 Bergessio training withCatania in 2011 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Gonzalo Rubén Bergessio | ||
| Date of birth | (1984-07-20)20 July 1984 (age 41) | ||
| Place of birth | Córdoba, Argentina | ||
| Height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) | ||
| Position | Striker | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2000–2003 | Platense | 90 | (28) |
| 2003–2005 | Instituto | 37 | (6) |
| 2005–2007 | Racing Club | 35 | (12) |
| 2007–2008 | Benfica | 3 | (0) |
| 2008–2009 | San Lorenzo | 52 | (23) |
| 2009–2011 | Saint-Étienne | 49 | (5) |
| 2011 | →Catania (loan) | 13 | (5) |
| 2011–2014 | Catania | 96 | (30) |
| 2014–2015 | Sampdoria | 23 | (1) |
| 2015–2016 | Atlas | 30 | (4) |
| 2016–2017 | San Lorenzo | 18 | (2) |
| 2017 | Vélez Sarsfield | 4 | (2) |
| 2018–2021 | Nacional | 134 | (77) |
| 2022 | Platense | 24 | (3) |
| 2023 | Tristán Suárez | 29 | (7) |
| International career | |||
| 2008–2009 | Argentina | 3 | (2) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 15:16, 7 December 2023 (UTC) | |||
Gonzalo Rubén Bergessio (Spanish pronunciation:[ɡonˈsaloruˈβembeɾˈɣesjo]; born 20 July 1984) is an Argentine professionalfootballer who plays as astriker.
Born inCórdoba, Bergessio started his career in the lower leagues withClub Atlético Platense. In 2005, he was signed byInstituto Atlético Central Córdoba of thePrimera División, but at the end of the2005–06 season Instituto were relegated, and the player was sold toRacing Club de Avellaneda.
Bergessio contributed six goals in theApertura 2006 and, in the following year'sClausura, continued to score on a regular basis. His fast pace earned him a big following at theEstadio Juan Domingo Perón, and he became a fan favourite after scoring the game winner againstBoca Juniors, adding another againstClub Atlético River Plate.
On 26 June 2007, Bergessio signed a five-year deal withPrimeira Liga clubS.L. Benfica[1] for a reported€2.5 million fee, as an unknown party remained eligible to 50% of the future transfer fee the Portuguese received.[2] He only appeared in three league matches during his spell, one more than hisopportunities in theUEFA Champions League, and, in January of the following year he returned to his country.[3]
In January 2008, Bergessio joinedSan Lorenzo de Almagro. On 8 May, he was involved in theCopa Libertadores tie against River where, after his team had two playerssent off and were 2–0 down, he scored twice to give it an improbableaggregate win.[4]
On 25 August 2009, Bergessio returned to Europe by agreeing to a four-year contract with France'sAS Saint-Étienne, for an undisclosed fee.[5] He scored his first goal for his new club during his second appearance, a 1–1 home draw withAJ Auxerre,[6][7] but netted just five times more in his first one and a half seasons with theLigue 1 club.[8]
In the last hours of the 2011 wintertransfer window, Bergessio joined Italian sideCalcio Catania, arriving on loan for the remainder ofthe season – theSicilians had the option to sign him player permanently at the conclusion of this loan agreement.[9][10] He made hisSerie A debut on 20 February, playing the full 90 minutes and beingbooked in a 1–0 away loss againstSSC Napoli.[11]
After an initial delay in the transfer, Bergessio signed a permanent four-year contract on 29 August 2011 for €945,000.[12][13][14] In the2012–13 campaign he became a key part ofRolando Maran's team, forming an efficient attacking partnership with countrymenPablo Barrientos,Lucas Castro andPapu Gómez; he scored his firsthat-trick in Italy's top flight on 5 May 2013, in the 3–0 home win overAC Siena.[15]
Bergessio helped Catania eventually finish in eighth position, with a record in total points for the fifth consecutive season. On a personal level he was also the club's highest scorer during a single campaign, sinceGionatha Spinesi netted 17 times in2006–07.[16]
On 30 October 2013, Bergessio suffered a brokenfibula as a result of a late tackle byGiorgio Chiellini in a 4–0 defeat atJuventus FC.[17]
On 1 August 2014, Bergessio was sold toUC Sampdoria of the same country and league for a fee of €2.65 million, putting pen to paper to a three-year deal.[18][19][20][21] On 3 June of the following year, after 24 appearances in all competitions and two goals, he was released by mutual consent.[22]
Bergessio moved teams and countries again on 24 June 2015, joiningAtlas F.C. from Mexico.[23] The following 8 September, he signed a one-year deal with former club San Lorenzo.[24]
Bergessio made his debut forArgentina on 15 October 2008, playing the second half of a 1–0 loss inChile for the2010 FIFA World Cupqualifiers.[25] He scored his first and only two goals for his country on 20 May of the following year, in a 3–1 win overPanama.[26][27]
