21 August 2017
Juventus can confirm today the arrival of defender Ezequiel Garay from Valencia CF. The Argentine international, 30, has signed a XXX year deal at the club until XXXX
Official Statement
Garay joins Juventus after a career that has been mainly played in the Iberian Peninsula at Racing Santander, Real Madrid, Benfica and, most-recently, Valencia as well as a stint in Russia with Zenit St. Petersberg. Garay has won the Spanish Copa del Rey, Portuguese Cup and Russian Cup as well as the league title in both Russia and Portugal.
EARLY ENTRANCE TO EUROPE
Garay moved from his boyhood Argentine club Newell’s Old Boys to La Liga’s Racing Santander at just 19 years old making his debut for the Spanish side in February of 2006. Garay would breakthrough in a big way in his first full season with the club scoring nine goals in 31 matches leading his side to a top-half finish.
Santander would follow that season up with a 6th place finish in the 2007/08 campaign qualifying for the Europa League for the first time.
MOVING TO THE CAPITAL
The Argentine was sold to Real Madrid following the 2007/08 campaign and, after another year on loan at Santander, joined Los Merengues full time for the 2009/10 season.
Garay played two seasons in Madrid amassing 31 appearances for the club while winning the 2010/11 Copa Del Rey. He was then sold to Portugese giants Benfica, trading the Spanish capital for Lisbon.
It was in Portugal that Garay truly made his name on the European stage. In three seasons with Benfica, Garay led the Eagles to an appearance in the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals in the 2011/12 season before back-to-back runner-up finishes in the Europa League. He was named to the 2013/14 Europa League team of the season alongside multiple Juventus players on the Bianconeri squad that made it to the semi-finals.
Garay then spent two full seasons with Zenit St. Petersberg in Russia winning the league in 2014/15 and the cup in 2015/16. Last season, the defender joined his third La Liga club, Valencia CF, playing nearly every match of the season.
INTERNATIONAL PEDIGREE
The Rosario native has been at his best with the Argentina national team winning the U-20 World Cup in 2005 with a squad including Lionel Messi, Sergio Aguero and Fernando Gago. Garay was called up for the 2014 FIFA World Cup playing every minute in all seven games for the Albiceleste in their run to the World Cup Final defeat to Germany.
Everyone at Juventus welcomes Ezequiel Garay to the squad!
Bienvenido, Ezequiel!
