Pablo Zabaleta
Encyclopedia
Pablo Javier Zabaleta Girod (born 16 January 1985) is an Argentine
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...

 footballer who plays for Manchester City
Manchester City F.C.
Manchester City Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Manchester. Founded in 1880 as St. Mark's , they became Ardwick Association Football Club in 1887 and Manchester City in 1894...

.

Zabaleta can operate on both sides of the pitch either as a defender
Defender (association football)
Within the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to prevent the opposition from attacking....

 or defensive midfielder, but is predominantly a right sided player. Zabaleta also holds a Spanish
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...

 passport. He has garnered a reputation for being a tenacious player and his overlapping runs from full back position.

San Lorenzo

Born in Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...

, Zabaleta was raised in Arrecifes
Arrecifes
Arrecifes is a town in Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. It is the head town of the Arrecifes Partido.-History:* September 20, 1586 the first time which an Spanish conqueror mentioned in his notes: "Pago de los Arrecifes", this is the oldest notice of the early days of Arrecifes. The first...

, Argentina. He began his career at Club Atlético San Lorenzo de Almagro
Club Atlético San Lorenzo de Almagro
Club Atlético San Lorenzo de Almagro is an Argentine sports club based in Boedo neighbourhood, Buenos Aires, mostly known because of its football team....

 in 2002 after progressing through their youth ranks, having been signed at the age of 12 from local club Obras Sanitarias. He started playing as a defensive midfielder but eventually moved to the right side of midfield

Espanyol

Zabaleta was transferred to Espanyol
RCD Espanyol
Reial Club Deportiu Espanyol de Barcelona is a sports club based in Barcelona, Spain. It is best known for its football team. Espanyol currently play in the Estadi Cornellà-El Prat with seats for 40,500 spectators. It was inaugurated on 2 August 2009...

 in 2005 for €3 million after being Argentina under-20
Argentina 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....

's captain in the 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship
2005 FIFA World Youth Championship
The 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship took place in The Netherlands between 10 June and 2 July 2005. The 2005 championship was the 15th contested.- Venues :- Qualification :The following 24 teams qualified for the 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship...

, which Argentina won.

In January 2007, he suffered a shoulder
Shoulder
The human shoulder is made up of three bones: the clavicle , the scapula , and the humerus as well as associated muscles, ligaments and tendons. The articulations between the bones of the shoulder make up the shoulder joints. The major joint of the shoulder is the glenohumeral joint, which...

 injury that kept him off the pitch for almost 3 months, already having established himself as an undisputed first team choice. In May 2007, Zabaleta started in the 2007 UEFA Cup Final
2007 UEFA Cup Final
-Match statistics:*-See also:*2006–07 UEFA Cup*UEFA Intertoto Cup*2007 UEFA Champions League Final...

, which Espanyol lost 3–1 on penalties to Sevilla
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...

.

Manchester City

In the summer of 2008, Zabaleta transferred to Premier League club Manchester City where he is among the fans' favourite players rejecting an offer from Juventus and stated upon joining that 'the offer of Manchester City is impossible to reject'. Having passed a medical and agreed personal terms, Zabaleta completed a five year deal with Manchester City
Manchester City F.C.
Manchester City Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Manchester. Founded in 1880 as St. Mark's , they became Ardwick Association Football Club in 1887 and Manchester City in 1894...

 on 31 August 2008 for an undisclosed fee, believed to the buy-out clause Zabaleta had attached to his contract of around £6.45 million. Zabaleta joined a month before Manchester City were bought by the Abu Dhabi United Group
Abu Dhabi United Group
The Abu Dhabi United Group for Development and Investment is a United Arab Emirates private equity company owned by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, member of the Abu Dhabi Royal Family and Minister of Presidential Affairs for the UAE...

 which was led by Sheikh Mansour which enabled a wealth of investment in the club.

Wearing the number 5 shirt, Zabaleta scored his first goal for City on 17 January 2009, the only goal of the game in a 1–0 league win over Wigan Athletic
Wigan Athletic F.C.
Wigan Athletic Football Club is an English Premier League Association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, having been promoted from the Championship in 2005. Wigan's current spell in the Premier League is the only top flight run in the club's history.They have played at the DW...

. Zabaleta has also played for City in the centre of midfield, with the return to fitness of Nedum Onuoha
Nedum Onuoha
Chinedum "Nedum" Onuoha is an English-Nigerian footballer. He currently plays for Manchester City. He is a defender, typically a centre back, but he can also play at right back or left back.-Biography:...

 pushing him further forward. This switch has brought an improvement in his performances. He got sent off in City's 1–1 league draw against Wigan Athletic.

On 21 November 2010, Pablo Zabaleta scored the 2nd goal for Manchester City 4–1 win against Fulham
Fulham F.C.
Fulham Football Club is a professional English Premier League club based in southwest London Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. Founded in 1879, they play in the Premier League, their 11th current season...

. This was his second league goal for the club and he assisted a Carlos Tévez
Carlos Tévez
Carlos Alberto Tévez is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a forward for English club Manchester City...

 goal, helping his compatriot to earn his 9th goal for the club during the 2010–11 season.

On 1 January 2011, Zabaleta played his 100th game for Manchester City in all competitions, coming off the bench against Blackpool
Blackpool
Blackpool is a borough, seaside town, and unitary authority area of Lancashire, in North West England. It is situated along England's west coast by the Irish Sea, between the Ribble and Wyre estuaries, northwest of Preston, north of Liverpool, and northwest of Manchester...

 in a 1–0 win at Eastlands. Two weeks later on 15 January, Zabaleta grabbed his second assist of the season in a 4–3 win over Wolves. This win meant that City went first in the league above city rivals Manchester United however their title challenge faded with a loss of form in the February and March months.

In a crucial game against West Ham
West Ham
West Ham is in the London Borough of Newham in London, England. In the west it is a post-industrial neighbourhood abutting the site of the London Olympic Park and in the east it is mostly residential, consisting of Victorian terraced housing interspersed with higher density post-War social housing...

 on 1 May 2011, Zabaleta scored his second goal of the season. This secured a 2–1 win for the Citizens and put them 7 points ahead of Liverpool
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...

 and Tottenham in the race for fourth place., although this has been given as an own goal on some sites Zabaleta is claiming the goal.

In the summer of 2011 it was reported Roma were keen on signing Zabaleta but were given a hands off warning by the Manchester City hierarchy and Zabaleta agreed a 3 year contract in July 2011.

In November of 2011, along with Adam Johnson, Zabaletta extended his contract with manchester city until summer 2015. Zabaletta said "I'm in a very good team, and I try to do my best for the club, the team and the fans. I didn't think twice, I gave a quick answer because I was so happy to sign."

International career

At the age of 14, Zabaleta was called up by Hugo Tocalli
Hugo Tocalli
Hugo Daniel Tocalli is a former Argentine football goalkeeper and coach. He played over 400 games in Argentine football and went on to coach a number of clubs and the Argentina U-20 side.-Playing career:...

 to Argentina U-15's. He took part in many youth tournaments, including the FIFA U-20 World Cup
FIFA U-20 World Cup
The 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...

 in 2003
2003 FIFA World Youth Championship
The 2003 FIFA World Youth Championship took place in United Arab Emirates between November 27 and December 19, 2003. The 2003 championship was the 14th contested...

 and 2005
2005 FIFA World Youth Championship
The 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship took place in The Netherlands between 10 June and 2 July 2005. The 2005 championship was the 15th contested.- Venues :- Qualification :The following 24 teams qualified for the 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship...

, winning the latter in the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...

. He received over 75 caps to national youth sides, and started representing the senior side
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 2005. He was also a member of the Gold Medal winning team at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, starting at right back and playing all 6 matches.
After 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...

 which Zabaleta was not selected to play in, under the new Argentina manager he has established himself as first choice right back.

Personal life

Zabaleta was born in Buenos Aires, and his father Jorge, introduced him to football when he was young. Zabaleta's mother died while he was young at age 15 and Zabaleta has a tattoo on his chest which bears the name of his mother.

Zabaleta is currently in a relationship with long-term girlfriend in Christel Castano. Castano initially disliked Manchester, attributing this to the weather and cuisine, but has grown to 'love Manchester'. In 2011, Zabaleta was given indefinite leave by Manchester City as his father, Jorge, was in intensive care after a motorcycling accident in his native Argentina.

Career statistics

Club Season League Domestic Cups¹ International Cups² Total
Apps.GoalsApps.GoalsApps.GoalsApps.Goals
San Lorenzo
Club Atlético San Lorenzo de Almagro
Club Atlético San Lorenzo de Almagro is an Argentine sports club based in Boedo neighbourhood, Buenos Aires, mostly known because of its football team....

2002–03 11 0 0 0
1 0 1 0 12 0 1 0
2003–04 27 3 5 0
3 0 1 0 30 3 6 0
2004–05 28 5 3 0
9 0 3 0 37 5 6 0
Total 66 8 8 0 0 0 0 0 13 0 5 0 79 8 13 0
Espanyol
RCD Espanyol
Reial Club Deportiu Espanyol de Barcelona is a sports club based in Barcelona, Spain. It is best known for its football team. Espanyol currently play in the Estadi Cornellà-El Prat with seats for 40,500 spectators. It was inaugurated on 2 August 2009...

2005–06
2005–06 La Liga
* Athletic Bilbao* Atlético Madrid* FC Barcelona* Betis* Cádiz CF* Celta de Vigo* Deportivo Alaves* Deportivo de La Coruña* Espanyol* Getafe CF* Málaga CF* RCD Mallorca* CA Osasuna* Racing de Santander* Real Madrid* Real Sociedad* Sevilla FC...

27 2 7 0 5 0 2 0 7 0 1 0 39 2 10 0
2006–07 20 0 7 0 3 0 1 0 9 0 5 0 32 0 13 0
2007–08 32 1 14 1 4 0 0 0
36 1 14 1
Total 79 3 28 1 12 0 3 0 16 0 6 0 107 3 37 1
Manchester City 2008–09
2008–09 in English football
The 2008–09 season was the 129th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:* West Bromwich Albion, Stoke City and Hull City were all playing in the Premier League after winning promotion from the Championship last season. Stoke returned to the top flight after a 23-year absence, while...

28 1 3 1 2 0 0 0 11 0 2 0 41 1 5 1
2009–10
2009–10 in English football
The 2009–10 season was the 130th season of competitive football in England.The season began on 8 August 2009 for the Championship, League One and League Two and 15 August 2009 for the Premier League...

27 0 9 1 8 0 2 0
35 1 11 1
2010–11
2010–11 in English football
The 2010–11 season was the 131st season of competitive football in England.The season began on 6 August 2010 for the Football Leagues, with the Premier League and Football Conference both starting eight days later on 14 August 2010. The Championship, League One, and League Two ended on 7 May...

26 2 9 0 1 0 0 0 11 0 1 0 45 2 10 0
2011–12
2011–12 in English football
The 2011–12 season is the 132nd season of competitive football in England.The season began on 5 August 2011 for the Football Leagues, with the Premier starting eight days later, League Football Conference Starting one day before Premier League starts.The Championship, League One, and League Two...

2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total 81 3 18 2 11 0 2 0 19 0 3 0 102 3 23 2
Career total 217 14 54 3 23 0 5 0 48 0 14 0 288 16 73 3
Statistics accurate as of 13:15, 13 June 2011


¹ Copa del Rey
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 ....

, Supercopa de España
Supercopa de España
The Supercopa de España is a Spanish football championship contested by the winners of La Liga and the Copa del Rey...

, FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...

, Football League Cup
Football League Cup
The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...

 and FA Community Shield
FA Community Shield
The Football Association Community Shield is English football's annual match contested between the champions of the previous Premier League season and the holders of the FA Cup at Wembley Stadium. If the Premier League champions also won the FA Cup then the league runners-up provide the opposition...

.


² Copa Libertadores, Copa Sudamericana
Copa Sudamericana
The Copa Bridgestone Sudamericana de Clubes , known simply as the Copa Sudamericana , is an annual international club football competition organized by the CONMEBOL since 2002. It is the second most prestigious club competition in South American football. CONCACAF clubs were invited between 2004...

, Recopa Sudamericana
Recopa Sudamericana
The Recopa Sudamericana is an annual football match-up between the reigning champions of the previous year's Copa Libertadores and the Copa Sudamericana, South America's premier club competitions....

, 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...

, UEFA Europa League, UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup
FIFA Club World Cup
The FIFA Club World Cup is a football competition between the champion clubs from all six continental confederations.The first FIFA Club World Championship took place in Brazil in January 2000...

.

Honours

Club

San Lorenzo de Almagro Argentina
  • Copa Sudamericana
    Copa Sudamericana
    The Copa Bridgestone Sudamericana de Clubes , known simply as the Copa Sudamericana , is an annual international club football competition organized by the CONMEBOL since 2002. It is the second most prestigious club competition in South American football. CONCACAF clubs were invited between 2004...

    : 2002

RCD Espanyol
RCD Espanyol
Reial Club Deportiu Espanyol de Barcelona is a sports club based in Barcelona, Spain. It is best known for its football team. Espanyol currently play in the Estadi Cornellà-El Prat with seats for 40,500 spectators. It was inaugurated on 2 August 2009...

 Spain
  • Copa del Rey
    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 ....

    : 2006
    2006 Copa del Rey Final
    -References:...

    • UEFA Cup
      UEFA Cup
      The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...

       runners-up: 2007
      2007 UEFA Cup Final
      -Match statistics:*-See also:*2006–07 UEFA Cup*UEFA Intertoto Cup*2007 UEFA Champions League Final...


Manchester City
Manchester City F.C.
Manchester City Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Manchester. Founded in 1880 as St. Mark's , they became Ardwick Association Football Club in 1887 and Manchester City in 1894...

 Kingdom of England
  • FA Cup
    FA Cup
    The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...

    : 2010–11
    2011 FA Cup Final
    The 2011 FA Cup Final was the 130th final of the FA Cup, the world's oldest domestic football cup competition. The match took place on 14 May 2011 at Wembley Stadium in London. The clubs contesting the 2011 final were Premier League clubs Manchester City and Stoke City, with the victors guaranteed...


International

Argentina Under-20
Argentina 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....

  • South American Youth Championship
    South American Youth Championship
    The South American Youth Championship, also known as U-20 South American Championship and Juventud de América is a South American football tournament organized by the CONMEBOL , for South American national teams of men under age 20.-History:The first South American Youth Championship was hosted by...

    : 2003
    2003 South American Youth Championship
    -Group B:-Results:-----------------Final group:-Results:-----------------Top scorers:8 goals Fernando Cavenaghi4 goals Dagoberto Jaime Ruiz Dante López Erwin Ávalos...

  • FIFA U-20 World Cup
    FIFA U-20 World Cup
    The 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...

    : 2005
    2005 FIFA World Youth Championship
    The 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship took place in The Netherlands between 10 June and 2 July 2005. The 2005 championship was the 15th contested.- Venues :- Qualification :The following 24 teams qualified for the 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship...


Argentina Under 23
  • Olympics: 2008
    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...


External links

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