Fabián Canobbio

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Canobbio and the second or maternal family name is Bentaberry.

Fabián Canobbio
Personal information
Full name Néstor Fabián Canobbio Bentaberry
Date of birth (1980-03-08) 8 March 1980 (age 44)
Place of birth Montevideo, Uruguay
Height 1.79 m (5 ft 10 in)
Position(s) Attacking midfielder
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1997–2000 Progreso
2001–2003 Peñarol 73 (26)
2003–2005 Valencia 11 (1)
2004–2005 → Celta (loan) 38 (12)
2005–2008 Celta 93 (17)
2008–2010 Valladolid 53 (5)
2010–2011 AEL 18 (3)
2011 Fénix 5 (0)
2012 Progreso 13 (4)
2013–2015 Danubio 21 (4)
Total 325 (72)
International career
1999 Uruguay U20 4 (1)
2001–2007 Uruguay 9 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Néstor Fabián Canobbio Bentaberry (born 8 March 1980) is a Uruguayan former professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder.

A skilled midfielder with netting ability, he spent most of his professional career in Spain, having played 225 competitive matches for three clubs.

Club career

Born in Montevideo, Canobbio began his career with C.A. Progreso in 1997. In three seasons there, he was impressive enough to be signed by country giants Peñarol in 2001, where he spent two campaigns scoring more than 30 official goals while helping the capital side to the Primera División title in 2003.

Canobbio was acquired by Rafael Benítez's Valencia in late July 2003,[1] where he featured mainly as a substitute;[2] the manager had not asked for the player to be signed, and famously commented that he had been waiting for a sofa and had been brought a lamp instead.[3] Having scored just once throughout the season, in a 2–2 home draw with Celta de Vigo, he nonetheless managed to make ten appearances in the team's 2004 UEFA Cup conquest, netting once in the 3–2 win against Beşiktaş.[4]

For 2004–05, Canobbio joined recently relegated Celta on loan, with the Galician club having the option to buy at the end of the season, which was activated as he finished as the team's joint-top scorer at 12 (with Jandro) and a La Liga promotion befell.[5]

After three additional campaigns as an important attacking player, scoring seven goals in 2007–08 as Celta failed to return to the top flight, Canobbio was released in July 2008, subsequently joining Real Valladolid.[6] In November, he netted in home victories over Sevilla (3–2, two goals)[7] and Real Madrid (1–0),[8] and appeared regularly in his two-year spell, being relegated in 2010.

On 26 July 2010, the 30-year-old Canobbio moved to Greece, signing a one-year contract with AEL. Having retired in 2015, he became Progreso's chairman two years later;[9] under his tenure, the club returned to the top tier in the 2018 season, qualifying for the Copa Libertadores in 2020 and putting an end to a 30-year absence in the competition.[10]

International career

A Uruguayan international since 7 October 2001, in a 2002 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Colombia, Canobbio went on to represent the nation at the 2007 Copa América, playing two matches for the semi-finalists. Previously, he appeared with the under-20s at the 1999 FIFA World Youth Championship, a fourth-place finish in Nigeria.[11]

Personal life

Canobbio's younger brother, Carlos, was also a footballer. A defender, he also played in Spain but only in amateur football, and they shared teams at Progreso.[12]

Honours

Peñarol

Valencia

Danubio

References

  1. ^ "El Valencia ficha al uruguayo Canobbio" [Valencia sign Uruguayan Canobbio]. El Mundo (in Spanish). 30 July 2003. Retrieved 21 June 2016.
  2. ^ Campos, Pablo (26 November 2005). "La lámpara del Celta" [Celta's lamp]. El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 21 June 2016.
  3. ^ a b c Valldecabres, Juan Carlos (13 January 2016). "El día que Benítez esperaba un sofá y le trajeron una lámpara" [The day Benítez was expecting a sofa and they brought him a lamp]. Las Provincias (in Spanish). Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  4. ^ Ros, Cayetano (27 February 2004). "David Navarro salva al Valencia" [David Navarro saves Valencia]. El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 21 June 2016.
  5. ^ "Fabián Canobbio" (in Spanish). Yo Jugué en el Celta. 14 August 2010. Retrieved 28 June 2013.
  6. ^ "Fabián Canobbio, "la lámpara" de Benítez, llega a Valladolid" [Fabián Canobbio, Benítez's "lamp", arrives at Valladolid]. Diario AS (in Spanish). 21 July 2008. Retrieved 21 June 2016.
  7. ^ "Valladolid 3–2 Sevilla FC". ESPN Soccernet. 2 November 2008. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 9 February 2012.
  8. ^ "Valladolid 1–0 Real Madrid". ESPN Soccernet. 15 November 2008. Archived from the original on 15 July 2012. Retrieved 9 February 2012.
  9. ^ Alapont, Pere (8 March 2017). "Canobbio, de "lámpara" de Benítez a presidente en Uruguay" [Canobbio, from Benítez's "lamp" to president in Uruguay] (in Spanish). El Desmarque. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  10. ^ Maragliotti, Michel (22 January 2020). "Copa Libertadores: Progreso vuelve tras 30 años" [Libertadores Cup: Progreso return 30 years later] (in Spanish). Balón Latino. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  11. ^ "Uruguay 1999, la historia de la sub 20 que terminó cuarta en el Mundial de Nigeria" [Uruguay 1999, the story of the under 20 side who finished fourth in the Nigeria World Cup]. El Observador (in Spanish). 18 May 2020. Retrieved 22 August 2022.
  12. ^ "Los hermanos Canobbio hicieron líder provisional al Progreso en Uruguay" [The Canobbio brothers made Progreso the provisional leaders in Uruguay]. Qué! (in Spanish). 1 September 2012. Archived from the original on 22 December 2015. Retrieved 21 June 2016.