Roberto Pereyra

Roberto Maximiliano Pereyra (born 7 January 1991) is an Argentine footballer who plays for English club Watford and the Argentina national football team. Despite being right-footed, he plays mostly as a left winger, but can also play as a second striker or as an attacking midfielder.
After beginning his career in Argentina with River Plate, he joined Italian club Udinese in 2011, where his performances earned him a loan to defending league champions Juventus in 2014; he was signed permanently by the team in 2015 and won two consecutive Serie A titles during his time with the club. During his time in Italy, he developed into a well-rounded, adaptable, and tactically versatile player, who can cover multiple roles in midfield, up-front, and in wide areas, due to his dynamism, energy, and technique, as well as his offensive and defensive work-rate and attributes. In 2016, he joined Watford.
At international level, Pereyra represented the Argentina national football team at the 2015 Copa América, winning a runners-up medal in the tournament.

River Plate

Born in San Miguel de Tucumán, Argentina, Pereyra began his career within the youth academy of River Plate; due to his origins, he was given the nickname "El Tucumano". His professional career began in 2009 when he made his River Plate debut in the Argentine Primera Division against Huracan at the age of 18. After featuring on 43 occasions for River, Pereyra transferred across the Atlantic Ocean, swapping continents, as he joined Udinese Calcio ahead of the 2011–12 Serie A season.

Udinese Calcio

Officially signing for Udinese 30 August 2011, Pereyra signed a five-year contract with the Friuli outfit, and went on to make 15 appearances in all competitions during his debut season in Italy. His performances for Udinese during a three–year spell saw him contribute eight goals and seven assists in 84 league appearances, while he also represented the club in 6 Coppa Italia matches, 2 UEFA Champions League matches, and 12 UEFA Europa League games.

Juventus

Pereyra on Juventus, 2015

On 25 July 2014, Pereyra officially signed for, at the time, three-time defending Serie A champions Juventus on a season-long loan deal from Udinese worth €1.5 million, with the option to sign the player outright at the conclusion of the 2014–15 Serie A campaign for an additional €14 million. On the same day, Pereyra appeared for his club in their first friendly match of the season against Lucento. On 23 August 2014, he featured for Juventus in the annual Trofeo TIM. Pereyra capitalised on Francesco Magnanelli’s failed clearance to sidefoot home from just outside the six-yard box.

On 6 June 2015, Pereyra appeared as a substitute for Juventus in the 2015 UEFA Champions League Final as La Vecchia Signora was defeated 3–1 by FC Barcelona at Berlin's Olympiastadion. With 52 appearances, he made the most appearances for Juventus that season across all competitions, along with team-mates Claudio Marchisio and Leonardo Bonucci.

On 23 June 2015, Juventus bought out Pereyra's Udinese loan for €14 million, keeping him at Juventus until 2019.

Watford

On 19 August 2016, Pereyra moved to Watford on a five-year deal for an undisclosed fee. According to an official club statement released by Juventus, the transfer is worth €13 million, with a possible €2 million in bonuses, which is to be paid over a four-year period. He was assigned the number 37 shirt for the 2016–17 season. On his Watford debut, Pereyra scored his first goal for the club in a 3–1 home defeat to Arsenal in the Premier League, on 27 August.

Pereyra was selected to represent the Argentine under-20 football team at the 2011 FIFA U-20 World Cup. He played all three group games at the tournament, helping Argentina defeat Mexico and North Korea and draw with England. He missed Argentina's 2–1 Round of 16 victory over Egypt through suspension, but returned to the starting line-up in the Quarterfinal clash against Portugal, which Argentina lost on penalty kicks after neither team could score during 120 minutes.

He made his senior debut for Argentina on Saturday 11 October 2014 in a 2–0 friendly match loss against Brazil played in Beijing, China after being called up by Gerardo Martino.

Pereyra was a member of the Argentine national team that took part at the 2015 Copa América, winning a runners-up medal.

A creative, well-rounded and tactically versatile right-footed midfielder, Pereyra is capable of playing in several midfield and offensive positions, due to his adaptability, energy, and his offensive and defensive work-rate. He is usually deployed as an offensive midfielder in the centre, or as wide midfielder, on either flank, although his preferred position is on the left wing; he has even played as a second striker on occasion. Due to his attributes, playing position and nationality, he has been compared to the former Italo-Argentine Juventus winger Mauro Camoranesi. Pereyra is a quick, dynamic, and hardworking player, who possesses notable stamina, vision, and good technical skills.

Club

(Correct as of 14 May 2016)

• 1.^ Includes UEFA Champions League Qualification and Italian Super Cup.

International

(Correct as of 29 January 2016)

Club

Juventus

• Serie A: 2014–15, 2015–16
• Coppa Italia: 2014–15, 2015–16
• Supercoppa Italiana: 2015

• "R. Pereyra". Soccerway. Retrieved 17 December 2015.