Name: Diego Sebastián Saja
Nickname: "Chino"
Country:
ArgentinaClub:
Racing ClubShirt Number:
1Position:
★GKSide: LF/BS
Age:
32-35 years (05/06/1979)
Height:
188 cmWeight:
84 kgAttack:
30Defence:
84Balance:
84Stamina:
58Top Speed:
67Acceleration:
69Response:
88Agility:
77Dribble Accuracy:
58Dribble Speed:
55Short Pass Accuracy:
63Short Pass Speed:
62Long Pass Accuracy:
66Long Pass Speed:
70Shot Accuracy:
45Shot Power:
84Shot Technique:
44Free Kick Accuracy:
60Swerve:
49Heading:
50Jump:
80Technique:
58Aggression:
60Mentality:
83Goalkeeper Skills:
83Team work:
73Injury Tolerance:
ACondition/Fitness:
6Weak Foot Accuracy:
3Weak Foot Frequency:
3Consistency:
6Growth type:
Early/LastingCARDS:S04 - PK Taker
S11 - Penalty Saver
SPECIAL ABILITIES: Penalties - Penalty Stopper
Attack/Defence Awareness Card:
Defence-MindedINFO:Sebastián Saja is an Argentine former footballer who played as a goalkeeper. Born in Brandsen, Buenos Aires (05/06/1975), Saja made his pro debut at C.A. San Lorenzo on October 1, 2000, for the Torneo Apertura. The starting goalkeeper at that time was Gustavo Campagnuolo, but due to an injury, Saja stepped in as Manuel Pellegrini's first-choice goalkeeper. Six months later, he shone against Flamengo in the finals of the 2001 Copa Mercosur: a goalkeeper and great penalty taker, and part of the club's first international title. In 2002, he scored a penalty goal in the 4-0 victory against Atlético Nacional in the Copa Sudamericana final. In 2003, he moved to Europe. Saja was loaned to Brescia in 2003, where he played the first part of the 2003-04 season. Midway through the season, he moved to Rayo Vallecano in the Spanish Second Division, where he was a starter but could not prevent relegation to Segunda División B. During the following season, he joined another Segunda División club, Córdoba, where he also suffered relegation. After a stint at Club América in Mexico, he returned to San Lorenzo, where he won 3 titles and scored five goals. However, not being considered by the new coach, Ramón Díaz, he was loaned out once again, this time to Grêmio de Porto Alegre. He arrived at Grêmio and quickly stood out, winning the Campeonato Gaúcho 2007 and reaching the final of the 2007 Copa Libertadores, where he was chosen as the tournament's best goalkeeper. After his contract with Grêmio ended, Saja signed a one-year contract with an option for 3 more years with AEK Athens. In 2011, he helped the Athens team win the Greek Cup. In 2011, he signed for Racing Club for 3 seasons. In his first tournament with the Avellaneda entity, he was a fundamental part of the team that finished runner-up in the 2011 Torneo Apertura, being the second least beaten goalkeeper of the tournament behind Agustín Orión. His eight goals conceded in 19 matches made him the Racing goalkeeper with the fewest goals conceded in a short tournament, surpassing the previous record of nine goals achieved by Carlos Roa in the 1992 Clausura. He was the main architect of Racing reaching the final of the 2012 Copa Argentina. Following Claudio Yacob's departure from the first team, Saja became the captain of the team. The goalkeeper scored his first goal for Racing Club against his former team, San Lorenzo de Almagro, in a 4-0 victory in the 2012 Torneo Inicial. He also became Racing Club's top scorer in the 2014 Torneo Final with 3 goals, all from penalties. On December 14, 2014, he was crowned champion with Racing Club in the 2014 Primera División Championship, playing 18 matches, saving a decisive penalty against Quilmes A.C. in the last game, and being a standout player for Racing Club by keeping a clean sheet in the last 7 rounds of the 2014 Torneo Transición. His clean sheet streak began in a 1-1 draw against Olimpo on matchday 13 in the 1st minute of the second half. In 2015, Sebastián Saja surpassed Agustín Cejas' legendary record of Racing's clean sheet with 587 minutes (Cejas held the record for 584 minutes), which stood for 49 years. On May 26, 2016, he announced that he would not renew his contract with Racing Club and retired from Argentine football to continue his career abroad, playing his last match for Racing in a 2-0 victory against Gimnasia y Tiro de Salta on May 25, 2016, for the Copa Argentina. After his swift departure from Racing, at the age of 37, Saja chose the tranquility of Tarragona, Spain for his last saves, wearing the Gimnastic jersey, a club from the second division of that country. Finally, he passed through Real Zaragoza in 2017 before finally retiring from professional football.
Total career statistics

C.A. San Lorenzo (2000 - 2007) - 177 games, -237 goals received, 12 goals scored.
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Brescia Calcio (2003) - 5 games, -9 goals received.
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Rayo Vallecano (2003 - 2004) - 20 games, -30 goals received.
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Córdoba C.F. (2004 - 2005) - 23 games, -25 goals received.
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Club América (2005) - 4 games, -6 goals received.
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Grêmio FBPA (2007) - 59 games, -64 goals received, 1 goal scored.

AEK Athens (2008 - 2011) - 117 games, -122 goals received.

Racing Club (2011 - 2016) - 203 games, -200 goals received, 7 goals scored.

Gimnàstic de Tarragona (2016) - 11 games, -16 goals received.

Real Zaragoza (2017) - 6 games, -9 goals received.
Argentina National Team (2002 - 2003) - 4 games, -2 goals received.