, notably netting in a 1–1 home draw against
Real Madrid
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol (, meaning ''Royal Madrid Football Club''), commonly referred to as Real Madrid, is a Spanish professional football club based in Madrid.
Founded in 1902 as Madrid Football Club, the club has traditionally wor ...
, he struggled after the arrival, midway through his
first season, of Mexican coach
Hugo Sánchez
Hugo Sánchez Márquez (born 11 July 1958) is a Mexican former professional footballer and manager, who played as a forward. A prolific goalscorer known for his spectacular strikes and volleys, he is widely regarded as the greatest Mexican fo ...
.
In the
2009–10 campaign, without the presence of
striker Álvaro Negredo
Álvaro Negredo Sánchez (; born 20 August 1985) is a Spanish professional Association football, footballer who plays for Cádiz CF, Cádiz as a Striker (association football), striker.
Nicknamed ''La fiera de Vallecas'' (The beast of Vallecas ...
, Piatti was much more depended upon in scoring matters and netted seven times in 35 matches, joint-second in the team as they finished in 13th position. On 23 September 2009 he opened and closed the scoresheet in a 2–2 draw at
Atlético Madrid
Club Atlético de Madrid, Sociedad Anónima Deportiva, S.A.D. (; meaning "Athletic Club of Madrid"), known simply as Atleti in the Spanish-speaking world and commonly referred to at international level as Atlético Madrid, is a Spanish profess ...
and, in the second
La Liga
The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Primera División, commonly known simply as Primera División in Spain, and as La Liga in English-speaking countries and officially as LaLiga Santander for sponsorship reasons, stylized as LaLiga, is the men's ...
match between the two teams, netted a
last-minute winner (1–0).
Valencia
On 5 July 2011, Almería and
Valencia CF
Valencia Club de Fútbol (, ca-valencia, València Club de Futbol ), commonly referred to as Valencia CF (or simply Valencia) is a professional football club based in Valencia, Spain, that currently plays in La Liga, the top flight of the Spa ...
reached an agreement for the transfer of Piatti, with the player signing a five-year contract for a fee of €7.5 million. He struggled to reproduce his previous form during most of his
first season with the ''Che'', but did feature in 47 official matches.
Piatti scored his first official goal for Valencia on 19 January 2012, netting the 3–1 in the 45th minute of an eventual 4–1 home victory over
Levante UD
Levante Unión Deportiva, S.A.D. (, ca-valencia, Llevant Unió Esportiva ) is a List of football clubs in Spain, Spanish football club in Valencia, in the Valencian Community, namesake autonomous community.
Founded on 9 September 1909, Levante ...
in
the quarter-finals of the
Copa del Rey
The Campeonato de España–Copa de Su Majestad el Rey, commonly known as Copa del Rey or simply La Copa and formerly known as Copa del Presidente de la República (1932–36) and Copa del Generalísimo (1939–76), is an annual knockout footbal ...
. He added another two in the second leg (3–0).
After
Jordi Alba
Jordi Alba Ramos (born 21 March 1989) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a left-back for La Liga club Barcelona and the Spain national team. He is often regarded as one of the best left-backs of his generation.
Alba started his ...
and
Jérémy Mathieu
Jérémy Mathieu (born 29 October 1983) is a French professional footballer who plays as a centre-back or a left-back for Régional 2 club Luynes Sports.
Mathieu made 172 Ligue 1 appearances across seven seasons, split equally between Sochaux an ...
developed an efficient left-wing partnership, Piatti was used inconsistently by managers
Mauricio Pellegrino
Mauricio Andrés Pellegrino Luna (; born 5 October 1971) is an Argentine former professional footballer who played as a centre-back, currently the manager of Chilean club Universidad de Chile.
After nearly one decade with Vélez Sarsfield, Pe ...
,
Ernesto Valverde
Ernesto Valverde Tejedor (born 9 February 1964) is a Spanish football manager and former player who played as a forward. He is the current manager of La Liga club Athletic Bilbao.
Over ten seasons, he amassed La Liga totals of 264 games and 68 ...
and
Miroslav Đukić
Miroslav Đukić ( sr-cyr, Мирослав Ђукић, ; born 19 February 1966) is a Serbian former footballer who played as a sweeper, and a manager.
He spent 14 years of his professional career in Spain, notably at the service of Deportivo ...
, also struggling with some injury problems.
[ He was transferlisted against his will by the latter in the summer of 2013.][
After the dismissal of Đukić due to poor results, however, new boss ]Juan Antonio Pizzi
Juan Antonio Pizzi Torroja (, ; born 7 June 1968) is a retired professional footballer who played as a striker, currently manager of UAE Pro League club Al-Wasl.
He spent the bulk of his club career in Spain, mainly at Tenerife, helping to th ...
showed faith in his compatriot Piatti, who repaid the former's confidence by finishing 2013–14 with five league goals from 17 appearances, one of those coming in a 3–2 win at FC Barcelona
Futbol Club Barcelona (), commonly referred to as Barcelona and colloquially known as Barça (), is a professional football club based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, that competes in La Liga, the top flight of Spanish football.
Founded ...
.
Following the purchase of the club by businessman Peter Lim
Peter Lim (born 21 May 1953) is a Singaporean business magnate who was a stockbroker, and is now a private investor who has invested in sectors ranging from palm oil to medicine. In 2019, Forbes ranked him as the 10th richest person in Singap ...
, Piatti continued being a key player under Nuno Espírito Santo
Nuno Herlander Simões Espírito Santo (born 25 January 1974), often referred to as simply Nuno, is a Portuguese football manager and former footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He is currently the manager of Saudi Professional League club Al- ...
, being dubbed ''Pablito'' by the manager.[
]
Espanyol
Piatti was loaned to RCD Espanyol
Reial Club Deportiu Espanyol de Barcelona (; "Royal Spanish Sports Club of Barcelona"), commonly known as Espanyol, is a professional sports club based in Barcelona, Spain, that competes in La Liga, the top tier of the Spanish football league sy ...
for one year on 16 July 2016, with a buyout clause A buyout clause or release clause refers to a clause in a contract that imposes an obligation on another organisation wishing to acquire the services of the employee under contract to pay the (usually substantial) fee of the clause to the organisati ...
. The following 24 May, after scoring a career-best ten goals to help his team to the eighth position, he signed a permanent three-year deal with the club.
In February 2019, during a home match against Rayo Vallecano
Rayo Vallecano de Madrid, S.A.D. (), often abbreviated to Rayo (Spanish for "thunderbolt"), is a Spanish professional football club based in Madrid, in the neighbourhood of Vallecas. Rayo was founded on 29 May 1924, and currently compete in La Lig ...
, Piatti suffered an injury to both his right knee's anterior cruciate and internal lateral ligaments, going on to be sidelined for several months.
Toronto FC
In February 2020, Piatti moved to Toronto FC
Toronto Football Club (commonly known as Toronto FC or TFC) is a Canadian professional soccer club based in Toronto. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home matches at BMO ...
in Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport's highest level in the United States. The league comprises 29 teams—26 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada ...
as a Designated Player, signing a one-year deal. Later that month, however, he was ruled out of the opening of the season after picking up a hamstring strain in training. He made his debut on 13 July, in a 2–2 draw against D.C. United
D.C. United is a professional soccer club based in Washington, D.C. that competes in the Eastern Conference of Major League Soccer, the top tier of American soccer. Domestically, the club has won four MLS Cups (league championships), four Supp ...
in the group stages of the MLS is Back Tournament
The MLS is Back Tournament took place during the 2020 Major League Soccer season to mark the league's return to action after being suspended as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Of the 26 Major League Soccer teams, 24 participated in the tour ...
. He scored his first two goals on 18 August, in a 3–0 home win over Vancouver Whitecaps FC
Vancouver Whitecaps Football Club is a Canadian professional soccer team based in Vancouver. They compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member club of the league's Western Conference. The MLS iteration of the club was established on Marc ...
in his side's first match since the return of the regular season.
The team declined their option to extend Piatti's contract on 30 November 2020.
Elche
Piatti returned to the Spanish top division on 6 March 2021, joining Elche CF
Elche Club de Fútbol, S.A.D. ( ca-valencia, Elx Club de Futbol, S.A.D.) is a professional football based in Elche, Province of Alicante, in the Valencian Community. Founded in 1923, the club competes in La Liga, holding home matches at ''Estadi ...
. He scored his only goal on 6 January 2022, in the 2–1 away defeat of Almería in the Spanish Cup.
Return to Estudiantes
On 14 June 2022, the 33-year old Piatti returned to his former club Estudiantes, on a deal until June 2024.
International career
Shortly after making his senior debut for Estudiantes, Piatti was part of the Argentina
Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
squad that won the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup
The 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup was the 16th edition of the FIFA U-20 World Cup (formerly called the FIFA World Youth Championship), hosted by Canada from 30 June to 22 July 2007. Argentina defeated the Czech Republic in the title game by the score ...
in Canada. The youngest player in the roster, he managed to play six of seven games.
On 5 June 2011, Piatti made his debut for the senior side, as national team boss Sergio Batista
Sergio Daniel "Checho" Batista (; born 9 November 1962) is an Argentine football manager and former international player.
As a footballer he played as a midfield for Argentinos Juniors, River Plate, Nueva Chicago, Tosu Futures and All Boys. H ...
handed him a start in a 1–2 friendly loss with Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...
.
Style of play
A talented, skilful and diminutive player with an eye for goal, Piatti is capable of contributing to his team's offensive play by both scoring and assisting goals; moreover, he can shoot with either foot, despite being naturally left–footed. Normally a winger, he is also able to play as a forward, but he has even been deployed in a deeper, more creative role, behind the main striker. He usually plays on the left side of the pitch, although he can also play on the right flank. A dynamic, explosive and fleet–footed attacker, he is known for his turn of pace, which along with his dribbling
In sports, dribbling is maneuvering a ball by one player while moving in a given direction, avoiding defenders' attempts to intercept the ball. A successful dribble will bring the ball past defenders legally and create opportunities to score.
A ...
technique enables him to get past opponents and make runs into the penalty area. Regarded as a promising player in his youth, his playing style was initially likened to that of compatriot Lionel Messi
Lionel Andrés Messi (; born 24 June 1987), also known as Leo Messi, is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a forward for club Paris Saint-Germain and captains the Argentina national team. Widely regarded as one of the ...
.
Career statistics
Club
International
Honours
Estudiantes
*Argentine Primera División
The Primera División (; en, "First Division"), known officialy as Liga Profesional de Fútbol, or Torneo Binance for sponsorship reasons, is a professional football league in Argentina, organised by the Argentine Football Association (AFA).
Th ...
: 2006 Apertura[
Argentina U-20
*]FIFA U-20 World Cup
The FIFA U-20 World Cup is the biennial football world championship tournament for FIFA members’ men's national teams with players under the age of 20. The competition has been staged every two years since the inaugural tournament in 1977 whe ...
: 2007
File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister of Pakistan, Pr ...
[
Individual
*]UEFA
Union of European Football Associations (UEFA ; french: Union des associations européennes de football; german: Union der europäischen Fußballverbände) is one of six continental bodies of governance in association football. It governs f ...
La Liga Team of the Season: 2016–17
References
External links
*
*
CiberChe biography and stats
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Piatti, Pablo
1989 births
Living people
Argentine people of Italian descent
Sportspeople from Córdoba Province, Argentina
Argentine footballers
Association football wingers
Association football forwards
Argentine Primera División players
Estudiantes de La Plata footballers
La Liga players
UD Almería players
Valencia CF players
RCD Espanyol footballers
Elche CF players
Major League Soccer players
Designated Players (MLS)
Toronto FC players
Argentina under-20 international footballers
Argentina international footballers
Argentine expatriate footballers
Expatriate footballers in Spain
Expatriate soccer players in Canada
Argentine expatriate sportspeople in Spain
Argentine expatriate sportspeople in Canada