Esteban Cambiasso facts for kids
Cambiasso with Inter Milan in 2011
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| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 18 August 1980 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Buenos Aires, Argentina | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.77 m | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Playing position | Midfielder | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1995–1996 | Argentinos Juniors | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1996–1997 | Real Madrid | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1996–1998 | Real Madrid B | 42 | (4) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1998–2001 | Independiente | 98 | (14) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2001–2002 | River Plate | 37 | (12) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2002–2004 | Real Madrid | 41 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2004–2014 | Inter Milan | 315 | (41) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2014–2015 | Leicester City | 31 | (5) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2015–2017 | Olympiacos | 28 | (2) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total | 592 | (78) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| National team | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1995 | Argentina U17 | 6 | (1) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1997–1999 | Argentina U20 | 11 | (3) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2000–2011 | Argentina | 52 | (5) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Honours
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Esteban Matías Cambiasso Deleau, born on August 18, 1980, is a famous Argentine former football player. People often called him "Cuchu" (pronounced COO-choo)! He played as a midfielder, helping his teams both attack and defend.
He won 21 big titles during his career. Most of these wins happened when he played for Inter Milan for ten seasons. He helped them win five Italian league titles (called Scudetti) and the amazing 2009–10 UEFA Champions League!
From 2000 to 2011, he played 52 games for the Argentine national team. He even played in the 2006 World Cup and other big tournaments like the Copa América.
Contents
Esteban Cambiasso's Club Career
Starting His Football Journey
Esteban started playing professional football with Argentinos Juniors in 1995. A year later, in 1996, he moved to Real Madrid in Spain with his brother, Nicolás Cambiasso.
In 1998, he returned to Argentina. He played for Independiente for three years and then for River Plate for one year. These experiences helped him become a better player.
He went back to Real Madrid in 2002. There, he helped Los Blancos (as Real Madrid is called) win the UEFA Super Cup and the Intercontinental Cup in 2002. They also won the Spanish league (the Liga) and the Supercopa de España in 2003.
Playing for Inter Milan
In July 2004, Cambiasso joined the Italian club Inter Milan. He quickly became a key player, helping Inter win the Coppa Italia in his first season. He played as a defensive midfielder, often alongside another Argentine player, Juan Sebastián Verón.
He was known as one of the best players in Italy during the 2004–05 season. In 2006, he scored a great goal in the 2006 Coppa Italia Final against Roma, helping Inter win 3–1.
On September 9, 2006, he scored two goals in the first game of the season against Fiorentina. In 2007, he scored twice in a Champions League match against CSKA Moscow. He also scored the winning goal against city rivals Milan in a famous game called the Derby della Madonnina.
In 2009, Cambiasso signed a new contract with Inter until 2014. He was very important when Inter won the 2009–10 UEFA Champions League. He scored a crucial goal against Chelsea, which helped Inter reach the final. They won the final 2–0 against Bayern Munich.
He continued to score important goals for Inter. In 2011, he scored twice to help Inter beat Catania 2–1. In 2013, he scored in Inter's huge 7–0 win against Sassuolo. He also scored against Fiorentina a few days later.
Cambiasso left Inter in 2014 when his contract ended. He was a true legend for the club.
Time at Leicester City
On August 28, 2014, Cambiasso joined Premier League club Leicester City in England. He joined them for free after leaving Inter. He said he chose Leicester because they really wanted him, and he wanted to play in the Premier League.
He made his debut for Leicester on September 13 against Stoke City. He came on as a substitute and played very well, helping his team win 1–0. His first goal for Leicester was an equalizer in an amazing 5–3 win against Manchester United.
Cambiasso scored another goal against Queens Park Rangers. On April 4, 2015, he scored for Leicester against West Ham United. This win started a great run for Leicester, helping them stay in the Premier League.
In May 2015, Leicester City fans voted Cambiasso as their Player of the Year. He scored again in Leicester's final match of the season, a 5–1 win over QPR.
In July 2015, Cambiasso decided not to sign a new contract with Leicester and left the club.
Playing for Olympiacos
On August 7, 2015, Cambiasso signed a two-year deal with Olympiacos, a big club in Greece. He scored his first goal for them in December in a Greek Cup match. He scored twice in 14 league games as Olympiacos won their league title.
He renewed his contract in July 2016. In March 2017, he scored a goal in a UEFA Europa League match against Beşiktaş. He was named the best player of that match.
Retiring from Football
On September 8, 2017, Cambiasso announced he was retiring from professional football. This was two months after his contract with Olympiacos ended. He decided to retire because he passed his coaching exams. This means he can now become a football coach!
Esteban Cambiasso's International Career
Cambiasso first played for Argentina in their youth teams. He played alongside famous players like Juan Román Riquelme and Pablo Aimar. He was part of the team that won the 1997 FIFA World Youth Championship. He even scored the first goal in the final of that tournament!
He made his debut for the senior Argentine national team in 2000. He played in the 2005 FIFA Confederations Cup, where Argentina reached the final. In 2006, he was chosen for the 2006 FIFA World Cup.
During the 2006 World Cup, he scored a fantastic goal against Serbia and Montenegro. It was part of a 24-pass play by Argentina! However, in the quarter-finals against Germany, Argentina lost after a penalty shootout, and Cambiasso's penalty was saved.
He also played for Argentina in the 2007 Copa América and the 2011 Copa América.
How Esteban Cambiasso Played
Cambiasso was a very complete and smart football player. He could play in many different midfield and defensive positions. He was mostly a central midfielder, meaning he played in the middle of the field.
He was strong and used his left foot well. He had great energy, good technique, and could pass the ball accurately. These skills allowed him to create chances for his teammates. He was also good at defending, winning the ball back from opponents. After winning the ball, he could start attacks or even score goals himself.
Experts said he was the "heartbeat" of the Inter Milan team. They described him as a determined and hard-working midfielder. He was known for being a "destroyer" (stopping opponents) but also became good at attacking. Many people believe he was one of the most underrated players of his time.
Esteban Cambiasso's Family Life
Esteban Cambiasso has a daughter and a son. On November 22, 2008, his wife Claudia gave birth to their daughter, Victoria. This happened before a big match for Inter against Juventus. After Inter won the game, Cambiasso dedicated the victory to his new daughter.
His son, Dante, was born on September 24, 2013. Two days later, Cambiasso scored a goal against Fiorentina and dedicated it to his family.
Esteban Cambiasso's Football Achievements
River Plate
- Argentine Primera División: Clausura 2002 (This means they won the closing tournament of the Argentine league.)
Real Madrid
- La Liga: 2002–03 (Spanish League title)
- Supercopa de España: 2003 (Spanish Super Cup)
- UEFA Super Cup: 2002 (European Super Cup)
- Intercontinental Cup: 2002 (A cup played between European and South American champions)
Inter Milan
- Serie A: 2005–06, 2006–07, 2007–08, 2008–09, 2009–10 (Italian League titles)
- Coppa Italia: 2004–05, 2005–06, 2009–10, 2010–11 (Italian Cup)
- Supercoppa Italiana: 2005, 2006, 2008, 2010 (Italian Super Cup)
- UEFA Champions League: 2009–10 (Europe's biggest club competition!)
- FIFA Club World Cup: 2010 (World club championship)
Olympiacos
- Super League Greece: 2015–16, 2016–17 (Greek League titles)
Argentina U20
- South American Youth Championship: 1997, 1999
- FIFA World Youth Championship: 1997 (World Cup for youth teams)
Argentina National Team
- Copa América runner-up: 2007
- FIFA Confederations Cup Runner-up: 2005
Individual Awards
- ESM Team of the Year: 2005–06 (Chosen as one of the best players in Europe)
- Pirata d'Oro (Inter Milan Player of the Year): 2005
- Leicester City Player of the Year: 2014–15 (Voted best player by Leicester City fans)
- Inter Milan Hall of Fame: 2020 (Honored by his former club, Inter Milan)
Images for kids
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Cambiasso (front) celebrates Inter's 16th Serie A title in 2008
See also
In Spanish: Esteban Cambiasso para niños
