Martín Cáceres facts for kids
Cáceres with Uruguay in 2011
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| Personal information | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 7 April 1987 | ||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Montevideo, Uruguay | ||||||||||||
| Height | 1.78 m | ||||||||||||
| Playing position | Defender | ||||||||||||
| Club information | |||||||||||||
| Current club | LA Galaxy | ||||||||||||
| Number | 22 | ||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||
| Defensor | |||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† | ||||||||||
| 2006–2007 | Defensor | 26 | (4) | ||||||||||
| 2007–2008 | Villarreal | 0 | (0) | ||||||||||
| 2007–2008 | → Recreativo (loan) | 34 | (2) | ||||||||||
| 2008–2011 | Barcelona | 13 | (0) | ||||||||||
| 2009–2010 | → Juventus (loan) | 15 | (1) | ||||||||||
| 2010–2011 | → Sevilla (loan) | 25 | (1) | ||||||||||
| 2011–2012 | Sevilla | 14 | (1) | ||||||||||
| 2012 | → Juventus (loan) | 11 | (1) | ||||||||||
| 2012–2016 | Juventus | 51 | (2) | ||||||||||
| 2017 | Southampton | 1 | (0) | ||||||||||
| 2017–2018 | Hellas Verona | 14 | (3) | ||||||||||
| 2018–2019 | Lazio | 10 | (1) | ||||||||||
| 2019 | → Juventus (loan) | 9 | (0) | ||||||||||
| 2019–2021 | Fiorentina | 56 | (3) | ||||||||||
| 2021–2022 | Cagliari | 14 | (1) | ||||||||||
| 2022 | Levante | 10 | (0) | ||||||||||
| 2022– | LA Galaxy | 36 | (2) | ||||||||||
| National team | |||||||||||||
| 2006–2007 | Uruguay U20 | 16 | (1) | ||||||||||
| 2007–2022 | Uruguay | 116 | (4) | ||||||||||
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Honours
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José Martín Cáceres Silva (born 7 April 1987) is a professional football player from Uruguay. He plays as a defender for the Major League Soccer club LA Galaxy. He is mainly a centre-back, but can also play on the right or left side of the field.
Martín Cáceres started his career at Defensor Sporting in Uruguay. In 2007, he moved to the Spanish club Villarreal. Over the years, he played for many clubs in Spain and Italy. He won six Serie A titles with Juventus. He also won the Champions League in 2009 with Barcelona. Later, he played briefly in England for Southampton. He returned to Italy in 2017. Martín's career has been affected by several injuries.
He has played for the Uruguay national team since he was 20 years old. Cáceres has represented Uruguay in four World Cups. He also played in three Copa América tournaments and the 2013 Confederations Cup. He helped Uruguay win the 2011 Copa América.
Contents
Club Career Highlights
Starting in Uruguay
Martín Cáceres was born in Montevideo, Uruguay. He began his football journey with his local team, Defensor. He quickly became a regular player for them. In February 2007, he signed with the Spanish club Villarreal.
When he arrived at Villarreal, Cáceres was loaned to another Spanish team, Recreativo de Huelva. He played many games for them. He helped the team stay in La Liga, Spain's top football league.
Playing for Barcelona
On 4 June 2008, Cáceres joined Barcelona. This was a big move for him. During his only season at Barcelona, he did not play very often. This was because of injuries and coaching decisions.
He was the fourth-choice defender for the team. However, he was part of the Barcelona squad that won the Champions League in 2009. This win helped Barcelona achieve the treble, winning three major titles in one season.
First Time at Juventus
On 6 August 2009, Barcelona loaned Cáceres to Juventus in Italy. He had a great start, scoring a goal in his first game against Lazio. He played regularly at first. However, his time at Juventus was interrupted by several injuries.
Moving to Sevilla
On 30 August 2010, Cáceres went back to Spain. He joined Sevilla on a loan for the season. He played often for Sevilla, especially as a right-back.
In May 2011, he suffered a serious kidney injury during a match. He was expected to miss the rest of the season. But he recovered quickly and played in the final two games. Sevilla finished fifth and qualified for the UEFA Europa League. In May 2011, Sevilla signed Cáceres permanently from Barcelona.
Returning to Juventus
In January 2012, Cáceres returned to Juventus on loan. He wore the number 4 shirt, like his fellow Uruguayan player Paolo Montero who also played for Juventus. He scored two goals in his first game back against AC Milan in the Coppa Italia. He also scored his first league goal for Juventus in March 2012.
On 25 May 2012, Cáceres joined Juventus permanently. He signed a four-year contract. He missed much of the 2014–15 season due to an injury in October 2014. He returned in January 2015, scoring against Napoli. However, he fractured his ankle in March and needed surgery.
In September, he had an incident that led to his driving license being taken away for six months. The club also suspended him. On 4 February 2016, he suffered a serious Achilles tendon injury. This injury kept him out for the rest of the season. In May, Juventus announced that his contract would not be renewed.
Time in England and Italy
On 16 February 2017, Cáceres joined Premier League club Southampton in England. He played only one game for Southampton before leaving the club in May.
In August 2017, Cáceres returned to Italy. He signed with Hellas Verona. He then joined Lazio in January 2018. He scored one goal for Lazio.
On 29 January 2019, Juventus signed Cáceres on a five-month loan. This was his third time playing for the club. He left Juventus at the end of the season.
Later Career
On 30 August 2019, Cáceres joined Fiorentina in Italy. In May 2020, he shared that he had tested positive for COVID-19.
Cáceres moved to Cagliari on 1 September 2021. He played alongside his national teammates Diego Godín and Nahitan Nández. He scored one goal for Cagliari.
On 30 January 2022, Cáceres returned to Spain. He joined Levante. The team was relegated from La Liga that season.
Joining LA Galaxy
On 24 August 2022, Cáceres joined the Major League Soccer club LA Galaxy in the United States. He scored his first goal for the team on 15 May 2023.
International Career for Uruguay
Cáceres played for the Uruguay U20 team in the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup. He was named the best defender at the 2007 South American U-20 Championship.
He made his debut for the senior national team on 12 September 2007. In 2010, he was chosen for the 2010 FIFA World Cup squad. He played in the semi-finals and the third-place match.
Cáceres scored his first international goal on 23 June 2011. He played a key role in the 2011 Copa América in Argentina. Uruguay won their 15th continental title. He scored the winning penalty in a shootout against Argentina in the quarter-finals.
He played for Uruguay in the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup. He was also part of the squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Uruguay reached the last-16 phase.
Due to injuries, Cáceres missed the 2015 Copa América and the Copa América Centenario in 2016.
Cáceres was included in Uruguay's squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. He played in all matches until the team was eliminated in the quarter-finals.
In March 2019, he was named in the squad for the 2019 Copa América in Brazil. He played four times in the tournament. Uruguay was eliminated in the quarter-finals after a penalty shootout.
Cáceres earned his 100th international game on 13 October 2020. This was during a World Cup qualifier match.
Style of Play
Martín Cáceres mainly plays as a central defender. However, he can also play as a left or right-back. He is known for his speed, strength, good tackling, and ability to win headers. He can also play as a wing-back or winger on either side of the field.
When he played for Juventus, his strong and determined style of play was compared to his fellow Uruguayan, Paolo Montero.
Career Statistics
Club
| Club | Season | League | National cup | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Defensor | 2005–06 | Uruguayan Primera División | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 2 | 0 | |
| 2006–07 | Uruguayan Primera División | 24 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 24 | 4 | ||
| Total | 26 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 26 | 4 | |||
| Recreativo (loan) | 2007–08 | La Liga | 34 | 2 | 2 | 1 | – | – | 36 | 3 | ||
| Barcelona | 2008–09 | La Liga | 13 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 0 | – | 23 | 0 | |
| Juventus | 2009–10 | Serie A | 15 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | – | 21 | 1 | |
| Sevilla (loan) | 2010–11 | La Liga | 25 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 7 | 0 | – | 37 | 1 | |
| Sevilla | 2011–12 | La Liga | 14 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 18 | 1 | |
| Juventus (loan) | 2011–12 | Serie A | 11 | 1 | 3 | 2 | – | – | 14 | 3 | ||
| Juventus | 2012–13 | Serie A | 18 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 1 |
| 2013–14 | Serie A | 17 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 30 | 1 | |
| 2014–15 | Serie A | 10 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 1 | |
| 2015–16 | Serie A | 6 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 0 | |
| Total | 62 | 3 | 10 | 3 | 15 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 89 | 6 | ||
| Southampton | 2016–17 | Premier League | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 1 | 0 | |
| Hellas Verona | 2017–18 | Serie A | 14 | 3 | 1 | 0 | – | – | 15 | 3 | ||
| Lazio | 2017–18 | Serie A | 6 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 1 |
| 2018–19 | Serie A | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | – | 8 | 0 | ||
| Total | 10 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 1 | ||
| Juventus (loan) | 2018–19 | Serie A | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 |
| Fiorentina | 2019–20 | Serie A | 27 | 1 | 3 | 1 | – | – | 30 | 2 | ||
| 2020–21 | Serie A | 29 | 2 | 2 | 0 | – | – | 31 | 2 | |||
| Total | 56 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 61 | 4 | ||
| Cagliari | 2021–22 | Serie A | 14 | 1 | 1 | 0 | – | – | 15 | 1 | ||
| Levante | 2021–22 | La Liga | 10 | 0 | – | – | – | 10 | 0 | |||
| LA Galaxy | 2022 | Major League Soccer | 6 | 0 | – | – | 2 | 0 | 8 | 0 | ||
| 2023 | Major League Soccer | 15 | 2 | 3 | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | 18 | 2 | ||
| 2024 | Major League Soccer | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 1 | 0 | 16 | 0 | ||
| Total | 36 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 42 | 2 | ||
| Career total | 339 | 22 | 41 | 5 | 36 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 415 | 27 | ||
International
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Uruguay | 2007 | 1 | 0 |
| 2008 | 9 | 0 | |
| 2009 | 8 | 0 | |
| 2010 | 6 | 0 | |
| 2011 | 14 | 1 | |
| 2012 | 6 | 0 | |
| 2013 | 11 | 0 | |
| 2014 | 8 | 0 | |
| 2015 | 6 | 2 | |
| 2016 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2017 | 6 | 1 | |
| 2018 | 11 | 0 | |
| 2019 | 12 | 0 | |
| 2020 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2021 | 8 | 0 | |
| 2022 | 6 | 0 | |
| Total | 116 | 4 | |
- Scores and results list Uruguay's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Cáceres goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 23 June 2011 | Estadio Atilio Paiva Olivera, Rivera, Uruguay |  Estonia |
1–0 | 3–0 | Friendly | |
| 2 | 8 October 2015 | Estadio Hernando Siles, La Paz, Bolivia |  Bolivia |
1–0 | 2–0 | 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification | |
| 3 | 17 November 2015 | Estadio Centenario, Montevideo, Uruguay |  Chile |
3–0 | 3–0 | 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification | |
| 4 | 10 October 2017 | Estadio Centenario, Montevideo, Uruguay | Bolivia |
1–1 | 4–2 | 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification |
Honours
Barcelona
- La Liga: 2008–09
- Copa del Rey: 2008–09
- UEFA Champions League: 2008–09
Juventus
- Serie A: 2011–12, 2012–13, 2013–14, 2014–15, 2015–16, 2018–19
- Coppa Italia: 2014–15, 2015–16; runner-up: 2011–12
- Supercoppa Italiana: 2012, 2013, 2015
- UEFA Champions League runner-up: 2014–15
Southampton
- EFL Cup runner-up: 2016–17
LA Galaxy
- MLS Cup: 2024
Uruguay
Images for kids
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Cáceres with Uruguay in 2011
See also
In Spanish: Martín Cáceres para niños
- List of men's footballers with 100 or more international caps
