Sebastián Driussi was born on 9 February 1996 in San Justo, in Buenos Aires province, and came through the youth system at River Plate. A penalty-box forward who can also play as an attacking midfielder, he made his River first-team debut in 2013, spent four seasons at Zenit Saint Petersburg and three and a half years with Austin FC in MLS, and returned to the Buenos Aires club in January 2025.
Childhood and youth career
He started out at Villa Alida, a children’s club in San Justo, then moved through Brisas del Sud in Mataderos, Nueva Chicago and Parque Chas before joining River Plate. In River’s academy he made his name as a goalscorer for Argentina’s youth teams. In 2013 he won the South American U-17 Championship, finishing as his side’s top scorer and player of the tournament. That same year he played at the U-17 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates, where Argentina lost to Mexico in the semi-finals and to Sweden in the third-place match.
Debut and trophies at River Plate
He made his senior debut in December 2013, starting in a 1-0 win over Argentinos Juniors in the Torneo Inicial. His first league goal came on 8 March 2015 in a 2-2 draw with Unión de Santa Fe. Under Marcelo Gallardo he was part of the squads that won the 2014 Copa Sudamericana, the 2015 Copa Libertadores, the 2015 Suruga Bank Championship, the 2016 Recopa Sudamericana and the 2015-16 Copa Argentina. His best campaign was 2016-17, with 20 goals in all competitions. He ended that first spell with 105 appearances, 28 goals and 11 assists.
Four seasons in Russia
Zenit Saint Petersburg announced his signing on 8 July 2017 on a four-year deal. He opened his account with a brace against Rubin Kazan on 22 July 2017 in a 2-1 win. On 4 May 2019 his late equaliser away to Akhmat Grozny secured the 2018-19 Russian Premier League title for Zenit. The club retained the league in 2019-20 and 2020-21 and added the 2019-20 Russian Cup and the 2020 and 2021 Super Cups. In July 2021 he bought out the final year of his contract, leaving with 138 appearances, 25 goals and 22 assists.
Austin FC and MLS
He signed for Austin FC as a designated player on 29 July 2021. He debuted on 7 August against FC Dallas and scored his first goal on 21 August against the Portland Timbers. On 16 April 2022 he became the first player to reach ten goals for the club. That year he finished the regular season with 22 goals and 7 assists, was named MLS Player of the Month for April and July, played in the All-Star Game and made the MLS Best XI. In the playoffs he scored against FC Dallas in the Western Conference semi-final; Austin then lost the conference final 3-0 to Los Angeles FC. He signed a new contract in February 2023 and finished his time in Texas with 115 appearances and 51 goals.
Return to River Plate
In January 2025 River Plate announced his return in a deal worth close to ten million dollars, on a four-year contract and once again under Gallardo. Wearing the number 9, he played at the 2025 Club World Cup in the United States. On 17 June, in the opener against Urawa Red Diamonds, he headed in the second goal in the 48th minute of a 3-1 win, but injured himself on the same play: a severe sprain of the internal ligament in his left ankle ruled him out of the rest of the tournament.
Youth international career
Before the U-17 title he had played at the 2011 South American U-15 Championship in Uruguay, where Argentina finished third. With the U-20 side he won the 2015 South American Youth Championship, also in Uruguay, after debuting on 14 January that year in a 5-2 win over Ecuador. Meningeal syndrome kept him out of the 2015 U-20 World Cup in New Zealand.
Playing style
Right-footed and 1.79 metres tall, he began as an attacking midfielder or second striker and became the focal point of the attack in Austin. He drifts between the lines, holds the ball up with his back to goal and arrives in the box often, as he did with his header against Urawa. In 2016 he received the Alumni award as the breakthrough player of Argentine football.
River Plate