Gastón Ramírez facts for kids

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Gastón Ramírez

Ramírez with Uruguay in 2014
Personal information
Full name	Gastón Exequiel Ramírez Pereyra
Date of birth	(1990-12-02) 2 December 1990 (age 34)
Place of birth	Fray Bentos, Uruguay
Height	1.83 m
Playing position	Attacking midfielder
Club information
Current club	Peñarol
Number	10
Youth career
2005–2008	Peñarol
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
2008–2010	Peñarol	42	(8)
2010–2012	Bologna	58	(12)
2012–2016	Southampton	48	(6)
2014–2015	→ Hull City (loan)	22	(1)
2016	→ Middlesbrough (loan)	18	(7)
2016–2017	Middlesbrough	24	(2)
2017–2021	Sampdoria	115	(14)
2021–2022	Monza	6	(1)
2022–2023	Virtus Entella	25	(2)
2023–2024	San Lorenzo	10	(0)
2024–	Peñarol	16	(1)
National team
2009	Uruguay U20	3	(0)
2012	Uruguay Olympic	5	(2)
2010–2018	Uruguay	43	(0)
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 23 April 2024. † Appearances (Goals).

Gastón Exequiel Ramírez Pereyra (born on December 2, 1990) is a professional footballer from Uruguay. He plays as an attacking midfielder for the club Peñarol in the Uruguayan Primera División.

Gastón has played for several clubs in his career. He started in Uruguay with Peñarol, then moved to Italy to play for Bologna. Later, he joined Southampton in the Premier League in England. During his time at Southampton, he also played on loan for Hull City and Middlesbrough, eventually joining Middlesbrough permanently. In 2017, he returned to Italy to play for Sampdoria, and later for Monza and Virtus Entella. He then moved to Argentina to play for San Lorenzo before returning to Peñarol.

Since 2010, Gastón has also played for the Uruguay national football team. He represented his country in big tournaments like the 2012 Olympics, the 2013 Confederations Cup, and the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

Club Career

Peñarol: Starting Strong

Gastón Ramírez was born in Fray Bentos, Uruguay. When he was 16, he moved to the capital city, Montevideo, to join the famous club Peñarol. He played his first professional game for the club at 18 years old in March 2009.

His second year at Peñarol was a big success. He started playing more often for the first team. Gastón scored his first goal for Peñarol in a 5–0 win in December 2009. He continued to score important goals, helping his team win the 2009–10 Primera División title. He scored six goals in 30 games that season. His great performances caught the eye of clubs in Europe.

Bologna: Italian Adventure

On August 25, 2010, Gastón moved to Italy to play for Serie A club Bologna. The transfer cost €2.5 million. He made his debut for Bologna in September 2010. A month later, he scored his first goals for the club in an Italian Cup match.

He scored his first Serie A goal in January 2011 against Lazio. Despite an injury, he finished his first season with four goals in 25 league games and three goals in two Italian Cup games. Before the 2011–12 season, big clubs like Manchester City and Inter Milan were interested in him. Gastón wanted to leave, but his teammate Marco Di Vaio convinced him to stay.

He returned from injury in October 2011 and scored his first goal of the season. His strong play earned him a new contract with Bologna until 2016. He continued to score important goals, finishing the 2011–12 season with eight goals in 33 games. Even with a new contract, other clubs were still interested in him. In August 2012, he was close to joining Southampton in England.

Southampton: Premier League Journey

On August 31, 2012, Gastón Ramírez officially joined Southampton in England for about £12 million. He signed a four-year contract. He made his debut for Southampton in September 2012 against Arsenal. Two weeks later, he scored his first goal for the club against Everton.

He scored his first home goal in November against Newcastle United. On January 1, 2013, he scored in a 1–1 draw against Arsenal. He scored two more goals that season before being sent off in a match against West Bromwich Albion. This meant he missed the last three games of the season. In his first season at Southampton, Gastón played 22 games and scored five goals.

Before the 2013–14 season, there were rumors that Gastón might leave Southampton. However, the club decided not to sell him. He played less in the second half of the season but scored two goals in the Football League Trophy. He also scored his first league goal of the season in December 2013. Unfortunately, he suffered an ankle injury in January 2014, which kept him out for several weeks. He returned in February and finished the season with 18 appearances and one goal.

In the 2014–15 season, Gastón only played one game for Southampton. The new manager, Ronald Koeman, was unsure about his future at the club. After his loan spell at Hull City ended, Gastón was told he was not part of Southampton's plans. He even tried to cancel his contract to return to Uruguay. However, he made a surprise return to the team in a League Cup match in September 2015. He also made his first league appearance in a year in October, providing an assist. In January, he left the club to join Middlesbrough.

Gastón played only three games for Southampton in the 2015–16 season. At the end of the season, he was released by the club.

Loan to Hull City

On September 1, 2014, Gastón Ramírez was loaned to Hull City, another team in the Premier League. He wanted to show the Hull City fans what he could do. He made his debut two weeks later.

In November, he received a red card for kicking a Tottenham Hotspur player. He scored one goal in 22 games for Hull City, a great 30-yard shot against Sunderland in December. He also provided assists for his teammates. However, he suffered two injuries during the season, and Hull City was relegated (moved down to a lower league) at the end of the 2014–15 season.

Middlesbrough: A New Chapter

On January 26, 2016, Gastón joined Middlesbrough on loan until the end of the season. Middlesbrough was in the Championship at the time. He made his debut in February and scored his first goal for Middlesbrough two weeks later against Cardiff City.

In March, he scored two goals in a win against Wolverhampton Wanderers, which put his team at the top of the Championship table. He scored four more goals that season. On May 7, he helped Middlesbrough win promotion back to the Premier League with a fantastic performance in a 1–1 draw.

After leaving Southampton, Gastón officially re-joined Middlesbrough on a three-year contract on July 22, 2016. He said the fans played a big part in his decision to return. In his first game back, he set up a goal for his teammate. He continued to play well and scored his first goal of the season in October 2016, which was named the BBC Goal of the Month. He also scored against his former club, Hull City, in December.

In January 2017, Leicester City tried to buy him, but Middlesbrough rejected the offer. Gastón even asked to leave the club, but Middlesbrough kept him. However, he faced injuries and suspensions, and his playing time became less frequent. After Middlesbrough was relegated from the Premier League at the end of the 2016–17 season, Gastón made 26 appearances and scored two goals.

Before the 2017–18 season, there were rumors that Gastón might move to other clubs. He eventually left Middlesbrough.

Sampdoria: Back to Italy

On August 4, 2017, Gastón Ramírez joined Serie A club Sampdoria in Italy. The transfer fee was about £9.85 million. He said that playing in the Premier League for five years helped him grow as a player. He felt he had the right experience to take on new responsibilities.

Gastón made his Sampdoria debut in the first game of the season, where he set up a goal for his teammate Fabio Quagliarella. He played for Sampdoria for four seasons, scoring 14 goals in 115 appearances.

Monza and Virtus Entella

On December 7, 2021, Gastón moved to Serie B side Monza until June 30, 2022. He was the first Uruguayan player to join the club.

On October 22, 2022, Gastón signed with Serie C club Virtus Entella.

San Lorenzo: Latest Move

On August 4, 2023, Gastón Ramírez joined San Lorenzo in Argentina. He signed a contract until the end of 2024.

International Career

Ramírez playing against Austria in March 2014

Ramírez challenging David Alaba

In 2009, Gastón played in the FIFA U-20 World Cup for Uruguay's Under-20 team. On October 8, 2010, he played his first full game for the senior Uruguay squad in a friendly match against Indonesia.

In July 2012, he was chosen to be part of the Uruguay squad for the football tournament at the 2012 Summer Olympics. He scored a goal in a warm-up match and then scored from a free-kick in Uruguay's opening game against the United Arab Emirates. Even though he scored, Uruguay was eliminated in the group stage.

In June 2013, Gastón was selected for the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup tournament. He started in some important games as Uruguay finished fourth in the competition.

On May 31, 2014, Gastón was named in Uruguay's squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. He made his debut in the tournament in a group game against Italy. Just three minutes after coming on, he provided a cross that led to the only goal of the game, helping Uruguay move to the next stage. After missing the 2015 Copa América due to injury, he returned to play for Uruguay in 2016 and was part of the Copa América Centenario squad. He was also named in the squad for the China Cup and the provisional squad for the 2018 World Cup.

Personal Life

Gastón Ramírez married Micaela Duarte in the summer of 2012. In early 2016, they welcomed their daughter, and Gastón became a father. When he moved to England, he started taking English lessons to help with his work permit requirements and to settle into the country.

Career Statistics

Club Stats

International Stats

Honours

Peñarol

• Uruguayan Primera División: 2009–10

Middlesbrough

• Football League Championship runner-up: 2015–16

See also

In Spanish: Gastón Ramírez para niños