•Pablo Zabaleta’s birthplace of Arrecifes is famous for also being the home town of Formula 1 drivers Jose Froilan Gonzalez and Norberto Fontana and the Di Palma motor racing dynasty and is known as Argentina’s ‘Capital of Motorsports’.

Zabaleta

•Pablo Zabaleta began his career with Club Atletico San Lorenzo de Almagro at the age of 12 as a midfielder.

•After making 79 appearances and scoring eight goals, Pablo Zabaleta moved to Spanish club RCD Espanyol, where he won the Copa del Rey alongside fellow Argentinian Maurico Pochettino.

•Pablo Zabaleta captained a squad including future national team stars Lionel Messi, Sergio Aguero and Fernando Gago to the 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship title.

•Pablo Zabaleta has appeared at three different major tournaments for Argentina – the Olympic Games, Copa America and FIFA World Cup.

•Argentina’s star-studded 2008 Olympic Gold medal-winning squad included Pablo Zabaleta, Lionel Messi, Sergio Aguero, Juan Roman Riquelme, Angel Di Maria and former West Ham United midfielder Javier Mascherano.

•June 2011 saw Pablo Zabaleta captain Argentina for the first time in a 3-1 victory over Nigeria at the unlikely venue of the Bangabandhu National Stadium in Dhaka, Bangladesh!

•In May 2012, Pablo Zabaleta opened the scoring in Manchester City’s unforgettable 3-2 final-day victory over Queens Park Rangers that secured their maiden Premier League titles.

•Pablo Zabaleta enjoyed a double personal success at the end of the 2012/13 season, being named in the PFA Premier League Team of the Year and Manchester City’s Player of the Year.

•Pablo Zabaleta has made more Premier League appearances, 230, than any other Argentinian player.

•The 32-year-old has enjoyed the winning feeling in 134 of those matches, and tasted defeat in just 51.

•In 230 Premier League appearances, Pablo Zabaleta has conceded just 209 goals, scored nine himself and kept 72 clean sheets.

•Pablo Zabaleta played against West Ham United 12 times during his Manchester City career, winning nine, drawing one and losing two.\

Source: WHUFC