Interviews

Facundo Buonanotte completes Albion transfer

The midfielder talks us through why he came to Albion and what we can expect from him.

By Bruce Talbot • 13 January 2023

By Paul Hazlewood
Facundo Buonanotte has joined on a four-and-a-half year deal.

Albion’s new signing Facundo Buonanotte officially joined the club this week, having agreed to join from Argentinian club Rosario Central in November.

The attacking midfielder, who celebrated his 18th birthday on December 23, is the latest South American talent to head to Sussex, and has signed a contract that runs until June 2027.

Background

Originally from the nearby city of Perez, Facundo has been with Rosario Central since the age of ten when he joined their academy. The club was founded in 1899 by a group of Englishmen working on the Argentinian railways and were first elected to the Argentinian premier division in 1939. They have been league champions three times and their former players include two World Cup winners, Angel de Maria, who scored in last month’s final against France, and Mario Kempes, who was part of the team which won the tournament in Argentina in 1978. 

By Paul Hazlewood
The midfielder has joined from Rosario Central.

What sort of player is Facundo? 

‘Facu’ describes himself as a ball-playing attacking midfielder who likes to break into the box and score goals. He made his senior debut for Rosario last February and went on to make 32 appearances, scoring four goals. In June, he made his debut for Argentina at under-20 level, playing three times in the Toulon tournament in France, when they finished fifth.

His thoughts on…

Joining Albion: “It’s a pleasure to be here. The move was unexpected but really appealed to me because Brighton have always been focused on me and my family. Brighton are well known in Argentina, even more so now that Alexis [Mac Allister] is a World Cup winner. 

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Meet Albion's new signing Buonanotte

On a breakthrough 2022: “Everything has happened very quickly. It was an amazing year for me. I turned from a boy to a man, and it has been such an incredible 12 months. My career is only starting but I think the best moment has been Brighton’s interest in me and signing for the club.”

Ambitions: “It was always my ambition to play in England. I don’t think there were any players which inspired me but there are real role models here and truly great teams as well.”

On Roberto De Zerbi and Albion’s style of play: “Roberto sent me a message when I signed for the club, and he congratulated me and said he was waiting to work with me which made me very happy. I have watched Brighton’s last few games and I really like his style of play - he likes to have possession and that’s very important for me.”

Our other South American players: “Some of them messaged me [when I signed] which was nice of them, and I have spoken to Alexis and Julio [Enciso] who have said they will help me settle in and with the language, because learning English is the most important thing for me now. They have told me it’s an amazing club who give opportunities to young players. I’m looking forward to starting and doing my best.”