Diego Godín facts for kids
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Godín with Uruguay at the 2018 FIFA World Cup
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| Personal information | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Diego Roberto Godín Leal | ||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 16 February 1986 | ||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Rosario, Uruguay | ||||||||||||
| Height | 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in) | ||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Centre-back | ||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||
| Estudiantes El Colla | |||||||||||||
| 2000–2003 | Defensor | ||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||
| 2003–2006 | Cerro | 63 | (6) | ||||||||||
| 2006–2007 | Nacional | 26 | (0) | ||||||||||
| 2007–2010 | Villarreal | 91 | (4) | ||||||||||
| 2010–2019 | Atlético Madrid | 277 | (17) | ||||||||||
| 2019–2020 | Inter Milan | 23 | (1) | ||||||||||
| 2020–2022 | Cagliari | 39 | (1) | ||||||||||
| 2022 | Atlético Mineiro | 5 | (1) | ||||||||||
| 2022–2023 | Vélez Sarsfield | 19 | (1) | ||||||||||
| 2024 | Porongos (es) | 14 | (0) | ||||||||||
| Total | 557 | (31) | |||||||||||
| International career | |||||||||||||
| 2004–2005 | Uruguay U20 | 14 | (0) | ||||||||||
| 2005–2022 | Uruguay | 161 | (8) | ||||||||||
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Medal record
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| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||||||||||||
Diego Roberto Godín Leal (born on February 16, 1986) is a former professional footballer from Uruguay. He played as a centre-back, which is a defender who plays in the middle of the field.
Many people think he was one of the best defenders of his time. He started his career in Uruguay with clubs like Cerro and Nacional. Most of his career was spent in Spain, playing for Villarreal and especially Atlético Madrid. With Atlético Madrid, he won eight major titles, including the La Liga championship in the 2013–14 season. He also played in Italy, Brazil, and Argentina before he stopped playing professionally in 2023.
Godín played for the Uruguay national team from 2005 to 2022. He has played more games for Uruguay than any other player in history! He played in four World Cups and six Copa América tournaments. He helped Uruguay win the Copa América in 2011.
Contents
Early Life and Childhood
Diego Godín was born in Rosario, Uruguay. His parents are Julio Godín and Iris Leal. When he was only four years old, he had a scary moment. He almost drowned in a river while trying to catch fish. Luckily, he was able to swim to shore all by himself!
Club Football Journey
Starting in Uruguay and Moving to Spain
Godín began his professional football journey with Cerro when he was 17. He played so well that he soon moved to a bigger club, Nacional. There, he quickly became the team's captain because he was very mature and professional.
In 2007, Godín signed a five-year contract with Villarreal, a team in Spain's top league, La Liga. He scored his first goal for them in his second game. In his first season, Villarreal finished second in the league, which was their best result ever! Godín became a key player, often playing alongside Gonzalo Rodríguez in defense.
Success with Atlético Madrid
On August 4, 2010, Godín joined Atlético Madrid. He signed a five-year deal. He made his first official appearance for Atlético on August 27, helping them win the UEFA Super Cup against Inter Milan.
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Godín signed a new contract with Atlético in 2013, keeping him at the club until 2018. He scored four goals in the 2013–14 season. One of his most famous goals was on May 17, 2014. He scored a header against Barcelona that made the game 1-1. This goal helped Atlético Madrid win their first league title in 18 years! A week later, he scored another header in the Champions League final. This goal put his team ahead, but Real Madrid eventually won the game.
In 2015, Godín decided not to join Manchester City. In 2017, he became the foreign player with the most appearances for Atlético Madrid, playing his 315th game. He was also nominated for the Ballon d'Or award in 2016 and 2018, which is a big honor for a football player.
On May 7, 2019, Godín announced he would be leaving Atlético Madrid after nine years. He passed his captain's armband to Koke in his last game.
Playing in Italy and South America
After leaving Atlético, Godín joined Inter Milan in Italy on July 1, 2019. He played his first game for them in September. In the 2019–20 season, Inter finished just one point behind the champions. Godín scored his first goal for Inter in July 2020. He also scored in the 2020 UEFA Europa League Final against Sevilla, becoming one of only a few players to score in the finals of both top European tournaments.
On September 24, 2020, Godín moved to another Italian club, Cagliari. He scored in his first game for them. He left Cagliari in January 2022.
Next, Godín joined Atlético Mineiro in Brazil. He scored in his first game for them in February 2022. He also helped them win the Supercopa do Brasil in a penalty shootout. Godín left Atlético Mineiro in June 2022, wanting to play more to prepare for the World Cup.
He then joined Vélez Sarsfield in Argentina. He announced his retirement from professional football on July 27, 2023.
Coming Out of Retirement Briefly
In February 2024, Godín briefly came out of retirement to play for an amateur team in Uruguay called Porongos. After winning a national club cup with them, he retired for the second and final time in September 2024.
International Career for Uruguay
Godín made his debut for the Uruguay national team in 2005 when he was 19. His first goal for his country was in May 2006. He played in the 2007 Copa América tournament.
He was chosen for the squad that played in the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. He played in five matches, helping Uruguay reach the semi-finals.
In 2011, Godín was part of the Uruguay team that won the 2011 Copa América. He came on as a substitute in the final game against Paraguay. He also played in the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup, where Uruguay reached the semi-finals.
Godín was the captain for Uruguay in three of their four games at the 2014 FIFA World Cup. On June 24, he scored the only goal against Italy with a header. This goal sent Uruguay into the next stage of the tournament.
In 2015, he was named captain for the 2015 Copa América. He also played in the Copa América Centenario in 2016. In that tournament, he played his 100th game for Uruguay.
Godín also played in the 2018 FIFA World Cup. On March 25, 2019, he played his 126th game for Uruguay, becoming the player with the most appearances for the national team. He captained the team in the 2019 Copa América and the 2021 Copa América. On October 10, 2021, he played his 150th game for Uruguay.
How Diego Godín Played
Even though Godín wasn't the fastest player, he was known as one of the best and most consistent defenders in the world. Many experts called him the "best central defender in the world" during the 2018 World Cup.
Godín was a very smart defender. He was known for his great leadership and calm way of playing. He could organize his team's defense, understand the game, and guess what the other team would do next. He was strong and competitive, especially good at heading the ball. This helped him defend high balls and score goals from set pieces.
He was also excellent at tackling, blocking shots, and winning the ball from opponents. In one-on-one situations, he was very tough to beat because he always positioned himself well. Besides his defensive skills, he was also good with the ball, able to start attacks from the back.
Personal Life
Diego Godín is married to Sofia. Her father, José Herrera, was also a Uruguayan international footballer. Godín is very good friends with Antoine Griezmann, who was his teammate at Atlético Madrid. Griezmann even chose Godín to be the godfather to his daughter.
Honours and Awards
Team Achievements
Atlético Madrid
- La Liga: 2013–14
- Copa del Rey: 2012–13
- Supercopa de España: 2014
- UEFA Europa League: 2011–12, 2017–18
- UEFA Super Cup: 2010, 2012, 2018
- UEFA Champions League runner-up: 2013–14, 2015–16
Inter Milan
- UEFA Europa League runner-up: 2019–20
Atlético Mineiro
- Supercopa do Brasil: 2022
- Campeonato Mineiro: 2022
Uruguay
- Copa América: 2011
Individual Awards
- La Liga Player of the Month: April 2014, May 2014
- La Liga Team of the Season: 2013–14, 2015–16
- UEFA Champions League Squad of the Season: 2013–14, 2015–16, 2016–17
- UEFA Team of the Year: 2014
- La Liga Best Defender: 2015–16
- UEFA La Liga Team of the Season: 2015–16
- European Sports Media Team of the Year: 2015–16
- UEFA Europa League Squad of the Season: 2017–18
- FIFA World Cup Dream Team: 2018
- IFFHS Men's World Team: 2018
- IFFHS Uruguayan Men's Dream Team
Images for kids
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Godín (right) and Sebastián Coates celebrate winning the 2011 Copa América
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Godín (right) and Austria's Marc Janko in March 2014
See also
In Spanish: Diego Godín para niños
