| Intro | Argentinian association football player | ||||||
| Is |
Athlete Football player Association football player |
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| From | Argentina | ||||||
| Type | Sports | ||||||
| Gender | male | ||||||
| Birth | 19 November 1988, La Plata, Argentina | ||||||
| Age: | 31 years | ||||||
| Star sign | Scorpio | ||||||
| Stats |
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| Sports Teams |
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Víctor Leandro Cuesta (born 19 November 1988) is an Argentine professional footballer who plays for Internacional and the Argentina national team as a central defender.
Club career
Born in La Plata, Cuesta joined Arsenal Sarandí as a youth player, progressing to the senior team in 2008. Struggling to get first team action, he was loaned to Defensa y Justicia in January 2010, playing at the time in the Nacional B. He made 34 appearances and scored 2 goals during his one-and-a-half-year stint at the club.
Cuesta returned to Arsenal in 2011 and was part of the squad that won the 2012 Clausura, the 2012 Supercopa and the 2012–13 Copa Argentina, being used mainly as a substitute and making 19 appearances over two seasons. In 2013, he was loaned to Huracán and there enjoyed a successful spell, winning the Copa Argentina as a starter.
Independiente
In 2014, after 6 years contracted to Arsenal, Cuesta transferred to Independiente for $1 million.
Internacional
On 2 March 2017 Internacional signed Cuesta from Independiente. The Brazilian club paid a $0.5 million fee for 50% of his rights with
clauses that could raise the total fee to $2.5 million.
Cuesta was a key member in the 2017 Brazilian Série B campaign, helping Internacional finishing in second place returning to Brazilian top level Série A.
In the following year he was selected to the Bola de Prata and 2018 Série A team of the year.
Career statistics
Club
- As of 9 December 2019.
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Arsenal Sarandí | 2011–12 | Primera División | 8 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | 12 | 1 | |
| 2012–13 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | — | 16 | 1 | |||
| 2013–14 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 1 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 19 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 29 | 2 | ||
| Defensa y Justicia (loan) | 2009–10 | Primera División | 17 | 1 | — | — | — | 17 | 1 | |||
| 2010–11 | 17 | 1 | — | — | — | 17 | 1 | |||||
| Total | 34 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 34 | 2 | ||
| Huracán (loan) | 2013–14 | Primera División | 33 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 34 | 1 | ||
| Independiente | 2014 | 16 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 17 | 1 | |||
| 2015 | 30 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 0 | — | 38 | 1 | |||
| 2016 | 15 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 23 | 5 | ||
| 2016–17 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | 14 | 1 | |||
| Total | 73 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 92 | 8 | ||
| Internacional | 2017 | Série B | 27 | 3 | 4 | 0 | — | 9 | 1 | 40 | 4 | |
| 2018 | Série A | 19 | 2 | 6 | 0 | — | 7 | 0 | 32 | 2 | ||
| 2019 | 31 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 60 | 1 | ||
| Total | 77 | 6 | 18 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 27 | 1 | 132 | 7 | ||
| Career total | 236 | 16 | 27 | 1 | 26 | 0 | 32 | 3 | 321 | 20 | ||
International career
In April 2016, Cuesta was included by Gerardo Martino in the preliminary list for the Olympic squad that will be playing in Rio.
In May 2016, he received his first call up to the senior team as a member of the squad for the Copa América Centenario. He made his debut on 27 May 2016, coming off the bench in a 1-0 win against Honduras.
International goals
| Goal | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 14 June 2016 | CenturyLink Field, Seattle, United States | Bolivia | 3–0 | 3–0 | Copa America Centenario |
Honours
Club
- Arsenal de Sarandí
- Primera División: 2012 Clausura
- Supercopa Argentina: 2012
- Copa Argentina: 2012–13
- Huracán
- Copa Argentina: 2013–14
Individual
- Bola de Prata: 2018
- Campeonato Brasileiro Série A Team of the Year: 2018