Sebastián Tagliabúe is by no means well-known in the wider football world, but the 37-year-old is in actual fact the second-highest goalscorer among active players born in Argentina, behind only Lionel Messi.
After plying his trade in Argentina, Chile and Colombia, Tagliabúe left South America for Saudi Arabia in 2010. He signed for Al-Ettifaq, aged 25, and two years later he moved to Saudi side Al-Shabab.
In 2013, Tagliabúe switched to the United Arab Emirates where he joined Al-Wahda. It was here that the Buenos Aires-born striker scored 161 goals in 184 matches – more than four times the amount of goals any other player has scored for the Abu Dhabi club in its 48-year history.
(Photo by AFP via Getty Images)
In 2018 he became the highest-scoring foreigner in the history of the UAE top-flight. He was twice the top scorer in the UAE Pro League before completing a move to Al-Nasr in 2020. Tagliabúe has netted 20 goals in 50 appearances for the Dubai-based club, and he sits 14 goals shy of the club’s all-time top goalscorer Ibrahima Touré.
To date Tagliabúe has racked up 241 career goals, more than the likes of fellow countrymen Carlos Tévez (237), Mauro Icardi (203) and Ezequiel Lavezzi (135).
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ＳＣＯＲＥＤ ✅#GoalOfTheDay goes to Sebastian Tagliabúe #ACL2017 👏🏽⚽️ pic.twitter.com/yr9XS0xn6d
Two years back it was reported Tagliabúe had been granted UAE citizenship and he made his international debut for the Western Asian country in October 2020. The forward has registered three goals in 13 outings for the UAE national team, and he is line to feature in their FIFA World Cup playoff decider against Australia on Tuesday.
Should the Emirati nation overcome the Socceroos, Tagliabúe will undoubtedly be in the mix to feature at the forthcoming World Cup finals beginning in November.
