1. Pablo Zabaleta made 333 appearances over nine seasons for Manchester City before signing for London-based club West Ham United in the summer of 2017.
30 Facts About Pablo Zabaleta
1. 2.
Pablo Zabaleta was in their team which won gold at the 2008 Olympics.
3.
Since January 2023, Pablo Zabaleta serves as assistant manager of Albania's national football team, under head coach Sylvinho.
4.
Pablo Zabaleta began his career at San Lorenzo in 2002, after progressing through their youth ranks, having been signed at the age of 12 from local club Obras Sanitarias.
5.
Pablo Zabaleta started playing as a defensive midfielder, but eventually moved to the right side of midfield.
6.
In January 2007, Pablo Zabaleta suffered a shoulder injury that kept him off the pitch for almost three months, already having established himself as an undisputed first team choice.
7.
Pablo Zabaleta joined a day before Manchester City was bought by the Abu Dhabi United Group, led by Sheikh Mansour, which enabled a wealth of investment in the club.
8.
On 1 May 2011, Pablo Zabaleta scored his second goal of the season in a Premier League match against West Ham United.
9.
In November 2011, Pablo Zabaleta extended his contract with City until the summer of 2015.
10.
Pablo Zabaleta's goal took Manchester City through to the fifth round.
11.
Pablo Zabaleta was voted Manchester City's Player of the Month for both December 2012 and January 2013, and was stand-in captain for the club during Vincent Kompany's injury absence between January and March 2013.
12.
Pablo Zabaleta was sent off in the 2013 FA Cup Final against Wigan Athletic for a second yellow card after a clear foul on Callum McManaman 84 minutes into the match.
13.
Pablo Zabaleta was the third player to be sent off in an FA Cup final and first for the losing side.
14.
On 21 September 2014, Pablo Zabaleta was sent off for a second yellow card due to a challenge on Chelsea's Diego Costa.
15.
On 21 August 2015, it was announced that Pablo Zabaleta was out for a month with knee injury.
16.
Pablo Zabaleta was given a lifetime season ticket for Manchester City and a shirt that read "Pablo Zabaleta 333", to mark the number of City appearances he made.
17.
On 26 May 2017, Pablo Zabaleta signed for Premier League club West Ham United on a free transfer, agreeing to a two-year contract.
18.
Pablo Zabaleta was given number five as his squad number.
19.
In May 2019, Pablo Zabaleta extended his contract with West Ham Until the summer of 2020.
20.
On 10 January 2020, in a match against Sheffield United, Pablo Zabaleta became the first Argentine, and only the third South American, to record 300 Premier League appearances.
21.
Pablo Zabaleta played 80 times for West Ham over three seasons, scoring one goal.
22.
At the age of 14, Pablo Zabaleta was called up by Hugo Tocalli to the Argentina under-15 squad.
23.
Pablo Zabaleta took part in many youth tournaments, including the FIFA U-20 World Cup in 2003 and 2005, winning the latter in the Netherlands.
24.
Pablo Zabaleta received over 75 caps to national youth sides, and started representing the senior side in 2005.
25.
Pablo Zabaleta was a member of the gold medal-winning team at the 2008 Summer Olympics, starting at right-back and playing all six matches.
26.
On 1 June 2011, Pablo Zabaleta captained Argentina for the first time in a friendly against Nigeria.
27.
In June 2014, Pablo Zabaleta was named in Argentina's squad for the 2014 World Cup.
28.
At the 2015 Copa America in Chile, Pablo Zabaleta sent in the cross from which his Manchester City teammate Sergio Aguero headed the only goal of the game as Argentina defeated holders Uruguay in their second group match.
29.
Pablo Zabaleta again worked as a pundit for the BBC and Match of the Day during their coverage of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
30.
Pablo Zabaleta has a tattoo on his chest which bears the name of his mother.