Ezequiel Garay
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Ezequiel Marcelo Garay | |||||||||||
| Date of birth | 10 October 1986 | |||||||||||
| Place of birth | Rosario, Argentina | |||||||||||
| Height | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) | |||||||||||
| Playing position | Centre back | |||||||||||
| Club information | ||||||||||||
| Current club | Benfica | |||||||||||
| Number | 24 | |||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† | |||||||||
| 2004–2005 | Newell's Old Boys | 13 | (1) | |||||||||
| 2005–2008 | Racing Santander | 60 | (12) | |||||||||
| 2008–2011 | Real Madrid | 25 | (1) | |||||||||
| 2008–2009 | → Racing Santander (loan) | 24 | (2) | |||||||||
| 2011– | Benfica | 13 | (1) | |||||||||
| National team‡ | ||||||||||||
| 2008 | Argentina U23 | 9 | (0) | |||||||||
| 2007– | Argentina | 3 | (0) | |||||||||
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Honours
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| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 10 January 2012. † Appearances (Goals). |
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Ezequiel Marcelo Garay (born 10 October 1986 in Rosario, Santa Fe) is an Argentine footballer who plays for S.L. Benfica in Portugal, as a central defender.
Contents |
[edit] Club career
[edit] Early years
At the early age of 18, Garay made his professional debut for hometown club Newell's Old Boys, in the Argentine top division. His first match was against Club de Gimnasia y Esgrima La Plata, as the Rosario side eventually clinched the Apertura championship.
Garay made another 12 league appearances for Newell's, scoring his first and only goal for the club in the local derby against Rosario Central, a 2–1 win.[1]
[edit] Racing Santander
In December 2005, Garay joined La Liga side Racing de Santander, helping with seven complete matches as the Cantabria side barely avoided relegation (17th). His first full season was nothing short of spectacular, as he netted nine league goals in 31 matches, being the second top scorer in his position in Europe's major leagues, only behind F.C. Internazionale Milano's Marco Materazzi (ten); against Real Madrid only, he found the net three times - 2–1 home win[1] (both through penalties, as well as five other goals) and 1–3 away loss, as Racing eventually finished 10th, the club's best since returning to the top flight in 2002.
On 19 March 2008, in the Copa del Rey semifinal match against Getafe CF, Garay suffered a serious leg injury which put him out of action for the remainder of the season. He still scored three times in 22 games, with his club finishing in a best-ever sixth position, qualifying for the first time to the UEFA Cup - one of those came on 30 September 2007, in a 1–0 win at UD Almería.[2]
[edit] Real Madrid
On 18 May 2008, Racing sold Garay to Real Madrid,[3] but received the player again, in a season-long loan. Returned in July 2009, he made his league debut for the Merengues on 29 August, in the opening game of the season against Deportivo de La Coruña, a 3–2 home win. On 12 December, after replacing severely injured Pepe, he scored his first goal for the club, heading in a Xabi Alonso free kick to make it 3–2 at Valencia CF, six minutes from time.[4]
Garay was only fourth-choice stopper in 2010–11, under new manager José Mourinho, only appearing in five league matches, adding two in the season's Spanish Cup (including one minute in the final against FC Barcelona, a 1–0 overtime win).[5]
[edit] Benfica
On 5 July 2011, Garay transferred to S.L. Benfica in Portugal,[6] for a fee of €5.5 million.[7] for his services, and he signed a four-year contract - initially a part of the deal that sent Fábio Coentrão in the opposite direction,[8] he eventually signed a separate deal.[9] Real Madrid also remained eligible for 50% of any transfer fee Benfica received in the future.[7] Benfica also sold part of its rights to Benfica Stars Fund for €1.175 million, made the club held 40% rights.[10]
[edit] International career
In 2005, Garay helped the Argentine under-20 win the FIFA U-20 World Cup in the Netherlands. That side also included Sergio Agüero, Fernando Gago, Lionel Messi and Oscar Ustari.[11]
Garay earned his first cap for the senior team cap in a 22 August 2007 friendly against Norway, a 1–2 loss. He had previously been called in May by coach Alfio Basile to a series of friendlies prior to the 2007 Copa América, but injury prevented him from appearing in those matches and the official competition.[1]
Garay was selected by new national team manager Sergio Batista to the 2011 Copa América.
[edit] Club statistics
- Accurate as of 10 January 2012.[12]
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Continental | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Newell's Old Boys | 2004–05 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2005–06 | 12 | 1 | — | — | 12 | 1 | |||
| Total | 13 | 1 | — | — | 13 | 1 | |||
| Racing Santander | 2005–06 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 7 | 0 | |
| 2006–07 | 31 | 9 | 1 | 0 | — | 32 | 9 | ||
| 2007–08 | 22 | 3 | 7 | 2 | — | 29 | 5 | ||
| 2008–09 | 24 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 30 | 2 | |
| Total | 84 | 14 | 10 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 98 | 16 | |
| Real Madrid | 2009–10 | 20 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 23 | 1 |
| 2010–11 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 0 | |
| Total | 25 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 31 | 1 | |
| Benfica | 2011–12 | 13 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 26 | 1 |
| Total | 13 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 26 | 1 | |
| Career totals | 134 | 17 | 14 | 2 | 20 | 0 | 168 | 19 | |
[edit] Honours
[edit] Club
- Real Madrid
[edit] Country
[edit] References
- ^ a b c "Onwards and upwards for Garay". FIFA.com. 12 June 2008. http://www.fifa.com/mensolympic/news/newsid=799820.html. Retrieved 2 September 2009.
- ^ "Almeria 0-1 Racing Santander". ESPN Soccernet. 30 September 2007. http://soccernet.espn.go.com/report/_/id/226508?cc=5739. Retrieved 27 July 2011.
- ^ "Garay: Gunning for the future". Real Madrid's website. 20 May 2008. http://www.realmadrid.com/cs/Satellite/en/1202736807418/noticia/Noticia/Gunning_for_the_future.htm. Retrieved 20 July 2009.
- ^ "Garay header secures Real win". ESPN Soccernet. 12 December 2009. http://soccernet.espn.go.com/report/_/id/275588?cc=5739. Retrieved 27 July 2011.
- ^ Ronaldo heads Real to victory; ESPN Soccernet, 20 April 2011
- ^ "Garay to move to Benfica". ESPN Soccernet. 8 July 2011. http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story/_/id/933046/ezequiel-garay-to-move-to-benfica---agent?cc=5739. Retrieved 8 July 2011.
- ^ a b "Comunicado [Announcement]" (in Portuguese). CMVM. 21 September 2011. http://web3.cmvm.pt/sdi2004/emitentes/docs/FR35617.pdf. Retrieved 9 October 2011.
- ^ Real Madrid sign fullback Coentrao from Benfica; Reuters, 5 July 2011
- ^ "Garay leaves Madrid for Benfica". ESPN Soccernet. 17 July. http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story/_/id/935088/-ezequiel-garay-leaves-madrid-for-benfica?campaign=rss&source=soccernet&cc=5739. Retrieved 27 July 2011.
- ^ "COMUNICADO [Communication]" (in Portuguese). SL Benfica (CMVM). 30 September 2011. http://web3.cmvm.pt/sdi2004/emitentes/docs/FR35741.pdf. Retrieved 9 October 2011.
- ^ Ezequiel Garay – FIFA competition record
- ^ ESPN Soccernet stats
[edit] External links
- BDFutbol profile
- Ezequiel Garay at National-Football-Teams.com
- Guardian Stats Centre
- Stats at Irish Times
- Goal.com biography
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- 1986 births
- Living people
- People from Rosario, Santa Fe
- Argentine footballers
- Association football defenders
- Primera División Argentina players
- Newell's Old Boys footballers
- La Liga footballers
- Racing de Santander footballers
- Real Madrid C.F. players
- Primeira Liga players
- S.L. Benfica footballers
- Argentina international footballers
- 2011 Copa América players
- Footballers at the 2008 Summer Olympics
- Olympic footballers of Argentina
- Olympic gold medalists for Argentina
- Olympic medalists in football
- Argentine expatriate footballers
- Expatriate footballers in Spain
- Expatriate footballers in Portugal
