Name: Matías Nicolás Caruzzo

Nickname: "Caru"



Country: Argentina
Club: Argentinos Juniors / Boca Juniors
Shirt Number: 2, 6
Position: ★CB, SWP
Side: RF/BS
Age: 26-28 years (15/08/1984)

Height: 182 cm
Weight: 78 kg

Attack: 60
Defence: 79
Balance: 83
Stamina: 79
Top Speed: 78
Acceleration: 76
Response: 80
Agility: 73
Dribble Accuracy: 71
Dribble Speed: 69
Short Pass Accuracy: 75
Short Pass Speed: 73
Long Pass Accuracy: 76
Long Pass Speed: 76
Shot Accuracy: 63
Shot Power: 80
Shot Technique: 65
Free Kick Accuracy: 65
Swerve: 69
Heading: 79
Jump: 83
Technique: 75
Aggression: 65
Mentality: 76
Goalkeeper Skills: 50
Team work: 79

Injury Tolerance: B
Condition/Fitness: 6
Weak Foot Accuracy: 4
Weak Foot Frequency: 4
Consistency: 4
Growth type: Standard

CARDS:
S05 - 1-Touch Play

SPECIAL ABILITIES: 1-Touch Pass

Attack/Defence Awareness Card: Defence-Minded

INFO:
Matías Caruzzo is a former Argentine footballer who played as a center-back. Born in CABA, Buenos Aires (08/15/1984), he made his professional debut on April 15, 2006, for Argentinos Juniors in a match that ended in a 4-0 victory against Tiro Federal de Rosario, including a goal from him. He became one of the cornerstones of the La Paternal team, being awarded the captain's armband. On May 9, 2010, Caruzzo would give Argentinos Juniors their third title in history, and the first in 25 years, by scoring a stunning goal in the 93rd minute of a match against Independiente in the penultimate round of the 2010 Torneo Clausura. In July 2010, he was transferred to Boca Juniors for the sum of 2,500,000 dollars for 85% of his rights, at the express request of Claudio Borghi, who was then the coach of the team. In his first tournament with Boca, he showed high performance in the new defense set up by the Xeneizes, becoming the most consistent player in the team's defense, although just a couple of months later, his level dropped drastically, leading to frequent criticism from fans. Caruzzo would win the 2011 Torneo Apertura and the 2012 Copa Argentina with Boca Juniors. On July 6, 2014, he officially returned to the club where he grew as a footballer as Argentinos had just lost their category, which demoralized him, prompting the player to return and try to help Argentinos ascend again alongside several teammates who were champions in 2010, such as Juan Sabia, Germán Basualdo, and Facundo Coria, among others. On December 7, after a 1-1 draw with Douglas Haig, Argentinos Juniors achieved promotion back to the Primera División after finishing first in their zone and securing one of the promotions contested in that short season. Subsequently, Caruzzo would play three years with the then reigning Copa Libertadores champion, San Lorenzo de Almagro, then he would move to Rosario Central, where he would win the 2018 Copa Argentina, taking the last penalty in the shootout in the final, and finally, he would retire from professional activity at Argentinos Juniors in 2021.

Matías Caruzzo was called up by the national team when it was managed by Diego Maradona. He made his debut on May 20, 2009, against Panama, which ended in a 3-1 victory. On September 30, 2009, he would play his second friendly match against the Ghana national team. In 2010, on January 26, he faced a youth team from Costa Rica, where Argentina triumphed 3-2. On February 10, he would play another friendly, this time against the Jamaican national team, which ended in a 2-1 victory. On May 5, he faced the Haitian national team in a 4-0 rout, marking his fifth match with the Albiceleste team. In early October 2016, there were strong rumors about his name being considered for the national team due to the large number of regular defenders receiving yellow cards. Both Nicolás Otamendi and Emmanuel Mas, one due to accumulated yellow cards and the other due to injury, could not play in the match following the 1-0 victory against Chile. Therefore, coach Edgardo Bauza called up Caruzzo to serve as a substitute in the match on March 28, 2017, against Bolivia in La Paz. Thirty minutes into the first half, Ramiro Funes Mori was injured, and Caruzzo came on in his place after seven years without wearing the Albiceleste jersey. The match ended 2-0 in favor of the home team, with Caruzzo performing moderately and playing the remaining 60 minutes.