Sebastián Abreu facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Sebastián Abreu

Abreu with Aucas in 2015
Personal information
Full name	Washington Sebastián Abreu Gallo
Date of birth	(1976-10-17) 17 October 1976 (age 48)
Place of birth	Minas, Uruguay
Height	1.93 m
Playing position	Striker
Club information
Current club	Dorados (head coach)
Youth career
	Olimpia de Minas
	Nacional de Minas
1993–1995	Defensor
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1995–1996	Defensor	34	(15)
1996–1998	San Lorenzo	43	(26)
1998–2004	Deportivo La Coruña	15	(3)
1998	→ Grêmio (loan)	7	(1)
1999–2000	→ Tecos (loan)	33	(27)
2000–2001	→ San Lorenzo (loan)	25	(10)
2001	→ Nacional (loan)	18	(16)
2002–2003	→ Cruz Azul (loan)	39	(34)
2003	→ América (loan)	16	(3)
2004	→ Tecos (loan)	17	(5)
2004–2005	Nacional	31	(16)
2005–2006	Dorados de Sinaloa	34	(22)
2006	Monterrey	16	(7)
2007	San Luis	14	(6)
2007–2008	UANL	15	(7)
2008	→ River Plate (loan)	17	(2)
2008	Beitar Jerusalem	0	(0)
2008–2009	River Plate	0	(0)
2009	→ Real Sociedad (loan)	18	(11)
2009–2010	Aris	8	(3)
2010–2012	Botafogo	93	(55)
2012	→ Figueirense (loan)	5	(0)
2013–2015	Nacional	18	(5)
2013–2014	→ Rosario Central (loan)	38	(8)
2015	→ Aucas (loan)	10	(4)
2016	Sol de América	10	(2)
2016	Santa Tecla	21	(13)
2017	Bangu	10	(3)
2017	Central Español	8	(6)
2017	Puerto Montt	13	(11)
2018	Audax Italiano	10	(0)
2018	Magallanes	9	(3)
2019	Rio Branco	8	(6)
2019–2020	Boston River	33	(4)
2021	Athletic-MG	4	(0)
2021	Sud América	4	(0)
2021	Olimpia de Minas	6	(3)
Total		700	(338)
National team
1996–2012	Uruguay	70	(26)
Teams managed
2019	Santa Tecla (caretaker)
2020	Boston River (player–coach)
2022	Always Ready
2022	Paysandú
2023	Universidad César Vallejo
2024–	Dorados
Honours Representing  Uruguay Copa América Winner 2011 Argentina
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Washington Sebastián Abreu Gallo (born 17 October 1976), often called El Loco (The Madman), is a football manager from Uruguay. He used to be a striker (a player who scores goals). Today, he is the head coach for the Mexican club Sinaloa.

Abreu is famous for playing for a record-breaking 32 different teams in 11 countries during his career. He first stopped playing in 2021. But later that year, he returned to play for Olimpia de Minas, a team from his hometown.

He played for the Uruguayan national team for over 15 years. He played in two World Cups and three Copa América tournaments. He helped Uruguay win the Copa América in 2011.

Playing Career Highlights

Early Football Days

Sebastián Abreu was born in Minas, Uruguay. He played for many clubs across North and South America. These countries included Uruguay, Argentina, Mexico, and Brazil. He also had a short time playing in Spain for Deportivo de La Coruña. This club loaned him out to other teams many times.

In his only season in Spain's top league, La Liga, he scored a goal for Deportivo La Coruña. This was in a 3–1 win against Barcelona in January 1998.

Time with River Plate and Beitar

After joining UANL in Mexico in 2007, Abreu moved to River Plate in Argentina. He became the only foreign player to score in the Clásico Regiomontano. This is a big derby match between Tigres and Monterrey.

In 2008, Abreu signed with Beitar Jerusalem, a team in Israel. He played in the qualifying games for the UEFA Champions League. However, his team was quickly knocked out. He also could not play in local games because of payment issues.

Abreu returned to River Plate in September 2008. He played in the Copa Sudamericana for them. The next year, he was able to play in both local games and the Copa Libertadores.

Playing for Real Sociedad

In January 2009, Abreu went back to Spain. He was loaned to Segunda División team Real Sociedad. He helped them after their main striker got a serious leg injury.

On 14 March 2009, he scored three goals in one game, called a hat-trick. This helped his team win 3–1 against Xerez. Even with his help, Real Sociedad did not make it back to Spain's top league that season.

Success with Botafogo

In June 2009, Abreu joined Aris in Greece. But in January 2010, he moved again to Botafogo in Brazil.

Abreu scored a key goal in a 2–1 win against Flamengo in April 2010. This win helped Botafogo win the Campeonato Carioca title. He extended his contract with the club until the end of 2012.

In February 2011, Abreu was part of an exciting game against Fluminense. His team was losing 2–1 when they got a penalty kick. He tried a "Panenka" style shot, where you chip the ball softly. The goalkeeper saved it by standing still. Just five minutes later, they got another penalty. This time, he used the same style, but scored! Botafogo then won the game.

Later Playing Years

From 2013 to 2015, Abreu played for Nacional in Uruguay. He was also loaned to Rosario Central and Aucas. In 2016, he joined Sol de América in Paraguay. He chose this team to be closer to his home country.

In November 2016, at 40 years old, Abreu joined Bangu in Brazil. He played ten games there before leaving.

In April 2017, Abreu signed with Central Español in Uruguay. Later that year, he joined Audax Italiano in Chile. This move set a world record, making him the first player to play for 26 professional clubs!

He returned to Brazil in December 2018, playing for Rio Branco. In July 2019, he came back to Uruguay to play for Boston River. He wore jersey number 113 in his first game, a 0–0 draw.

In February 2021, Abreu signed with Athletic Club in Brazil. He left in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

On 30 March 2021, Abreu joined Sud América in Uruguay. On 10 June, he said he would stop playing professional football. His last game was against Liverpool.

However, in August 2021, his hometown team, Olimpia de Minas, announced he would play for them briefly. He won a local tournament for players over 40. He was also the top scorer with 17 goals in 11 games for an amateur team.

International Career

Abreu training with Uruguay in 2011

Abreu played for the Uruguay national team in the 2002 FIFA World Cup. He played in three games there. He also played in the Copa América in 1997, 2007, and 2011. He scored two goals in the 2011 tournament. He played his first game for Uruguay on 17 July 1996. Overall, he played 70 games for his country.

In May 2010, Abreu was close to breaking Uruguay's all-time goal-scoring record. He was chosen for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. He came on as a substitute three times. In the quarter-finals against Ghana, the game went to a penalty shootout. He scored the winning penalty with a "Panenka" style shot. This sent Uruguay to the semi-finals for the first time in 40 years!

Coaching Career

On 26 April 2019, Abreu became the interim manager for Santa Tecla. He won the Copa El Salvador four days later, beating Audaz 1–0 in the final.

In December 2019, Abreu became a player-coach for Boston River in Uruguay. He left the club in November 2020.

Abreu was named manager of Always Ready in Bolivia on 30 January 2022. He left the club in March of the same year.

On 25 May 2022, Abreu was appointed manager at Paysandú in Uruguay.

On 30 May 2024, Abreu became the head coach of Sinaloa in Mexico.

Personal Life

Sebastián Abreu's son, Diego, has played football for Mexico at the under-16 level.

From October 2019 to August 2020, Abreu hosted Trato Hecho. This was the Uruguayan version of the TV show Deal or No Deal.

Honours

Player Achievements

San Lorenzo

• Argentine Primera División: 2001 Clausura

Nacional

• Uruguayan Primera División: 2001, 2003 Apertura, 2004 Apertura, 2005

River Plate

• Argentine Primera División: 2008 Clausura

Botafogo

• Campeonato Carioca: 2010
• Taça Guanabara: 2010
• Taça Rio: 2010, 2012

Santa Tecla

• Salvadoran Primera División: 2016 Apertura

Uruguay National Team

• Copa América: 2011

Individual Awards

• Mexican Primera División Golden Boot: Verano 2000, Verano 2002, Apertura 2005, Clausura 2006

Manager Achievements

Santa Tecla

• Copa El Salvador: 2018–19