On 10 July 2015, Real Betis announced the signing of Germán Alejo Pezzella, a centre-back from the River Plate academy, on a five-year contract. The move took a defender born in Bahía Blanca on 27 June 1991 out of Argentina. It started a nine-year spell in Europe, split between Seville and Florence, in which he captained Fiorentina and won the Copa del Rey. With Argentina he won the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Childhood in Bahía Blanca and the River academy
Pezzella started out at local clubs Juventud Unida de Algarrobo, in the Villarino district, and Kilómetro Cinco. He then joined the youth teams at Olimpo de Bahía Blanca, where he played from 2000 to 2005. That year he moved to Buenos Aires to join River Plate’s academy. His first-team debut came on 7 December 2011 in a 1-0 win over Defensores de Belgrano in the round of 64 of the Copa Argentina. At the time River were playing in the Primera B Nacional, the Argentine second division. On 2 March 2012 he made his league debut in a goalless draw with Quilmes, and later that year he was part of the squad that took the club back to the top flight.
Trophies with River in 2014 and 2015
Back in the Primera División, Pezzella gradually won a place in the back line. In 2014 River won the Torneo Final and the Copa Campeonato, and that December they lifted the Copa Sudamericana. The Recopa Sudamericana and the Copa Libertadores followed in 2015. Pezzella played four games in that Libertadores before leaving for Spain in July, while the tournament was still under way. His first spell at the club ended with 69 appearances and five goals.
Betis and Fiorentina in Europe
Pezzella spent two seasons at Betis, playing 66 games and scoring four goals. In the summer of 2017 he joined Fiorentina on loan. At the end of the 2017-18 season the Italian club bought him outright on a five-year deal. Ahead of 2018-19, the first full season after Davide Astori’s death in March 2018, he was given the captain’s armband at the Viola. He stayed in Florence until August 2021 and finished with 138 appearances and seven goals in all competitions.
Return to Betis and the 2022 Copa del Rey
On 19 August 2021 he went back to Betis on a four-year contract. In his first season back he was part of the squad that won the 2021-22 Copa del Rey. He played two more seasons in Seville and left in the summer of 2024. His second spell with the club produced 113 appearances and two goals.
Argentina national team
Jorge Sampaoli first called him up in October 2017 for the World Cup qualifiers against Peru and Ecuador. He made his senior debut on 11 November that year in a friendly against Russia. Under Lionel Scaloni he played six games at the 2019 Copa América, where Argentina finished third. He played six more at the 2021 edition, which gave the national team its first major title in 28 years. In 2022 he won the Finalissima against Italy and, that December, the World Cup in Qatar. He played three matches there, including the final against France, where he came on in extra time. He added the 2024 Copa América in the United States, where he made one appearance. He scored three senior international goals: against Iraq in 2018 (4-0), Ecuador in 2019 (6-1) and Australia in 2023 (2-0).
Back at River and the move to Peñarol
On 5 August 2024 he signed for River Plate again. In August 2025 he tore his cruciate ligament. His second spell at the club, from 2024 to 2026, brought 50 appearances and one goal. In August 2026 he ended his contract with River by mutual agreement, and on 1 September 2026 Peñarol announced his signing for the Uruguayan Primera División.
Peñarol