Franco Cervi

Franco Emanuel Cervi (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈfɾaŋko emaˈnwel ˈseɾβi]; 26 May 1994) is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a left winger or left wing-back for La Liga club Celta de Vigo.

Franco Cervi

Cervi playing for Benfica in 2016
Personal information
Full name	Franco Emanuel Cervi
Date of birth	(1994-05-26) 26 May 1994 (age 31)
Place of birth	San Lorenzo, Argentina
Height	1.65 m (5 ft 5 in)
Position(s)	Left winger/left wing-back
Team information
Current team	Celta
Number	11
Youth career
2001–2014	Rosario Central
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2014–2016	Rosario Central	42	(5)
2016–2021	Benfica	114	(11)
2021–	Celta	93	(4)
International career‡
2018	Argentina	4	(1)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 27 May 2025 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 20 November 2018

Club career

Rosario Central

A product of Rosario Central's youth system, Cervi made his league debut on 9 November 2014 against Estudiantes in a 1–0 home win. He replaced Hernán Encina after 66 minutes.^[1] On 14 February 2015, he scored his first league goal against Racing Club.^[2]

On 25 February 2016, Cervi made his debut in the Copa Libertadores against Nacional. He scored his first international goal in a 3–1 win against River Plate.^[3]

Benfica

On 15 September 2015, Cervi signed a six-year contract with Portuguese champions Benfica with a release clause of €60 million.^[4][5] He continued to play for Rosario Central until May 2016 and joined Benfica on 24 June for the pre-season.^[6] On his debut for Benfica, he scored the opening goal in a 3–0 win over Braga in the Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira, on 7 August 2016, and was elected best player on pitch.^[7]

On 29 December, Cervi became the first Benfica player to score in all Portuguese competitions in the same season – Supertaça, Primeira Liga, Taça de Portugal and Taça da Liga respectively. In addition, he also scored in the UEFA Champions League.^[8]

Celta de Vigo

On 5 July 2021, Cervi joined Celta de Vigo.^[9]

International career

Cervi was selected in Argentina's 35-man provisional squad for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro,^[10] however he did not make the final 18-man squad for the tournament.

Cervi made his international debut for Argentina in a 3–0 friendly win over Guatemala on 8 September 2018.^[11]

Personal life

Cervi, who is of Italian descent, possesses an Italian passport.^[12]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 15 May 2024^[13][14]

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			National cup		League cup		Continental		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Rosario Central	2014	Argentine Primera División	3	0	0	0	—		0	0	—		3	0
	2015		27	5	4	0	—		0	0	—		31	5
	2016		12	0	0	0	—		10	2	—		22	2
	Total		42	5	4	0	—		10	2	—		56	7
Benfica	2016–17	Primeira Liga	26	2	6	1	1	1	7	2	1[a]	1	41	7
	2017–18		31	3	2	1	0	0	3	0	1[a]	0	37	4
	2018–19		20	4	2	0	2	0	14	1	—		38	5
	2019–20		16	2	5	1	0	0	6	1	0	0	27	4
	2020–21		14	0	4	1	1	0	2	0	—		21	1
	Total		107	11	19	4	4	1	32	4	2	1	164	21
Celta	2021–22	La Liga	33	4	3	2	—		—		—		36	6
	2022–23		36	0	3	1	—		—		—		39	1
	2023–24		17	0	2	0	—		—		—		19	0
	Total		86	4	8	3	—		—		—		94	7
Career total			236	20	31	7	4	1	42	6	2	1	311	35

1. Appearance in the Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira

International

As of 20 November 2018^[14]

Appearances and goals by national team and year

National team	Year	Apps	Goals
Argentina	2018	4	1
Total		4	1

Scores and results list Argentina's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Cervi goal.

List of international goals scored by Franco Cervi^[15]

No.	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	11 October 2018	Prince Faisal bin Fahd Stadium, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia	Iraq	4–0	4–0	Friendly

Honours

Benfica^[14]

• Primeira Liga: 2016–17, 2018–19
• Taça de Portugal: 2016–17^[16]
• Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira: 2016,^[7] 2017

Individual

• 2016 Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira: Best Player^[7]