Banega · Biography

Éver Maximiliano David Banega was born on 29 June 1988 in Rosario, in the Argentine province of Santa Fe. He started playing at the Alianza Sport school in his neighbourhood, came through the youth ranks of Newell's Old Boys and completed his development at Boca Juniors, where he turned professional. A passing midfielder who liked to carry the ball, he spent most of his career in Spain, mainly with Valencia and Sevilla, had a spell at Inter Milan and returned to Argentine football in his final years as a player.

Boca debut and the 2007 Libertadores

Before his competitive debut he played a friendly for Boca's first team against Maccabi Tel Aviv in Israel in 2006. His official debut came on 10 February 2007, on the opening day of the Torneo Clausura, in a 4-0 win over Banfield. That same year he started in midfield for the side that won the 2007 Copa Libertadores, beating Grêmio 5-0 on aggregate in the final. In December he played at the Club World Cup, where Boca finished runners-up. By then European clubs were following him closely.

Valencia: a Copa del Rey and a serious injury

Valencia signed him in January 2008 on a five-and-a-half-year contract. He made his debut on 13 January as a half-time substitute in a 1-0 defeat away to Atlético Madrid, and that season the club won the 2007-08 Copa del Rey, although he did not play in the final. He spent 2008-09 on loan at Atlético Madrid, who chose not to take up their purchase option, and returned to Mestalla in the summer of 2009. There he established himself as the team's playmaker. In 2010 UEFA banned him for three matches after a red card against Werder Bremen. During the 2011-12 season he was injured in an accident at a petrol station when his own car ran over him, breaking his tibia and fibula and keeping him out for almost half a season. In January 2014 Valencia loaned him to Newell's Old Boys until the end of the campaign, bringing him back to Rosario for the first time as a professional.

Sevilla, Inter and three Europa League titles

He joined Sevilla on 19 August 2014 and made his debut four days later, against Valencia (1-1). His first season ended with the 2014-15 Europa League: in the final in Warsaw against Dnipro (3-2) he was named man of the match. A year later he won the 2015-16 Europa League as well. In July 2016 he joined Inter Milan on a free transfer, making his debut on 21 August in a 2-0 defeat at Chievo; in March 2017 he scored a hat-trick in a 7-1 win over Atalanta and finished his only season in Italy with 33 appearances and 6 goals. He returned to Sevilla in June 2017. In that second spell he was a Copa del Rey runner-up in 2018, as he had been in 2016, and in August 2020 he won his third Europa League in Cologne, again 3-2, this time against Inter. Across both spells he made 238 appearances for Sevilla and scored 28 goals.

Saudi Arabia and the return to Argentina

His move to Saudi club Al Shabab was announced in January 2020, and he joined in 2020 after finishing the European season with Sevilla. In Riyadh he played 118 matches and scored 25 goals. He was named Saudi Pro League Player of the Month in October 2020 and February 2021. He terminated his contract at the end of 2023 and in January 2024 returned to Newell's Old Boys, making his debut on 26 January against Central Córdoba of Santiago del Estero as captain. He played the 2024 and 2025 seasons for the Rosario club.

Argentina national team

At youth level he won the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Canada and, a year later, the gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. He made his senior debut in 2008, and between that year and 2018 he won 65 caps and scored 6 goals, against Bolivia and Italy in 2013, Hong Kong in 2014, Chile at the 2016 Copa América Centenario, Nigeria in 2017 and Italy in 2018. He was a Copa América runner-up in 2015, in Chile, and in 2016, in the United States. His last tournament was the 2018 World Cup in Russia, where Argentina lost 4-3 to France in the round of 16.

Playing style

Banega almost always played as an organising midfielder, either as an inside midfielder or in front of the back line. He was known for his control in tight spaces, his changes of pace on the ball and his final pass. At Sevilla he was included in the Europa League squad of the season in 2014-15, 2015-16 and 2019-20, the three campaigns in which the club won the competition. In January 2026, after leaving Newell's as a free agent, he signed for Defensa y Justicia, where he was reunited with coach Mariano Soso.