Diego Abreu

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In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Abreu and the second or maternal family name is Firenze.
Diego Abreu
Personal information
Full name Diego Fernando Abreu Firenze[1]
Date of birth (2003-08-27) 27 August 2003 (age 20)
Place of birth Mexico City, Mexico[1]
Height 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)[1]
Position(s) Forward
Team information
Current team
 Toluca
(on loan from Defensor Sporting)
Number 213
Youth career
0000 Rincón del Carrasco
0000 Carrasco Polo
0000 Defensor Sporting
2023 → Botafogo (youth loan)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2024– Defensor Sporting 0 (0)
2024– → Toluca (loan) 0 (0)
International career
2019 Mexico U17 3 (4)
2020 Mexico U18 1 (0)
2021 Mexico U20 2 (1)
2021– Uruguay U20 3 (2)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 5 April 2023

Diego Fernando Abreu Firenze (born 27 August 2003) is a professional footballer who plays as a forward for Deportivo Toluca F.C.. Born in Mexico, he has represented both Mexico and Uruguay at youth international level.

Early life[edit]

Abreu was born in Mexico City, Mexico, to former Uruguayan international footballer Sebastián Abreu and Paola Firenze.[2] He has one older sister, Valentina, and two younger brothers, Facundo and Franco. As a child, he lived in Mexico, Argentina, Spain, Greece, Uruguay, and Brazil, following his father's footballing career as he moved to different clubs.[3] Following his father's move to Nacional, Diego's family decided he would stay in Uruguay from 2014 onwards, though he visited his father occasionally as he continued his career abroad.[3] Abreu holds a Mexican passport via jus soli, along with a Uruguayan passport and an Italian passport, as his mother is of Italian descent.[4]

Club career[edit]

Early career[edit]

Abreu first started playing football at the request of his father, though he stated in an interview with ESPN Deportes that he "only went [in order] to drink Gatorade at halftime".[3] While living in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, he played futsal, before returning to Uruguay to play organized football at the youth level.[3] He initially played for Rincón del Carrasco in the Canelones Department of Uruguay, but after not being selected to play very often, he moved to Carrasco Polo in Montevideo.[3]

Defensor Sporting[edit]

He joined Defensor Sporting in his last year of baby fútbol and recalled in another interview with ESPN Deportes that his first major involvement with the club was in a youth tournament in Brazil, where he missed a penalty against Internacional; chipping a Panenka shot that did not even reach the goal.[3][5] He continued to progress through the academy and made his unofficial debut in a 2–1 friendly loss against Argentinian opposition Vélez Sarsfield on 14 January 2023.[6] A few days later, on 17 January, he scored his first goal for the club, the consolation in another 2–1 loss, this time to Montevideo Wanderers of Uruguay.[2]

Loan to Botafogo[edit]

On 31 March 2023, it was announced that Abreu would join Brazilian side Botafogo, where his father had also played, on a season-long loan deal.[7] On signing, he recalled that he had watched Botafogo games live as a child, during his father's spell with the club.[7]

International career[edit]

Eligible to represent Italy, Mexico, and Uruguay, Abreu represented Mexico from under-17 to under-20 level.[1][2] In February 2021, he stated that he had not yet decided who he wanted to play for, also expressing his desire to represent Uruguay at international level.[8] He received his first call-up to the Uruguay under-20 side for a training camp in September of the same year, before featuring for Mexico's under-20s in two friendlies against France and England in October, scoring against the former.[1][9]

In December 2021, he was called up to the Uruguay under-20 side again by coach Gustavo Ferreyra and scored in a friendly against Chile in a 1–1 friendly draw.[8] He played in a second friendly game against Colombia but suffered a cruciate ligament injury in the game, which required surgery in February 2022, before he returned in September of the same year.[10] In December 2022, he scored another goal against Chile at under-20 level in a 2–0 win.[10]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e Diego Abreu at WorldFootball.net
  2. ^ a b c Sobrero, Alberto (18 January 2023). "Diego Abreu: qué no le gusta de ser el hijo del Loco, sus "grandes sueños" y si jugaría en Peñarol" [Diego Abreu: what he doesn't like about being the son of El Loco, his "big dreams" and if he would play for Peñarol]. elpais.com.uy (in Spanish). Retrieved 5 April 2023.
  3. ^ a b c d e f Gama, Pablo (29 December 2022). "Las particularidades de la carrera de Diego Abreu: su infancia en seis países, su interés tardío hacia el fútbol y sus referentes" [The particularities of Diego Abreu's career: his childhood in six countries, his late interest in soccer and his references]. espndeportes.espn.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 5 April 2023.
  4. ^ PRZdesign. "Diego Abreu". GBG Football Agency. Retrieved 2023-09-11.
  5. ^ Gama, Pablo (29 December 2022). "El día en que Diego Abreu quiso emular a su padre picando un penal y tuvo un insólito resultado" [The day that Diego Abreu wanted to emulate his father by taking a penalty and had an unusual result]. espndeportes.espn.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 5 April 2023.
  6. ^ "La emoción del Loco Abreu tras el debut de su hijo Diego en Defensor: "Para vos es doble el esfuerzo"" [The emotion of Loco Abreu after the debut of his son Diego in Defensor: "For you the effort is double"]. elpais.com.uy (in Spanish). 15 January 2023. Retrieved 5 April 2023.
  7. ^ a b "Botafogo anuncia fichaje de Diego Abreu, jugador mexicano de nacimiento" [Botafogo announces the signing of Diego Abreu, a Mexican-born player]. mediotiempo.com (in Spanish). 31 March 2023. Retrieved 5 April 2023.
  8. ^ a b Gama, Pablo (29 December 2022). "Diego Abreu, el hijo del Loco que sueña con jugar el Sudamericano Sub-20, en exclusiva con ESPN" [Diego Abreu, the son of El Loco who dreams of playing in the South American U-20, exclusively with ESPN]. espn.com.mx (in Spanish). Retrieved 5 April 2023.
  9. ^ Diego Abreu at Soccerway
  10. ^ a b "Diego Abreu: "Este gol lo esperé diez meses"" [Diego Abreu: "I waited ten months for this goal"]. espndeportes.espn.com (in Spanish). 17 December 2022. Retrieved 5 April 2023.
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