Franco Zuculini
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Franco Zuculini | ||
| Date of birth | 5 September 1990 | ||
| Place of birth | La Rioja, Argentina | ||
| Height | 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) | ||
| Playing position | Defensive midfielder | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Arsenal de Sarandí | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Racing Club | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2008–2009 | Racing Club | 38 | (2) |
| 2009–2012 | 1899 Hoffenheim | 7 | (1) |
| 2010–2011 | → Genoa (loan) | 4 | (0) |
| 2011 | → Racing Club (loan) | 15 | (0) |
| 2011–2012 | → Zaragoza (loan) | 21 | (0) |
| 2012–2013 | Zaragoza | 16 | (1) |
| 2014– | Arsenal de Sarandí | 0 | (0) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2007 | Argentina U17 | 4 | (0) |
| 2009 | Argentina U20 | 6 | (0) |
| 2009– | Argentina | 1 | (0) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 1 June 2013. † Appearances (Goals). | |||
Franco Zuculini (born 5 September 1990) is an Argentine footballer who currently plays for Arsenal de Sarandí as a defensive midfielder.
Club career
Racing Club
Born in La Rioja, Zuculini made his professional debut with Racing Club de Avellaneda on 13 April 2008 at not yet 18, starting in a 1–0 home win against Arsenal de Sarandí for the Primera División championship.
He appeared in 29 league games and scored two goals in his first full season, helping his team narrowly avoid relegation.
Hoffenheim
On 26 June 2009, Zuculini signed with TSG 1899 Hoffenheim in Germany.[1] He appeared in only seven Bundesliga games during his short spell, scoring on 24 October in a 3–0 home win against 1. FC Nuremberg after coming on as a second half substitute.[2]
Subsequently Zuculini began a series of loans, which saw him appear for Genoa C.F.C. in Italy, former club Racing and Spain's Real Zaragoza.
Real Zaragoza
On 12 August 2011 Zaragoza announced the signing of Zuculini on a season-long loan, with a view to a permanent transfer later in the year.[3] He made his La Liga debut sixteen days later, starting and featuring 52 minutes in a 0–6 home loss to Real Madrid.[4]
Zuculini agreed to a three-year deal with the Aragonese in the subsequent off-season,[5] He netted his first goal (two in all competitions) for the side on 10 December 2012 in a 2–0 success at Rayo Vallecano,[6] being released at the end of the campaign after it ended in relegation.
Arsenal de Sarandí
During the 2012-13 season with Zaragoza, Zuculini was hampered with a knee ligament injury in which he saw limited playing time. He focused rehabilitation efforts since parting ways with the Spanish team. While recovering from the operation, Arsenal de Sarandí allowed him to get into exercise programs and train along with the team players. In January 2014, after a nearly one-year period of inactivity, he returned to football when he signed a half-year deal with Arsenal.[7]
International career
In January 2009, Zuculini was selected for the Argentina under-20 team for the 2009 South American Youth Championship in Venezuela. He was named by full side manager Diego Maradona in a squad of 14 local players in late May of that year,[8] and made his debut on the 20th – aged just 18 – in a friendly with Panama (2–0 win in Santa Fe).
Personal
Zuculini's younger brother, Bruno, is also a footballer and a midfielder. He too represented Racing de Avellaneda.[9]
References
- ↑ "Hoffenheim schnappt Zuculini" [Hoffenheim gets Zuculini] (in German). kicker. 26 June 2009. Retrieved 2 November 2013.
- ↑ "Eichner trifft leidenschaftlichen Club ins Herz" [Eichner hits passionate club to the core] (in German). kicker. 24 October 2009. Retrieved 2 November 2013.
- ↑ "El Zaragoza ficha a Zuculini" [Zaragoza signs Zuculini] (in Spanish). Marca. 12 August 2011. Retrieved 2 November 2013.
- ↑ "Ronaldo gets Madrid show underway". ESPN Soccernet. 28 August 2011. Retrieved 2 November 2013.
- ↑ "Zuculini renueva por tres temporadas" [Zuculini renews for three seasons] (in Spanish). Real Zaragoza. 5 July 2012. Retrieved 2 November 2013.
- ↑ "Zaragoza nets first win". ESPN FC. 10 December 2012. Retrieved 2 November 2013.
- ↑ "Zuculini firmó por seis meses" [Zuculini signed for six months] (in Spanish). Arsenal de Sarandí. Retrieved 25 January 2014.
- ↑ "Previa amistoso: La Argentina 'local' de Maradona enfrenta a Panamá" [Friendly preview: Maradona's 'local' Argentina takes on Panama] (in Spanish). Goal.com. 20 May 2009. Retrieved 2 November 2013.
- ↑ "Franco & Bruno Zuculini to play together for the first time for Racing Club". Goal.com. 12 May 2011. Retrieved 2 November 2013.
External links
- Real Zaragoza official profile (Spanish)
- Argentine League statistics (Spanish)
- Stats at Fussballdaten (German)
- BDFutbol profile
- Franco Zuculini at National-Football-Teams.com
- Franco Zuculini – FIFA competition record
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