Éver Banega facts for kids

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Éver Banega

Banega with Argentina at the 2018 FIFA World Cup

Personal information

Full name

Éver Maximiliano David Banega

Date of birth

29 June 1988 (age 36)

Place of birth

Rosario, Argentina

Height

1.75 m

Playing position

Midfielder

Club information

Current club

Newell's Old Boys

Number

Youth career

Nuevo Horizonte

Alianza Sport

2000–2007

Boca Juniors

Senior career*

Years

Team

Apps^†

(Gls)^†

2007

Boca Juniors

(0)

2008–2014

Valencia

136

(9)

2008–2009

→ Atlético Madrid (loan)

(1)

2014

→ Newell's Old Boys (loan)

(1)

2014–2016

Sevilla

(8)

2016–2017

Inter Milan

(6)

2017–2020

Sevilla

(9)

2020–2024

Al Shabab

(18)

2024–

Newell's Old Boys

(2)

National team

2007

Argentina U20

(0)

2008

Argentina Olympic

(0)

2008–2018

Argentina

(6)

Honours

Men's football

Representing Argentina
FIFA U-20 World Cup
Winner	2007 Canada	U-20 Team
Olympic Games
Gold	2008 Beijing
Copa América
Runner-up	2015 Chile
Runner-up	2016 United States

Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 17:33, 13 January 2025 (UTC).

† Appearances (Goals).

Éver Maximiliano David Banega (born 29 June 1988) is an Argentine professional footballer. He plays as a central midfielder for the Argentine club Newell's Old Boys.

Éver started his football journey with Boca Juniors in Argentina. In 2008, he moved to Valencia in Spain, where he played for many years. He appeared in 162 official games and helped his team win the Copa del Rey in 2008. Later, he joined Sevilla in 2014. There, he achieved great success, winning three Europa League trophies during two different periods with the club.

Banega also played for the Argentina national team. He represented his country at the 2018 World Cup. He also won a gold medal at the 2008 Olympic Games. He played in three Copa América tournaments, helping Argentina reach the finals in 2015 and 2016.

Club Career Highlights
International Career for Argentina
How Éver Banega Plays
Honours and Awards
Images for kids
See also

Club Career Highlights

Starting at Boca Juniors

Éver Banega was born in Rosario, Santa Fe, Argentina. He grew up playing football in the youth teams of Boca Juniors. When he was 18, he joined the first team. People quickly noticed his excellent passing skills and strong performances in the Primera División. In January 2007, a teammate, Fernando Gago, moved to Real Madrid. Even though Banega was young, he was chosen to take Gago's place.

He played his first professional game on 10 February 2007. Boca Juniors won 4–0 against Banfield. Just a few games later, fans gave him a huge cheer when he left the field.

Playing for Valencia

Banega in action for Valencia in 2011

On 5 January 2008, Banega moved to Spain to play for Valencia. He signed a contract for five and a half years. His first game for Valencia was on 13 January, in a 1–0 loss against Atlético Madrid. He came on as a substitute at half-time.

For the 2008–09 season, Banega was loaned to Atlético Madrid. He made his debut for them in a UEFA Champions League match, where they won 3–0 against PSV Eindhoven. However, he found it hard to get a regular spot in the starting team. He was also sent off in some away games.

After returning to Valencia, Banega almost joined the English club Everton. But the move didn't happen because of visa problems. So, he stayed with Valencia for the 2009–10 season. In Valencia's first game against Sevilla, he helped set up both goals. He scored his first goal for Valencia on 17 January 2010, in a 4–1 win against Villarreal.

In the 2010–11 season, Banega played 28 matches and scored two goals. Valencia finished third, which meant they qualified for the Champions League. In February 2012, he had a serious accident involving his own car, which caused a severe injury to his left leg. He fractured his ankle and broke bones in his lower leg. This injury meant he missed the rest of the season.

On 31 January 2014, Banega was loaned back to his home country, Argentina, to play for Newell's Old Boys. He stayed there until the end of that season.

Success with Sevilla

Lionel Messi dribbling past Banega in the 2015 UEFA Super Cup

On 19 August 2014, Banega joined Sevilla. He said he decided to move because of the manager, Unai Emery, who had also coached him at Valencia. Four days later, he played his first official game for Sevilla, coming on as a substitute in a 1–1 draw against his old team, Valencia.

On 27 May 2015, Banega started for Sevilla in the 2015 UEFA Europa League final. Sevilla won against Dnipro in Poland, and Banega was named the best player of the match. On 11 August, in the 2015 UEFA Super Cup, he scored the fastest goal ever in that competition from a free kick. However, Sevilla lost that game 5–4 to Barcelona.

Banega continued to be a key player for Sevilla in the 2015–16 season. He scored nine goals in 46 games across all competitions. He played the entire Europa League final, which Sevilla won 3–1 against Liverpool. In his last game for Sevilla, the Copa del Rey final on 22 May 2016, he received a red card in the last minute. Sevilla lost 2–0 to Barcelona after extra time.

Time at Inter Milan

On 16 May 2016, it was announced that Banega would join Inter Milan in Italy for free. He officially moved on 1 July. He was very excited to play for Inter. He was given the number 19 shirt.

Banega made his Serie A debut on 21 August 2016, starting in a 2–0 loss against ChievoVerona. On 11 September, he helped set up a goal for Mauro Icardi in a 2–1 win against Pescara, which was Inter's first win of the season.

He scored his first goal for Inter on 2 October, but they lost 2–1 to Roma. On 5 March 2017, he scored a free kick and assisted another goal in a 5–1 win against Cagliari. One week later, he scored his first ever hat-trick (three goals in one game) in a huge 7–1 win against Atalanta. This was his best goal-scoring season in the league, with six goals.

Back to Sevilla and Later Career

On 27 June 2017, just 13 months after leaving, Banega returned to Sevilla. In his first league game back, he was sent off for arguing with the referee.

In January 2020, it was announced that Banega would join Al Shabab in Saudi Arabia. This move happened after Sevilla won the Europa League that season. Four years later, at 35 years old, he returned to Argentina to play for Newell's Old Boys once again.

International Career for Argentina

Banega and Raul Meireles of Portugal in a 2011 friendly

Banega was chosen to play for the Argentine under-20 team in the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Canada. He played in all seven games, and Argentina won the tournament! Soon after joining Valencia in 2008, he made his debut for the senior national team. It was a 5–0 friendly win against Guatemala on 6 February. That summer, he also played for Argentina at the Summer Olympics and helped them win the gold medal in football.

Even though he had a good season with Valencia, Banega was not picked for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. However, he was part of the 2011 Copa América squad. He played in the first two group matches as Argentina reached the quarter-finals. On 26 March 2013, he scored his first goal for the national team, helping Argentina draw 1–1 against Bolivia in a World Cup qualifier. But he was not chosen for the 2014 World Cup squad.

Banega was selected for the 2015 Copa América. He started in Argentina's first game against Paraguay. In the final, Argentina lost to Chile in a penalty shootout, and Banega was one of the players who missed his penalty.

He played in all the games at the Copa América Centenario in the United States. Argentina again lost to Chile in the final, this time 4–2 in another penalty shootout. Earlier in the tournament, he had scored a goal and set up another in a 2–1 win against Chile in the group stage.

Banega was included in the squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. He played his first World Cup game on 16 June, coming on as a substitute in a 1–1 draw against Iceland. In the last group match against Nigeria, he made a great long pass that led to Lionel Messi's opening goal. Argentina won 2–1 and moved to the next round. He also played the entire game in the 4–3 loss to France in the round of 16.

How Éver Banega Plays

Éver Banega is a very smart and flexible playmaker in football. He is known for his great technical skills, amazing dribbling, quick feet, and excellent vision. He can make very accurate passes, which helps his team keep the ball and control the game in midfield. He also creates many chances for his teammates to score goals.

Even though he usually plays as a central midfielder, he can also play as an attacking midfielder. When he was at Boca Juniors, he sometimes played as a defensive midfielder or a deep-lying playmaker. This is because he is very creative, works hard, and is good at winning the ball back. He is also very good at taking set-pieces, like free kicks.

His former coach at Inter Milan, Roberto Mancini, once said about him: "Banega is a midfielder who likes to mix it up a lot. He can start by playing off the front man and drop deep to pick up the ball. He plays for Argentina, he's got quality and charisma and I'm sure he'll be very useful to us."