Roberto Pereyra

Roberto Maximiliano Pereyra (Spanish pronunciation: [roˈβeɾto peˈɾejɾa]; born 7 January 1991) is an Argentine professional footballer who plays for Greek Super League club AEK Athens. A versatile player, he is capable of playing a variety of positions such as on the wing, in central midfield, attacking midfield or as a second striker.

After beginning his career in Argentina with River Plate, Pereyra 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 Old Lady 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 due to his dynamism, energy, and technique, as well as his offensive and defensive work-rate and attributes. In 2016, he joined English Premier League club Watford.

At international level, Pereyra made his senior debut in 2014, and has since obtained over ten caps; he represented the Argentina national football team at two editions of the Copa América, winning a runners-up medal and a bronze medal in the 2015 and the 2019 editions of the tournament respectively.

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.

Officially signing for Udinese on 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.

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 teammates 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.