Facundo Buonanotte
Argentine footballer (born 2004)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Facundo Valentín Buonanotte (born 23 December 2004) is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder or winger for La Liga club Elche, on loan from Premier League club Brighton & Hove Albion.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Facundo Valentín Buonanotte | ||
| Date of birth | 23 December 2004 | ||
| Place of birth | Pérez, Argentina | ||
| Height | 1.76 m (5 ft 9 in) | ||
| Positions | |||
| Team information | |||
Current team |
Elche (on loan from Brighton & Hove Albion) | ||
| Number | 10 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2014–2022 | Rosario Central | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2022–2023 | Rosario Central | 32 | (4) |
| 2023– | Brighton & Hove Albion | 40 | (4) |
| 2024–2025 | → Leicester City (loan) | 31 | (5) |
| 2025–2026 | → Chelsea (loan) | 1 | (0) |
| 2026 | → Leeds United (loan) | 3 | (0) |
| 2026– | → Elche (loan) | 1 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2022–2023 | Argentina U20 | 6 | (1) |
| 2023– | Argentina | 2 | (0) |
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 16:10, 24 May 2026 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 03:18, 23 March 2024 (UTC) | |||
Club career
Rosario Central
Buonanotte is a product of the youth academy of Rosario Central since the age of ten. He made his professional debut as a substitute for Rosario Central against Arsenal de Sarandí on 11 February 2022.[1] In a Copa Argentina penalty shoot-out victory against Sol de Mayo on 13 May 2022, he scored the game-winning penalty.[2] The next day, on 14 May 2022, Buonanotte signed his first professional contract with Rosario Central.[3] He scored his first senior goal in a 1–0 Argentine Primera División victory against Sarmiento on 8 July 2022.[4]
Brighton & Hove Albion
On 1 January 2023, Buonanotte joined the academy of Premier League club Brighton & Hove Albion for an estimated fee of £5.3m, with an additional £5.3m dependent on objectives being met.[5][6] He made his debut for the Seagulls on 4 February, coming on as a 75th-minute substitute replacing Tariq Lamptey as Brighton went on to beat AFC Bournemouth with a 87th-minute Kaoru Mitoma goal.[7] Buonanotte made his first start for Brighton on 28 February, playing 69 minutes of the 1–0 away victory against Stoke City of the Championship with Brighton advancing to the FA Cup quarter-finals.[8] Buonanotte claimed an assist four days later, setting up Danny Welbeck's strike, the last of the game in the 4–0 home victory against West Ham United.[9] The then-18-year-old Argentine gained his first Premier League start on 26 April, where he scored his first goal for the club, opening the score in the eventual 3–1 away loss against Nottingham Forest.[10]
Loan spells
On 10 August 2024, Buonanotte went on loan to fellow Premier League club Leicester City for the 2024–25 season.[11] He made his Leicester debut on 19 August 2024 in a 1–1 home draw against Tottenham Hotspur.[12] His first goal came on 31 August in a 2–1 defeat against Aston Villa.[13]
On 1 September 2025, Buonanotte joined Chelsea on a season-long loan.[14] He made his Chelsea debut on 13 September in a 2–2 home draw against Brentford. He scored his first and only Chelsea goal in a 2–1 victory over Lincoln City in the EFL Cup.[15] Buonanotte returned to Brighton on 15 January 2026,[16] and subsequently joined Leeds United on a different loan deal until the end of the season.
On 7 August 2026, Buonanotte joined La Liga side Elche on loan for the 2026–27 season.[17]
International career
Buonanotte was called up to the Argentina national under-20 football team for the 2022 Maurice Revello Tournament in France.[18][19] In January 2023, he was once again called up to the national under-20 football team ahead of the 2023 South American Championship.[20]
On 3 March 2023, Buonanotte received his first call-up for the Argentina senior squad for friendly matches against Panama and Curaçao.[21] He made his senior debut on 19 June in a 2–0 away victory against Indonesia.[22]
Personal life
Career statistics
Club
- As of match played 24 May 2026
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | League cup[b] | Continental | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Rosario Central | 2022[24] | Argentine Primera División | 32 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 34 | 4 | |
| Brighton & Hove Albion | 2022–23[25] | Premier League | 13 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 14 | 1 | ||
| 2023–24[26] | Premier League | 27 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5[c] | 0 | 36 | 4 | |
| Total | 40 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 50 | 5 | ||
| Leicester City (loan) | 2024–25[27] | Premier League | 31 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | 35 | 6 | |
| Chelsea (loan) | 2025–26[28] | Premier League | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 3[d] | 0 | 8 | 1 |
| Leeds United (loan) | 2025–26[28] | Premier League | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 4 | 0 | ||
| Career total | 106 | 13 | 10 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 130 | 16 | ||
- Includes Copa Argentina, FA Cup
- Appearances in UEFA Europa League
- Appearances in UEFA Champions League
International
- As of match played 22 March 2024
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Argentina | 2023 | 1 | 0 |
| 2024 | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 2 | 0 | |
