Sebastián Viera facts for kids
Viera with Atlético Junior in 2020
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Mario Sebastián Viera Galaín | ||
| Date of birth | 7 March 1983 | ||
| Place of birth | Florida, Uruguay | ||
| Height | 1.84 m (6 ft 0 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Goalkeeper | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Quilmes Florida | |||
| Atlético Florida | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2003–2005 | Nacional | 58 | (0) |
| 2005–2009 | Villarreal | 75 | (0) |
| 2009–2010 | AEL | 20 | (0) |
| 2011–2023 | Atlético Junior | 481 | (11) |
| Total | 634 | (11) | |
| International career | |||
| 2004–2009 | Uruguay | 15 | (0) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2024–2025 | Real Cartagena | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Mario Sebastián Viera Galaín, born on March 7, 1983, is a former professional Uruguayan footballer. He played as a goalkeeper and is now a manager.
During his 20-year career, he mostly played for the Colombian club Atlético Junior. He also played in his home country, Uruguay, as well as in Spain and Greece.
Viera was also part of the Uruguay squad that played in the 2004 Copa América.
Contents
Sebastián Viera's Club Journey
Starting Strong in Uruguay
Sebastián Viera was born in Florida, Uruguay. He began his professional football journey with Club Nacional de Football in Uruguay. He had a great start, helping his team win the 2005 Uruguayan Primera División without losing a single match.
After three successful seasons, Viera was expected to join the famous Premier League club Arsenal in England in August 2005. However, Arsenal's manager, Arsène Wenger, decided not to sign him because Viera did not pass his medical examination.
Playing in Spain with Villarreal
Even though the Arsenal move didn't happen, Viera soon signed with Villarreal CF in Spain. He joined the team along with another goalkeeper, Mariano Barbosa, on a four-year contract.
For the next two seasons, Viera was the main goalkeeper for Villarreal. He played in almost every game. However, he missed both matches of the 2005–06 UEFA Champions League semi-finals against Arsenal.
Later, during the 2007–08 season, Viera lost his starting position to a new goalkeeper, Diego López. He never got his starting spot back and didn't play any La Liga games in the 2008–09 season. He left Villarreal in July 2009.
Short Time in Greece
On December 7, 2009, Viera signed a contract with the Greek team Athlitiki Enosi Larissa FC. He became eligible to play in January 2010. However, his contract ended in December of the same year.
A Legend at Atlético Junior
In April 2011, Viera joined Atlético Junior, a club in Colombia. He stayed there for 12 years until he retired from playing at the age of 40. This was the longest and most successful part of his career.
During his time in Barranquilla, Colombia, Viera helped Atlético Junior win seven major trophies. These included three Categoría Primera A championships, which are the top league titles in Colombia.
In 2020, a website called La Cháchara held a poll, and Viera was voted the second-most important player in Atlético Junior's history. He played a total of 638 games for the club, which is a huge number! He also scored 11 goals from free kicks, which is very rare for a goalkeeper.
An interesting fact about Viera is that he was one of only two goalkeepers that FC Barcelona's superstar Lionel Messi failed to score against in three matches. The other goalkeeper was Renan.
International Appearances for Uruguay
Viera made his first appearance for the Uruguay on July 18, 2004. This was in a Copa América quarter-final match against Paraguay. He was called up at the last minute because the main goalkeeper, Fabián Carini, was injured.
He also played in the penalty shootout against Brazil, which Uruguay lost. Brazil went on to win the tournament. Over five years, Viera played 15 games for his country.
Sebastián Viera's Coaching Career
After retiring as a player, Viera started working as a coach in Colombia. On August 20, 2024, he was appointed as the coach for Primera B team Real Cartagena.
Under his coaching, Real Cartagena reached the semi-finals of the tournament. They finished third in the overall standings, just missing out on a chance to play for promotion to the top league. Viera left the club by agreement on April 21, 2025, after a 3–2 loss at home to Jaguares de Córdoba.
Family Life
Sebastián Viera's father, also named Mario, was also a professional footballer and a goalkeeper. It seems that being a goalkeeper runs in the family!
Trophies and Achievements
With Nacional
With Atlético Junior
- Categoría Primera A: 2011, 2018, 2019
- Copa Colombia: 2015, 2017
- Superliga Colombiana: 2019, 2020
See also
In Spanish: Sebastián Viera para niños
- List of goalscoring goalkeepers
