Mariano Pernía facts for kids
Pernía playing for Atlético Madrid in 2007
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Mariano Andrés Pernía Molina | ||
| Date of birth | 4 May 1977 | ||
| Place of birth | Buenos Aires, Argentina | ||
| Height | 1.77 m (5 ft 10 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Left back | ||
| Youth career | |||
| San Lorenzo | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1997–1999 | San Lorenzo | 0 | (0) |
| 1999–2002 | Independiente | 46 | (2) |
| 2003–2004 | Recreativo | 59 | (3) |
| 2004–2006 | Getafe | 72 | (13) |
| 2006–2010 | Atlético Madrid | 80 | (1) |
| 2010 | Nacional | 7 | (0) |
| 2011–2012 | Tigre | 9 | (1) |
| Total | 273 | (20) | |
| International career | |||
| 2006–2007 | Spain | 11 | (1) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Mariano Andrés Pernía Molina, born on May 4, 1977, is a former professional football player from Argentina and Spain. He played as a left back and is now a race car driver.
He started his football career with Club Atlético Independiente in Argentina. Later, he moved to Spain in the early 2000s. In Spain, he played for three different teams, including Getafe CF and Atlético Madrid. He was known for scoring many goals, even as a defender. For example, he scored ten goals in one season with Getafe in Spain's top league, La Liga. Overall, he played 171 matches and scored 16 goals in La Liga over seven seasons.
Even though he was born in Argentina, Pernía played for the Spain national football team. He even represented Spain in the 2006 FIFA World Cup.
Contents
Football Career Highlights
Early Days in Argentina
Mariano Pernía was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He started learning football at San Lorenzo de Almagro. However, he did not play for their main team. His first chance to play professional football came when he joined Club Atlético Independiente. He played 57 games for them and scored two goals.
Moving to Spain
In January 2003, Pernía moved to Spain to play in La Liga for Recreativo de Huelva. He played in the Copa del Rey final that year, but his team lost. Recreativo was also moved down to a lower league that season. He played 40 league games for them in the second division during the next year.
Success with Getafe
Even though he was 26 and had not yet become a regular top-league player, Pernía got a big chance. He joined Getafe CF in 2004, a team that had just been promoted to La Liga. He quickly became an important player for the Madrid team. He was known as an attacking defender with a powerful left foot. In his first season, he scored three goals, including an amazing goal from 40 meters away against Real Betis. He helped Getafe stay in the top division during their first season.
In the 2005–06 season, Pernía played in 35 out of 38 games for Getafe. He scored an incredible ten goals and made two assists. This made him the highest-scoring defender in a season for 20 years! Because of his great performance, many teams were interested in him. Even though Valencia CF tried to sign him, he chose to join Atlético Madrid. He signed a four-year contract in February 2006, starting in the next season.
Time at Atlético Madrid
At Atlético Madrid, Pernía competed with Antonio López for the left-back position. In his first year, he often played as a substitute. There was talk that he might go back to Getafe, but he decided to stay with Atlético.
In the 2007–08 season, Pernía played much more. He appeared in 29 league games as Atlético Madrid finished fourth. This meant they qualified for the UEFA Champions League. In the next season, he was the main choice for most games. He even had his own official fan club, "Peña Pernía," which grew very quickly.
In July 2009, Mariano and his family were in a serious car accident in Argentina. His daughter and nephew were not hurt, but he broke his clavicle (collarbone) and had minor lung injuries. He recovered fully, but the car was badly damaged. In the 2009–10 season, he only played two games: one in the domestic cup and one in the league.
Mariano Pernía left Atlético Madrid in July 2010 when he was 33 years old. He then signed with Club Nacional de Football in Uruguay. A few months later, he returned to Argentina and joined Club Atlético Tigre.
Playing for Spain
Pernía's excellent performance in 2005–06 made him a possible choice for both the Argentine and Spanish national teams. He was born in Argentina, but he became a Spanish citizen in May 2006.
The Spanish national team coach, Luis Aragonés, first decided not to pick Pernía for the 2006 FIFA World Cup. However, another player, Asier del Horno, got an ankle injury just before the tournament. So, Pernía was called up at the last minute to replace him. He made his first appearance for Spain in a friendly game against Croatia on June 7, 2006, in Geneva. He even scored a goal from a free-kick in that match.
Surprisingly, Pernía went from being a third-choice player to a starter in the World Cup. He played in the group stage wins against Ukraine and Tunisia. He also played in Spain's round-of-16 loss to France.
International Goals
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 7 June 2006 | Stade de Genève, Geneva, Switzerland |  Croatia |
1–1 | 2–1 | Friendly |
Life After Football
After he stopped playing football, Mariano Pernía started competing in motorsports. His father and brother, Leonel Pernía, also raced cars. Mariano has mainly raced in Turismo Nacional, but also in TC2000 and Super TC2000.
Family Life
Mariano Pernía comes from a family of athletes. His father, Vicente Pernía, was a famous Argentine football player. Mariano dedicated his World Cup call-up to his father.
Mariano's mother is Olga. He has four brothers and one sister. His oldest brother, Gastón, played indoor soccer in the United States. Another brother, Leonel Pernía, also played indoor soccer and raced cars in Argentina. Mariano's great-grandparents were from Spain.
Mariano's daughter was born in Spain. When he got the call to play in the World Cup, he was on holiday with his family. He had to delay his wedding to play in the tournament. He said, "My wife's happy for me although a bit disappointed about having to postpone the wedding."
Achievements
Independiente
- Argentine Primera División: Apertura 2002
Recreativo
- Copa del Rey runner-up: 2002–03
Atlético Madrid
- UEFA Europa League: 2009–10
- UEFA Intertoto Cup: 2007
- Copa del Rey runner-up: 2009–10
See also
In Spanish: Mariano Pernía para niños
- List of Spain international footballers born outside Spain
