Pablo Zabaleta facts for kids
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Zabaleta with West Ham United in 2019
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Pablo Javier Zabaleta Girod | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 16 January 1985 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Buenos Aires, Argentina | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.76 m (5 ft 9 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Right back | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Team information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Current team
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Albania (assistant) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1995–1997 | Obras Sanitarias | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1997–2002 | San Lorenzo | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2002–2005 | San Lorenzo | 66 | (8) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2005–2008 | Espanyol | 79 | (3) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2008–2017 | Manchester City | 230 | (9) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2017–2020 | West Ham United | 73 | (1) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total | 448 | (20) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| International career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2003–2005 | Argentina U20 | 28 | (4) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2008 | Argentina U23 | 9 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2005–2016 | Argentina | 58 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Managerial career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2023– | Albania (assistant) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Pablo Javier Zabaleta Girod is a famous Argentine former professional footballer. He was born on January 16, 1985. Pablo played as a right back and was known for his tough and determined style of play. He often led his team as captain.
Pablo Zabaleta won many important trophies with Manchester City. These included the FA Cup in 2011, the Premier League in 2012 and 2014, and the League Cup in 2014 and 2016. He also won the FA Community Shield in 2012. Many fans at Manchester City loved him for his passion and dedication. Before joining Manchester City, he played for La Liga club Espanyol in Spain, where he won the 2005–06 Copa del Rey. He played 333 games for Manchester City over nine seasons. After that, he joined West Ham United in 2017.
Zabaleta also played for the Argentina national team from 2005. He played in the 2011 and 2015 Copa América tournaments. He was part of the team that finished second in the 2014 FIFA World Cup. He also won a gold medal at the 2008 Olympics with Argentina's team. Since January 2023, Zabaleta has been an assistant manager for Albania's national football team.
Contents
Club Career Highlights
Starting in Argentina: San Lorenzo
Pablo Zabaleta was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and grew up in Arrecifes. He started his football journey at San Lorenzo in 2002. He had joined their youth academy at age 12. He first played as a defensive midfielder before moving to the right side of the field.
Moving to Spain: Espanyol
In 2005, Zabaleta moved to Espanyol in Spain. He had been the captain of Argentina's under-20 team, which won the 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship. In the 2005–06 season, he helped Espanyol win the Copa del Rey. He played the whole final game, where Espanyol beat Real Zaragoza 4–1.
In 2007, Pablo got a shoulder injury that kept him out for about three months. Later that season, he played in the 2006–07 UEFA Cup final. Espanyol lost that game to another Spanish team, Sevilla, after a penalty shootout.
Success in England: Manchester City
Joining Manchester City
In the summer of 2008, Zabaleta joined Premier League club Manchester City. He chose City over an offer from Juventus because he wanted to play in England. He signed a five-year deal on August 31, 2008. This was just one day before Manchester City was bought by the Abu Dhabi United Group, which brought a lot of new investment to the club.
Pablo made his first appearance for Manchester City on September 13, 2008. It was a 3–1 loss to Chelsea. On October 5, he received his first red card in English football during a 3–2 loss to Liverpool. He scored his first goal for City on January 17, 2009, in a 1–0 win against Wigan Athletic.
Key Moments and Trophies
On November 21, 2010, Zabaleta scored his second Premier League goal in a 4–1 win against Fulham. He also helped set up a goal for his teammate Carlos Tevez in that game. On January 1, 2011, Pablo played his 100th game for Manchester City.
On May 1, 2011, he scored another goal in a 2–1 win against West Ham United. This win helped City secure a high position in the league. On May 14, 2011, Zabaleta came on as a substitute in the 2011 FA Cup Final. Manchester City won the FA Cup by beating Stoke City 1–0.
In July 2011, Zabaleta signed a new three-year contract with City. He extended his contract again in November 2011 until 2015. Fans loved him for his strong effort and loyalty to the club.
On April 30, 2012, he played the full game in a crucial 1–0 win over rivals Manchester United. On the very last day of the season, Zabaleta scored the first goal in City's dramatic 3–2 win against Queens Park Rangers. This victory won Manchester City their first league title since 1968. On December 9, 2012, he scored a late goal in a 3–2 loss to Manchester United.
More Success and Awards
On January 1, 2013, he scored the first goal in a 3–0 win against Stoke City. He scored again on January 25, 2013, in a 1–0 FA Cup win against Stoke City, helping City move to the next round.
Zabaleta was named Manchester City's Player of the Month for December 2012 and January 2013. He also served as stand-in captain when Vincent Kompany was injured. He was the only City player chosen for the 2012–13 Premier League PFA Team of the Year. After a fantastic season, Zabaleta was voted Manchester City Player of the Year for 2012–13.
He was sent off in the 2013 FA Cup Final against Wigan Athletic. Wigan went on to win 1–0. On March 2, 2014, Zabaleta played the full game as Manchester City beat Sunderland 3–1 in the 2014 Football League Cup Final. This meant he had won all the major trophies in English football. On May 11, he was part of the team that won the Premier League again, his second title in three seasons.
On August 21, 2015, Zabaleta was out for a month due to a knee injury. On January 17, 2016, he reached 200 appearances for Manchester City in a 4–0 win over Crystal Palace.
In his final season (2016–17), Zabaleta played 32 games and scored two goals. His last game for Manchester City was on May 16, 2017, a 3–1 win against West Bromwich Albion. The City manager, Pep Guardiola, called him a "legend." Zabaleta received a lifetime season ticket and a special shirt from the club to honor his 333 appearances.
Joining West Ham United
On May 26, 2017, Zabaleta joined Premier League club West Ham United for free. He signed a two-year contract. In May 2019, he extended his contract with West Ham until the summer of 2020.
On January 5, 2020, Zabaleta scored his only goal for West Ham in a 2–0 FA Cup win against Gillingham. On January 10, 2020, he became the first Argentine player to reach 300 Premier League appearances. West Ham confirmed his departure from the club in June 2020. He played 80 games for West Ham over three seasons.
International Career
Pablo Zabaleta was called up to the Argentina under-15 team when he was just 14. He played in many youth tournaments, including the FIFA U-20 World Cup in 2003 and 2005. He won the 2005 tournament in the Netherlands. He played over 75 games for Argentina's youth teams.
He started playing for the senior national team in 2005. He was also part of the team that won the gold medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics. He played all six matches as a right-back.
After the 2010 FIFA World Cup, where he was not selected, Zabaleta became the first-choice right-back under the new Argentina manager. On June 1, 2011, he captained Argentina for the first time in a friendly game against Nigeria.
In June 2014, Zabaleta was chosen for Argentina's squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. He made his World Cup debut in Argentina's 2–1 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina.
At the 2015 Copa América in Chile, Zabaleta sent in a cross that led to his Manchester City teammate Sergio Agüero scoring the only goal. This helped Argentina defeat Uruguay in a group match.
After Retirement
After he stopped playing professional football on October 16, 2020, Pablo Zabaleta began a coaching career. In January 2023, he became an assistant coach for the Albania national football team. He works under head coach Sylvinho. He also works as a football expert for ESPN, covering La Liga games.
Personal Life
Pablo Zabaleta has Spanish heritage, specifically from the Basque region. He has a tattoo on his chest with his mother's name.
Honours and Awards
Pablo Zabaleta won many titles and received several awards during his career:
Espanyol
- Copa del Rey: 2005–06
Manchester City
- Premier League: 2011–12, 2013–14
- FA Cup: 2010–11; runner-up: 2012–13
- Football League Cup: 2013–14, 2015–16
- FA Community Shield: 2012
Argentina Youth Teams
- FIFA U-20 World Cup: 2005
- Summer Olympics: 2008 (Gold Medal)
Argentina National Team
- FIFA World Cup runner-up: 2014
- Copa América runner-up: 2015
Individual Awards
- PFA Team of the Year: 2012–13 Premier League
- Manchester City Player of the Year: 2012–13
- Manchester City Player of the Month: January 2009, December 2012, January 2013
Images for kids
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Zabaleta with the FA Cup on Manchester City's 2011 victory parade in May 2011
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See also
In Spanish: Pablo Zabaleta para niños
