_(cropped).jpg) Coates withUruguay in 2015 | |||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Sebastián Coates Nion[1] | ||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | (1990-10-07)7 October 1990 (age 35)[2] | ||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Montevideo, Uruguay | ||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in)[3] | ||||||||||||||||
| Position | Centre-back | ||||||||||||||||
| Team information | |||||||||||||||||
Current team | Nacional | ||||||||||||||||
| Number | 4 | ||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||
| 2001–2009 | Nacional | ||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||
| 2009–2011 | Nacional | 59 | (3) | ||||||||||||||
| 2011–2015 | Liverpool | 13 | (1) | ||||||||||||||
| 2014 | →Nacional (loan) | 6 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2014–2015 | →Sunderland (loan) | 10 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2015–2017 | Sunderland | 16 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2016–2017 | →Sporting CP (loan) | 46 | (3) | ||||||||||||||
| 2017–2024 | Sporting CP | 216 | (19) | ||||||||||||||
| 2024– | Nacional | 49 | (4) | ||||||||||||||
| International career‡ | |||||||||||||||||
| 2007 | Uruguay U17 | 4 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2008–2009 | Uruguay U20 | 17 | (2) | ||||||||||||||
| 2012 | Uruguay U23 | 5 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2011–2023 | Uruguay | 51 | (2) | ||||||||||||||
Medal record
| |||||||||||||||||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 10:34, 24 November 2025 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 28 March 2023 | |||||||||||||||||
Sebastián Coates Nion (Spanish pronunciation:[seβasˈtjaŋkoˈatesˈnjon]; born 7 October 1990) is a Uruguayan professionalfootballer who plays as acentre-back for Uruguayan clubNacional.
Having begun his career atNacional, where he was a regular from his debut in 2009, Coates joinedLiverpool in 2011. He spent time out on loan, back at Nacional, and atSunderland, and then joined the latter permanently in 2015. In January 2016, he moved to Sporting, initially on loan before signing permanently in February 2017. Following his move, Coates became an important member of the Sporting squad, captaining the side, and leading the club to a number of trophies, including the club's first league title in 19 years during the2020–21 season.
Coates made his international debut at the2011 Copa América, and was voted Young Player of the Tournament after Uruguay wonthe final. He also represented the country at the2012 Olympics, theFIFA World Cup in2014,2018 and2022, and theCopa América in2015 and2019.
Coates was born inMontevideo. On his paternal side, he is ofScottish ancestry, although his family does not speak English.[4]
Coates joinedNacional at 11, and worked his way up through the age groups, appearing as captain at every level. In 2009, aged 18, he signed a contract and began playing for the first team. His first appearance came againstBella Vista, a performance for which he was named man of the match by Uruguay'sEl País.[5] He subsequently started every game for Nacional, notwithstanding suspension and national duty.[6]
In August 2011, Coates was the subject of substantial interest fromPremier League clubLiverpool. He was given permission to have a medical atMelwood ahead of his proposed move on 26 August, and the following day watched Liverpool's match againstBolton Wanderers. On 30 August, after receiving a work permit, Liverpool announced that they had signed Coates on "a long-term contract" for an undisclosed fee, reported to be around £7 million.[7][8][9]
On 18 September, Coates made his debut for Liverpool againstTottenham Hotspur, replacing the injuredDaniel Agger in the 27th minute, in a 4–0 defeat.[10] Coates went on to make his first start for the club on 21 September againstBrighton & Hove Albion in the League Cup.[11] Liverpool won the match 2–1 and Coates started the next match in this competition againstStoke City which Liverpool also won 2–1. Liverpool progressed through all stages to win the tournament resulting in Coates winning his first medal as a Liverpool player. On 21 March 2012, he scored his first goal for Liverpool againstQueens Park Rangers, with ascissor kick from the edge of the box in the 3–2 loss atLoftus Road.[12]
Coates suffered a knee injury playing for Uruguay in a friendly match againstJapan in August 2013.[13] The injury sidelined the player for much of the 2013–14 season. The second half of the season saw Coates return to Nacional on loan, helping him to secure a place in Uruguay's World Cup team.[14]
On 1 September 2014, Coates was loaned out to fellow Premier League sideSunderland on a season-long loan, joining up with fellow Uruguayan managerGus Poyet.[15] He made his debut as a starter on the 23rd in the third round of the League Cup, againstStoke City at theStadium of Light. At half-time, he was substituted forPatrick van Aanholt and Sunderland lost 1–2.[16] His first league match of his loan was on 3 December, playing the entirety of a 1–4 home defeat againstManchester City.[17] Coates had to fill in at left back in theTyne-Wear derby against Newcastle on 21 December afterAnthony Réveillère suffered an injury in the warm up, but coped well as Sunderland won 1–0.[18] However, after Sunderland were beaten 1–3 by Hull in the next game,[19] Coates fell out of favour and failed to make another Premier League start under Poyet. After the manager was sacked and replaced byDick Advocaat, Coates became more involved. He played every minute of Sunderland's run of five unbeaten games that kept them from relegation with a game to spare.
On 1 July 2015, Sunderland announced that they had signed Coates on a permanent four-year deal for an undisclosed fee reported to be in the region of £2 million.[20][21] He scored anown goal on 1 November as the team lost 6–2 away toEverton.[22]
On 28 January 2016, Coates signed forSporting CP on loan until the end of the season, as newBlack Cats managerSam Allardyce sought to balance the books.[23] He made his debut on 8 February in a goalless home draw withRio Ave,[24] and totalled 13 matches (all starts) over the season as theLisbon-based club came second. On 10 May, his loan was extended for the following campaign.[25]
On the first day of the2016–17 season, at home toMarítimo, Coates scored his first goal for theLeões to open a 2–0 win by heading inJoão Mário's corner kick.[26]
He joined Sporting on a permanent basis on 2 February 2017.[27]
In theTaça da Liga final on 26 January 2019, Coates missed his spot-kick but Sporting prevailed overFC Porto 3–1 in the penalty shoot-out to win their second straight league cup title.[28] Four months later in the final of theTaça de Portugal on 25 May, Sporting and Porto again required a penalty shoot-out to determine the winner after the match ended 2–2; Coates converted his kick to help Sporting to a 5–4 win.[29]
On 31 August 2019, Coates conceded three penalties and was sent off as Sporting fell 2–3 toRio Ave. All three fouls were against Iranian forwardMehdi Taremi.[30]
Coates captained and was a key player for the side that won the2020–21 Primeira Liga, the club's first league title in 19 years.[31] He was praised for leading a back-line that kept 20 clean sheets and only conceded 20 goals in 34 matches,[32] being awarded as the 2020-21Primeira Liga's best player.
On 30 November 2023, in a 1–1UEFA Europa League group stage draw away atAtalanta, Coates played his 343rd match for Sporting CP, overtakingÂnderson Polga as the foreign player with most appearances for theLions.[33]
After playing for theUruguay under-20s he was called up forUruguay's first leg match in theCONMEBOL–CONCACAF playoff againstCosta Rica in qualification for the2010 FIFA World Cup, where he was an unused substitute.[34]
He made his full international debut againstChile in the2011 Copa América second group match, playing the full 90 minutes of a 1–1 draw at theEstadio Malvinas Argentinas inMendoza, Argentina.[35] He played the remainder of the tournament, apart from being suspended for their quarter-final win overthe hosts, and Coates went on to win the award for the Best Young Player at the end of the tournament, and his nation won the competition.[36]
He was called up byÓscar Tabárez for theUruguay Olympic football team that played at the2012 Summer Olympics which were held inLondon.[37] He played every minute of their campaign, however Uruguay ultimately failed to qualify for the knockout round. At the2013 FIFA Confederations Cup in Brazil, he made one brief substitute appearance in a 2–1 victory againstNigeria and a start in an 8–0 win againstTahiti in the group, as Uruguay finished the tournament in fourth place.
Although injury saw Coates miss out the entire Premier League season, he made a full recovery in time to be selected in the final 23-man squad for the2014 FIFA World Cup. He made one appearance as the side reached the last 16, playing two minutes as a substitute for his Liverpool teammateLuis Suárez in the 2–1 group stage victory overEngland.[38] The following year at the2015 Copa América in Chile, Coates played Uruguay's finalgroup match, a 1–1 draw againstParaguay, due to the suspension of captainDiego Godín; Uruguay were eliminated in the quarter-finals by the hosts.[39]
In May 2018, he was named in Uruguay's 23 mansquad for the2018 World Cup inRussia.[40]
Coates scored his second goal for Uruguay in a friendly match againstSouth Korea on 28 March 2023.[41]
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | League cup[b] | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Nacional | 2008–09 | Uruguayan Primera División | 11 | 3 | — | — | 5[c] | 1 | — | 16 | 4 | |||
| 2009–10 | Uruguayan Primera División | 36 | 2 | — | — | 8[c] | 1 | — | 44 | 3 | ||||
| 2010–11 | Uruguayan Primera División | 27 | 1 | — | — | 5[c] | 0 | — | 32 | 1 | ||||
| Total | 74 | 6 | — | — | 18 | 2 | — | 92 | 8 | |||||
| Liverpool | 2011–12 | Premier League | 7 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 12 | 1 | ||
| 2012–13 | Premier League | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3[d] | 1 | — | 12 | 1 | ||
| Total | 12 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 1 | — | 24 | 2 | |||
| Nacional (loan) | 2013–14 | Uruguayan Primera División | 6 | 0 | — | — | 1[c] | 0 | — | 7 | 0 | |||
| Sunderland (loan) | 2014–15 | Premier League | 10 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 13 | 0 | ||
| Sunderland | 2015–16 | Premier League | 16 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 19 | 0 | ||
| Total | 26 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 32 | 0 | ||||
| Sporting CP (loan) | 2015–16 | Primeira Liga | 13 | 0 | — | — | 1[d] | 0 | — | 14 | 0 | |||
| 2016–17 | Primeira Liga | 33 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 6[e] | 0 | — | 43 | 3 | ||
| Sporting CP | 2017–18 | Primeira Liga | 34 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 11[e] | 0 | — | 54 | 5 | |
| 2018–19 | Primeira Liga | 31 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 8[d] | 0 | — | 49 | 2 | ||
| 2019–20 | Primeira Liga | 29 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 7[d] | 2 | 1[f] | 0 | 40 | 6 | |
| 2020–21 | Primeira Liga | 33 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2[d] | 0 | — | 40 | 7 | ||
| 2021–22 | Primeira Liga | 30 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6[e] | 2 | 1[f] | 0 | 41 | 5 | |
| 2022–23 | Primeira Liga | 30 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 10[g] | 2 | — | 44 | 3 | ||
| 2023–24 | Primeira Liga | 29 | 4 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 7[d] | 1 | — | 44 | 6 | ||
| Total | 262 | 22 | 25 | 6 | 24 | 2 | 56 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 369 | 37 | ||
| Nacional | 2024 | Uruguayan Primera División | 14 | 3 | 1 | 0 | — | 2[c] | 0 | — | 17 | 3 | ||
| 2025 | Uruguayan Primera División | 35 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 5[c] | 1 | 1[h] | 0 | 41 | 2 | ||
| Total | 49 | 4 | 1 | 0 | — | 7 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 58 | 5 | |||
| Career total | 429 | 33 | 33 | 6 | 32 | 2 | 85 | 11 | 3 | 0 | 582 | 52 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Uruguay | 2011 | 7 | 0 |
| 2012 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2013 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2014 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2015 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2016 | 6 | 1 | |
| 2017 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2018 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2019 | 6 | 0 | |
| 2020 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2021 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2022 | 6 | 0 | |
| 2023 | 2 | 1 | |
| Total | 51 | 2 | |
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 10 November 2016 | Estadio Centenario,Montevideo, Uruguay |  Ecuador | 1–0 | 2–1 | 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 2. | 28 March 2023 | Seoul World Cup Stadium,Seoul, South Korea |  South Korea | 1–0 | 2–1 | Friendly |
Nacional
Liverpool
Sporting CP
Uruguay
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