Javier Pinola

Javier Horacio Pinola (born 24 February 1983) is an Argentine professional football coach and a former player who played as a left-back. He is an assistant coach with German club 1. FC Nürnberg. He started his career with Chacarita Juniors in 2000, but spent most of his professional career with Nürnberg, appearing in 286 competitive games and winning the 2007 German Cup.

Javier Pinola

Pinola with River Plate in 2019
Personal information
Full name	Javier Horacio Pinola
Date of birth	(1983-02-24) 24 February 1983 (age 42)
Place of birth	Olivos, Argentina
Height	1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)[1]
Position(s)	Left-back
Team information
Current team	1. FC Nürnberg (assistant manager)
Youth career
	Huracán Tres Arroyos
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2000–2002	Chacarita Juniors	55	(1)
2002–2003	Atlético Madrid B	13	(0)
2003–2007	Atlético Madrid	2	(0)
2004–2005	→ Racing Club (loan)	54	(1)
2005–2007	→ 1. FC Nürnberg (loan)	57	(2)
2007–2015	1. FC Nürnberg	203	(5)
2015–2017	Rosario Central	40	(0)
2017–2022	River Plate	71	(3)
International career
2007–2016	Argentina	2	(0)
Managerial career
2023–2024	River Plate (assistant)
2024–	1. FC Nürnberg (assistant)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Club career

Pinola in training with Nürnberg.

Born in Olivos, Buenos Aires Province, Pinola began playing as a senior with Chacarita Juniors in the Argentine Primera División. Two years later he moved to Spain and Atlético Madrid,^[2] going on to appear mainly for the reserves and also being loaned two times for the duration of his contract, mainly to Germany's 1. FC Nürnberg.^[3]

After solid displays in his first two seasons in the Bundesliga, adding the conquest of the German Cup in his second, to which he contributed with two goals and two assists in six games, Pinola joined Nürnberg on a permanent basis.^[4] He played 19 matches in his first year in his second spell, suffering team relegation.

Pinola continued to be a defensive mainstay for the Franconians in the following campaigns, renewing his contract first until 2013^[5] then 2015^[6] but leaving eventually at the end of 2014–15 after rejecting a new offer.^[7]

On 24 June 2015, Pinola was presented as a new player of Rosario Central, joining after being convinced by manager Eduardo Coudet.^[8]

International career

In 2007, Pinola was selected by Argentina manager Alfio Basile for friendlies with Switzerland and Algeria. He earned his first cap against the latter, on 5 June.^[9]

In 2016, following a string of good performances, head coach Gerardo Martino called up Pinola for 2018 World Cup qualifiers against Chile and Bolivia. He played the full 90 minutes against the former, in a 2–0 win in Córdoba.^[10]

Career statistics

As of 9 December 2018^[11][12]

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			Cup		International		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Chacarita Juniors	2001–02	Argentine Primera División	31	1	0	0	0	0	–		31	1
Atlético Madrid	2003–04	La Liga	2	0	0	0	0	0	–		2	0
Racing Club (loan)	2003–04	Argentine Primera División	19	0	0	0	0	0	–		19	0
	2004–05		35	1	0	0	0	0	–		35	1
	Total		54	1	0	0	0	0	–		54	1
1. FC Nürnberg (loan)	2005–06	Bundesliga	25	1	2	1	0	0	–		27	2
	2006–07		32	1	6	0	0	0	–		38	1
	Total		57	2	8	1	0	0	–		65	3
1. FC Nürnberg	2007–08	Bundesliga	19	1	0	0	3	0	–		22	1
	2008–09	2. Bundesliga	33	1	2	0	0	0	2	0	37	1
	2009–10	Bundesliga	33	0	2	0	0	0	1	0	36	0
	2010–11		28	2	4	1	0	0	–		32	3
	2011–12		17	0	1	0	0	0	–		18	0
	2012–13		28	0	1	0	0	0	–		29	0
	2013–14		20	0	1	0	0	0	–		21	0
	2014–15	2. Bundesliga	25	1	1	0	0	0	–		26	1
	Total		203	5	12	1	3	0	3	0	221	6
Rosario Central	2015	Argentine Primera División	15	0	4	0	0	0	–		19	0
	2016		11	0	0	0	9	0	–		20	0
	2016–17		14	0	0	0	0	0	–		14	0
	Total		40	0	4	0	9	0	0	0	53	0
River Plate	2017–18	Argentine Primera División	20	3	7	0	11	2	–		38	5
	2018–19		7	0	5	0	8	0	–		20	0
	Total		27	3	12	0	19	2	0	0	58	5
Career total			414	7	36	2	31	2	3	0	484	0

Honours

Nürnberg

• DFB-Pokal: 2006–07

River Plate

• Argentine Primera División: 2021
• Copa Argentina: 2016–17, 2018-19
• Supercopa Argentina: 2017, 2019
• Trofeo de Campeones: 2021
• Copa Libertadores: 2018
• Recopa Sudamericana: 2019

Argentina U20

• South American Youth Football Championship: 2003