Franco Israel

Franco Israel Wibmer (born 22 April 2000) is a Uruguayan professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Primeira Liga club Sporting CP and the Uruguay national team.

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Israel and the second or maternal family name is Wibmer.
Franco Israel
Personal information
Full name Franco Israel Wibmer[1]
Date of birth (2000-04-22) 22 April 2000[2]
Place of birth Nueva Helvecia, Uruguay
Height 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in)[3]
Position(s) Goalkeeper
Team information
Current team
 Sporting CP
Number 12
Youth career
2010–2016 Club Artesano
2016–2018 Nacional
2018–2020 Juventus
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2020–2022 Juventus U23 50 (0)
2022– Sporting CP 3 (0)
International career‡
2016–2017 Uruguay U17 6 (0)
2017 Uruguay U18 7 (0)
2018–2019 Uruguay U20 14 (0)
2023– Uruguay 1 (0)
Medal record
Men's football
Representing  Uruguay
South American Games
Silver medal – second place2018 CochabambaTeam
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 26 May 2023
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 14 June 2023

Early life

Israel was born on 22 April 2000 in Nueva Helvecia, Colonia to a family of German descent. He has one older brother named Alec, whom he lived with during his tenure with Nacional. During his youth, Israel played basketball and football as a child, before opting for the latter, when the games of the two teams he represented began being scheduled on the same day.[4] Along with his native Uruguayan passport, Israel also holds an Italian passport.[5]

Club career

Early career

Israel started his football career in the youth ranks of local club Artesano, before joining Nacional's youth setup in 2016, moving subsequently to the city of Montevideo.[4]

Having impressed in Nacional's 2018 U-20 Copa Libertadores campaign, which they won, Italian club Juventus decided to sign him on 17 August 2018, on a five-year deal for a transfer worth €2.2 million.[6][7][4] He made his professional debut on 28 September 2020 in Juventus U23's 2–1 league win against Pro Sesto.[8] On 24 November, the first team's squad Andrea Pirlo called up Israel for a UEFA Champions League match against Ferencváros; he was eventually called up three other times in the 2020–21 season.[9]

Sporting CP

On 5 July 2022, Israel signed a five-year contract with Portuguese club Sporting CP for a fee of €650,000 for 60% of his economic rights.[4][10] He made his competitive debut for club, on 4 October, in a Champions League away match against Marseille, where he replaced Marcus Edwards early into first half, after starting goalkeeper Antonio Adán was sent off; he conceded two goals as the match ended in a 4–1 loss.[11] In the reverse fixture a week later, Israel made his first start, featuring in the 2–0 home loss against the same opponent.[12]

International career

Israel is a former Uruguay youth international. He has represented Uruguay at several tournaments including the 2019 South American U-20 Championship and 2019 FIFA U-20 World Cup.[13][14]

In June 2023, Israel received his first call-up to the senior team for friendly matches against Nicaragua and Cuba.[15] He made his debut on 14 June in a 4–1 win against Nicaragua.[16]

Career statistics

Club
As of match played 26 October 2023[2]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup League cup Continental Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Juventus U23 2020–21 Serie C 180———2[lower-alpha 1]0200
2021–22 Serie C 320———7[lower-alpha 2]0390
Total 500———90590
Sporting CP 2022–23 Primeira Liga 3010202[lower-alpha 3]0—80
2023–24 Primeira Liga 0 0 1 0 0 0 1[lower-alpha 4] 0 — 2 0
Total 3 0 2 0 2 0 3 0 — 10 0
Career total 53020203090690
  1. Appearances in Serie C promotion play-offs
  2. One appearance in Coppa Italia Serie C, six appearances in Serie C promotion play-offs
  3. Appearances in UEFA Champions League
  4. Appearance(s) in UEFA Europa League

International
As of 14 June 2023[2]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National teamYearAppsGoals
Uruguay 202310
Total10

Honours

Nacional U20

Uruguay U20

References
  1. "FIFA U-20 World Cup Poland 2019: List of Players: Uruguay" (PDF). FIFA. 13 June 2019. p. 23. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 February 2020.
  2. Franco Israel at Soccerway
  3. "Franco Israel". Sporting CP. Retrieved 13 August 2022.
  4. "Franco Israel, o "Patón" que calça o 47, já defendeu livres de Cristiano Ronaldo e é reforço do Sporting".
  5. PRZdesign. "Franco Israel". GBG Football Agency. Retrieved 2023-09-11.
  6. "Nacional U20 vs. Independiente U20 - 24 February 2018". Retrieved 28 September 2020.
  7. "Juventus, preso il giovane portiere uruguaiano Franco Israel". Retrieved 28 September 2020.
  8. "Juventus II vs. Pro Sesto - 28 September 2020". Retrieved 28 September 2020.
  9. Franco Israel at Soccerway. Retrieved 7 November 2021.
  10. "Franco Israel reforça baliza leonina" [Franco Israel reinforces leonine goal] (in Portuguese). Sporting CP. 5 July 2022. Retrieved 6 July 2022.
  11. "Erros de Adán e Franco Israel custaram derrota do Sporting frente ao Marselha".
  12. "Depois e antes do Sporting: Marselha perde em casa, Nuno Tavares titular".
  13. "1 - Franco Israel - AUF". Retrieved 28 September 2020.
  14. "Datos del plantel Sub-20 de Uruguay". Retrieved 28 September 2020.
  15. "Siguen sumándose futbolistas convocados a los entrenamientos". 5 June 2023. Retrieved 15 June 2023.
  16. "Selección: Bielsa eligió a Matías Viña como capitán en un equipo con muchos debutantes". 14 June 2023. Retrieved 15 June 2023.
  17. "Nacional campeón de América". 25 February 2018. Retrieved 21 February 2022.
  18. "Chile 1 - 0 Uruguay" (in Spanish). 5 June 2018. Retrieved 26 September 2022.
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