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Facundo Pellistri
Pellistri with Uruguay at the 2022 FIFA World Cup
Personal information
Full name Facundo Pellistri Rebollo[1]
Date of birth (2001-12-20) 20 December 2001 (age 22)
Place of birth Montevideo, Uruguay
Height 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)[2]
Position(s) Right winger
Team information
Current team
 Manchester United
Number 28
Youth career
La Picada
River Plate Montevideo
2012–2019 Peñarol
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2019–2020 Peñarol 30 (1)
2020– Manchester United 13 (0)
2021 → Alavés (loan) 12 (0)
2021–2022 → Alavés (loan) 21 (0)
International career‡
2017 Uruguay U16 2 (0)
2022– Uruguay 18 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 23:03, 8 January 2024 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 02:00, 22 November 2023 (UTC)

Facundo Pellistri Rebollo (Spanish pronunciation: [faˈkundo peˈlistɾi]; born 20 December 2001) is a Uruguayan professional footballer who plays as a right winger for Premier League club Manchester United and the Uruguay national team.

Born in Montevideo, Pellistri is a graduate of Peñarol's youth system. He made 37 first-team appearances for the club and was named in the Uruguayan Primera División Team of the Season in 2019. He transferred to Manchester United in October 2020, for a fee of £9 million. Since joining United, he has had two loan spells at Spanish club Alavés, where he made 35 appearances in total.

Pellistri represented Uruguay at under-16 level, before making his senior international debut in January 2022. He played for Uruguay at the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Early life and education

Pellistri was born on 20 December 2001 in the capital city of Montevideo to a family of Spanish and Italian origin. His father, Marcelo, is an accountant and his mother, Lucía (née Rebollo), is a pediatrician.[3] Along with his native Uruguayan passport, Pellistri also holds a Spanish passport through his father's grandmother, a native of the municipality of A Coruña in Galicia.[4] The lead singer of Uruguayan rock band La Vela Puerca, Sebastián Teysera, is Pellistri's godfather.[5]

Pellistri was privately educated at two institutions in the Pocitos neighbourhood: St Brendan's School for his early years, where he first learned English, and then Ivy Thomas Memorial School for high school.[6] His strongest subject at school was mathematics. In 2019, Pellistri graduated from a pre-architectural study program.[3][7]

Club career

Peñarol

Pellistri is a youth academy graduate of Peñarol, who he joined in 2012,[8] having previously played youth football for La Picada and River Plate Montevideo.[9] He made his professional debut on 11 August 2019, in Peñarol's 2–2 draw against Defensor Sporting.[10] He scored his first goal on 6 November 2019, in a 3–1 win against Cerro.[11] For his performances in his debut season in the Uruguayan Primera División, he was named in the Equipo Ideal del Campeonato Uruguayo (Ideal Team of the Uruguayan Championship) in December 2019.[12]

Manchester United

Pellistri joined Manchester United on 5 October 2020, for a reported transfer fee of £9 million, on a five-year contract.[13][14][15] Diego Forlán, who was then managing Peñarol, endorsed Pellistri in a conversation with Manchester United manager and former teammate Ole Gunnar Solskjær, comparing the young player to Ryan Giggs and emphasizing his ability to speak English.[16] His first pre-season goal was on 18 July 2021, against Derby County, in a 2–1 away win at Pride Park.[17]

Loan to Alavés

On 31 January 2021, Pellistri joined Deportivo Alavés on loan for the remainder of the season.[18][19] He returned to United to play in their summer pre-season matches, before going back on loan to Alavés in August for the 2021–22 season.[20]

2022–23 season

Pellistri made his competitive debut for Manchester United on 10 January 2023, coming on as a substitute and assisting the second goal in a 3–0 EFL Cup win over Charlton Athletic.[21] Pellistri made his Premier League debut on 8 February 2023, coming on as a substitute in a 2–2 draw against Leeds United.[22] On 17 March 2023, Pellistri made his first senior start for United, against Real Betis in the UEFA Europa League.[23]

On 20 September 2023, Pellistri made his UEFA Champions League debut against Bayern Munich, in the group stage, at Allianz Arena.[24]

International career

Pellistri lining up for Uruguay in 2022

Pellistri is a former Uruguayan youth international, having made two appearances at under-16 level in 2017.[10] He was called up to the senior team for the first time on 7 January 2022, for the World Cup qualifying matches against Paraguay and Venezuela.[25][26][27] He made his full international debut on 27 January, in a 1–0 away win against Paraguay.[28]

Pellistri was included in the squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.[29] He started and played for 88 minutes in Uruguay's first game of the tournament, against South Korea, before being replaced by Guillermo Varela.[30]

Style of play

A winger, Pellistri has been praised highly for his agility, versatility, dribbling skills, technique, and strategic vision on the field. He has received praise from world-class footballers such as Diego Forlan and Juan Román Riquelme.[31][32]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 8 January 2024[33]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup League cup Continental Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Peñarol 2019 Uruguayan Primera División 18 1 — — 0 0 2[a] 0 20 1
2020 Uruguayan Primera División 12 0 — — 5[b] 1 — 17 1
Total 30 1 — — 5 1 2 0 37 2
Manchester United U21 2020–21 — — — — — 2[c] 1 2 1
2022–23 — — — — — 1[c] 0 1 0
Total — — — — 3 1 3 1
Manchester United 2020–21 Premier League 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 — 0 0
2021–22 Premier League 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 — 0 0
2022–23 Premier League 4 0 1 0 2 0 3[d] 0 — 10 0
2023–24 Premier League 9 0 1 0 1 0 3[e] 0 — 14 0
Total 13 0 2 0 3 0 6 0 — 24 0
Alavés (loan) 2020–21 La Liga 12 0 0 0 — — — 12 0
2021–22 La Liga 21 0 2 0 — — — 23 0
Total 33 0 2 0 — — — 35 0
Career total 76 1 4 0 3 0 11 1 5 1 99 3
  1. ^ One appearance each in Torneo Clausura decider and championship play-off
  2. ^ Appearances in Copa Libertadores
  3. ^ a b Appearance(s) in EFL Trophy
  4. ^ Appearances in UEFA Europa League
  5. ^ Appearances in UEFA Champions League

International

As of match played 21 November 2023[34]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps Goals
Uruguay 2022 10 0
2023 8 0
Total 18 0

Honours

Manchester United

Individual

References

  1. ^ "2020/21 Premier League squads confirmed". Premier League. 20 October 2020. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
  2. ^ "Facundo Pellistri". premierleague.com. Premier League. Retrieved 28 November 2020.
  3. ^ a b Mitten, Andy (10 October 2021). "Facundo Pellistri: 'My baby-like signature almost cost me my move to Manchester United'". The Athletic. Retrieved 24 November 2022.
  4. ^ "Pellistri, comunitario y en la mira del Real Madrid". Tenfield.com (in Spanish). 28 April 2020. Retrieved 7 October 2020.
  5. ^ "Facundo Pellistri: Hacer un gol clásico es único". 29 September 2017. Retrieved 7 October 2020.
  6. ^ Inzaurralde, Luis Eduardo (18 October 2020). "Pellistri en su camino, entre Forlán y el Chino Recoba". El Observador (in Spanish). Retrieved 24 November 2022.
  7. ^ "Facundo Pellistri: "Xisco me agarró y me dijo: 'el gol es tuyo'"". ovaciondigital.com.uy (in Spanish). 25 November 2019. Retrieved 7 October 2020.
  8. ^ "Pellistri viajaría a Manchester". tenfield.com.uy. 4 October 2020. Retrieved 7 December 2022.
  9. ^ "Facundo Pellistri: "Me gustaría poder luchar por un lugar"". padreydecano.com. 21 June 2019. Retrieved 7 December 2022.
  10. ^ a b "Debutantes de la 4a fecha del Torneo Intermedio 2019". 14 August 2019. Retrieved 3 July 2021.
  11. ^ "Cerro vs. Peñarol - 6 November 2019". Retrieved 10 August 2020.
  12. ^ a b "Equipo Ideal del Campeonato Uruguayo 2019". auf.org.uy. 27 December 2019. Retrieved 7 December 2022.
  13. ^ "Alex Telles: Man Utd sign Porto left-back and agree Amad Diallo move". BBC Sport. 5 October 2020. Retrieved 7 December 2022.
  14. ^ "Man Utd complete €10m signing of Uruguayan star Pellistri". Goal.com. 5 October 2020. Retrieved 5 October 2020.
  15. ^ "Pellistri becomes a Red". ManUtd.com. Manchester United. 5 October 2020. Retrieved 5 October 2020.
  16. ^ Staff Reporter (16 October 2020). "Diego Forlan reveals what he told Man Utd boss Solskjaer about Facundo Pellistri". Metro. Retrieved 24 November 2022.
  17. ^ "Derby 1 Manchester United 2". ManUtd.com. Manchester United. 18 July 2021. Retrieved 4 August 2021.
  18. ^ Ganley, Joe (31 January 2021). "Facundo Pellistri joins Alaves on loan". ManUtd.com. Manchester United. Retrieved 31 January 2021.
  19. ^ Booth, Dominic (31 January 2021). "Facundo Pellistri loan exit from Manchester United confirmed". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 31 January 2021.
  20. ^ Partington, Mikey (5 August 2021). "Loan move secured for Pellistri". ManUtd.com. Manchester United. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
  21. ^ Stone, Simon (10 January 2023). "Manchester United 3-0 Charlton Athletic: Old Trafford side into Carabao Cup semi-finals". BBC Sport. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
  22. ^ Mulholland, Charlie (9 February 2023). "Manchester United 2 Leeds United 2". Manchester United. Retrieved 4 March 2023.
  23. ^ Marshall, Adam (17 March 2023). "Facundo Pellistri Watch On His First Senior Start for Man United". Manchester United. Retrieved 23 March 2023.
  24. ^ "Facundo Pellistri excited for Champions League test". Yardbarker. 18 September 2023. Retrieved 26 September 2023.
  25. ^ "Reservados vs. Paraguay y Venezuela". 7 January 2022. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
  26. ^ "January's international break explained". ManUtd.com. Manchester United. 26 January 2022. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
  27. ^ "Forlan preaches patience with Pellistri". ManUtd.com. Manchester United. 25 January 2022. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
  28. ^ "Facundo Pellistri makes debut for Uruguay in World Cup qualifying win". United in Focus. 27 January 2022. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
  29. ^ "Se confirmó la lista de convocados para la Copa Mundial de Catar 2022" [2022 Qatar World Cup squad confirmed] (in Spanish). Uruguayan Football Association. 10 November 2022. Retrieved 10 November 2022.
  30. ^ Sanders, Emma (24 November 2022). "World Cup 2022: Uruguay 0-0 South Korea - nothing to separate teams in exciting goalless draw". BBC Sport. Retrieved 24 November 2022.
  31. ^ Turk, Alex (7 October 2020). "South American great claims "there aren't many" like Facundo Pellistri". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 7 October 2020.
  32. ^ Fay, Richard (5 October 2020). "What Diego Forlan has said about Man United signing Facundo Pellistri". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 7 October 2020.
  33. ^ Facundo Pellistri Rebollo at Soccerway. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
  34. ^ "Facundo Pellistri's matches". besoccer.com. Retrieved 22 November 2023.
  35. ^ McNulty, Phil (3 June 2023). "Manchester City 2–1 Manchester United". BBC Sport. Retrieved 3 June 2023.
  36. ^ McNulty, Phil (26 February 2023). "Manchester United 2–0 Newcastle United". BBC Sport. Retrieved 26 February 2023.

External links

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