Introduction
José María Giménez de Vargas (Spanish pronunciation: [xoˈse maˈɾi.a ximenes]; born 20 January 1995) is a Uruguayan professional footballer who plays for Spanish club Atlético Madrid and the Uruguay national team as a central defender.
Club career
Danubio
Born in Toledo, Giménez made his professional debut for Danubio F.C. in the Uruguayan Primera División on 17 November 2012 (when the manager was Juan Ramón Carrasco) against River Plate in which he started and played the full 90 minutes as Danubio lost the match 2–0.
Atlético Madrid
On 25 April 2013, it was confirmed that Giménez had signed for €900 000 with Spanish side Atlético Madrid, and would join the club in the pre-season of the 2013–14 season.
On 14 September, Giménez made his Atleti – and La Liga – debut, starting in a 4–2 home win over UD Almería.
Giménez scored his first goal for the club on 6 December 2014, opening a 2–0 win away to Elche CF to move Atlético into second place. He also scored a header against biggest rival Real Madrid in Atlético's 2–0 win in the Copa del Rey in January 2015.
International career
Giménez participated for Uruguay at the 2013 FIFA U-20 World Cup as the team finished as runner-up to France.
He debuted for the Uruguay senior team in a 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Colombia on 10 September 2013.
On 2 June 2014, Giménez was named in Uruguay's squad for the 2014 World Cup finals. The 19-year-old defender made his tournament debut against England in the team's second group match, deputising for the injured captain Diego Lugano in a 2–1 victory for La Celeste.(with 19 years and 149 days old, he is the youngest Uruguayan player to debut at a world cup). He went on to start in the final group match – a 1–0 win over Italy – and the 2–0 round of 16 loss to Colombia.
Giménez scored his first international goal in a 1–0 friendly win against South Korea in September 2014.
In May 2015, he was named in Uruguay's squad for the 2015 Copa América by coach Óscar Tabárez. On 20 June, Giménez scored Uruguay's goal in a 1–1 draw with Paraguay which saw both teams progress to the knockout stage.
Career statistics
- As of 1 May 2016
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Other | International | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Danubio | 2012–13 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 16 | 0 |
| Total | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 0 | |
| Atlético Madrid | 2013–14 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 2014–15 | 20 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 26 | 2 | |
| 2015–16 | 27 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 38 | 1 | |
| Total | 46 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 67 | 3 | |
| Career total | 64 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 84 | 3 | |
International goals
- Scores and results list Uruguay's goal tally first.
| Goal | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 8 September 2014 | Goyang Stadium, Goyang, South Korea |  South Korea | 1–0 | 1–0 | Friendly |
| 2. | 13 November 2014 | Estadio Centenario, Montevideo, Uruguay |  Costa Rica | 2–2 | 3–3 | Friendly |
| 3. | 20 June 2015 | Estadio La Portada, La Serena, Chile |  Paraguay | 1–0 | 1–1 | 2015 Copa América |
Honours
Club
- Atlético Madrid
- La Liga: 2013–14
- Supercopa de España: 2014
- UEFA Champions League: Runner-up 2015–16