Juan Manuel Iturbe
Encyclopedia
Juan Manuel Iturbe Arévalos (born June 4, 1993) 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 currently plays for FC Porto. Son of Paraguay
Paraguay
Paraguay , officially the Republic of Paraguay , is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to the east and northeast, and Bolivia to the northwest. Paraguay lies on both banks of the Paraguay River, which runs through the center of the...

an parents and born in Argentina, Iturbe was eligible to represent either Paraguay
Paraguay national football team
The Paraguay national football team is controlled by the Paraguayan Football Association and represents Paraguay in men's international football competitions. The team has reached the second round of the World Cup on four occasions . The 2010 trip also featured their first appearance in the...

 or Argentina
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...

, having played at youth levels for both. He has recently declared his will to play for Argentina by stating that Paraguay is a closed chapter in his life. He mainly plays as a forward.

Club career

Iturbe started playing first team football with Cerro Porteño
Cerro Porteño
Club Cerro Porteño is a professional Paraguayan football club, based in the neighbourhood of Barrio Obrero in Asunción. Founded in 1912, Cerro has won 28 Primera División titles and is one of the most popular football club in Paraguay...

 on June 28, 2009, at age 16, on a game against Libertad
Club Libertad
Club Libertad is a sports club based in the District Tuyucuá of the city of Asuncion, capital of Paraguay. It was founded on July 30, 1905 and currently plays in the Paraguayan Primera División...

, valid for the 21st week of the Paraguayan Primera División.

Being 17 years of age, Iturbe was not under professional contract with Cerro Porteño. Therefore, he signed for Quilmes
Quilmes Atlético Club
Quilmes Atlético Club is a sports clubs of Argentina, based on the Partido de Quilmes, Buenos Aires Province. Quilmes is one of the oldest clubs of Argentina, having been founded in 1887. Its football squad currently plays in the Primera B Nacional Division....

 of the Argentine Primera División on a free transfer in August 2010. In January 2011, Iturbe confirmed he was signing with Portuguese club FC Porto. He will join the team when he turns 18. After agreeing on said move to FC Porto, he returned to Cerro Porteño in February, where he remained until his 18th birthday in June. He scored a brace on his first Copa Libertadores game shortly after that.

International career

Having spent most of his life in Paraguay, Iturbe began his international career in the youth setup of Paraguay. At the age of 16 he was capped in a senior friendly against Chile
Chile national football team
The Chilean national football team represents Chile in all major international football competitions. The team is controlled by the Federación de Fútbol de Chile which was established in 1895. They have appeared in eight World Cup tournaments and were hosts of the 1962 FIFA World Cup finishing in...

 in 2009, however as this was not a competitive game he could change allegiances if he wished. He later fell out with the management in Paraguay and declared for Argentina. He was part of the Argentina "sparring" squad, formed by the most promising youth players in Argentina, taken to 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...

 to train with the senior squad. He also chose to play for Argentina at the U-20 level
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....

. He is on the 20 player squad for the 2011 South American U-20 South American championship in which he scored the winning goal against Brazil.

Club statistics

Club Season League Cup Continental Total
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Cerro Porteño
Cerro Porteño
Club Cerro Porteño is a professional Paraguayan football club, based in the neighbourhood of Barrio Obrero in Asunción. Founded in 1912, Cerro has won 28 Primera División titles and is one of the most popular football club in Paraguay...

2009-10 7 0 0 0 0 0 7 0
2010–11 11 4 0 0 5 2 16 6
Career total 18 4 0 0 5 2 23 6

External links

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