Damián Bobadilla
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Damián Josué Bobadilla Benítez[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 11 July 2001[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Asunción, Paraguay | ||
| Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)[1] | ||
| Position | Midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | São Paulo | ||
| Number | 16 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| –2021 | Cerro Porteño | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2021–2023 | Cerro Porteño | 55 | (9) |
| 2024– | São Paulo | 88 | (8) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2024– | Paraguay | 23 | (1) |
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 16 May 2026 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 30 June 2026 | |||
Damián Josué Bobadilla Benítez (born 11 July 2001) is a Paraguayan professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Campeonato Brasileiro Série A club São Paulo and the Paraguay national team.
Club career
Cerro Porteño
Trained in the youth sectors of Cerro Porteño, he made his professional debut on 5 May 2021, against Atlético Mineiro in the 2021 Copa Libertadores.[2][3]
Bobadilla was elected with the "Futbolista de la Gente" award for the 2023 edition of the Paraguayan Championship.[4]
São Paulo
On 20 December 2023, Bobadilla moved to Brazil, signing a four-year contract with Série A club São Paulo,[5] for a reported fee of around $3 million for 60% of the player's economic rights.[6]
International career
Bobadilla made his debut for the Paraguay national team on 11 June 2024 in a friendly against Chile at Estadio Nacional Julio Martínez Prádanos. He substituted Andrés Cubas at half-time as Chile won 3–0.[7]
Bobadilla played the 2024 Copa América, missing São Paulo FC seven league matches in the process. In order to not be absent in more games with his club, he opted to decline the Paraguay call up for the 2024 Summer Olympics.[8]
On 1 June 2026, he was named by head coach Gustavo Alfaro in Paraguay's 26-man squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.[9]
Personal life
Damian is the brother of musician and producer J Dilla. Damián is son of the former goalkeeper Aldo Bobadilla.[10]
Career statistics
Club
- As of 16 May 2026[11]
| Club | Season | League | State League | Cup | Continental | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Cerro Porteño | 2021 | Paraguayan Primera División | 2 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2022 | Paraguayan Primera División | 15 | 1 | — | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 17 | 1 | ||
| 2023 | Paraguayan Primera División | 38 | 8 | — | 1 | 1 | 10 | 2 | 49 | 11 | ||
| Total | 55 | 9 | — | 1 | 1 | 14 | 2 | 70 | 12 | |||
| São Paulo | 2024 | Série A | 18 | 1 | 7 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 35 | 3 |
| 2025 | Série A | 31 | 3 | 9 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 52 | 3 | |
| 2026 | Série A | 14 | 0 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 28 | 3 | |
| Total | 61 | 4 | 25 | 3 | 9 | 0 | 18 | 2 | 115 | 9 | ||
| Career total | 118 | 13 | 25 | 3 | 10 | 1 | 32 | 4 | 185 | 21 | ||
International
- As of match played 29 June 2026
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paraguay | 2024 | 9 | 0 |
| 2025 | 8 | 1 | |
| 2026 | 6 | 0 | |
| Total | 23 | 1 | |
International goals
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 18 November 2025 | Alamodome, San Antonio, United States |  Mexico | 2–1 | 2–1 | Friendly |
Honours
- Cerro Porteño
- São Paulo
References
- 1 2 3 "FIFA World Cup 2026™ – Squad List: Paraguay (PAR)" (PDF). FIFA. 2 June 2026. Retrieved 2 June 2026.
- ↑ Martínez, Carlos (17 May 2021). "Versus / Damián Bobadilla; la capitanía en Cerro, el legado de su padre y sus referentes". Versus (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 7 October 2023. Retrieved 7 October 2023.
- ↑ Candia, Pedro (25 April 2022). "Diario HOY | Damián Bobadilla, sobre canteranos de Cerro: "Lo único que queremos es jugar"". Diario HOY (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 25 April 2022. Retrieved 7 October 2023.
- ↑ "Premiaron a los mejores del fútbol paraguayo en el 2023". Agencia de Informacíon Paraguaya (in Spanish). 5 December 2023. Archived from the original on 26 January 2025.
- ↑ "Tricolor acerta a contratação de Damián Bobadilla" [Tricolor agrees to sign Damián Bobadilla] (in Brazilian Portuguese). São Paulo FC. 20 December 2023. Archived from the original on 3 March 2024. Retrieved 20 December 2023.
- ↑ "São Paulo anuncia a contratação de Damián Bobadilla" [São Paulo announces signing of Damián Bobadilla]. TNT Sports (in Brazilian Portuguese). 20 December 2023. Archived from the original on 20 December 2023. Retrieved 20 December 2023.
- ↑ "Chile v Paraguay game report". ESPN. 11 June 2024. Archived from the original on 12 June 2024.
- ↑ "Bobadilla abdica das Olimpíadas para ajudar o São Paulo e ganha elogios de Zubeldía: "Foi premiado"". Gazeta Esportiva (in Portuguese). 23 August 2024. Archived from the original on 7 September 2024.
- ↑ "Coupe du monde 2026: découvrez la liste des 26 joueurs du Paraguay avec Julio Enciso". RMC Sport (in French). 1 June 2026. Retrieved 13 June 2026.
- ↑ Rojas, Arturo (25 October 2019). "Versus / Bobadilla, sobre su hijo que está en Cerro: "Él remó desde abajo"". Versus (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 7 October 2023. Retrieved 7 October 2023.
- ↑ Damián Bobadilla at Soccerway
External links
- Damián Bobadilla at Soccerway
Paraguay squads | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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- 2001 births
- Living people
- Footballers from Asunción
- Men's association football midfielders
- Paraguayan men's footballers
- Paraguay men's international footballers
- Cerro Porteño players
- Paraguayan Primera División players
- São Paulo FC players
- Campeonato Brasileiro Série A players
- Paraguayan expatriate men's footballers
- Paraguayan expatriate sportspeople in Brazil
- Expatriate men's footballers in Brazil
- 2024 Copa América players
- 21st-century Paraguayan sportsmen
- 2026 FIFA World Cup players