Sebastian Coates
Birthdate: 7 October 1990
Birthplace: Montevideo, Uruguay
Other clubs: Nacional (2001-11)
Bought from: Nacional
Signed for LFC: £4.9m, 30.08.2011
International debut: 23.06.2011 vs. Estonia
International caps: 8/1 (3/1 at LFC) - 10.06.2012
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Liverpool debut: 18.09.2011
Last appearance: 19.05.2013
Debut goal: 21.03.2012
Last goal: 20.09.2012
Contract expiry: 2016
Win ratio: 54.17% W: 13 D: 3 L: 8
LFC league games/goals: 12 / 1
Total LFC games/goals: 24 / 2
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Player profile
Despite his young age, Sebastian Coates Nion already possesses quite an impressive CV. After spending a few years in Nacional's youth teams he broke into the first team when he was 18. He had by then already featured in the South American Under-20 Championships where Uruguay finished third impressing the watchful eye of Damien Comolli who followed his progress ever since. Coates came into Nacional‘s side when three months were left of the 2008/09 season winning the championship and reaching the semi-finals of Copa Libertadores. His progress was rewarded with the honour of being voted the Uruguayan Championship‘s "Revelation of the Season." Another league title followed in 2011 and he made his international debut only a week before Copa America 2011 when coming on as a substitute in a 3-0 win over Estonia. Coates featured in four out of Uruguay‘s six matches in Copa America, including the 3-0 win over Paraguay in the final. He collected three yellow cards in the process as well as the "Trophy Claro" for being the Best Young Player of the Tournament. He was a rock alongside his partner at the centre-half, the legendary Diego Lugano, prompting his nickname "Luganito“ or little Lugano. The Uruguayan’s reputation was at an all-time high at the time of his arrival in England little more than a week after Liverpool allowed 32-year-old central defender Sotirios Kyrgiakos to move to Wolfsburg. Coates is twelve years his junior and was given the same squad number, 16, that the tall Greek defender had used. Coates himself is a strapping 6 feet 6 inches (196 cm.), a strong header both in his own area and the oppositions‘, comfortable on the ball and will never shirk out of a tackle. He is an excellent reader of the game and has impressive technical ability for a man of his size.
Coates was sought after by many big clubs such as Paris St Germain, AC Milan, Atletico Madrid and Manchester City but he says that his talk with compatriot Luis Suarez made up his mind to join Liverpool because he had told him a lot about the fans and the club‘s history. With centre-back being a position for which the first-team squad seemed to have adequate cover, it wasn't a major surprise that Coates only appeared in a dozen matches in 2011/12. What was surprising was the astonishing agility he showed to score with a stupendous volley at Queens Park Rangers in March because frankly nobody had seen that coming, probably not even the player himself! The successful partnership of Agger and Skrtel kept Coates out of the first 11 in 2012/13 and Brendan Rodgers has so far preferred the experience of Jamie Carragher to the youthful exuberance of the Uruguayan if cover was needed.