Esteban Cambiasso

Esteban Cambiasso

Personal information
Full name	Esteban Matías Cambiasso Deleau
Date of birth	18 August 1980 (1980-08-18)
Place of birth	Buenos Aires, Argentina
Height	1.77 m (5 ft 9 1⁄2 in)
Playing position	Midfielder
Club information
Current club	Internazionale
Number	19
Youth career
1995–1996	Argentinos Juniors
1996–1998	Real Madrid
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1998–2001	Independiente	98	(14)
2001–2002	River Plate	37	(12)
2002–2004	Real Madrid	41	(0)
2004–	Internazionale	229	(33)
National team‡
2000–	Argentina	52	(5)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 15 May 2011. † Appearances (Goals). ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 8 July 2011

This name uses Spanish naming customs; the first or paternal family name is Cambiasso and the second or maternal family name is Deleau.

Esteban Matías Cambiasso Deleau (born 18 August 1980), nicknamed "Cuchu" (Spanish: old man), is an Argentine football midfielder who plays for Italian Serie A club Internazionale.

During his professional career, Cambiasso has won 22 official titles (as of the end of 2010), being the Argentine footballer with most honours in history (along Alfredo di Stéfano).

Club career

Early career

Cambiasso started his professional career with Argentinos Juniors in 1995, moving to Real Madrid in 1996. In 1998, he moved back to Argentina where he played for three years with Independiente and one with River Plate. During this time, he earned his nickname "Egg in a bun." With some good experience under his belt, he returned to Real Madrid in 2002. He helped Los Blancos win the UEFA Super Cup in 2002, La Liga, the Intercontinental Cup in 2002, and the Spanish SuperCup in 2003.

Internazionale

In July 2004, Cambiasso signed with Internazionale after his contract with Real Madrid expired in June 2004. He helped Internazionale win the Italian Cup in his first season with the club, playing regularly as a defensive midfielder, partnered in the middle of Inter's midfield with fellow Argentinian Juan Sebastián Verón. In Italy, he became known as one of the outstanding players of the 2004–05 season, along with AC Milan's Kaká.

During the return match for the final of the 2006 Coppa Italia, Cambiasso scored an impressive goal, the first of the match, for the 3–1 victory over Roma. On 30 September 2006, he scored twice in the opening game of the season, with Inter defeating Fiorentina 3–2. On 7 November 2007, he along with Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored a brace a piece to defeat CSKA Moscow 4–2 in the UEFA Champions League. On 23 March 2009, it was announced that Inter and Cambiasso had come to terms about a contract renewal which now expires in 2014.

He was very important in the 2010 Champions League win as well, scoring the second goal of a 2-1 victory over Chelsea in the San Siro, a result which ultimately saw Inter go on to win the tournament. He is also tipped to succeed Javier Zanetti as captain when he retires, other possible successors are Walter Samuel, Lucio or Maicon.

International career

Cambiasso first represented Argentina in the youth squads, along with national teammates Juan Román Riquelme, Pablo Aimar, Wálter Samuel and others. He was in the squads for the 1997 FIFA World Youth Championship, where he scored the first goal in the final even though he was the youngest player on the squad, and captained the team during the 1999 edition.

Cambiasso made his senior national debut in 2000 for Argentina. On 15 May 2006, he was named in the Argentinian national team for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, and on 16 June, he capped a spectacular 24 pass Argentine interplay with a finish to score the second goal in a 6–0 victory over Serbia and Montenegro. In the quarter-finals match against Germany on 30 June 2006, the match went into penalties, where Cambiasso had his penalty kick saved, resulting in Argentina losing 4–2 and Germany progressing to the semi-final.

Since Maradona took over as Argentina coach, Cambiasso was only called-up once to the national team for a friendly game on 14 November 2009 against Spain, despite continuing to play a vital role for Inter and affirming his status as one of Europe's best central midfielders. On 12 May 2010, Cambiasso was controversially left out of the 30 man provisional 2010 World Cup squad for Argentina.

On August 20, 2010, Argentina National Team Coach Sergio Batista recalled Esteban Cambiasso to the Argentina National Team for an upcoming friendly against newly-crowned World champions Spain. Argentina handed Spain their first defeat since becoming world champions two months ago, earning a resounding 4-1 win in a friendly at the Monumental Stadium.

International goals

#	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1.	21 June 2005	Frankenstadion, Nuremberg, Germany	Germany	2 – 2	2 – 2	2005 FIFA Confederations Cup
2.	16 June 2006	WM Stadion Gelsenkirchen, Gelsenkirchen, Germany	Serbia and Montenegro	2 – 0	6 – 0	2006 FIFA World Cup
3.	5 June 2007	Camp Nou, Barcelona, Spain	Algeria	3 – 2	4 – 3	Friendly
4.	10 September 2008	Estadio Monumental "U", Lima, Peru	Peru	1 – 0	1 – 1	2010 World Cup qualifying
5.	26 March 2011	New Meadowlands Stadium, East Rutherford, United States	United States	1 – 0	1 – 1	Friendly

As of 26 March 2011

Club statistics

Club performance			League		Cup		Continental		Total
Season	Club	League	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Argentina			League		Cup		South America		Total
1998/99	Independiente	Primera División	27	3					27	3
1999/00			36	6					36	6
2000/01			35	5					35	5
2001/02	River Plate	Primera División	37	12					37	12
Spain			League		Copa del Rey		Europe		Total
2002/03	Real Madrid	La Liga	24	0	5	0	10	0	39	0
2003/04			17	0	4	1	5	0	26	1
Italy			League		Coppa Italia		Europe		Total
2004/05	Internazionale	Serie A	30	2	3	0	11	0	44	2
2005/06			34	5	3	1	10	0	47	6
2006/07			21	3	4	1	2	1	27	5
2007/08			33	6	1	0	8	2	42	8
2008/09			35	4	3	1	8	0	46	5
2009/10			30	3	4	0	12	1	47	4
2010/11			29	7	2	0	7	1	38	8
Country	Argentina		135	26					135	26
	Spain		41	0	9	1	15	0	65	1
	Italy		213	30	20	3	58	5	277	38
Total			378	56	29	3	73	5	480	64

International career statistics

Argentina national team
Year	Apps	Goals
2000	1	0
2001	0	0
2002	0	0
2003	5	0
2004	4	0
2005	10	1
2006	7	1
2007	13	1
2008	5	1
2009	1	0
2010	2	0
2011	4	1
Total	52	5

Playing style

Cambiasso is a defensive midfielder. At club level he is deployed in the holding role often accompanied by another like minded central midfielder, however at international level he has most prominently featured in a more advanced position in front of a holding midfielder such as Argentine captain Javier Mascherano. This enables him to fulfill a more creative role in midfield.

Eurosport said about Cambiasso, when Jose Mourinho was still managing Inter, "There is nothing glamorous about the bald Argentine, but he is the heartbeat of the Inter side that have become the dominant force in Italian football. Just the kind of determined, hard-running midfielder Jose Mourinho loves. Originally a destroyer, the 29-year-old has become increasingly adventurous and weighs in with six to eight goals per season.

Goal.com said, "All in all, this player is one of the greatest players to have ever pulled an Inter shirt on and to grace the pitch in the Serie A. He is an intelligent midfielder, who has the capacity to change the shape of a game off his own boot. He is one of the most influential midfielders in Italian football, and for that reason and many more, he will certainly be remembered as one of the most talented players of all time."

Personal life

Cambiasso was once married and still is but no longer has any contact with his ex-wife. On 22 November 2008, his ex-wife gave birth to their daughter Victoria before Cambiasso's match against Juventus. After Inter won the Derby d'Italia, Cambiasso dedicated the win to his daughter.

Along with his compatriot and current teammate at Inter, Javier Zanetti, Cambiasso unveiled the Leoni di Potrero charity association to help coach young children with social isolation problems and motor coordination difficulties.

Honours

Club

River Plate

• Argentine Primera División (1): 2002 Clausura

Real Madrid

• La Liga (1): 2002–03
• Intercontinental Cup (1): 2002
• UEFA Super Cup (1): 2002
• Supercopa de España (1): 2003

F.C. Internazionale

• UEFA Champions League (1): 2009–10
• Serie A (5): 2005–06, 2006–07, 2007–08, 2008–09, 2009–10
• Coppa Italia (4): 2004–05, 2005–06, 2009–10, 2010–11
• Supercoppa Italiana (4): 2005, 2006, 2008, 2010
• FIFA Club World Cup (1): 2010

International

Argentina

• South American Youth Championship (2): 1997, 1999
• FIFA World Youth Championship (1): 1997

Individual

• Golden Pirate: 2006

External links

• [1]
• Profile at FutbolPunto with maps and graphs
• Career details at National Football Teams
• (Spanish) Official site of Esteban Cambiasso
• Cambiasso's career stats @ footballdatabase.com