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Sergi Roberto

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Sergi Roberto
Roberto playing for Barcelona in 2019
Personal information
Full name Sergi Roberto Carnicer[1]
Date of birth (1992-02-07) 7 February 1992 (age 32)[2]
Place of birth Reus, Spain
Height 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)[2]
Position(s) Midfielder, full-back
Team information
Current team
Como
Number 20
Youth career
2000–2004 Santes Creus
2004–2006 Gimnàstic
2006–2009 Barcelona
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2009–2013 Barcelona B 106 (7)
2010–2024 Barcelona 245 (12)
2024– Como 4 (0)
International career
2008–2009 Spain U17 11 (3)
2010–2011 Spain U19 9 (0)
2011 Spain U20 5 (1)
2011–2014 Spain U21 14 (2)
2016–2021 Spain 11 (1)
2011–2016 Catalonia 6 (0)
Medal record
Men's football
Representing  Spain
UEFA Nations League
Runner-up 2021 Italy
FIFA U-17 World Cup
Third place 2009 Nigeria Team
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 13:08, 25 September 2024 (UTC)

Sergi Roberto Carnicer (Catalan pronunciation: [ˈsɛɾʒi ruˈβɛɾtu kəɾniˈse], born 7 February 1992) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays for Serie A club Como. Mainly a central midfielder, he can also operate as a defensive midfielder, full-back or winger.[3][4]

He spent most of his career with Barcelona after making his first-team debut at the age of 18, going on to win several accolades with the club including seven La Liga championships and two Champions Leagues.

Roberto made his first full appearance for Spain in 2016.

Club career

Barcelona

Roberto with Barcelona B in 2012

Born in Reus, Tarragona, Catalonia, Roberto began playing football with local UE Barri Santes Creus at the age of 8,[5][6] arriving in Barcelona's youth academy six years later from neighbours Gimnàstic de Tarragona.[7] In the 2009–10 season, at only 17, he first appeared with Barça's reserves, contributing 29 appearances as they returned to the Segunda División after 11 years.[8]

On 10 November 2010, Roberto made his debut for the first team, playing the second half of a 5–1 home win against Ceuta for the campaign's Copa del Rey (7–1 on aggregate).[9] On 27 April of the following year he made his first UEFA Champions League appearance, coming on as a substitute for David Villa in the last minute of a 2–0 away victory over Real Madrid in the competition semi-finals' first leg.[10]

Roberto first appeared in La Liga on 21 May 2011, playing the full 90 minutes in a 3–1 win at Málaga in the season's last round.[11] His first start for the main squad came on 6 December of that year, against BATE Borisov in the Champions League group stage, as manager Pep Guardiola rested all his starters for the upcoming El Clásico: in the 35th minute, he opened the scoring in an eventual 4–0 home win.[12]

In only his third official appearance for Barcelona's first team, on 12 January 2012, Roberto scored his second goal, helping the visitors come from behind to win 2–1 against Osasuna in the domestic cup (6–1 on aggregate).[13] On 16 December 2014, also in that competition, he netted another, contributing to an 8–1 demolition of Huesca at the Camp Nou.[14]

In the 2015–16 season, after being reconverted by manager Luis Enrique and merely months after nearly being deemed surplus to requirements,[15][16] Roberto appeared as a right-back in several games.[17][18] In two consecutive matches against Athletic Bilbao in January 2016, one in the league and another in the Spanish Cup, he featured on the other flank in the place of injured Jordi Alba,[19] going on to play in as many as seven different positions.[3]

On 20 August 2016, Roberto started as a right-back and provided two assists in a 6–2 home defeat of Betis in the opening match of the campaign.[20] On 24 September, from the same position, he again contributed two decisive passes in a 5–0 away rout of Sporting de Gijón.[21]

On 8 March 2017, Roberto scored the final goal in the 95th minute as part of a decisive 6–1 home victory against Paris Saint-Germain in the second leg of the Champions League round-of-16, making Barcelona the first club to overcome a four-goal deficit in the competition.[22][23] On 22 February 2018, he extended his contract until 2022.[24]

In injury time of the first half of the fixture with Real Madrid on 6 May 2018, Roberto was shown a straight red card after punching Marcelo, in an eventual 2–2 home draw.[25] He was first-choice right-back during the season ahead of newly signed Nélson Semedo, and his side won the national championship after a one-year wait.[26]

Roberto suffered a quadriceps strain injury in late October 2021 and was successfully operated in December by surgeon Lasse Lempainen in Turku, Finland.[27] On 3 March 2023, he agreed to an extension until 2024.[28] In spite of dealing with several physical problems, he scored a career-best four goals for the league champions.[29][30][31][32]

On 30 June 2024, with 373 competitive appearances to his credit, Roberto left Barcelona as a free agent.[33][34]

Como

On 23 August 2024, Roberto signed for Serie A club Como on a two-year deal.[35] On 24 September, as the newly promoted side, coached by his former Barcelona teammate Cesc Fàbregas, won 3–2 at Atalanta, he assisted Gabriel Strefezza in the first goal after backheeling a pass from Ignace Van Der Brempt.[36]

International career

Roberto playing for Catalonia against Cape Verde in 2013

In October 2009, shortly after making his Barcelona B debut, Roberto was called by the Spain under-17 team for the 2009 FIFA World Cup in Nigeria. On 5 November, before being substituted by Javier Espinosa in the 88th minute, he scored a hat-trick against Burkina Faso at the Sani Abacha Stadium in Kano.[37][38] Spain eventually finished third in the tournament, with him and Atlético Madrid's Borja Bastón accounting for eight of the team's total goals.[39]

Roberto made his debut for the under-21 side on 5 September 2011, playing the last four minutes of the 2–0 win in Lugo over Georgia for the 2013 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualifiers.[40] He received his first call up to the senior squad in March 2016, for friendlies against Romania and Italy.[41] His debut took place in the former match on the 27th, as he started in a 0–0 draw in Cluj-Napoca.[42]

Style of play

Roberto plays predominantly as a midfielder, but also excels as a full-back. In the 2015–16 season, under Luis Enrique, he played in seven different positions with Barcelona. This versatility, combined with his pace, strength, rigorous work rate and accurate passing earned the praise of the manager: "In a team like ours, except in goal, he could play in any position, it's no surprise. The most difficult thing is doing it well all over the field and Sergi Roberto does that."[43][3] He is best utilised as a box-to-box player.[44]

Personal life

In 2014, Roberto started dating Israeli model Coral Simanovich (step-daughter of Israeli businesswoman Pnina Rosenblum).[45] They became engaged in early September 2017,[46][47] and got married in Tel Aviv on 30 May 2018.[48] Their first child, Kaia, was born in 2019.[49]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 24 September 2024[50]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup[a] Europe Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Barcelona B 2009–10 Segunda División B 29 0 29 0
2010–11 Segunda División 26 2 26 2
2011–12 28 4 28 4
2012–13 23 1 23 1
Total 106 7 106 7
Barcelona 2010–11 La Liga 1 0 1 0 1[b] 0 0 0 3 0
2011–12 1 0 2 1 1[b] 1 0 0 4 2
2012–13 1 0 3 0 1[b] 0 0 0 5 0
2013–14 17 0 6 0 4[b] 0 0 0 27 0
2014–15 12 0 4 2 2[b] 0 18 2
2015–16 31 0 6 0 8[b] 1 4[c] 0 49 1
2016–17 32 0 6 0 8[b] 1 1[d] 0 47 1
2017–18 30 1 8 0 8[b] 0 2[d] 0 48 1
2018–19 29 0 6 1 9[b] 0 0 0 44 1
2019–20 30 1 2 0 6[b] 0 1[d] 0 39 1
2020–21 15 1 2 0 3[b] 0 0 0 20 1
2021–22 9 2 0 0 3[b] 0 0 0 12 2
2022–23 23 4 3 0 5[e] 0 2[d] 0 33 4
2023–24 14 3 3 0 5[b] 0 2[d] 0 24 3
Total 245 12 52 4 64 3 12 0 373 19
Como 2024–25 Serie A 4 0 0 0 4 0
Career total 355 19 52 4 64 3 12 0 483 26
  1. ^ Includes Copa del Rey
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Appearances in UEFA Champions League
  3. ^ One appearance in UEFA Super Cup, one appearance in Supercopa de España, one appearance in FIFA Club World Cup
  4. ^ a b c d e Appearances in Supercopa de España
  5. ^ Three appearances in UEFA Champions League, two appearances in UEFA Europa League

International

Appearances and goals by national team and year[51]
National team Year Apps Goals
Spain
2016 3 1
2017 0 0
2018 2 0
2019 2 0
2020 3 0
2021 1 0
Total 11 1
Scores and results list Spain's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Roberto goal.[51]
List of international goals scored by Sergi Roberto
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1 5 September 2016 Estadio Reino de León, León, Spain  Liechtenstein 2–0 8–0 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification

Honours

Barcelona

Spain U17

Spain

Individual

  • UEFA Champions League Breakthrough XI: 2016[53]
  • Catalan Footballer of the Year: 2016–17[54]

References

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  2. ^ a b c d e f g h "S. Roberto". FC Barcelona. Archived from the original on 6 November 2015. Retrieved 13 November 2015.
  3. ^ a b c "Sergi Roberto is 'Mr.Versatile'". FC Barcelona. 19 January 2016. Retrieved 21 January 2016.
  4. ^ "Sergi Roberto". Who Scored. Retrieved 7 April 2018.
  5. ^ Gil, Jordi (13 November 2015). "El fax que le cambió la vida a Sergi Roberto" [The fax that changed the life of Sergi Roberto]. Sport (in Spanish). Retrieved 13 November 2015.
  6. ^ Domènech, Oriol (27 July 2012). "Reus, la cantera del Barça" [Reus, Barça's youth system]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). Retrieved 29 January 2016.
  7. ^ "Youth: Sergi Roberto aims to make a future at Barça". Total Barça. 21 March 2010. Archived from the original on 24 April 2010. Retrieved 1 May 2010.
  8. ^ "El filial del Barcelona vuelve a Segunda doce años después" [Barcelona reserves return to Segunda twelve years later]. Marca (in Spanish). 20 June 2010. Retrieved 4 October 2022.
  9. ^ Aldunate, Ramiro (11 November 2010). "Hay Barça para rato" [We have Barça for a long time]. Marca (in Spanish). Retrieved 13 November 2015.
  10. ^ "Ten-man Madrid undone by Messi magic". UEFA. 27 April 2011. Retrieved 27 April 2011.
  11. ^ "Second XI ease to win". ESPN Soccernet. 21 May 2011. Archived from the original on 11 November 2012. Retrieved 21 May 2011.
  12. ^ "Youthful Barcelona breeze past BATE". UEFA. 6 December 2011. Retrieved 7 December 2011.
  13. ^ Aldunate, Ramiro (12 January 2012). "Messi enciende las antiniebla" [Messi turns fog lamps on]. Marca (in Spanish). Retrieved 13 January 2012.
  14. ^ "Barcelona 8–1 Huesca (12–1 agg)". BBC Sport. 16 December 2014. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
  15. ^ Rico, Miguel (2 November 2013). "El extraño caso de Sergi Roberto" [The strange case of Sergi Roberto]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). Retrieved 23 November 2015.
  16. ^ Maxedo, Cristian (2 October 2015). "Sergi Roberto, la decisión más inteligente de Luis Enrique" [Sergi Roberto, Luis Enrique's smartest decision] (in Spanish). Eurosport. Retrieved 13 November 2015.
  17. ^ San Antonio, Ivan (2 September 2015). "Revealed: How Luis Enrique convinced Sergi Roberto to switch to right-back". Sport. Retrieved 29 September 2015.
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  20. ^ Mitten, Andy (21 August 2016). "Barcelona: Suarez and Messi share limelight, but Sergi Roberto subtly emerges as a key". The National. Retrieved 21 August 2016.
  21. ^ Marsden, Samuel (24 September 2016). "Barcelona coach Luis Enrique praises 'quality' right-back Sergi Roberto". ESPN FC. Retrieved 25 September 2016.
  22. ^ "Barcelona complete stunning six-goal comeback against PSG". ESPN FC. 8 March 2017. Retrieved 8 March 2017.
  23. ^ Lowe, Sid (8 March 2017). "Barcelona shatter PSG as Roberto caps absurd 6–1 comeback win". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 March 2017.
  24. ^ "Sergi Roberto: 'I want to stay as long as I can'". FC Barcelona. 22 February 2018. Retrieved 22 February 2018.
  25. ^ "Barcelona y Madrid ofrecen una noche de fútbol y tensión" [Barcelona and Madrid offer night of football and tension]. La Opinión de Murcia (in Spanish). 6 May 2018. Retrieved 7 May 2018.
  26. ^ "Valverde elege o melhor lateral-direito do mundo... e não é Nélson Semedo" [Valverde elects the world's best right-back... and it's not Nélson Semedo]. A Bola (in Portuguese). 23 February 2018. Retrieved 7 May 2018.
  27. ^ Gürler, Eren (14 December 2021). "Barcelona-tähti saapui Turkuun leikkaukseen – "Oli kuullut hyvää"" [Barcelona star arrived in Turku for surgery – "I heard good things"]. Iltalehti (in Finnish). Retrieved 6 January 2024.
  28. ^ "Sergi Roberto renews contract with FC Barcelona until 2024". FC Barcelona. 3 March 2023. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
  29. ^ "La lesión de Sergi Roberto, al detalle" [Sergi Roberto's injury, all that matters]. Sport (in Spanish). 24 October 2022. Retrieved 19 May 2023.
  30. ^ "¡Alarma en el Barça! Sergi Roberto, lesionado" [Alarm at Barça! Sergi Roberto, injured]. Sport (in Spanish). 16 April 2023. Retrieved 19 May 2023.
  31. ^ Blanco, Emilio (20 April 2023). "La renovación de Sergi Roberto, una decisión controvertida" [Sergi Roberto's renewal, controversial decision]. Diario AS (in Spanish). Retrieved 19 May 2023.
  32. ^ "Barcelona golea 4 a 2 y se proclama campeón de LaLiga" [Barcelona rout 4 to 2 and are crowned LaLiga champions]. Marca (in Spanish). 14 May 2023. Retrieved 19 May 2023.
  33. ^ Gil, Jordi (4 June 2024). "La respuesta de Sergi Roberto al Barça" [Sergi Roberto's reply to Barça]. Sport (in Spanish). Retrieved 2 July 2024.
  34. ^ Cervelló Herrero, Laia (26 June 2024). "Barcelona captain Sergi Roberto negotiating transfer with other clubs". The New York Times. Retrieved 2 July 2024.
  35. ^ "Como 1907 signs former Barcelona captain Sergi Roberto". Como 1907. 23 August 2024. Retrieved 23 August 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  36. ^ "Cesc Fabregas' Como gets 1st Serie A win in more than 21 years". The Telegraph. 24 September 2024. Retrieved 25 September 2024.
  37. ^ "Sergi Roberto catapulta a España Sub-17 a cuartos del Mundial" [Sergi Roberto catapults Spain Under-17s to the World Cup quarter-finals] (in Spanish). Europa Press. 5 November 2009. Retrieved 13 November 2015.
  38. ^ "Espanha e Nigéria avançam no Mundial Sub-17" [Spain and Nigeria go through in Under-17 World Cup] (in Portuguese). ESPN Brazil. 5 November 2009. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
  39. ^ a b "Consuelo de bronce" [Bronze consolation]. El Mundo (in Spanish). 15 November 2009. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
  40. ^ "Canales double earns Spain the points". UEFA. 5 September 2011. Retrieved 13 November 2015.
  41. ^ Corrigan, Dermot (18 March 2016). "Diego Costa overlooked as Spain call up striker Aritz Aduriz instead". ESPN FC. Retrieved 21 March 2016.
  42. ^ Juanmartí, Toni (27 March 2016). "A Rumanía y España se les atraviesa el gol en el debut de Sergi Roberto" [Romania and Spain wanted nothing to do with goal in debut of Sergi Roberto]. Sport (in Spanish). Retrieved 27 March 2016.
  43. ^ "Sergi Roberto – The dynamic midfielder". Defending with the Ball. 27 September 2013. Retrieved 4 February 2018.
  44. ^ Travis, Mark (22 August 2017). "Sergi Roberto: The Blaugrana Chameleon". Blaugrana Waves. Retrieved 4 February 2018.
  45. ^ "Así es Coral Simanovich, la futura mujer de Sergi Roberto" [Meet Coral Simanovich, Sergi Roberto's future wife]. Marca (in Spanish). 2 September 2017. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
  46. ^ Montes, Silvia (4 September 2017). "Sergi Roberto y Coral Simanovich anuncian su compromiso" [Sergi Roberto and Coral Simanovich announce their engagement]. Diario AS (in Spanish). Retrieved 16 October 2017.
  47. ^ "¡El Barça se va de boda! Sergi Roberto y Coral Simanovich anuncian su compromiso" [Barça get marrying! Sergi Roberto and Coral Simanovich announce their engagement] (in Spanish). ¡Hola!. 6 September 2017. Retrieved 16 October 2017.
  48. ^ "A romantic and wild pre-wedding party for Sergi Roberto and Coral Simanovich". Marca. 30 May 2018. Retrieved 31 May 2018.
  49. ^ "Sergi Roberto announces the birth of Kaia, his first daughter". FC Barcelona Sport. 9 November 2019. Archived from the original on 7 November 2020. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
  50. ^ "Sergi Roberto". Soccerway. Retrieved 26 May 2015.
  51. ^ a b "Sergi Roberto". EU-Football.info. Retrieved 9 November 2016.
  52. ^ "Spain 1–2 France". UEFA. 10 October 2021. Retrieved 12 October 2021.
  53. ^ "Our Champions League breakthrough team of 2016". UEFA. 24 December 2016. Retrieved 24 December 2016.
  54. ^ L., Viktor (14 November 2017). "Barcelona star wins Catalan footballer of the year". Soccer Info Mania. Archived from the original on 7 February 2018. Retrieved 7 February 2018.