title: Federico Insúa
text: Federico Insúa (born January 3, 1980) is an Argentine retired footballer who played 14 times for the Argentina national team. Usually a playmaker, he is well known for his vision and technique.
  
  Club career
  
  Early years
  Nicknamed El Pocho, Insúa grew up in a middle-class family in Buenos Aires. He moved to the youth teams of Argentinos Juniors from the Club Parque youth team, and debuted professionally on November 18, 1997. After five seasons with the club, he transferred to Independiente in 2002. After winning a local championship with Independiente, he moved to Spanish first division Málaga CF in 2003, but after only one unsuccessful season he returned to Independiente.
  
  Boca Juniors
  At the beginning of the 2005–06 season, Insúa again transferred, this time to Boca Juniors. He debuted for Boca in a 4–1 victory over Gimnasia de Jujuy. Even though he had a slow start, he succeeded in becoming Boca's playmaker, helping the team to win two league titles and two international cups by the end of 2006.
  
  Germany and Mexico
  On July 28, 2006, Insúa transferred for €4 million to German Bundesliga side Borussia Mönchengladbach, which hoped to fill a gap in its offensive midfield. The 26-year-old midfielder put pen to paper on a four-year deal. The Argentine international wore the number 10 shirt for Borussia. On February 3, 2007, he scored his first Bundesliga goal in a game against Arminia Bielefeld.
  
  After the relegation of Borussia in the 2006–07 Bundesliga, he was sold to Club América (Mexico) for US$7.5 million, for four years, with a salary of US$1,875,000 a year. He joined the squad on June 27, 2007. On July 27, 2008 Insúa opened the 1–0 score against Santos Laguna on the first match of the Apertua 2008 season. In early January 2009 he was loaned to Necaxa, but he could not help the team avoid relegation.
  
  On July 18, 2009, Insúa was loaned to Boca Juniors for one year. Once the loan finished, he signed with Bursaspor to a two-year deal on June 17, 2010.
  
  Return to Argentina
  Insúa returned to Argentina for the 2012 Clausura, joining Vélez Sársfield. With Vélez he obtained his fourth Argentine league title (with three different teams) after helping his team to win the 2012 Inicial, starting all 19 games and scoring once. He also won with Vélez the 2012–13 Superfinal and helped the team to a semi-finalist campaign in the 2013 Copa Sudamericana.
  
  In January 2014, the attacking midfielder returned to Independiente when the team was playing in the Primera B Nacional. He signed an 18-month contract with the club. He played few matches in the tournament mostly as a substitute and the team was promoted back to the first division at the end of the season. He couldn't gain a single minute of play with new manager Jorge Almirón and in October 2014 he was fired by president Hugo Moyano.
  
  Millonarios
  At the end of 2014 Insúa was hired by Colombian team Millonarios to start playing in the 2015 Categoría Primera A season.
  
  International career
  Insúa debuted for the Argentina national football team in January 2003 and played for them on a sporadic basis over the following years.
  
  National team statistics
  
  Honours
  Independiente
  Argentine Primera División (1): 2002 Apertura
  
  Boca Juniors
  Argentine Primera División (2): 2005 Apertura, 2006 Clausura
  Copa Sudamericana (1): 2005
  Recopa Sudamericana (1): 2005
  
  Club América
  InterLiga (1): 2008
  
  Vélez Sársfield
  Argentine Primera División (2): 2012 Inicial, 2012–13 Superfinal
  
  References
  
  External links
   Argentine Primera statistics at Fútbol XXI  
   Guardian statistics
   
  
  1980 births
  Living people
  Footballers from Buenos Aires
  Argentine men's footballers
  Argentine expatriate men's footballers
  Argentine expatriate sportspeople in Spain
  Argentinos Juniors footballers
  Club Atlético Independiente footballers
  Boca Juniors footballers
  Argentina men's international footballers
  Argentina men's under-20 international footballers
  La Liga players
  Málaga CF players
  Bundesliga players
  Borussia Mönchengladbach players
  Bursaspor footballers
  Club América footballers
  Club Atlético Vélez Sarsfield footballers
  Argentine Primera División players
  Süper Lig players
  Categoría Primera A players
  Liga MX players
  Expatriate men's footballers in Germany
  Expatriate men's footballers in Mexico
  Expatriate men's footballers in Spain
  Expatriate men's footballers in Turkey
  Expatriate men's footballers in Colombia
  Men's association football midfielders