| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Victorio Maximiliano Pereira Páez | ||
| Date of birth | June 8, 1984 | ||
| Place of birth | Montevideo, Uruguay | ||
| Height | 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in) | ||
| Playing position | Wingback | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Benfica | ||
| Number | 14 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Defensor | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2002–2007 | Defensor | 118 | (25) |
| 2007– | Benfica | 182 | (10) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2005– | Uruguay | 59 | (1) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 14 May 2011. † Appearances (Goals). |
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Victorio Maximiliano "Maxi" Pereira Páez (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈmaksi peˈrejra]; born 8 June 1984 in Montevideo) is an Uruguayan footballer who plays for S.L. Benfica in the Portuguese first division. Mainly a right defender, he can occasionally appear as a midfielder.
An Uruguayan international on more than 60 occasions, Pereira represented the nation at the 2010 World Cup and two Copa América tournaments.
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Pereira started playing professional football for Defensor Sporting, as a 18-year-old, early in the 2002–03 season. He took no time to adjust to the first team, being a crucial part alongside Álvaro González, and netting a career-best 16 goals in the first division in the 2005 season. After 2006–07, Defensor lost both gems, as González was transferred to Boca Juniors and Pereira went to Sport Lisboa e Benfica, accompanied by countryman Cristian Rodríguez.[1] The Lisbon side signed the player for €3 million and 70% of his rights.[2]
In his first season, Pereira was initially played as a right midfielder, failing to adjust to that position. He did net in two consecutive home games in November 2007, in a 6–1 league thrashing of Boavista FC, and in the Champions League 1–1 tie against A.C. Milan, where he scored with his left foot from outside the box.[3]
The following season, Pereira switched to right-back, after Nélson Marcos moved to Real Betis, and became an everpresent fixture during the Reds' campaign. In 2009–10, as Benfica won the league after five years - adding the season's domestic League Cup - he appeared in a total of 40 games, scoring five goals in 2,932 minutes of action.
An Uruguayan international since 26 October 2005, in a friendly loss in Mexico, Pereira quickly became a regular for the country, and represented it at the 2007 Copa América.
He was selected for the squad at the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, playing all the matches and minutes for the eventual semfinalists: in the quarterfinals against Ghana, he missed his penalty shootout attempt, but Uruguay eventually qualified for the next stage, where he scored his first goal as an international, in a 2–3 loss against Holland, finding the net in the 91st minute.[4]
Pereira was again an undisputed starter for Uruguay in the 2011 Copa América held in Argentina, with the national team winning its 15th continental tournament.
| Goal | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 6 July 2010 | Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town, South Africa | Netherlands | 2–3 | 2–3 | 2010 FIFA World Cup |
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