Pablo Piatti

Pablo Daniel Piatti (born 31 March 1989) is an Argentine professional footballer who plays for MLS club Toronto FC. He operates mainly as a left winger, but can also play as a forward.

Pablo Piatti
Piatti playing for Espanyol in 2019
Personal information
Full name Pablo Daniel Piatti
Date of birth (1989-03-31) 31 March 1989
Place of birth Ucacha, Argentina
Height 1.63 m (5 ft 4 in)
Playing position(s) Winger
Club information
Current team
 Toronto FC
Number 7
Youth career
2002–2003 Jorge Newbery
2003–2006 Estudiantes
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2006–2008 Estudiantes 49 (12)
2008–2011 Almería 101 (20)
2011–2017 Valencia 110 (15)
2016–2017 → Espanyol (loan) 30 (10)
2017–2020 Espanyol 53 (3)
2020– Toronto FC 0 (0)
National team‡
2007 Argentina U20 6 (0)
2011 Argentina 1 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 1 December 2019
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 6 June 2011

Club career

Estudiantes

Born in Ucacha, Córdoba, Piatti was a product of Estudiantes de La Plata's youth ranks. He made the headlines when coach Diego Simeone gave him his first opportunity against Newell's Old Boys on 18 November 2006, as the player was just 17. He scored the winning goal (2–1) deep into injury time, and became one of the heroes of Estudiantes' championship-winning team.

Piatti made the side's starting eleven in the 2007 Clausura tournament, alongside José Luis Calderón, José Sosa and Juan Sebastián Verón.

Almería

After making 60 appearances in all competitions for Estudiantes in two years, he was sold to UD Almería in Spain for an undisclosed fee.[1] Initially an undisputed starter, notably netting in a 1–1 home tie against Real Madrid,[2] he struggled after the arrival, midway through his first season, of Mexican coach Hugo Sánchez.

In the 2009–10 campaign, without the presence of striker Álvaro Negredo, Piatti was much more depended upon in goalscoring matters and netted seven times in 35 matches, joint-second in the team as they finished in 13th position. On 23 September 2009 he opened and closed the scoresheet in a 2–2 draw at Atlético Madrid[3] and, in the second La Liga match between the two teams, netted a last-minute winner (1–0).[4]

Valencia

On 5 July 2011, Almería and Valencia CF reached an agreement for the transfer of Piatti, with the player signing a five-year contract for a fee of €7.5 million.[5] He struggled to reproduce his previous form during most of his first season with the Che, but did feature in 47 matches all competitions comprised.

Piatti scored his first official goal for Valencia on 19 January 2012, netting the 3–1 in the 45th minute of an eventual 4–1 home win against Levante UD for the quarterfinals of the Copa del Rey.[6] He added another two in the second leg (3–0).[7]

After Jordi Alba and Jérémy Mathieu developed an efficient left-wing partnership, Piatti was deemed surplus to requirements by managers Mauricio Pellegrino, Ernesto Valverde and Miroslav Đukić, also struggling with some injury problems. After being transferlisted against his will by the latter in the summer of 2013, he was subsequently linked to clubs like Everton, Celtic, Southampton and Stade Rennais FC,[8] but refused to leave Spain.

After the sacking of Đukić due to poor results, however, new boss Juan Antonio Pizzi showed faith in his compatriot Piatti, who repaid the former's confidence by finishing 2013–14 with five league goals from only 17 appearances, one of those coming in a 3–2 win at FC Barcelona.[9][10]

Following the purchase of the club by businessman Peter Lim,[11] Piatti continued being a key player under Nuno Espírito Santo, being dubbed Pablito by the manager.[12][13]

Espanyol

On 16 July 2016, Piatti was loaned to RCD Espanyol for one year, with a buyout clause.[14] The following 24 May, he signed a three-year deal with the club after it exercised the buyout option.[15] During his loan spell at RCD Espanyol he was exceptional scoring 10 in 30 matches. The club was proud of him and made his loan permanent. However that turned out to be a catastrophic idea as he only scored 3 in 53 matches this being one of the worst signings in la Liga history.

Toronto FC

In February 2020, Piatti moved to Canadian club Toronto FC in Major League Soccer, signing as a Designated Player.[16] Later that month, however, he was ruled out of the opening of the 2020 MLS season, after picking up a hamstring strain in training.[17]

International career

Shortly after making his senior debuts for Estudiantes, Piatti was part of the Argentina squad that won the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Canada. The youngest player in the roster, he managed to play in six of seven games.[18]

On 5 June 2011, Piatti made his debut for the senior side, as national team boss Sergio Batista handed him a start in a 1–2 friendly loss with Poland.[19]

Style of play

A talented, skilful, and diminutive player, with an eye for goal, Piatti is capable of contributing to his team's offensive play by both scoring and assisting goals; moreover, he can shoot with either foot, despite being naturally left–footed. Normally a winger, he is also able to play as a forward, but he has even been deployed in a deeper, more creative role, behind the main striker. He usually plays on the left side of the pitch, although he can also play on the right flank. A dynamic, explosive, and fleet–footed attacker, he is known for his turn of pace, which along with his dribbling technique, enables him to get past opponents and make runs into the penalty area. Regarded as a promising player in his youth, his playing style was initially likened to that of compatriot Lionel Messi.[20][21][22][23][24][25]

Career statistics

Club
As of 22 January 2020[26]
Club Season League Cup Continental Total
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Estudiantes 2006–07 1750000175
2007–08 32800100428
Total 4913001005913
Almería 2008–09 31521—336
2009–10 35710—367
2010–11 35862—4110
Total 10120930011023
Valencia 2011–12 30273101476
2012–13 1413020191
2013–14 1753092297
2014–15 28720—307
2015–16 21061101372
Total 1101521431416223
Espanyol (loan) 2016–17 301010—3110
Espanyol 2017–18 30210—312
2018–19 20161—262
2019–20 30202070
Total 8313101209514
Toronto FC 2020 00000000
Total 00000000
Career total 3436140843442673

International
As of 5 June 2011[26]
Argentina
YearAppsGoals
201110
Total10

Honours

Club

Estudiantes

International

Argentina U-20

Individual

References
  1. Almeria win Piatti race; Goal, 18 June 2008
  2. Bobby McMahon's blog Archived 2 March 2008 at the Wayback Machine; Fox Sports, 6 November 2008
  3. Piatti leaves it late for Almeria; ESPN Soccernet, 23 September 2009
  4. Almeria burst Atletico bubble; ESPN Soccernet, 21 February 2010
  5. Valencia reach agreement for Piatti Archived 9 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine; VCF Central, 5 July 2011
  6. El Valencia ahoga al Levante (Valencia drown Levante); Marca, 19 January 2012 (in Spanish)
  7. Para Piatti no fue un trámite (Not just another game for Piatti); Marca, 26 January 2012 (in Spanish)
  8. Pochettino targets Valencia's tiny winger Piatti on season-long loan; Daily Mail, 25 August 2013
  9. Barcelona 2–3 Valencia; BBC Sport, 1 February 2014
  10. Pablo Piatti: ´Nunca dejé de confiar en mis condiciones´(Pablo Piatti: ´I never stopped believing in myself´); Super Deporte, 11 February 2014 (in Spanish)
  11. Football: Singaporean billionaire Peter Lim gets rousing welcome in Valencia; The Straits Times, 28 October 2014
  12. The resurgence of Valencia CF; Foot and Ball, 21 January 2015
  13. Pablo Piatti back from the shadows after enjoying Valencia renaissance; Sport 360, 13 February 2015
  14. Piatti, nou jugador de l'Espanyol (Piatti, new player of Espanyol); RCD Espanyol, 16 July 2016 (in Catalan)
  15. "Pablo Piatti signs permanent deal with Espanyol". beIN Sports. 24 May 2017. Retrieved 24 May 2017.
  16. "Toronto FC signs Pablo Piatti as Designated Player". Toronto FC. 7 February 2020. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
  17. "Toronto FC's Argentine winger Pablo Piatti sidelined by strained hamstring". The Toronto Star. 22 February 2020. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
  18. Pablo Piatti – FIFA competition record
  19. "Second-string Argentina humbled again". ESPN Soccernet. 5 June 2011. Retrieved 5 June 2011.
  20. Davidson, Neil (7 February 2020). "Toronto FC signs veteran Argentine winger Pablo Piatti as third designated player". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
  21. "Report: Toronto FC assessing Piatti". TSN. 5 February 2020. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
  22. "World Soccer 500". World Soccer. 27 March 2015. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
  23. Hayward, Ben (7 July 2011). "He's not the 'new Lionel Messi', but a very talented boy - why Valencia's signing of Pablo Piatti could be a masterstroke". Goal.com. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
  24. "Sky Sports Scout - Pablo Piatti". Sky Sports. 21 May 2014. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
  25. Murray, Caitlin (7 February 2020). "Toronto FC's new designated player is Pablo Piatti from La Liga's Espanyol". Pro Soccer USA. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
  26. "P. Piatti". Soccerway. Retrieved 4 April 2014.
  27. "Once ideal de LaLiga para UEFA: 4 del Madrid, 3 del Barça..." [UEFA's LaLiga All-Star XI: 4 from Madrid, 3 from Barça...] (in Spanish). Diario AS. 22 May 2017. Retrieved 10 June 2017.
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