Juan Manuel Iturbe
Who was Juan Manuel Iturbe?
Paraguayan winger who has played for clubs including AS Roma and Pumas UNAM, known for his pace and dribbling ability.
Biographical data adapted from Wikipedia’s article on Juan Manuel Iturbe (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Biography
Juan Manuel Iturbe Arévalo was born on June 4, 1993, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, to Paraguayan parents. He started as a young footballer in South America before moving to Europe, catching the eye of top clubs for his impressive speed and dribbling abilities. Known as a winger, Iturbe became recognized for his ability to play on either side, using his speed and skills to assist and score goals in top club competitions.
He kicked off his senior club career in South America, eventually making a notable move to Europe and signing with Italy's Hellas Verona. His eye-catching performances in Serie A led to interest from AS Roma, a well-known Italian club, which signed him in 2014. While he showed moments of brilliance at Roma, he struggled to secure a regular spot and was loaned to several clubs, including Fiorentina, Genoa, Torino, and Chievo, in hopes of finding the right place to develop.
Iturbe then returned to the Americas, joining Pumas UNAM in Mexico's top league, Liga MX. This move was a fresh start, giving Iturbe the chance to play regularly again. He later joined other clubs in various leagues, continuing to showcase the technical skills that had once made him a top prospect. Eventually, he returned to South America, joining Cerro Porteño in Paraguay.
On the international front, Iturbe's situation was complex. Although born in Argentina, he played a friendly match for Paraguay in 2009, drawing on his Paraguayan heritage. He then announced his intention to play for Argentina and represented them at the under-20 level. However, in early 2016, Iturbe expressed a desire to play for Paraguay, highlighting an unusual chapter in his international career.
Throughout his career, Iturbe was mainly known for his athleticism and ability to challenge defenders one-on-one. Despite injuries and inconsistency somewhat limiting the potential seen in his youth, he managed a long professional career across multiple continents and several top European leagues.
Before Fame
Growing up in Buenos Aires, Juan Manuel Iturbe was surrounded by Argentina's love for football from an early age. The city has always produced many professional footballers, and the competitive youth football scene there gave Iturbe a solid base to develop as a winger.
Iturbe's rise was helped by his mixed South American background, with Paraguayan roots through his parents adding to his Argentine upbringing. He caught attention as a teenager for his speed and dribbling, qualities that were popular in South American and European football in the early 2010s, a period when fast and dynamic wide players were especially sought after by top clubs looking across the Americas.
Key Achievements
- Signed by AS Roma in 2014 following impressive performances in Serie A with Hellas Verona
- Represented Argentina at the under-20 international level after initially appearing for Paraguay
- Completed a professional career spanning Serie A, Liga MX, and Paraguayan football
- Established himself as a first-team player at Pumas UNAM in Liga MX
- Made his international debut for Paraguay in 2009 as a teenager, highlighting his early emergence as a professional prospect
Did You Know?
- 01.Iturbe represented three different international football affiliations across his career, having appeared for Paraguay in a 2009 friendly, then switching to Argentina at under-20 level, before expressing a desire to return to Paraguay in 2016.
- 02.He joined AS Roma in 2014, one of the most high-profile transfers involving a South American teenager that summer in Serie A.
- 03.During his time contracted to Roma, he was loaned to at least four different Serie A clubs, including Fiorentina, Genoa, Torino, and Chievo, without ever truly securing a permanent place in Roma's first team.
- 04.Iturbe played in Liga MX with Pumas UNAM, making him one of a relatively small group of players to have competed in both Serie A and Mexico's top division.
- 05.He was born on 4 June 1993, the same year that the UEFA Champions League adopted its current branding, marking the beginning of an era in which South American players increasingly moved to European clubs at very young ages.