Franco Cervi
Franco Emanuel Cervi (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈfɾaŋko emaˈnwel ˈseɾβi]; 26 May 1994) is an Argentine professional footballer who plays for Portuguese club Benfica and the Argentina national team as a winger.
.jpg) Cervi with Benfica in 2016 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Franco Emanuel Cervi | ||
| Date of birth | 26 May 1994 | ||
| Place of birth | San Lorenzo, Argentina | ||
| Height | 1.65 m (5 ft 5 in) | ||
| Playing position(s) | Winger | ||
| Club information | |||
Current team | Benfica | ||
| Number | 11 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2001–2014 | Rosario Central | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2014–2016 | Rosario Central | 30 | (5) |
| 2016– | Benfica | 93 | (11) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2018– | Argentina | 4 | (1) |
|
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 7 March 2020 ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 20 November 2018 | |||
Club career
Rosario Central
A product of Rosario Central's youth system, Cervi made his league debut on 9 November 2014 against Estudiantes in a 1–0 home win. He replaced Hernán Encina after 66 minutes.[1] On 14 February 2015, he scored his first league goal against Racing Club.[2]
On 25 February 2016, Cervi made his debut in the Copa Libertadores against Nacional. He scored his first international goal in a 3–1 win against River Plate.[3]
Benfica
On 15 September 2015, Cervi signed a six-year contract with Portuguese champions Benfica with a release clause of €60 million.[4][5] He continued to play for Rosario Central until May 2016 and joined Benfica on 24 June for the pre-season.[6] On his debut for Benfica, he scored the opening goal in a 3–0 win over Braga in the Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira, on 7 August 2016, and was elected best player on pitch.[7]
On 29 December, Cervi became the first Benfica player to score in all Portuguese competitions in the same season – Supertaça, Primeira Liga, Taça de Portugal and Taça da Liga respectively. In addition, he also scored in the UEFA Champions League.[8]
International career
Cervi was selected in Argentina's 35-man provisional squad for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro,[9] however he did not make the final 18-man squad for the tournament.
Cervi made his international debut for Argentina in a 3–0 friendly win over Guatemala on 8 September 2018.[10]
Personal life
Cervi, who is of Italian descent, possesses an Italian passport.[11]
Career statistics
Club
| Club | Season | League | Cup | League Cup | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Rosario Central | 2014 | Primera División | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 3 | 0 | ||
| 2015 | 27 | 5 | 4 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 31 | 5 | ||||
| 2016 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 10 | 2 | — | 22 | 2 | ||||
| Total | 42 | 5 | 4 | 0 | — | 10 | 2 | — | 56 | 7 | ||||
| Benfica | 2016–17 | Primeira Liga | 26 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 2 | 1[lower-alpha 1] | 1 | 41 | 7 |
| 2017–18 | 31 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1[lower-alpha 1] | 0 | 37 | 4 | ||
| 2018–19 | 20 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 14 | 1 | — | 38 | 5 | |||
| 2019–20 | 16 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 27 | 4 | ||
| Total | 93 | 11 | 15 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 30 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 143 | 20 | ||
| Career total | 135 | 16 | 19 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 40 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 199 | 27 | ||
- Notes
- Appearance in the Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira
International goals
- Scores and results list Argentina's goal tally first.[14]
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 11 October 2018 | Prince Faisal bin Fahd Stadium, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia |  | 4–0 | 4–0 | Friendly |
Honours
Benfica[13]
- Primeira Liga: 2016–17, 2018–19
- Taça de Portugal: 2016–17[15]
- Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira: 2016,[7] 2017
Individual
- 2016 Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira: Best Player[7]
References
- "Estudiantes vs. Rosario Central - 9 November 2014 - Soccerway". soccerway.com. Retrieved 28 June 2015.
- "Racing Club vs. Rosario Central - 14 February 2015 - Soccerway". soccerway.com. Retrieved 28 June 2015.
- "River Plate vs. Rosario 1 - 3". soccerway.com. Retrieved 31 December 2015.
- ""I'm very happy to come to such a big club"". S.L. Benfica. 23 September 2015. Retrieved 6 July 2016.
- "Oficial: Franco Cervi assina pelo Benfica" [Official: Franco Cervi signs for Benfica]. Maisfutebol (in Portuguese). 14 September 2015. Retrieved 29 June 2016.
- ""Muita vontade que esta nova fase arranque"" [Looking forward for this new phase to start]. S.L. Benfica (in Portuguese). 24 June 2016. Archived from the original on 24 June 2016. Retrieved 6 July 2016.
- "Supertaça: Cervi eleito melhor em campo" [Super Cup: Cervi elected best player on pitch]. Maisfutebol (in Portuguese). 7 August 2016. Retrieved 19 October 2016.
- "Cervi conseguiu feito inédito na Luz" [Cervi achieved unprecedented feat at Luz]. A Bola (in Portuguese). 31 December 2016. Archived from the original on 1 January 2017. Retrieved 31 December 2016.
- "Lista preliminar para Río", AFA, 24 May 2016
- https://us.soccerway.com/matches/2018/09/08/world/friendlies/argentina/guatemala/2805437/
- "Franco Cervi, non il solito funambolo argentino" [Franco Cervi, not the usual Argentine tightrope walker]. Sportreview (in Italian). 15 September 2015. Retrieved 18 February 2019.
- Franco Cervi at ForaDeJogo. Retrieved 12 January 2017.
- Franco Cervi at Soccerway. Retrieved 2 January 2017.
- "Cervi, Franco". National Football Teams. Retrieved 15 October 2018.
- "Benfica conquista 26.ª Taça de Portugal e 11.ª 'dobradinha'" [Benfica conquer 26th Taça de Portugal and 11th 'dobradinha']. Jornal de Negócios (in Portuguese). 28 May 2017. Retrieved 28 May 2017.
