Willy Caballero

2.1. Boca Juniors and Elche

Caballero began his professional playing career in 2001 with Boca Juniors in Argentina. During his time there, he won three major titles in 2003: the Apertura 2003 of the Argentine Primera División, the Copa Libertadores, and the Intercontinental Cup. On 14 December 2003, he was on the bench as Boca Juniors defeated A.C. Milan 3-1 in a penalty shootout to win the Intercontinental Cup.

In 2004, Caballero moved to Spain to join Elche CF in the Segunda División. After a challenging initial season in 2004-05, he became the undisputed starting goalkeeper for the club. In 2006, he had a brief loan spell back in Argentina with Arsenal de Sarandí to care for his daughter, who had been diagnosed with cancer. Upon his return to Elche, he re-established himself as the first-choice keeper, making nearly 200 appearances in the Segunda División before his departure.

2.2. Málaga CF

On 10 February 2011, Caballero was transferred to Málaga CF in La Liga for 900.00 K EUR. This was an emergency transfer, made after the usual 31 January deadline, due to severe knee injuries to Málaga's primary goalkeepers, Sergio Asenjo and Rubén. He made his La Liga debut on 20 February, starting in a 1-1 draw against Villarreal CF. Caballero played in all remaining matches of the 2010-11 season, helping the Andalusian club avoid relegation.

On 1 October 2011, Caballero set a new club record for Málaga by keeping a clean sheet for 480 minutes, surpassing the previous record of 429 minutes held by Pedro Contreras since the 2001-02 season. However, on 16 October, he was sent off during the first half of an away match against Levante UD for handling the ball outside the penalty box, a game Málaga ultimately lost 3-0.

On 18 January 2012, Caballero signed a contract extension, committing him to Málaga until 2016. On 25 March, during a match against RCD Espanyol, he fractured his left hand early in the game, which sidelined him for the remainder of the season.

Caballero returned to full fitness for the 2012-13 season, playing in all but two matches and helping Málaga achieve a sixth-place finish. His performances earned him recognition, with Goal.com naming him the best goalkeeper in La Liga for that campaign. At the end of the following season, he was nominated as one of the league's best goalkeepers, alongside Thibaut Courtois of Atlético Madrid and Keylor Navas of Levante.

2.3. Manchester City F.C.

On 8 July 2014, Caballero signed a three-year deal with Manchester City for a fee reported to be around 6.00 M GBP. This move reunited him with his former Málaga manager, Manuel Pellegrini. His competitive debut for City came on 10 August in the 2014 FA Community Shield, where he played the full 90 minutes in a 0-3 loss to Arsenal at Wembley Stadium. A week later, he was an unused substitute in the Premier League opener against Newcastle United.

Caballero's second official appearance for City was on 24 September 2014, in a 7-0 home victory over Sheffield Wednesday in the Football League Cup. Three days later, he made his first Premier League appearance against Hull City, starting ahead of long-time incumbent Joe Hart in a 4-2 win.

His third league match occurred on 26 September 2015, a 1-4 defeat at Tottenham Hotspur. Throughout the 2015-16 season, he was the first-choice goalkeeper in the League Cup. He faced criticism in the national press before the final following a poor performance in a 1-5 FA Cup loss to Chelsea. However, in the decisive League Cup final match at Wembley Stadium, Caballero became the hero by saving three penalties in the 3-1 shootout triumph against Liverpool. Following this performance, Pellegrini stated he would rather lose the match than go back on his word to play Caballero, and several pundits suggested that both the player and manager deserved an apology, remarking on the performance as a lesson in loyalty.

Following the appointment of manager Pep Guardiola in the 2016 off-season, Caballero initially became the starter over Hart. However, with the subsequent signing of Claudio Bravo, he reverted to his backup role.

On 19 October 2016, Caballero came on as a substitute in a 0-4 defeat by Barcelona at the Camp Nou during the UEFA Champions League group stage. After replacing the red-carded Bravo in goal, he saved a penalty from Neymar in the 87th minute. Two weeks later, he deputized for the suspended Bravo in a 3-1 home win over the same opponent in the same competition.

On 1 February 2017, Caballero again replaced Bravo in the starting XI, keeping a clean sheet in a 4-0 win over West Ham United at the London Olympic Stadium. Later that month, in a 5-3 Champions League round of 16 victory over Monaco, he saved a penalty from Radamel Falcao.

On 25 May 2017, Manchester City announced that Caballero would leave the club upon the expiration of his contract on 30 June.

2.4. Chelsea F.C.

On 1 July 2017, Caballero signed for title holders Chelsea on a free transfer. He made his competitive debut on 20 September, in a 5-1 home win against Nottingham Forest in the EFL Cup.

On 17 January 2018, Caballero saved a penalty from Nélson Oliveira in the shootout of a third-round FA Cup replay win over Norwich City, which had finished 1-1 after extra time. Due to an ankle injury to first-choice goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, he made his Premier League debut two days later in a 4-0 away victory against Brighton & Hove Albion.

On 24 February 2019, during the 2019 EFL Cup final against cup holders Manchester City, with the match tied 0-0 and a penalty shootout imminent, Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga controversially refused to be substituted off for Caballero. Chelsea ultimately lost the shootout 3-4.

As Arrizabalaga struggled with form during the 2019-20 Premier League season, Caballero was selected as the starting goalkeeper for Chelsea in a cup match against Hull City in late January 2020. He then started the next four league matches and a Champions League match before Arrizabalaga returned. Caballero played in the 2020 FA Cup final, which Chelsea lost 1-2 to Arsenal. On 20 May 2020, Caballero's contract with Chelsea was extended by one year.

On 29 May 2021, Caballero was part of the Chelsea squad that won the 2021 UEFA Champions League final against his former club Manchester City, though he remained an unused substitute. On 4 June 2021, Chelsea announced his departure from the club at the end of the month when his contract expired, thanking him for his contributions.

2.5. Southampton F.C.

On 6 December 2021, Caballero signed a one-month contract with Premier League side Southampton after both of their main goalkeepers suffered injuries. Prior to this, Caballero had been training with EFL League One side AFC Wimbledon since leaving Chelsea in June. On 11 December 2021, he made his competitive debut in Southampton's 0-3 defeat to Arsenal. On 7 January 2022, his contract was extended until the end of the season.

On 1 July 2022, Caballero signed a further one-year contract extension with Southampton. He officially retired from professional football on 10 July 2023, at the age of 41.

3.1. Argentina U-20 and Olympic teams

Caballero played for Argentina at under-20 level, helping the nation win the 2001 FIFA World Youth Championship. He notably played in the competition's last two games, contributing to Argentina's victory. In 2004, he was selected for the gold medal-winning squad at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, serving as backup to Germán Lux. Although he did not play in the tournament, he was part of the victorious team.

3.2. Argentina national football team

Caballero was an unused squad member for the senior national team at the 2005 FIFA Confederations Cup, where Argentina finished as runners-up. In November 2014, he received a call-up from manager Gerardo Martino for friendly matches against Croatia and Portugal.

He finally earned his first senior cap nearly four years later, at the age of 36, starting in a 2-0 victory over Italy on 23 March 2018, in a friendly game played in Manchester.

Caballero was included in Argentina's final squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. He began the tournament as the starting goalkeeper due to an injury to the usual first-choice keeper, Sergio Romero. He made his World Cup debut on 16 June in a 1-1 group stage draw against Iceland. In the subsequent match against Croatia, a critical mistake by Caballero led to the opposition's first goal in a 0-3 defeat. This error drew significant criticism, with some media outlets calling him a "walking disaster" and "too foolish." Following this match, he was dropped by manager Jorge Sampaoli in favor of Franco Armani for the team's final group match against Nigeria, which Argentina won 2-1. Caballero also did not feature in the round of 16 game, a 3-4 loss to France. After the Croatia match, it was reported that Caballero and his family received threats.

5.1. Player honours

Boca Juniors

• Argentine Primera División: Apertura 2003
• Copa Libertadores: 2003
• Intercontinental Cup: 2003

Manchester City

• Football League Cup: 2015-16

Chelsea

• FA Cup: 2017-18; runner-up: 2019-20
• EFL Cup runner-up: 2018-19
• UEFA Champions League: 2020-21
• UEFA Europa League: 2018-19

Argentina U20

• FIFA World Youth Championship: 2001

Argentina Olympic

• Summer Olympic Games: 2004

Argentina

• FIFA Confederations Cup runner-up: 2005

5.2. Assistant coach honours

Leicester City

• EFL Championship: 2023-24

6.1. Club

6.2. International