José Ernesto Sosa (born 19 June 1985) 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 lea ...

who plays as a

midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in t ...

for Argentina Primera Division club

Estudiantes de La Plata ( lit. "La Plata Students"), 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, where it has spent most of its histo ...

. He also represented the Argentina national team.

Club career

Estudiantes

140px, left, Sosa with Estudiantes Sosa played for Estudiantes between 2002 and 2007. He was a favorite of interim coach

Carlos Bilardo Dr. Carlos Salvador Bilardo (born 16 March 1938) is an Argentine former physician, football player, and manager. Bilardo achieved worldwide renown as a player with Estudiantes de La Plata in the 1960s, and as the manager of the Argentina side t ...

, and together with Marcelo Carrusca started helping the team improve their standing in the Argentine league. The highlight of his tenure with Estudiantes was being a key piece in the 7–0 defeat of derby rivals Gimnasia on 15 October 2006, and then his role in helping the team win their first league title since 1983 by scoring the equalizing goal from a free kick against

Boca Juniors Club Atlético Boca Juniors () is an Argentine professional sports club based in La Boca, a neighbourhood of Buenos Aires. The club is best known for its men's professional Association football, football team which, since its promotion in 1913 ...

in the 2006 Apertura final playoff game.

Bayern Munich

On 24 February 2007, a deal was announced between Estudiantes and

Bayern Munich Fußball-Club Bayern München e. V. (FCB, ), commonly known as Bayern Munich (), FC Bayern () or simply Bayern, is a German professional sports club based in Munich, Bavaria. They are most known for their men's professional football team, ...

, in which Sosa would be transferred to Bayern Munich for an undisclosed fee. Sosa stayed with Estudiantes for the remainder of the Clausura 2007 tournament. On 29 October 2009, Bayern Munich announced that the Argentine midfielder will be loaned to his former club Estudiantes for the remainder of the season, even though he was not registered to play the 2009 World Club Championship finals.

Napoli

On 30 August 2010, Sosa joined Italian side

Napoli Naples ( ; ; ) is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its province-level municipality is the thir ...

for €2 million fee (including €100,000 solidarity contribution to youth clubs of Sosa), signing a four-year deal.

Metalist Kharkiv

On 26 July 2011, it was announced that Jose Sosa had joined the Ukrainian team Metalist Kharkiv for €1.9 million. For his tenure with Metalist, Sosa adopted the number 11 jersey honoring his admired ex-teammate

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. In 2004, Verón was included in the FIFA 100 list of the 125 ...

, and has been instrumental in the team's successful

Europa League The UEFA Europa League (UEL), usually known simply as the Europa League, is an annual association football, football club competition organised since 1971 by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European footb ...

campaign. On 28 June 2012, Sosa was named as the new captain of FC Metalist Kharkiv. On 1 January 2014, it was announced that he will join

Atlético Madrid Club Atlético de Madrid, S.A.D. (; meaning "Athletic Club of Madrid"), commonly referred to as Atlético Madrid or simply Atlético, is a Spanish professional football club based in Madrid that plays in La Liga. The club play their home game ...

on six-month loan. With the Spaniards, he won the Spanish Liga and played in the

2014 UEFA Champions League Final The 2014 UEFA Champions League final was the final match of the 2013–14 UEFA Champions League, the 59th season of Europe's premier club association football, football tournament organised by UEFA, and the 22nd season since it was renamed from t ...

against

Real Madrid Real Madrid Club de Fútbol (), commonly referred to as Real Madrid, is a Spanish professional Football club (association football), football club based in Madrid. The club competes in La Liga, th ...

, coming on as a substitute, as Atlético lost 4–1 after extra time.

Beşiktaş

On 31 August 2014, Sosa was signed by Turkish club

Beşiktaş Beşiktaş () is a district and municipality of Istanbul Province, Turkey. Its area is 18 km2 and its population is 175,190 (2022). It is located on the European shore of the Bosphorus strait. It is bordered on the north by Sarıyer and ...

on loan from Metalist Kharkiv. On 15 October 2014, the club announced that the buying option has been used, making Sosa's move to the Turkish side definitive, for €3.4 million. In the 2015–16 season, Sosa served 12 assists in

2015–16 Süper Lig The 2015–16 Süper Lig (known as the Spor Toto Süper Lig for sponsorship reasons) is the 58th season of the Süper Lig, the highest tier football league of Turkey. The season was named after Hasan Doğan, a former president of the Turkish Foo ...

, at least 4 more than any other player.

AC Milan

On 17 August 2016, Sosa joined Italian club

AC Milan (), commonly referred to as Milan or AC Milan () mainly outside of Italy, is an Italian professional Football club (association football), football club based in Milan, Lombardy. Founded in 1899, the club competes in the Serie A, the top tie ...

for €7.5 million fee, signing a two-year deal. He made his debut for Milan on 27 August 2016, coming off the bench in the 80th minute during a 4–2 loss away against his former club

. Following Riccardo Montolivo's long-term injury sustained in October 2016, Sosa assumed the role of a

deep-lying playmaker In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. ...

, alternatively known as ''regista'', operating in front of the team's defense line in 4–3–3 formation. Adapting to the change of position from his usual

attacking midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. ...

role, he cited

as inspiration.

Trabzonspor

On 8 September 2017, Sosa moved back to Turkey, joining

Süper Lig The Süper Lig (, ''Super League''), also known as Trendyol Süper Lig for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Turkey and the highest level of the Turkish football league system. In the 2023–2024 season, twen ...

club

Trabzonspor Trabzonspor Kulübü is a Turkish professional sports club located in the city of Trabzon, located in Black Sea region, northeastern Turkey. Established in 1967 through the merger of several local clubs, Trabzonspor is one of the most prominent A ...

on loan with an option to make the deal permanent until 2020. On 15 January 2018, Trabzonspor exercised the option and paid a €3.4 million fee to Milan.

Fenerbahçe

On 22 August 2020, Sosa signed a two-year contract with another

club, Fenerbahçe. He made his debut for Fenerbahçe on 11 September 2020, coming off the bench in the 77th minute against

Çaykur Rizespor Çaykur Rizespor Kulübü is a Turkish professional Association football, football club based in Rize, a city on the eastern Black Sea region, Black Sea coast. The team competes in the Süper Lig, the top tier of Football in Turkey, Turkish footba ...

, and scored from the penalty spot in 87th minute.

Return to Estudiantes de La Plata

On 9 August 2022, Sosa returned to his youth club Estudiantes de la Plata to play for a third time, signing a contract binding him to the club until June 2024.

International career

Sosa played for Argentina Under-20 team during the

2003 FIFA World Youth Championship The 2003 FIFA World Youth Championship was the 14th FIFA World Youth Championship. It took place in United Arab Emirates between 27 November and 19 December 2003. Brazil claimed their fourth title, becoming the first country to simultaneously ho ...

. National coach

Alfio Basile Alfio "Coco" Basile (born 1 November 1943) is an Argentine football manager and former player. He played for Racing Club de Avellaneda and Huracán before becoming a manager. He coached many teams during his career, being most notable Racing Cl ...

drafted Sosa for the senior national team on 28 February 2007. Sosa said to the press that he will "never forget this Tuesday" in which he achieved two of his childhood dreams (the transfer to a major European club and the call to the national team). He made his debut as a substitute at a friendly match against

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

on 9 March 2007. He started his first match against

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...

, on 18 April 2007. His first goal with the ''Albiceleste'' arrived on 23 January 2010, in a 3–2 win in a

friendly match An exhibition game (also known as a friendly, scrimmage, demonstration, training match, pre-season game, warmup match, or preparation match, depending at least in part on the sport) is a sport, sporting event whose prize money and impact on th ...

against

Costa Rica Costa Rica, officially the Republic of Costa Rica, is a country in Central America. It borders Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the northeast, Panama to the southeast, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, as well as Maritime bo ...

, scoring the opening goal of the game with a header on 10 minutes. Sosa was not called to the

World Cup 2010 The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for List of men's national association football teams, men's national Association football, football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010. ...

team by then-manager

Diego Maradona Diego Armando Maradona Franco (30 October 196025 November 2020) was an Argentine professional association football, football player and manager. Widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of the sport, he was one of the two ...

, but was reinstated by new coach Alejandro Sabella for the World Cup 2014 qualifiers, and has been featured in several games since 2011.

Career statistics

Club

International

' , - , align=center, 1, , 26 January 2010, ,

San Juan San Juan, Spanish for Saint John (disambiguation), Saint John, most commonly refers to: * San Juan, Puerto Rico * San Juan, Argentina * San Juan, Metro Manila, a highly urbanized city in the Philippines San Juan may also refer to: Places Arge ...

Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...

, , , , align=center, 1–0, , align=center, 3–2, , Friendly

Honours

Estudiantes de La Plata *

Argentine Primera División The Primera División (; ), known officially as Liga Profesional de Fútbol, or Torneo Betano for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Argentina and the highest level of the Argentine football league system. Organ ...

: Apertura 2006 *

Copa Argentina The Copa Argentina (English: ''Argentine Cup''), officially known as the "Copa Argentina AXION energy" due to sponsorship reasons, is an official football cup competition organized by the Argentine Football Association (AFA). The first editions ...

2023 Catastrophic natural disasters in 2023 included the Lists of 21st-century earthquakes, 5th-deadliest earthquake of the 21st century 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes, striking Turkey and Syria, leaving up to 62,000 people dead; Cyclone Freddy ...

Copa de la Liga Profesional The Copa de la Liga Profesional (English: ''Professional League Cup''; officially named "Copa Diego Armando Maradona" in its first edition) was an official Argentine football cup competition. The cup was planned and organised by the "Liga Profes ...

2024 The year saw the list of ongoing armed conflicts, continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Myanmar civil war (2021–present), Myanmar civil war, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudane ...

Trofeo de Campeones de la Liga Profesional The Trofeo de Campeones de la Liga Profesional is an official List of Argentine football national cups, national football cup of Argentina organized by the Argentine Football Association (AFA) and contested by the winners of Argentine Primera Divi ...

Bayern Munich *

Bundesliga The Bundesliga (; ), sometimes referred to as the Fußball-Bundesliga () or 1. Bundesliga (), is a professional association football league in Germany and the highest level of the German football league system. The Bundesliga comprises 18 teams ...

: 2007–08 *

DFB-Pokal The DFB-Pokal (), also known as the German Cup in English language, English, is a German knockout Association football, football cup competition held annually by the German Football Association (DFB). Sixty-four teams participate in the competiti ...

: 2007–08 *

DFL-Ligapokal The DFL-Ligapokal (, officially Premiere Ligapokal , previously DFB-Ligapokal ) or the ''German League Cup'' was a German football competition that took place before the start of the Bundesliga season, featuring the top five teams of the previous B ...

2007 2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year. Events January * January 1 **Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...

DFL-Supercup The Franz Beckenbauer Supercup or ''German Super Cup'' is a one-off association football, football match in Germany that features the winners of the Bundesliga championship and the DFB-Pokal. The competition is run by the Deutsche Fußball Liga (E ...

2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...

Atlético Madrid *

La Liga The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Primera División, commonly known as the Primera División or La Liga, and officially known as LaLiga EA Sports for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Spain and the highest ...

: 2013–14 Beşiktaş *

: 2015–16 Milan *

Supercoppa Italiana The Supercoppa Italiana, also known as the Italian Super Cup, is an annual super cup tournament in Italian football. Founded in 1988 as a two-team competition, it has featured four teams since 2023 (the winners and runners-up of the previous ...

2016 2016 was designated as: * International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. * International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...

Trabzonspor *

Turkish Cup The Turkish Cup () is a football cup competition in Turkish football, run by the Turkish Football Federation since 1962. During a brief sponsorship period with Fortis, its sponsored name was ''Fortis Türkiye Kupası''. Now Ziraat Bankası is ...

: 2019–20 Argentina * Summer Olympics Gold Medal:

2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...

Individual *

top assists: 2015–16 (12 assists)

References

External links

* at Fútbol XXI * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Sosa, Jose 1985 births Living people Argentine men's footballers Argentina men's international footballers Argentina men's under-20 international footballers Argentine expatriate men's footballers Men's association football wingers Argentine Primera División players Bundesliga players Serie A players Ukrainian Premier League players La Liga players Süper Lig players Estudiantes de La Plata footballers FC Bayern Munich footballers SSC Napoli players FC Metalist Kharkiv players Atlético Madrid footballers Beşiktaş J.K. footballers AC Milan players Trabzonspor footballers Fenerbahçe S.K. footballers Expatriate men's footballers in Germany Expatriate men's footballers in Italy Expatriate men's footballers in Ukraine Expatriate men's footballers in Spain Expatriate men's footballers in Turkey Footballers at the 2008 Summer Olympics Olympic footballers for Argentina Olympic gold medalists for Argentina Olympic medalists in football Medalists at the 2008 Summer Olympics Argentine expatriate sportspeople in Germany Argentine expatriate sportspeople in Italy Argentine expatriate sportspeople in Spain Argentine expatriate sportspeople in Ukraine Argentine expatriate sportspeople in Turkey People from San Lorenzo Department Footballers from Santa Fe Province 21st-century Argentine sportsmen