Esteban Cambiasso

ArgentinaMidfielder · Argentina · Born 18 April 1980, Buenos Aires

Full name
Esteban Matías Cambiasso Deleau
Nationality
Argentine (also Italian)
Date of birth
18 April 1980
Height
1.78 m
Position
Defensive midfielder
International caps
52

Career Statistics by Club

ClubPeriodCountryApps
Argentinos Juniors1995–1996Argentina12
Independiente (loan)2001Argentina15
River Plate1996–2002Argentina66
Real Madrid2002–2004Spain35
Inter Milan2004–2014Italy431
Leicester City2014–2015England34
Olympiacos2015–2017Greece59

Major Honours — Inter Milan

International — Argentina

Cambiasso represented Argentina from 2000 to 2011, winning Olympic gold at Athens 2004 and featuring at the 2006 FIFA World Cup. His most memorable moment in the national team shirt was the closing goal of a 24-pass team move against Serbia and Montenegro at the 2006 World Cup, widely cited as one of the great goals in tournament history. He was controversially omitted from Argentina's 2010 World Cup squad by manager Diego Maradona.

Career Overview

Cambiasso developed in River Plate's academy before a 2002 free transfer to Real Madrid. After two seasons in Spain with limited starts, he moved to Inter Milan in 2004 — a transfer that defined the next decade of his career. Across ten seasons in Milan he was a foundational presence in the José Mourinho-led 2009–10 treble (Serie A, Coppa Italia, UEFA Champions League), the first ever Italian club treble.

A surprise free transfer to Leicester City in 2014 followed, where he played a critical role in Leicester's "great escape" from Premier League relegation under Nigel Pearson during the 2014–15 season — the squad that would win the title twelve months later under Claudio Ranieri.

Related: All players · Éver Banega