Maxi Pereira facts for kids
Pereira with Porto in 2018
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| Personal information | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 8 June 1984 | ||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Montevideo, Uruguay | ||||||||||||
| Height | 1.73 m | ||||||||||||
| Playing position | Right-back | ||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||
| Bella Vista | |||||||||||||
| 2002 | Defensor | ||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† | ||||||||||
| 2002–2007 | Defensor | 125 | (25) | ||||||||||
| 2007–2015 | Benfica | 212 | (13) | ||||||||||
| 2015–2019 | Porto | 89 | (3) | ||||||||||
| 2021 | Peñarol | 20 | (1) | ||||||||||
| 2022–2023 | River Plate (UY) | 46 | (1) | ||||||||||
| Total | 492 | (43) | |||||||||||
| National team | |||||||||||||
| 2005–2018 | Uruguay | 125 | (3) | ||||||||||
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Honours
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Victorio Maximiliano "Maxi" Pereira Páez was born on June 8, 1984. He is a former professional footballer from Uruguay. He played as a right-back, which is a defensive player on the right side of the field.
Maxi Pereira started his career with Defensor in Uruguay. In 2007, he moved to Benfica in Portugal. He stayed there for eight seasons, playing 333 games and winning 11 big titles. In 2015, he joined Porto, another team in Portugal.
He also played for the Uruguay national team 125 times. He played in three World Cups and four Copa América tournaments. He helped Uruguay win the Copa América in 2011.
Contents
Maxi Pereira's Club Career
Playing for Defensor
Maxi Pereira was born in Montevideo, Uruguay. People in his home country called him "Mono", which means "Monkey". He started playing football as a forward at C.A. Bella Vista. Later, he moved to Defensor Sporting and became a midfielder.
He made his first professional appearance at 18 years old in 2002. He quickly became an important player for Defensor. In the 2005–06 season, he scored 12 goals, which was his best goal-scoring year. After the 2006–07 season, Pereira moved to S.L. Benfica in Portugal.
Playing for Benfica
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In his first year in Portugal (2007–08), Pereira played as a right midfielder. He scored in two home games in November 2007. One goal was in a league game against Boavista F.C. and the other was in a UEFA Champions League game against A.C. Milan.
The next season (2008–09), Pereira changed to playing as a right-back. He became a regular player for Benfica. In the 2009–10 season, Benfica won the league title after five years. They also won the Taça da Liga. Pereira played in 40 games that season and scored five goals.
On December 17, 2011, Pereira signed a new contract with Benfica until 2015. He scored two goals in the 2011–12 Champions League against FC Zenit Saint Petersburg. Benfica reached the quarter-finals of the competition that year.
On October 2, 2014, Pereira played his 300th game for Benfica. This was a Champions League match against Bayer 04 Leverkusen. He was only the second foreign player, after Luisão, to reach this many games for the club. On May 2, 2015, he scored two goals in a 5–0 win against Gil Vicente FC. Benfica won the league title again that season.
Playing for Porto
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On June 30, 2015, Pereira left Benfica when his contract ended. Fifteen days later, he joined their rivals, Porto. He made his first appearance for Porto on August 15, helping them win 3–0 against Vitória S.C.. He set up two goals for his teammates in that game. On March 6, he scored his first goal for Porto.
On May 22, 2016, Porto played in the Taça de Portugal final against Braga. The game ended in a 2–2 draw after extra time. In the penalty shootout, Pereira's shot was saved, and Porto lost. On March 14, 2017, in a Champions League game against Juventus FC, he was sent off (given a red card) for handling the ball. Porto lost that game and was eliminated from the competition.
Pereira helped Porto win the national championship in the 2017–18 season. He signed a new contract after this win. On August 4, 2018, he scored in a 3–1 win against C.D. Aves in the Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira. He was chosen as the best player of the match.
His contract with Porto ended in June 2019. He later sued his former club for money he believed they owed him.
Returning to Uruguay
On February 1, 2021, Pereira returned to play in Uruguay after 14 years. He signed with Peñarol. He played his first game on March 6. On October 9, he scored the only goal in a win against C.A. Rentistas. His team went on to win the league title in the 2021 season.
Pereira then signed with River Plate on January 23, 2022. He played 42 games for them. He renewed his contract a year later, but then retired from football on May 18, 2023.
Maxi Pereira's International Career
Maxi Pereira started playing for the Uruguayan national team on October 26, 2005. His first game was a friendly match against Mexico. He quickly became a regular player for his country. He played in the 2007 Copa América.
He was chosen for the team that played in the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. Uruguay reached the semi-finals. In the quarter-finals against Ghana, he missed his shot in the penalty shootout, but Uruguay still won. He scored his first goal for Uruguay in the semi-final game against the Netherlands.
Pereira was also a key player for Uruguay in the 2011 Copa América in Argentina. Uruguay won their 15th continental title that year. He played 14 games in the qualifying rounds for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. He scored against Peru and Jordan to help Uruguay qualify.
In the finals in Brazil, Pereira was the first player to be sent off. This happened in a 3–1 loss to Costa Rica. He played two more games in that tournament. Uruguay was eliminated in the last-16 stage.
On March 28, 2015, Pereira played his 100th game for Uruguay in a friendly win against Morocco. He was only the second Uruguayan player, after Diego Forlán, to reach this milestone. He played every minute of the Copa América that year. He was the captain in one group game against Paraguay.
On June 9, 2016, Pereira played his 113th game for Uruguay. This made him Uruguay's most capped player, passing Diego Forlán. This game was at the Copa América Centenario against Venezuela. Uruguay lost and was eliminated. He was also chosen for the 2018 World Cup, but he did not play in any games. He retired from international football in November 2018, with 125 games played for his country.
Career Statistics
Club
| Team | Season | League | National cup | League cup | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Defensor | 2002 | Primera División | 5 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 5 | 0 | ||||
| 2003 | Primera División | 19 | 3 | — | — | — | — | 19 | 3 | |||||
| 2004 | Primera División | 14 | 1 | — | — | — | — | 14 | 1 | |||||
| 2005 | Primera División | 34 | 6 | — | — | — | — | 34 | 6 | |||||
| 2005–06 | Primera División | 29 | 12 | — | — | — | — | 29 | 12 | |||||
| 2006–07 | Primera División | 23 | 3 | — | — | 9 | 1 | — | 32 | 4 | ||||
| 2007–08 | Primera División | 1 | 0 | — | — | 2 | 0 | — | 3 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 125 | 25 | — | — | 11 | 1 | — | 136 | 26 | |||||
| Benfica | 2007–08 | Primeira Liga | 23 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 1 | — | 36 | 3 | |
| 2008–09 | Primeira Liga | 28 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 6 | 0 | — | 41 | 2 | ||
| 2009–10 | Primeira Liga | 25 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 8 | 2 | — | 37 | 4 | ||
| 2010–11 | Primeira Liga | 26 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 14 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 49 | 1 | |
| 2011–12 | Primeira Liga | 25 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 13 | 2 | — | 43 | 3 | ||
| 2012–13 | Primeira Liga | 28 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 0 | — | 42 | 3 | ||
| 2013–14 | Primeira Liga | 25 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 11 | 0 | — | 43 | 0 | ||
| 2014–15 | Primeira Liga | 32 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 42 | 5 | |
| Total | 212 | 13 | 22 | 1 | 24 | 1 | 74 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 333 | 21 | ||
| Porto | 2015–16 | Primeira Liga | 32 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | — | 42 | 1 | |
| 2016–17 | Primeira Liga | 24 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 0 | — | 35 | 2 | ||
| 2017–18 | Primeira Liga | 15 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 1 | — | 23 | 1 | ||
| 2018–19 | Primeira Liga | 18 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 30 | 1 | |
| Total | 89 | 3 | 10 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 25 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 130 | 5 | ||
| Peñarol | 2020 | Primera División | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 3 | 0 | ||||
| 2021 | Primera División | 17 | 1 | — | — | 5 | 0 | — | 22 | 1 | ||||
| Total | 20 | 1 | — | — | 5 | 0 | — | 25 | 1 | |||||
| River Plate | 2022 | Primera División | 34 | 0 | — | — | 8 | 0 | — | 42 | 0 | |||
| 2023 | Primera División | 12 | 1 | — | — | 1 | 0 | — | 13 | 1 | ||||
| Total | 46 | 1 | — | — | 9 | 0 | — | 55 | 1 | |||||
| Career total | 492 | 43 | 32 | 1 | 29 | 1 | 124 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 679 | 54 | ||
International
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Uruguay | 2005 | 1 | 0 |
| 2006 | 7 | 0 | |
| 2007 | 10 | 0 | |
| 2008 | 10 | 0 | |
| 2009 | 7 | 0 | |
| 2010 | 13 | 1 | |
| 2011 | 15 | 0 | |
| 2012 | 9 | 1 | |
| 2013 | 15 | 1 | |
| 2014 | 12 | 0 | |
| 2015 | 10 | 0 | |
| 2016 | 7 | 0 | |
| 2017 | 8 | 0 | |
| 2018 | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 125 | 3 | |
International Goals
Scores and results list Uruguay's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Pereira goal.
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Final | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 6 July 2010 | Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town, South Africa |  Netherlands |
2–3 | 2–3 | 2010 FIFA World Cup |
| 2. | 10 June 2012 | Estadio Centenario, Montevideo, Uruguay |  Peru |
2–0 | 4–2 | 2014 World Cup qualification |
| 3. | 13 November 2013 | Amman International Stadium, Amman, Jordan |  Jordan |
1–0 | 5–0 | 2014 World Cup qualification |
Honours and Awards
Benfica
- Primeira Liga: 2009–10, 2013–14, 2014–15
- Taça de Portugal: 2013–14
- Taça da Liga: 2008–09, 2009–10, 2010–11, 2011–12, 2013–14, 2014–15
- Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira: 2014
- UEFA Europa League runner-up: 2012–13, 2013–14
Porto
- Primeira Liga: 2017–18
- Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira: 2018
- Taça de Portugal runner-up: 2015–16, 2018–19
Peñarol
Uruguay
- Copa América: 2011
Individual
- Cosme Damião Awards – Footballer of the Year: 2012
See also
In Spanish: Maximiliano Pereira para niños
- List of footballers with 100 or more caps
