Nacho González (footballer, born 1982)

Ignacio 'Nacho' María González Gatti (Spanish pronunciation: [iɣˈnasjo ˈnatʃo maˈɾi.a ɣonˈsales]; born 14 May 1982) is a Uruguayan professional footballer who last played for Montevideo Wanderers F.C. as a midfielder.

Nacho González
Personal information
Full name Ignacio María González Gatti
Date of birth (1982-05-14) 14 May 1982
Place of birth Montevideo, Uruguay
Height 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)[1]
Position(s) Midfielder
Team information
Current team
 Montevideo Wanderers
Number 10
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2002–2008 Danubio 156 (46)
2008 → Monaco (loan) 5 (1)
2008–2011 Valencia 0 (0)
2008–2009 → Newcastle United (loan) 2 (0)
2010 → Levadiakos (loan) 13 (2)
2010–2011 → Levante (loan) 3 (0)
2011–2013 Standard Liège 31 (8)
2013 Hércules 12 (1)
2013–2016 Nacional 49 (9)
2016–2022 Montevideo Wanderers 103 (21)
International career
2006–2010 Uruguay 18 (1)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 21:35, 9 December 2020 (UTC)

Club career

Born in Montevideo, González's professional career began at Danubio FC, where he appeared in a total of 170 games whilst scoring more than 50 official goals for the capital-based club. During his spell, he won the Primera División title twice, in 2004 and 2007.

After his performances for Danubio, González eventually moved to France with AS Monaco FC in January 2008, being scarcely used during his six-month loan spell. On 27 April, he scored in a 2–3 Ligue 1 home loss against Olympique de Marseille.

González was then bought by Valencia CF of La Liga. However, on 1 September 2008, he joined Newcastle United on loan until the end of the season;[2] this move was the final straw for Newcastle's manager Kevin Keegan, who claimed he was forced to sign the player by executive director Dennis Wise after only seeing him play on YouTube, and believing González was not good enough for the team.[3]

González picked up a serious achilles tendon injury early into the campaign, ruling him out of action for four months.[4] In February 2009, coach Chris Hughton was quoted on the Magpies' official website as saying that González was recovering well, and was certain he would feature again for them. However, he did not, and returned to the Che in July 2009. A Premier League tribunal confirmed in October that the loan signing had been against manager Keegan's wishes, and was in breach of his contract, resulting in a compensation payout to the manager. The deal was reportedly done by Wise and Mike Ashley as a "favour" for two South American agents.[5]

After not having appeared once during 2009–10, González was loaned to Levadiakos FC until the end of the 2009–10 Greek Superleague season.[6][7] He then returned to Spain, signing on loan with Levante UD, newly promoted to La Liga for 2010–11. He ruptured cruciate knee ligaments playing against Real Madrid in his third match for the club, did not appear again,[8] and returned to Valencia in the following transfer window.

In late July 2011, González cut ties with Valencia and joined Standard Liège of the Belgian Pro League.[9]

International career

González made his debut for Uruguay in a 1–2 defeat to England on 1 March 2006, coming on as a late substitute at Anfield.[10] Subsequently, he was part of the 2007 Copa América squad which finished fourth: in the semi-final against Brazil, he was brought on at half-time as the nation fought back to 2–2 to take the game into extra time; he then scored in the penalty shootout, but his team was eliminated.[11]

González scored his first international goal in a 3–1 friendly win over Japan on 20 August 2008, at the Sapporo Dome. He was picked for the squad, which appeared at the 2010 FIFA World Cup, playing 63 minutes of the group stage opener against France (0–0 draw)[12] as the Charrúas reached the last-four stage.

International goals
#DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
1.20 August 2008Sapporo Dome, Sapporo, Japan Japan0–21–3Friendly

Personal life

González is a devout and practicing Catholic.[13]

Honours
Danubio

References
  1. "Ignacio Maria Gonzalez Gatti,Player's Data,Match Statistical Information,7M Sports".
  2. "United net Nacho". Newcastle United F.C. 1 September 2008. Archived from the original on 2 September 2008. Retrieved 2 September 2008.
  3. Gonzalez signed after being watched on YouTube Archived 21 August 2010 at the Wayback Machine; Shields Gazette, 2 October 2009
  4. Gonzalez facing four months out; Sky Sports
  5. Keegan wins £2m Newcastle damages; BBC Sport, 2 October 2009
  6. El Valencia cede a Nacho González al Levadiakos (Valencia loan Nacho González to Levadiakos); Marca, 13 December 2009 (in Spanish)
  7. Nacho González no viene a Peñarol (Nacho González does not come to Peñarol) Archived 6 February 2010 at the Wayback Machine; Urugol, December 2009 (in Spanish)
  8. Nacho González sale del calvario (Nacho González emerges from ordeal); Marca, 27 October 2012 (in Spanish)
  9. Nacho González ficha por el Standard de Lieja (Nacho González signs for Standard Liège); Deporte Valenciano, 21 July 2011 (in Spanish)
  10. England 2–1 Uruguay; BBC Sport, 1 March 2006
  11. Brazil reach Copa America final; BBC Sport, 11 July 2007
  12. Uruguay 0–0 France; BBC Sport, 11 June 2010
  13. "Correr y pegarle a la pelota, una jugada que lleva a Dios" [To run and kick the ball, a play that leads to God] (in Spanish). Opus Dei. 2002. Retrieved 18 July 2015.
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