Éver Banega
Encyclopedia
Éver Maximiliano David Banega (born 29 June 1988) is an Argentine
professional footballer who plays for Valencia CF
in Spain
, mainly as a central midfielder.
, Santa Fe Province
, Banega came through the youth ranks at Boca Juniors
, reaching the first team at 18, and winning immediate recognition thanks to his passing average and his performances in the first division. After teammate midfielder Fernando Gago moved to Real Madrid
in January 2007, he was named as his successor, despite his young age.
Banega made his professional debut in the 4–0 victory against Club Atlético Banfield
on 10 February 2007. On 2 April, just a few matches afterwards, he was given an ovation when he left the field.
side Valencia CF
on a five and-a-half year deal, for a fee of around €
18 million. He made his debut coming on as a halftime substitute in a final 0–1 loss at Atlético de Madrid in January 2008.
Banega was loaned to Atlético Madrid for 2008–09. He made his official debut as a substitute during the Colchoneross 3–0 win at PSV Eindhoven, in the first group stage match of the season's UEFA Champions League
. However, he failed to settle in the team's starting XI, also being sent off
twice, in away draws against Villarreal CF
and UD Almería
.
Following his return from Atlético, it appeared that Banega was to join English
club Everton
, but a move did not materialise due to problems acquiring a visa. He subsequently returned for 2009–10
and assisted both goals in Valencia's opening game against Sevilla FC
. He scored his first goal for Valencia on 17 January 2010, in a 4–1 win over neighouring
Villarreal.
, alongside Sergio Agüero
, for the 2007 FIFA World Cup
in Canada
, appearing in all seven games in an eventual tournament conquest.
Soon after joining Valencia in January 2008, Banega made his debut for the Argentina national team
, in a 5–0 friendly win over Guatemala
, on 6 February, which he started. During that summer, he appeared for the nation with the Olympic side
at the Summer Olympics
, helping to an eventual gold medal
.
In spite of a solid season with Valencia, Banega was not selected for the 2010 FIFA World Cup
in South Africa
by manager Diego Maradona
.
Valencia
supporter, having a tattoo
of his hometown club's crest on the back of his right leg.
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
professional footballer who plays for Valencia CF
Valencia CF
Valencia Club de Fútbol is a Spanish football club based in Valencia, Spain. They play in La Liga and are one of the most successful and biggest clubs in Spanish Football and European Football. Valencia have won six La Liga titles, seven Copa del Rey trophies, two Fairs Cups which was the...
in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, mainly as a central midfielder.
Boca Juniors
Born in RosarioRosario
Rosario is the largest city in the province of Santa Fe, Argentina. It is located northwest of Buenos Aires, on the western shore of the Paraná River and has 1,159,004 residents as of the ....
, Santa Fe Province
Santa Fe Province
The Invincible Province of Santa Fe, in Spanish Provincia Invencible de Santa Fe , is a province of Argentina, located in the center-east of the country. Neighboring provinces are from the north clockwise Chaco , Corrientes, Entre Ríos, Buenos Aires, Córdoba, and Santiago del Estero...
, Banega came through the youth ranks at Boca Juniors
Boca Juniors
Club Atlético Boca Juniors is an Argentine sports club based in La Boca neighborhood of Buenos Aires. It is best known for its professional football team, which currently plays in the Primera División....
, reaching the first team at 18, and winning immediate recognition thanks to his passing average and his performances in the first division. After teammate midfielder Fernando Gago moved to Real Madrid
Real Madrid C.F.
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol , commonly known as Real Madrid, is a professional football club based in Madrid, Spain. The club have won a record 31 La Liga titles, the Primera División of the Liga de Fútbol Profesional , 18 Copas del Rey, 8 Spanish Super Cups, 1 Copa Eva Duarte and 1 Copa de la...
in January 2007, he was named as his successor, despite his young age.
Banega made his professional debut in the 4–0 victory against Club Atlético Banfield
Club Atlético Banfield
Club Atlético Banfield is an Argentine sports club located in the city of Banfield, part of Lomas de Zamora, Buenos Aires province. Founded on 21 January 1896 by residents of the town of British origin , its main activity is football...
on 10 February 2007. On 2 April, just a few matches afterwards, he was given an ovation when he left the field.
Valencia
On 5 January 2008, Banega signed with SpanishSpain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
side Valencia CF
Valencia CF
Valencia Club de Fútbol is a Spanish football club based in Valencia, Spain. They play in La Liga and are one of the most successful and biggest clubs in Spanish Football and European Football. Valencia have won six La Liga titles, seven Copa del Rey trophies, two Fairs Cups which was the...
on a five and-a-half year deal, for a fee of around €
Euro
The euro is the official currency of the eurozone: 17 of the 27 member states of the European Union. It is also the currency used by the Institutions of the European Union. The eurozone consists of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg,...
18 million. He made his debut coming on as a halftime substitute in a final 0–1 loss at Atlético de Madrid in January 2008.
Banega was loaned to Atlético Madrid for 2008–09. He made his official debut as a substitute during the Colchoneross 3–0 win at PSV Eindhoven, in the first group stage match of the season's UEFA Champions League
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
. However, he failed to settle in the team's starting XI, also being sent off
Ejection (sports)
In sports, an ejection is one of several disqualifying actions assessed to a player or coach by a game official , usually for unsportsmanlike conduct....
twice, in away draws against Villarreal CF
Villarreal CF
Villarreal Club de Fútbol, S.A.D. , usually abbreviated to Villarreal CF or just Villarreal, is a Spanish Primera División football club based in Vila-real, a city in the province of Castellón within the Valencian Community...
and UD Almería
UD Almería
Unión Deportiva Almería, S.A.D. is a Spanish football club based in Almería, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. Founded in 1989 as Almería Club de Fútbol, it currently plays in Segunda División, holding home games at Estadio de los Juegos Mediterráneos, with a 22,000-seat...
.
Following his return from Atlético, it appeared that Banega was to join English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
club Everton
Everton F.C.
Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...
, but a move did not materialise due to problems acquiring a visa. He subsequently returned for 2009–10
2009–10 La Liga
- Personnel and sponsoring :- Before the start of the season :- During the season :-League table:||rowspan=1 style="background-color:#F9F9F9;"|||rowspan=1 style="background-color:#F9F9F9;"|...
and assisted both goals in Valencia's opening game against Sevilla FC
Sevilla FC
Sevilla Fútbol Club S.A.D. is a Spanish professional football club based in Seville, Spain that plays in the Spanish La Liga championship.They are one of the most successful clubs in Spanish football having won a 1 La Liga title, 5 Spanish "Copa del Rey" Cups, 1 Spanish Super Cup and 2 UEFA...
. He scored his first goal for Valencia on 17 January 2010, in a 4–1 win over neighouring
Valencian Community
The Valencian Community is an autonomous community of Spain located in central and south-eastern Iberian Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Valencia...
Villarreal.
International career
Banega was selected for the U20 teamArgentina national under-20 football team
The Argentina national under-20 football team is the representative of Argentina in FIFA sponsored tournaments that pertain to that age level....
, alongside Sergio Agüero
Sergio Agüero
Sergio Leonel "Kun" Agüero del Castillo is an Argentine footballer who plays as a striker for Manchester City in England's Premier League and the Argentine national team....
, for the 2007 FIFA World Cup
2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup
The 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup was the sixteenth edition of the FIFA U-20 World Cup , hosted by Canada from June 30 to July 22, 2007. Argentina defeated Czech Republic in the title game by the score of 2–1, thus managing a back-to-back world title, its fifth in the past seven editions, and sixth...
in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, appearing in all seven games in an eventual tournament conquest.
Soon after joining Valencia in January 2008, Banega made his debut for the Argentina national team
Argentina national football team
The Argentina national football team represents Argentina in association football and is controlled by the Argentine Football Association , the governing body for football in Argentina. Argentina's home stadium is Estadio Monumental Antonio Vespucio Liberti and their head coach is Alejandro...
, in a 5–0 friendly win over Guatemala
Guatemala national football team
The Guatemala national football team is the association football team representing the country of Guatemala and is controlled by the Federación Nacional de Fútbol de Guatemala. Founded in 1919, it affiliated to FIFA in 1946, and it is a member of CONCACAF....
, on 6 February, which he started. During that summer, he appeared for the nation with the Olympic side
Argentina Olympic football team
Argentina Olympic football team represents Argentina in international football competitions in Olympic Games. The selection is limited to players under the age of 23, except three overage players...
at the Summer Olympics
2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events...
, helping to an eventual gold medal
Football at the 2008 Summer Olympics
Football at the 2008 Summer Olympics was held in Beijing and several other cities in the People's Republic of China from 6 August to 23 August. Associations affiliated with FIFA were invited to send their full women's national teams and men's U-23 teams to participate...
.
In spite of a solid season with Valencia, Banega was not selected for the 2010 FIFA World Cup
2010 FIFA World Cup
The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010...
in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
by manager Diego Maradona
Diego Maradona
Diego Armando Maradona is a retired Argentine football player and widely regarded as one of the greatest football players of all time. Over the course of his professional club career Maradona played for Argentinos Juniors, Boca Juniors, Barcelona, Napoli, Sevilla and Newell's Old Boys, setting...
.
Club statistics
| Club | Season | League La Liga The Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system... |
Cup Copa del Rey The Copa del Rey is an annual football cup competition for Spanish football teams. Its full name is Campeonato de España – Copa de Su Majestad el Rey de Fútbol .... |
Europe UEFA The Union of European Football Associations , almost always referred to by its acronym UEFA is the administrative and controlling body for European association football, futsal and beach soccer.... |
Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Valencia Valencia CF Valencia Club de Fútbol is a Spanish football club based in Valencia, Spain. They play in La Liga and are one of the most successful and biggest clubs in Spanish Football and European Football. Valencia have won six La Liga titles, seven Copa del Rey trophies, two Fairs Cups which was the... |
|||||||||
| 2007–08 | 12 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 0 | |
| Total | 12 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 0 | |
| Atlético Madrid | |||||||||
| 2008–09 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 17 | 1 | |
| Total | 24 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 31 | 1 | |
| Valencia Valencia CF Valencia Club de Fútbol is a Spanish football club based in Valencia, Spain. They play in La Liga and are one of the most successful and biggest clubs in Spanish Football and European Football. Valencia have won six La Liga titles, seven Copa del Rey trophies, two Fairs Cups which was the... |
|||||||||
| 2009–10 2009–10 La Liga - Personnel and sponsoring :- Before the start of the season :- During the season :-League table:||rowspan=1 style="background-color:#F9F9F9;"|||rowspan=1 style="background-color:#F9F9F9;"|... |
36 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 45 | 2 | |
| 2010–11 2010–11 La Liga The 2010–11 La Liga season was the 80th since its establishment. The campaign began on 28 August 2010 and ended on 21 May 2011. A total of 20 teams contested the league, 17 of which already contested in the 2009–10 season and three of which were promoted from the Segunda División... |
27 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 33 | 3 | |
| 2011–12 2011–12 La Liga The 2011–12 La Liga season is the 81st since its establishment. Barcelona are the defending champions, having won their 21st La Liga title in the previous season for the third time in a row. The campaign began on 27 August 2011, and will end on 13 May 2012... |
8 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 0 | |
| Total | 83 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 16 | 0 | 106 | 5 | |
| Career Total | 107 | 5 | 8 | 1 | 19 | 0 | 132 | 6 | |
Club
Boca Juniors- Copa Libertadores: 2007
Valencia
- Spanish CupCopa del ReyThe Copa del Rey is an annual football cup competition for Spanish football teams. Its full name is Campeonato de España – Copa de Su Majestad el Rey de Fútbol ....
: 2007–08
Country
- FIFA U-20 World CupFIFA U-20 World CupThe FIFA U-20 World Cup, until 2005 known as the FIFA World Youth Championship, is the world championship of football for male players under the age of 20 and is organized by Fédération Internationale de Football Association...
: 20072007 FIFA U-20 World CupThe 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup was the sixteenth edition of the FIFA U-20 World Cup , hosted by Canada from June 30 to July 22, 2007. Argentina defeated Czech Republic in the title game by the score of 2–1, thus managing a back-to-back world title, its fifth in the past seven editions, and sixth... - Summer Olympic GamesSummer Olympic GamesThe Summer Olympic Games or the Games of the Olympiad are an international multi-sport event, occurring every four years, organized by the International Olympic Committee. Medals are awarded in each event, with gold medals for first place, silver for second and bronze for third, a tradition that...
: 2008Football at the 2008 Summer Olympics – Men's tournamentThe men's association football tournament at the 2008 Summer Olympics was held in Beijing and four other cities in the People's Republic of China from 7 August to 23 August. Associations affiliated with FIFA were invited to enter their men's U-23 teams in regional qualifying competitions, from...
Personal
Banega has four brothers, Luciano, César, Brian and Emiliano. He is a passionate Newell's Old BoysNewell's Old Boys
Club Atlético Newell's Old Boys is an Argentine sports club based in Rosario. The club was founded on November 3, 1903, and is named after Isaac Newell, one of the pioneers of Argentine football...
supporter, having a tattoo
Tattoo
A tattoo is made by inserting indelible ink into the dermis layer of the skin to change the pigment. Tattoos on humans are a type of body modification, and tattoos on other animals are most commonly used for identification purposes...
of his hometown club's crest on the back of his right leg.