Emiliano Insúa
Encyclopedia
Emiliano Adrián Insúa Zapata (born 7 January 1989) is an Argentine
football defender
who plays for Sporting CP and for the Argentina national team
.
Insúa is a European Union
citizen due to one of his grandparents being a Spanish citizen.
-based team, Boca Juniors. The left-back did not break into the first-team at La Bombonera
when he caught the attention of scouts Frank Mc Parland and Paddy Murphy from Liverpool
. After some solid performances for the Argentinian U17s, many clubs were desperate to sign him, a player who rarely had appearances for his then club, and Boca were also very keen to get a profit from this young prodigy which led to negotiations between Liverpool and Boca. The defender agreed to an 18 month loan
deal with the Merseyside
club on 28 November 2006, beginning his loan period in January.
on 28 April 2007, but made only one more league appearance that season. His loan deal was made permanent in August 2007 in the deal which saw Gabriel Paletta
moved to Boca Juniors
.
The following season Insúa made only three more first-team league appearances but found success with Gary Ablett's Premier Reserve League winning team; along with other Liverpool youngsters. His performances impressed manager Rafael Benítez
enough to offer him a new three-year deal at the club. In December 2008 Insua got a run of games in the Liverpool first team, due to an injury to Fábio Aurélio
and also due to the form of Andrea Dossena
. Insúa found himself starting in Liverpool's opening six Premier League games and the first tie of their UEFA Champions League
campaign. He scored his first goal for the club in a Football League Cup
match against Arsenal
at the Emirates Stadium
on 28 October 2009.
In July 2010, despite being Liverpool's only senior left back available, a fee was agreed for him to join Fiorentina
, although a contract was never signed.
After returning to Liverpool he was expected to play in China for Liverpool but didn't get a visa in time so he flew to Malaysia for Liverpool's next pre season game.
on a one year loan deal with an option to transfer permanently next year on the 30th of June, when the deal expires. He wore the number 6 shirt. It was rumoured that Insúa would be returning to Liverpool in the January transfer window after Galatasaray manager Gheorghe Hagi
stated that he did not want loan players in his squad and Insúa had reportedly expressed his desire to play for Liverpool under new manager Kenny Dalglish
.
Insúa returned to Liverpool for pre-season training following his loan spell. After being denied entry into China for passport reasons, Insua rejoined the Liverpool squad in Malaysia. He featured in Liverpool's 6 - 3 win over a Malaysian select team
, coming on as a second half substitute and scoring one goal.
On 15 September 2011, Insúa make his debut in UEFA Europa League for Sporting Clube de Portugal, scoring the first goal in the 2-0 victory against FC Zurich. On 29 September 2011 Insúa scored the second goal in the victory (2-1) against SS Lazio.
He was then sent off after earning his second yellow card. His performances in SCP have not gone unnoticed by the Argentine coach.
, which served as a qualifier for the FIFA U-20 World Cup
where he played seven games, conceding just 4 goals in the entire tournament and aiding the Argentina Under-20 team
to victory against the Czech Republic
in the FIFA U-20 World Cup
final on 22 July 2007.
On 24 August 2009, Liverpool manager Rafael Benítez
said that Diego Maradona
was monitoring the progress of Insúa and considering calling him up for international duty with Argentina. Maradona eventually did call him up on 26 September 2009, for the crucial World Cup qualifiers against Peru
and Uruguay
, making his first start in a 2–1 win over Peru..
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Liverpool
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...
football 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....
who plays for Sporting CP and 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...
.
Insúa is a European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
citizen due to one of his grandparents being a Spanish citizen.
Early career
Insúa began his football career with youth team Pinocho in Argentina, later moving to, Buenos AiresBuenos 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...
-based team, Boca Juniors. The left-back did not break into the first-team at La Bombonera
La Bombonera
La Bombonera may refer:* Estadio Alberto J. Armando, home stadium of Club Atlético Boca Juniors* Estadio Nemesio Díez, home stadium of Deportivo Toluca* Estadio "La Bombonera", Montevideo, home stadium of Club Atlético Basáñez...
when he caught the attention of scouts Frank Mc Parland and Paddy Murphy from 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...
. After some solid performances for the Argentinian U17s, many clubs were desperate to sign him, a player who rarely had appearances for his then club, and Boca were also very keen to get a profit from this young prodigy which led to negotiations between Liverpool and Boca. The defender agreed to an 18 month loan
Loan (football)
In sports, a loan involves a particular player being allowed to temporarily play for a club other than the one he is currently contracted to. Loan deals may last from a few weeks to all season-long....
deal with the Merseyside
Merseyside
Merseyside is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 1,365,900. It encompasses the metropolitan area centred on both banks of the lower reaches of the Mersey Estuary, and comprises five metropolitan boroughs: Knowsley, St Helens, Sefton, Wirral, and the city of Liverpool...
club on 28 November 2006, beginning his loan period in January.
Liverpool
Insúa made his first-team debut against PortsmouthPortsmouth F.C.
Portsmouth Football Club is an English football club based in the city of Portsmouth. The club is nicknamed Pompey. Portsmouth's home matches have been played at Fratton Park since the club's formation in 1898. The team currently play in the Football League Championship after being relegated from...
on 28 April 2007, but made only one more league appearance that season. His loan deal was made permanent in August 2007 in the deal which saw Gabriel Paletta
Gabriel Paletta
Gabriel Alejandro Paletta is an Argentine central defender who currently plays for Parma in Italy's Serie A.-Banfield:...
moved to 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....
.
The following season Insúa made only three more first-team league appearances but found success with Gary Ablett's Premier Reserve League winning team; along with other Liverpool youngsters. His performances impressed manager Rafael Benítez
Rafael Benítez
Rafael "Rafa" Benítez Maudes is a football manager, and former player. He is currently unemployed, after leaving as manager of Internazionale in December 2010....
enough to offer him a new three-year deal at the club. In December 2008 Insua got a run of games in the Liverpool first team, due to an injury to Fábio Aurélio
Fábio Aurélio
Fábio Aurélio Rodrigues is a Brazilian footballer who plays for Liverpool of the Premier League, having previously played for São Paulo and Valencia. He plays as either a left back or left winger and has represented Brazil at Under-17 and Under-20 levels and at the 2000 Sydney Olympics...
and also due to the form of Andrea Dossena
Andrea Dossena
Andrea Dossena is an Italian footballer who plays as a left back for S.S.C. Napoli.-Early career:Dossena began his career at Verona as a youth player before playing 4 seasons in their senior squad...
. Insúa found himself starting in Liverpool's opening six Premier League games and the first tie of their 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...
campaign. He scored his first goal for the club in a 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...
match against Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
at the Emirates Stadium
Emirates Stadium
Ashburton Grove, currently known as the Emirates Stadium, is a UEFA elite football stadium which is home to Arsenal FC, where they moved from Highbury in 2006. It has an current capacity of 60,361, and there have been rumours of an expansion...
on 28 October 2009.
In July 2010, despite being Liverpool's only senior left back available, a fee was agreed for him to join Fiorentina
ACF Fiorentina
ACF Fiorentina, commonly referred to as simply Fiorentina, is a professional Italian football club from Florence, Tuscany. Founded by a merger in 1926, Fiorentina have played at the top level of Italian football for the majority of their existence; only four clubs have played in more Serie A...
, although a contract was never signed.
After returning to Liverpool he was expected to play in China for Liverpool but didn't get a visa in time so he flew to Malaysia for Liverpool's next pre season game.
Galatasaray
On 31 August 2010 he joined GalatasarayGalatasaray S.K. (football team)
Galatasaray Anonim Şirketi is a Turkish football club, part of the Galatasaray S.K. multi-sport club of Istanbul. Galatasaray is a major sports club in Turkey, holding 17 Turkish Super League titles and the highest number of Turkish Cups....
on a one year loan deal with an option to transfer permanently next year on the 30th of June, when the deal expires. He wore the number 6 shirt. It was rumoured that Insúa would be returning to Liverpool in the January transfer window after Galatasaray manager Gheorghe Hagi
Gheorghe Hagi
Gheorghe Hagi is a former Romanian footballer. He was famous for his passing, close control, long shots and was regarded as one of the best attacking midfielders in Europe during the 1980s and 1990s and is considered the greatest Romanian footballer of all time...
stated that he did not want loan players in his squad and Insúa had reportedly expressed his desire to play for Liverpool under new manager Kenny Dalglish
Kenny Dalglish
Kenneth Mathieson "Kenny" Dalglish MBE is a Scottish former footballer and the current manager of Liverpool F.C.. In a 22-year playing career, he played for two club teams, Celtic and Liverpool, winning numerous honours with both. He is the most capped Scottish player, with 102 appearances, and...
.
Return to Liverpool
Malaysia League XI
Malaysia League XI is a football team which represents Malaysia to participate in exhibitional matches...
, coming on as a second half substitute and scoring one goal.
Sporting Clube de Portugal
On 27 August 2011, Sporting Clube de Portugal confirmed Insua signed a five-year deal at the club, following a four year spell at Liverpool for a undisclosed fee. He was given the number 48.On 15 September 2011, Insúa make his debut in UEFA Europa League for Sporting Clube de Portugal, scoring the first goal in the 2-0 victory against FC Zurich. On 29 September 2011 Insúa scored the second goal in the victory (2-1) against SS Lazio.
He was then sent off after earning his second yellow card. His performances in SCP have not gone unnoticed by the Argentine coach.
International career
The player succeeded on the Under-20s international scene, playing three games to finish with the runner-up medal at the 2007 South American Youth Championship2007 South American Youth Championship
The 2007 South American Youth Championship is a football competition contested by all ten U-20 national football teams of CONMEBOL. The tournament was held in Paraguay between January 7 and January 28, 2007, it was the 23rd time the competition has been held and the 4th to take place in Paraguay...
, which served as a qualifier for 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...
where he played seven games, conceding just 4 goals in the entire tournament and aiding the Argentina Under-20 team
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....
to victory against the Czech Republic
Czech Republic national football team
The Czech Republic national football team represents the Czech Republic in association football and is controlled by the Football Association of the Czech Republic, the governing body for football in the Czech Republic. Their current head coach is Michal Bílek...
in 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...
final on 22 July 2007.
On 24 August 2009, Liverpool manager Rafael Benítez
Rafael Benítez
Rafael "Rafa" Benítez Maudes is a football manager, and former player. He is currently unemployed, after leaving as manager of Internazionale in December 2010....
said that 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...
was monitoring the progress of Insúa and considering calling him up for international duty with Argentina. Maradona eventually did call him up on 26 September 2009, for the crucial World Cup qualifiers against Peru
Peru national football team
The Peru national football team, known as 'el equipo inca', represents Peru in international football competition and is managed by the Peruvian Football Federation . The team competes against the other nine members of FIFA's CONMEBOL conference, which encompasses the countries of South America...
and Uruguay
Uruguay national football team
The Uruguayan national football team represents Uruguay in international association football and is controlled by the Uruguayan Football Association, the governing body for football in Uruguay. The current head coach is Óscar Tabárez...
, making his first start in a 2–1 win over Peru..
Club
| Club | Season | League | Cup | League Cup | Europe | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| 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... |
2006–07 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 2007–08 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2008–09 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 0 | |
| 2009–10 | 31 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 0 | 44 | 1 | |
| Total | 46 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 10 | 0 | 62 | 1 | |
| Galatasaray Galatasaray S.K. (football team) Galatasaray Anonim Şirketi is a Turkish football club, part of the Galatasaray S.K. multi-sport club of Istanbul. Galatasaray is a major sports club in Turkey, holding 17 Turkish Super League titles and the highest number of Turkish Cups.... |
2010–11 2010–11 Süper Lig The 2010–11 Süper Lig is the 53rd season since its establishment. Bursaspor are defending champions having won their first Turkish championship last season. The season began on 14 August 2010 and concluded on 22 May 2011... |
16 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 0 |
| Total | 16 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 0 | |
| Sporting CP | 2011–12 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 13 | 3 |
| Total | 7 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 13 | 3 | |
| Career total | 67 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 13 | 3 | 91 | 4 | |
International
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Honours
Argentina- Winner
- 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup2007 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...
- 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup
- Runner-Up
- 2007 South American U-20 Championship2007 South American Youth ChampionshipThe 2007 South American Youth Championship is a football competition contested by all ten U-20 national football teams of CONMEBOL. The tournament was held in Paraguay between January 7 and January 28, 2007, it was the 23rd time the competition has been held and the 4th to take place in Paraguay...
- 2007 South American U-20 Championship
Liverpool
- Winner
- Premier Reserve League: 2008
- Runner-up
- Premier League 2008–09