Juan Marcos Foyth (born 12 January 1998) is an Argentine professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...

who plays as

right-back In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Defenders fall into four main categories: centre-backs, full-backs, sweepers ...

for

La Liga The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Primera División, commonly known as the Primera División or La Liga, and officially known as LaLiga EA Sports for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Spain and the highest ...

club

Villarreal Villarreal (officially, in ) is a city and municipality in the province of Castellón which is part of the Valencian Community in the east of Spain. The town is located at 42 m above sea level, 7 km to the south of the province's capital ( ...

and the Argentina national team. Having begun his professional career at his hometown club Estudiantes, he went on to play in the

Premier League The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...

for

Tottenham Hotspur Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as simply Tottenham (, , , ) or Spurs, is a professional Association football, football club based in Tottenham, North London, England. The club itself has stated that it should always ...

and in

for Villarreal. He won the

UEFA Europa League The UEFA Europa League (UEL), usually known simply as the Europa League, is an annual association football, football club competition organised since 1971 by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European footb ...

with the latter club in

2021 Like the year 2020, 2021 was also heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the emergence of multiple Variants of SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19 variants. The major global rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, which began at the end of 2020, continued ...

. Foyth made his senior international debut for Argentina in 2018 and was part of their squad that came third at the

2019 Copa América The 2019 Copa América was the 46th edition of the Copa América, the international men's association football championship organized by South America's football ruling body CONMEBOL. It was held in Brazil and took place between 14 June and 7 Ju ...

and won the

2022 Finalissima The 2022 Finalissima (; ) was the third edition of the CONMEBOL–UEFA Cup of Champions, an intercontinental football match between the winners of the previous South American and European championships. The match featured Italy, winners of UEF ...

and

2022 FIFA World Cup The 2022 FIFA World Cup was the 22nd FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for national football teams organized by FIFA. It took place in Qatar from 20 November to 18 December 2022, after the country was awarded the hosting ri ...

Club career

Estudiantes

Born in

La Plata La Plata () is the capital city of Buenos Aires province, Argentina. According to the 2022 Argentina census, census, the La Plata Partido, Partido has a population of 772,618 and its metropolitan area, the Greater La Plata, has 938,287 inhabit ...

Buenos Aires Province Buenos Aires, officially the Buenos Aires Province, is the largest and most populous Provinces of Argentina, Argentine province. It takes its name from the city of Buenos Aires, the capital of the country, which used to be part of the province an ...

, Foyth began his career at hometown club

Estudiantes de La Plata ( lit. "La Plata Students"), simply referred to as Estudiantes de La Plata, is an Argentine professional sports club based in La Plata. The club's football team currently competes in the Primera División, where it has spent most of its histo ...

. He played for a number of years in the Youth academy, initially as an

attacking midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. ...

, then moved to

centre-back In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Defenders fall into four main categories: centre-backs, full-backs, sweepers ...

before he turned 16. He signed his first professional contract in January 2017, which linked him to the club until June 2019. He made his Primera División debut on 19 March 2017, against Patronato, aged 19. He went on to play a further six times in the league, with additional two appearances in the

Copa Sudamericana The CONMEBOL Sudamericana, also known as Copa Sudamericana (; ), is an annual international club football competition organized by CONMEBOL, the governing body of football in South America, since 2002. It is the second-most prestigious club com ...

Tottenham Hotspur

Foyth joined

for a reported £8 million on 30 August 2017, on a five-year contract. He made his debut on 19 September in an

EFL Cup The English Football League Cup, often referred to as the League Cup and currently known as the Carabao Cup for sponsorship reasons, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout competition in men's domestic football in England. Orga ...

tie against

Barnsley Barnsley () is a market town in South Yorkshire, England. It is the main settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley and the fourth largest settlement in South Yorkshire. The town's population was 71,422 in 2021, while the wider boroug ...

that Tottenham won 1–0. Foyth made his

debut on 3 November 2018 in a 3–2 away win against

Wolverhampton Wanderers Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club ( ), commonly referred to as Wolves, is a professional association football, football club based in Wolverhampton, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league s ...

, where he conceded two penalties which were both converted. In his next league appearance, away to

Crystal Palace Crystal Palace may refer to: Places Canada * Crystal Palace Complex (Dieppe), a former amusement park now a shopping complex in Dieppe, New Brunswick * Crystal Palace Barracks, London, Ontario * Crystal Palace (Montreal), an exhibition buildin ...

, he scored his first career goal, handing Tottenham a 1–0 win. On 4 May 2019, he came on at half time for

Toby Alderweireld Tobias Albertine Maurits Alderweireld (; born 2 March 1989) is a Belgian former professional association football, footballer who played as a Defender (association football)#Full-back, centre-back. Alderweireld began his professional career at D ...

and was

sent off In sports, an ejection (also known as dismissal, sending-off, disqualification, or early shower) is the removal of a participant from a contest due to a violation of the sport's rules. The exact violations that lead to an ejection vary depending ...

three minutes later for a foul on Jack Simpson in a 1–0 loss at

AFC Bournemouth AFC Bournemouth ( ) is a professional association football club based in Kings Park, Boscombe, a suburb of Bournemouth, Dorset, England. The club compete in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English football. ...

Villarreal

In October 2020, Foyth signed a new deal with Tottenham until 2023, and was then loaned to Spanish club

. He made his debut on 22 October, scoring in a 5–3 home win over Turkey's

Sivasspor Sivasspor Kulübü, known as Net Global Sivasspor due to sponsorship reasons, is a Turkish sports club based in Sivas. The primary department of the club is men's football. Formed in 1967, its football department has competed in Süper Lig since t ...

in the group stage of the

. He made 11 more appearances in the tournament as his team won it, including a start in the

final victory ''Final Victory'' () is a 1987 Hong Kong action film directed by Patrick Tam and starring Eric Tsang, Loletta Lee, Margaret Lee and Tsui Hark. Plot Triad leader Big Bo is a violent man, but his younger brother Hung is a "good guy" with a ...

over

Manchester United Manchester United Football Club, commonly referred to as Man United (often stylised as Man Utd) or simply United, is a professional association football, football club based in Old Trafford (area), Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, Engl ...

. At the end of his loan season, Foyth signed for Villarreal in June 2021 on a five-year deal for a fee of €15 million. On 16 August, he was sent off in a goalless draw at

Granada CF Granada Club de Fútbol (), known simply as Granada or ''"Graná"'', is a professional List of football clubs in Spain, Spanish football club based in the city of Granada, in the autonomous community of Andalusia, that currently plays in Segunda ...

in the opening game of the season. He became a key player at right-back for manager

Unai Emery Unai Emery Etxegoien (born 3 November 1971) is a Spanish Association football, football Manager (association football), manager and former player who is the manager of Premier League club Aston Villa F.C., Aston Villa. He is widely regarded as o ...

, replacing veteran

Mario Gaspar Mario Gaspar Pérez Martínez (; born 24 November 1990) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a right-back for La Liga club Elche. He spent 15 years of his career at Villarreal, making 424 official appearances and winning the 2020� ...

and covering for the injured

Serge Aurier Serge Alain Stéphane Aurier (; born 24 December 1992) is an Ivorian professional footballer who plays as a right-back and captains the Ivory Coast national team. Aurier moved to France as a child and played for Lens, Toulouse and Paris Saint-G ...

. On 12 May 2022, he scored his first La Liga goal, to restore the lead in a 5–1 win at

Rayo Vallecano Rayo Vallecano de Madrid, S.A.D. (), often abbreviated to Rayo (Spanish for "thunderbolt"), is a Spanish professional football club based in the Villa de Vallecas district of Madrid. The club competes in La Liga, the top flight of Spanish foot ...

International career

Foyth played for the Argentina national under-20 team in 2017. He made 12 appearances in total for the national youth team: nine at the

2017 South American Youth Football Championship The 2017 South American Youth Football Championship (, ) was the 28th edition of the South American Youth Football Championship, a football competition for the under-20 national teams in South America organized by CONMEBOL. It was held in Ecuador f ...

in Ecuador, and another three during the

2017 FIFA U-20 World Cup The 2017 FIFA U-20 World Cup was the 21st edition of the FIFA U-20 World Cup, the biennial international men's youth football championship contested by the under-20 national teams of the member associations of FIFA, since its inception in 1977 a ...

. Foyth was called up for the first time to the senior Argentina national team by manager

Lionel Scaloni Lionel Sebastián Scaloni (, ; born 16 May 1978) is an Argentine professional football manager and former player who is the current manager of the Argentina national team. Under his leadership, Argentina achieved the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Scalon ...

for a number of friendly games to be played in October 2018. He made his debut on 16 November in a friendly against

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

where he helped Argentina to a 2–0 win, being named

man of the match In team sport, a player of the match award (also known as man of the match or woman of the match) is often given to the most outstanding player in a particular match. This can be a player from either team, although the player is generally chose ...

and receiving wide praise for his performance in this match. He was included in the final 23-man squad for the

, and made his first start in the competition in the match against

Qatar Qatar, officially the State of Qatar, is a country in West Asia. It occupies the Geography of Qatar, Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it shares Qatar–Saudi Arabia border, its sole land b ...

. He started as a right-back in three further games, including the semi-final they lost to

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

2–0, and the third-place play-off match against

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...

, which they won 2–1. On 1 June 2022, Foyth remained as an unused substitute as Argentina won 3–0 against reigning European Champions

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

Wembley Stadium Wembley Stadium, currently branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE Limited, EE for sponsorship reasons, is an association football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the Wembley Stadium (1923), original Wembley Sta ...

in the

. He was named in Argentina's final 26-man squad for the

by Scaloni. His only minutes in the tournament came in the final moments of the semi-final against

Croatia Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...

. Argentina were already up 3–0, so Foyth came in to replace

Nahuel Molina Nahuel Molina Lucero (born 6 April 1998) is an Argentine professional association football, footballer who plays as a right-back or right wing-back for club Atlético Madrid and the Argentina national football team, Argentina national team. Cl ...

. He was an unused substitute as Argentina won the World Cup by defeating France 4–2 in a penalty shoot-out to win the final.

Personal life

Foyth, who was born in Argentina, is of Czech and Polish descent and holds a

Polish passport A Polish passport () is an international travel document issued to nationals of Poland, and may also serve as proof of Polish nationality law, Polish citizenship. Besides enabling the bearer to travel internationally and serving as indication o ...

. He also holds

Spanish nationality The Spanish nationality legal framework refers to all the laws, provisions, regulations, and resolutions in Spain concerning nationality. Article 11 of the First Title of the Spanish Constitution refers to Spanish nationality and establishes ...

. His grandparents' surname was spelled ''Fojt'', which was changed on arrival in Argentina. Foyth married his longtime girlfriend Ariana Alonso in

, Argentina, in July 2019.

Career statistics

Club

International

Honours

Tottenham Hotspur *

UEFA Champions League The UEFA Champions League (UCL) is an annual club association football competition organised by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) that is contested by List of top-division football clubs in UEFA countries, top-divisio ...

runner-up: 2018–19 Villarreal *

2020–21 The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen ...

Argentina *

FIFA World Cup The FIFA World Cup, often called the World Cup, is an international association football competition among the senior List of men's national association football teams, men's national teams of the members of the FIFA, Fédération Internatio ...

2022 The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...

CONMEBOL–UEFA Cup of Champions The Finalissima or officially CONMEBOL–UEFA Cup of Champions, formerly known as European/South American Nations Cup and also called Artemio Franchi Cup, is an intercontinental football match organised by CONMEBOL and UEFA and contested by th ...

References

External links

Profile
at the Villarreal CF website * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Foyth, Juan 1998 births Living people Footballers from La Plata Argentine men's footballers Argentina men's international footballers Argentina men's youth international footballers Argentina men's under-20 international footballers Men's association football fullbacks Men's association football central defenders Estudiantes de La Plata footballers Tottenham Hotspur F.C. players Villarreal CF players Argentine Primera División players Premier League players La Liga players Argentine expatriate men's footballers Expatriate men's footballers in England Expatriate men's footballers in Spain Argentine expatriate sportspeople in England Argentine expatriate sportspeople in Spain 2019 Copa América players 2022 FIFA World Cup players FIFA World Cup–winning players Argentine people of Polish descent UEFA Europa League–winning players Naturalised citizens of Spain 21st-century Argentine sportsmen