Franco Emanuel Cervi (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈfɾaŋko emaˈnwel ˈseɾβi]; 26 May 1994) is an Argentine professional footballer who plays for Spanish club Celta de Vigo and the Argentina national team as a winger.
![]() Cervi playing for Benfica in 2016 | |||
Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | Franco Emanuel Cervi | ||
Date of birth | (1994-05-26) 26 May 1994 (age 27) | ||
Place of birth | San Lorenzo, Argentina | ||
Height | 1.65 m (5 ft 5 in) | ||
Position(s) | Winger | ||
Club information | |||
Current team | Celta | ||
Number | 11 | ||
Youth career | |||
2001–2014 | Rosario Central | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
2014–2016 | Rosario Central | 42 | (5) |
2016–2021 | Benfica | 114 | (11) |
2021– | Celta | 33 | (4) |
National team‡ | |||
2018– | Argentina | 4 | (1) |
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 21:48, 10 May 2022 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 20 November 2018 |
A product of Rosario Central's youth system, Cervi made his league debut on 9 November 2014 against Estudiantes in a 1–0 home win. He replaced Hernán Encina after 66 minutes.[1] On 14 February 2015, he scored his first league goal against Racing Club.[2]
On 25 February 2016, Cervi made his debut in the Copa Libertadores against Nacional. He scored his first international goal in a 3–1 win against River Plate.[3]
On 15 September 2015, Cervi signed a six-year contract with Portuguese champions Benfica with a release clause of €60 million.[4][5] He continued to play for Rosario Central until May 2016 and joined Benfica on 24 June for the pre-season.[6] On his debut for Benfica, he scored the opening goal in a 3–0 win over Braga in the Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira, on 7 August 2016, and was elected best player on pitch.[7]
On 29 December, Cervi became the first Benfica player to score in all Portuguese competitions in the same season – Supertaça, Primeira Liga, Taça de Portugal and Taça da Liga respectively. In addition, he also scored in the UEFA Champions League.[8]
On 5 July 2021, Cervi joined Celta de Vigo.[9]
Cervi was selected in Argentina's 35-man provisional squad for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro,[10] however he did not make the final 18-man squad for the tournament.
Cervi made his international debut for Argentina in a 3–0 friendly win over Guatemala on 8 September 2018.[11]
Cervi, who is of Italian descent, possesses an Italian passport.[12]
Club | Season | League | Cup | League Cup | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
Rosario Central | 2014 | Primera División | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 3 | 0 | ||
2015 | 27 | 5 | 4 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 31 | 5 | ||||
2016 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 10 | 2 | — | 22 | 2 | ||||
Total | 42 | 5 | 4 | 0 | — | 10 | 2 | — | 56 | 7 | ||||
Benfica | 2016–17 | Primeira Liga | 26 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 2 | 1[lower-alpha 1] | 1 | 41 | 7 |
2017–18 | 31 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1[lower-alpha 1] | 0 | 37 | 4 | ||
2018–19 | 20 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 14 | 1 | — | 38 | 5 | |||
2019–20 | 16 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 27 | 4 | ||
Total | 93 | 11 | 15 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 30 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 143 | 20 | ||
Career total | 135 | 16 | 19 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 40 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 199 | 27 |
National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
---|---|---|---|
Argentina | 2018 | 4 | 1 |
Total | 4 | 1 |
No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1. | 11 October 2018 | Prince Faisal bin Fahd Stadium, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia | ![]() | 4–0 | 4–0 | Friendly |
Benfica[14]
Individual
![]() |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Franco Cervi. |
RC Celta de Vigo – current squad | |
---|---|