Martín Cáceres

Early years

Born in Montevideo, Cáceres started his career with hometown's Defensor Sporting, becoming a first-team regular at a young age and competing in one full Primera División season with the team. In early February 2007 he had already signed for Spanish club Villarreal, with the deal being made effective in July.

Upon arriving at Villarreal, Cáceres was immediately sent on loan to fellow La Liga side Recreativo, being one of the most used players during the season and often partnering Beto in central defence as the Andalusians managed to retain their division status, finishing in 16th position; on 9 January 2008 he scored against the club that owned his rights in the season's Copa del Rey (1–0 home win, but 1–2 loss on aggregate), and never appeared officially for the former.

Barcelona

Cáceres joined Barcelona on 4 June 2008, with a reported transfer fee of €16.5 million being paid to Villarreal. A buyout clause of €50 million was included in the deal, which ran until June 2012. During his only season at the Camp Nou he featured sparsely, due to both injury and technical decisions.

Even after his recovery, Cáceres only managed to be fourth-choice stopper behind Rafael Márquez, Gerard Piqué and Carles Puyol. He appeared in three games in the campaign's UEFA Champions League – two starts, 217 minutes – being an unused substitute in the final against Manchester United which completed the treble for the Catalans.

Loan to Juventus

On 6 August 2009, Barcelona loaned Cáceres to Juventus in Serie A, with the Turin team having an option to make his stay permanent at the end of the season for €11 million, plus €1 million in variables. He made his debut in a pre-season friendly against former team Villarreal the following day, replacing Jonathan Zebina at right-back at half-time.

The league season began well for Cáceres as he made a goal-scoring debut, netting the opener in a 2–0 away win against Lazio. He began as a regular under Ciro Ferrara, but his campaign would be ultimately disrupted by a number of injuries, including one in January 2010 that put him out of action for several months.

Sevilla

On 30 August 2010, Cáceres returned to Spain and joined Sevilla on a season-long loan, with an option to purchase. He featured regularly for the Gregorio Manzano-led team, especially at right back following the return of Abdoulay Konko to Genoa in January 2011.

On 1 May 2011, Cáceres was severely injured by Michael Jakobsen in a match against Almería, suffering a lacerated kidney following a dangerous challenge. The Dane was given a straight red card, and the South American was initially ruled out for the rest of the campaign, but unexpectedly recovered for the final two games, with Sevilla finishing fifth and qualifying to the UEFA Europa League.

On 31 May 2011, Sevilla agreed a €3 million deal plus €1.5 million in variables with Barcelona for the permanent move of Cáceres to the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán Stadium. In late January 2012, however, he returned to Juventus, on loan.

Juventus return

At Juventus, Cáceres chose to wear the number 4 shirt, which had previously belonged to compatriot Paolo Montero. He made his debut for Juve in his second spell on 8 February 2012, playing the full 90 minutes in a 2–1 away win against A.C. Milan in the semi-finals of the Coppa Italia and scoring both of his team's goals. On 25 March he netted his first league goal, heading home an Andrea Pirlo corner kick in the 57th minute of a 2–0 home success over Inter Milan.

On 25 May 2012, Cáceres joined Juventus on a permanent basis, signing a four-year contract. He missed most of the first half of the 2014–15 campaign, after picking up an injury in a 3–2 home win over Roma in October 2014 which sidelined him for three months. He returned to the starting line-up on 11 January 2015, scoring in a 3–1 defeat of Napoli at the Stadio San Paolo. On 8 March, however, he fractured his ankle during a training session, requiring surgery; as a result, he was ruled out indefinitely.

Cáceres returned to the starting line-up on 8 August 2015, in Juventus's 2–0 victory over Lazio in the Supercoppa Italiana. In late September, however, he had his driving license revoked for six months and was suspended by the club after crashing his Ferrari into a bus stop in Turin following a wrong turn. He is alleged to have been over the legal alcohol limit for driving.

Cáceres returned to action on 6 January 2016, starting and playing 84 minutes in a 3–0 home triumph over Verona. On 4 February, it was confirmed that he would be sidelined for the rest of the season due to the rupture of his right Achilles tendon during the match the day before against Genoa. In May, Juventus' director of football Giuseppe Marotta announced that the player's contract would not be renewed, and that he would be leaving the club on 30 June.

Southampton

On 16 February 2017, Cáceres joined Premier League club Southampton as a free agent, signing an initial contract lasting until the end of the season. Ten days later he was included in a matchday squad for the first time, remaining an unused substitute in the EFL Cup Final, a 3–2 loss to Manchester United.

International career

Cáceres played with the Uruguayan under-20 team at the 2007 FIFA World Cup held in Canada, appearing in all the games in an eventual round-of-16 exit. Previously, he was named the Best Defender at the 2007 South American Youth Championship, helping his team to the third place.

Cáceres made his debut for the full side on 12 September of that year, in Johannesburg against South Africa. In 2010 he was selected by manager Óscar Tabárez for his list of 23 players for that year's FIFA World Cup, backing up F.C. Porto's Jorge Fucile at right-back and appearing in the semifinals against the Netherlands and the third-place match against Germany (both 2–3 losses).

With Fucile not being selected to the 2011 Copa América in Argentina, Cáceres appeared in five out of six games during the tournament – as right and left back – with the Charrúas winning their 15th continental tournament. He notably scored the decisive penalty in a penalty shootout victory over the hosts, in the quarter-finals.

Cáceres made four appearances for Uruguay in the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup: in the third-place match against Italy, his penalty was saved by Juventus team-mate Gianluigi Buffon, as the opposition won the shootout by 3–2 after a 2–2 deadlock following extra time. He played four games in the 2014 World Cup, helping the nation reach the last-16 phase.

Due to an ankle injury suffered in March 2015, Cáceres was excluded from Uruguay's 2015 Copa América squad. A serious Achilles tendon ailment in February 2016 also prevented his participation in the Copa América Centenario the following summer.

Style of play

Cáceres's primary position is that of a central defender, but he can also operate as a left or right back, being noted for his pace, strength, tackling and aerial ability. During his time with Juventus, his tenacious approach drew comparisons to countryman Montero, who also played for the Turin side.

Club statistics

¹Includes Liguilla Pre-Libertadores, Copa del Rey and Coppa Italia.

²Includes Copa Libertadores, UEFA Cup, UEFA Europa League and UEFA Champions League.

³Includes Supercoppa Italiana.

Country