Introduction
Rubén Estephan Vargas Martínez (born 5 August 1998) is a Swiss professional footballer who plays as a winger or attacking midfielder for Bundesliga club FC Augsburg and the Switzerland national team.
Club career
Vargas made his professional debut for FC Luzern in a 1–1 tie with FC Zürich on 27 August 2017.
He signed a 5 year contract with Augsburg in the summer of 2019, becoming the first Bundesliga player of Dominican descent. He scored his first goal in his second match, against Union Berlin.
International career
Vargas made his Switzerland senior team debut on 8 September 2019, in a UEFA Euro 2020 qualifier against Gibraltar. He replaced Granit Xhaka in the 74th minute. On 18 November, he scored his first senior international goal against the same opposition in a 6–1 win.
Vargas scored a crucial penalty for Switzerland during UEFA Euro 2020 in a shootout against France on 28 June in the round of 16, helping Switzerland qualify for the quarter-final. However, Vargas, later missed a penalty for Switzerland during the shootout against Spain on 2 July in the quarter-final, which they would end up losing.
Vargas started all four of Switzerland's matches at the 2022 FIFA World Cup, assisting Remo Freuler's winning goal in the Group G decider against Serbia on 2 December.
On 7 June 2024, Vargas was named in Switzerland's squad for UEFA Euro 2024. He started the team's opening match, playing 74 minutes of a 3–1 win over Hungary in Cologne. He was awarded player of the match for Switzerland's round of 16 game against defending champions Italy, both scoring and assisting a goal in a 2–0 victory.
Personal life
Vargas was born in Adligenswil, Switzerland, to a Dominican father and a Swiss mother, and holds citizenship of both nations. Vargas shares a hometown with his former Augsburg teammate and ex Switzerland captain Stephan Lichtsteiner.
Career statistics
Club
- As of match played 10 May 2024
| Club | Season | League | National cup | Europe | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Luzern II | 2015–16 | Swiss 1. Liga | 6 | 3 | — | — | 6 | 3 | ||
| 2016–17 | Swiss 1. Liga | 10 | 9 | — | — | 10 | 9 | |||
| 2017–18 | Swiss 1. Liga | 9 | 5 | — | — | 9 | 5 | |||
| Total | 25 | 17 | — | — | 25 | 17 | ||||
| Luzern | 2017–18 | Swiss Super League | 19 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 2 |
| 2018–19 | Swiss Super League | 31 | 8 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 37 | 9 | |
| Total | 50 | 9 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 57 | 11 | ||
| FC Augsburg | 2019–20 | Bundesliga | 33 | 6 | 0 | 0 | — | 33 | 6 | |
| 2020–21 | Bundesliga | 30 | 6 | 2 | 1 | — | 32 | 7 | ||
| 2021–22 | Bundesliga | 29 | 1 | 1 | 1 | — | 30 | 2 | ||
| 2022–23 | Bundesliga | 23 | 3 | 1 | 0 | — | 24 | 3 | ||
| 2023–24 | Bundesliga | 31 | 4 | 1 | 0 | — | 32 | 4 | ||
| Total | 146 | 20 | 5 | 2 | — | 151 | 22 | |||
| Career total | 221 | 46 | 10 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 233 | 50 | ||
International
- As of match played 29 June 2024
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Switzerland | 2019 | 3 | 1 |
| 2020 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2021 | 14 | 3 | |
| 2022 | 9 | 0 | |
| 2023 | 9 | 3 | |
| 2024 | 7 | 1 | |
| Total | 47 | 8 | |
- Scores and results list Switzerland's goal tally first.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 18 November 2019 | Victoria Stadium, Gibraltar |  Gibraltar | 2–0 | 6–1 | UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying |
| 2 | 31 March 2021 | Kybunpark, St. Gallen, Switzerland |  Finland | 2–2 | 3–2 | Friendly |
| 3 | 1 September 2021 | St. Jakob-Park, Basel, Switzerland |  Greece | 2–1 | 2–1 | |
| 4 | 15 November 2021 | Swissporarena, Lucerne, Switzerland |  Bulgaria | 2–0 | 4–0 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 5 | 28 March 2023 | Stade de Genève, Geneva, Switzerland |  Israel | 1–0 | 3–0 | UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying |
| 6 | 15 November 2023 | Pancho Arena, Felcsút, Hungary | Israel | 1–0 | 1–1 | |
| 7 | 18 November 2023 | St. Jakob-Park, Basel, Switzerland |  Kosovo | 1–0 | 1–1 | |
| 8 | 29 June 2024 | Olympiastadion, Berlin, Germany |  Italy | 2–0 | 2–0 | UEFA Euro 2024 |