Alejandro Faurlín

Alejandro Faurlín

Faurlín playing for Queens Park Rangers in 2011
Personal information
Full name	Alejandro Damián Faurlín
Date of birth	9 August 1986
Place of birth	Rosario, Argentina
Height	1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) [1]
Playing position	Midfielder
Club information
Current team	Queens Park Rangers
Number	18
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps^†	(Gls)^†
2004–2005	Rosario Central	1	(0)
2005–2006	River Plate	0	(0)
2007	Atlético de Rafaela	19	(2)
2008	Maritimo B	15	(1)
2008–2009	Instituto	51	(10)
2009–	Queens Park Rangers	142	(5)
2013	→ Palermo (loan)	6	(0)
National team
2003	Argentina U-17	10	(2)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 12 March 2016. † Appearances (goals)

Alejandro Damián Faurlín (born 9 August 1986) is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Queens Park Rangers.

Career

Faurlín began his playing career in 2004 with Rosario Central in the Primera División Argentina, he made his debut in a 1–0 away defeat to Quilmes on 9 May 2004. After making only one appearance for his home town club he joined Atlético de Rafaela of the Argentine 2nd division in 2007 and Maritimo B in 2008.^[2]

Between 2008 and 2009 he played for Instituto de Córdoba of the Argentine 2nd division.

Queens Park Rangers

On 7 July 2009 Faurlín signed for Queens Park Rangers for an alleged^[3] club record fee that could rise to £3.5 million (However, there is no evidence that QPR had paid that amount to Instituto). The Football Association (FA) found the player joined the club on Bosman transfer, but under contract with a US-incorporated company "TYP Sports Agency LLC".^[3] TYP acquired the rights from Instituto for just US$250,000.^[3] In 2010, TYP requested QPR to pay US$1 million (£615,000) and filed a complaint to the FA.^[3] In October, Faurlín extended his contract, and £200,000 was paid to TYP's owner Peppino Tirri as agent fee.^[3] In January 2011 QPR paid £615,000 to TYP.^[3] Due to the involvement of third-party ownership, QPR was fined in 2011 as it against regulations put in place by the FA after a similar case involving Carlos Tevez. This could have resulted in a penalty of deducted points for QPR,^[4] but on 7 May 2011 the FA announced that QPR would not be deducted any points and consequently would be promoted to the Premier League.^[5]

£500,000 was reported paid to Internazionale in compensation as they had a first-option clause in his contract. Faurlín reportedly turned down the chance to play for Inter as José Mourinho could not guarantee him first team football. In 2011, it emerged that the fee was paid to a third party,

Prior to signing for Queens Park Rangers, Faurlín rejected opportunities to play in Spain, Italy and Greece.

Faurlin told the official site:

"I am really pleased to be here in England, playing for a club like Queens Park Rangers. I know a lot about the English game and I really admire the ability of the teams at this level. I am really looking forward to playing for the club and showing the manager, my fellow players and the QPR supporters what I can do. I had opportunities to play in Spain, Italy and Greece, but QPR was my choice and I'm delighted to be here. I was really impressed with the set-up and the ambition of the club and can't wait to make my QPR debut."

Faurlin made his Rangers debut at Bristol City on 18 August 2009 ^[6] and scored his first goal against Sheffield Wednesday on 3 April 2010.^[7] He made an instant impact in the QPR side and was voted both supporters and players Player of the Year at the end of the 2009–10 season.^[8] Faurlin was part of the Rangers team that won promotion to the Premier League and began life in the Premier League well, forming a partnership with new signing Joey Barton. He captained the QPR team that drew 1–1 with Milton Keynes Dons in the FA Cup, but was injured during the match, rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament in his right leg. The injury ruled him out for the season ^[9] and led to his omission from QPR's 25-man squad for the second half of the season.

After undergoing rehab in Argentina and Barcelona, Faurlin made his return from injury in the League Cup match against Walsall playing a full 90 minutes. He went onto start against Manchester City later that week. Faurlin got his first assist of the 2012–13 campaign by assisting Bobby Zamora's opening goal against Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane.

Palermo (loan)

On 31 January 2013, Serie A club Palermo announced the signing of Faurlín in a loan deal, with an option to make the move permanent by the end of the season.^[10] Faurlín soon went straight to the squad, making his debut in a 2–1 loss against Atalanta on 3 February 2013.

Back to Queens Park Rangers

Faurlín playing for Queens Park Rangers in 2011

After an unsuccessful spell at Palermo, Faurlin returned to Queens Park Rangers at the end of the season. While Faurlin was away on loan, QPR were relegated from the Premier League to the Football League Championship, where Faurlin had first shone for QPR. Faurlin was one of a few players to stay on as QPR revamped their playing squad.^[11] He started the season as first choice central midfielder, being named in the starting line-up in the first game of the season against Sheffield Wednesday, helping QPR to a 2–1 victory at Loftus Road.^[12] Faurlin continued to be involved in QPR's matches, the fans favourite regaining his regular place in the starting line-up. During the home match against Derby County, a challenge from John Eustace resulted in Faurlin coming off on a stretcher.^[13] Two days later, scans confirmed that Faurlin had injured his anterior cruciate ligament in his left leg, an injury he had suffered in the opposite leg 23 months ago, ruling him out for the rest of the season.^[14] While Faurlin was finishing his rehabilitation, QPR won promotion back to the Premier League on 24 May 2014, via the play-offs with a 1–0 win over Derby at Wembley. Faurlin was present in amongst the stands with QPR fans and was celebrating on the pitch with his teammates after Bobby Zamora scored the winning goal in the 89th minute of the match.

On 2 July 2014, Faurlin, now the club's longest serving player, signed a new one-year deal with QPR. He said 'It's nice to sign the new deal. It took a little bit of time, but I am so happy everything is now sorted. It's been quite an amazing journey so far – relegation, promotions and plenty more – but it's been a beautiful experience. I hope the next chapter is the most epic yet.'^[15] Faurlin, for successive seasons, started in the first league game of the season at home, against Hull.^[16] Faurlin started in a cup game away to Burton Albion and landed innocuously on his left knee, being replaced by Leroy Fer on the hour mark. Although Faurlin walked off the pitch with no distressing pain, scans discovered it was a re-occurrence of the previous injury he had only recovered from 2 months previously, putting him out for another 9 months.^[17] QPR's Head of Medical Services, Peter Florida James said, "The knee itself stayed pretty stable, but the scans have since revealed his ACL graft has ruptured." ^[18] This means that Faurlin has injured his anterior cruciate ligament 3 times in the last 3 years.^[19] In August 2015, Ale made his return to the QPR first team.

International career

Faurlin was selected by Argentina for the 2003 FIFA U-17 World Cup.^[20]

Career statistics

As of match played 7 November 2015

Club	Season	League			Cup		League Cup		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Rosario Central	2004–05	Primera División	1	0	–		–		1	0
	2005–06		0	0	–		–		0	0
	Total		1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
Atlético Rafaela	2007	Primera B Nacional	19	2	–		–		19	2
	Total		19	2	0	0	0	0	19	2
Maritimo B	2008	Segunda Divisão	15	1	–		–		15	1
	Total		15	1	0	0	0	0	15	1
Instituto	2007–08	Primera B Nacional	17	4	–		–		17	4
	2008–09		34	6	–		–		34	6
	Total		51	10	0	0	0	0	51	10
Queens Park Rangers	2009–10[21]	Championship	41	1	2	0	1	0	44	1
	2010–11[22]		40	3	1	0	0	0	41	3
	2011–12[23]	Premier League	20	1	1	0	0	0	21	1
	2012–13[24]		11	0	2	0	2	0	13	0
	2013–14[25]	Championship	7	0	0	0	2	0	9	0
	2014–15[26]	Premier League	2	0	0	0	1	0	3	0
	2015–16[27]	Championship	9	0	0	0	0	0	9	0
	Total		130	5	6	0	6	0	142	5
Palermo	2012–13[24]	Serie A	6	0	0	0	0	0	6	0
	Total		6	0	0	0	0	0	6	0
Career total			221	18	6	0	6	0	231	18

Honours

Queens Park Rangers

• Football League Championship: 2010–11

References

1. "Premier League Player Profile Alejandro Faurlín". web page. Premier League. Retrieved 14 June 2012.
2. "Alejandro Faurlín".
3. "Decision The FA v QPR/Gianni Paladini". The FA. 20 May 2011. Retrieved 22 November 2011.
4. Alejandro Faurlín transfer to QPR saw Instituto de Córdoba paid nothing – The Guardian
5. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/13318784.stm – BBC Sport. 7 May 2011. Retrieved 7 May 2011.
6. "Alejandro Faurlin". www.soccerbase.com. Retrieved 2011-09-18.
7. "QPR 1–1 Sheff Wed". BBC Sport. 3 April 2010. Archived from the original on 3 April 2010. Retrieved 4 April 2010.
8. "Faurlin clinches awards double". QPR FC. 3 May 2010.
9. "Another blow for QPR as Faurlin is ruled out for season". Daily Mail (London). 9 January 2012.
10. "ANCORA DUE ACQUISTI; PRESI FAURLIN E FABBRINI" [TWO MORE SIGNINGS; FAURLIN AND FABBRINI IN] (in Italian). U.S. Città di Palermo. 31 January 2013. Retrieved 31 January 2013.
11. "QPR confirm player exodus as FOURTEEN players depart". 1 July 2013. Retrieved 10 December 2014.
12. "Championship: QPR beat Sheffield Wednesday 2–1 at Loftus Road". 3 August 2013. Retrieved 10 December 2014.
13. "QPR 2 Derby 1". 2 November 2013. Retrieved 10 December 2014.
14. "Alejandro Faurlin: QPR midfielder suffers second cruciate injury". 4 November 2013. Retrieved 10 December 2014.
15. "Alejandro Faurlin signs new one-year QPR deal after overcoming serious knee injury". 2 July 2014. Retrieved 10 December 2014.
16. "Queens Park Rangers 0–1 Hull City". 16 August 2014. Retrieved 10 December 2014.
17. "QPR ace Alejandro Faurlin set for prolonged spell on the sidelines after suffering third ACL injury in as many seasons". 29 August 2014. Retrieved 10 December 2014.
18. "ALEJANDRO FAURLIN SUFFERS THIRD ACL INJURY". 29 August 2014. Retrieved 10 December 2014.
19. "It was horrible but the injuries have made me stronger, says QPR's Alejandro Faurlin". 25 July 2014. Retrieved 10 December 2014.
20. "FIFA.com".
21. "Games played by Alejandro Faurlín in 2009/2010". Soccerbase. Retrieved 22 August 2015.
22. "Games played by Alejandro Faurlín in 2010/2011". Soccerbase. Retrieved 22 August 2015.
23. "Games played by Alejandro Faurlín in 2011/2012". Soccerbase. Retrieved 22 August 2015.
24. "Games played by Alejandro Faurlín in 2012/2013". Soccerbase. Retrieved 22 August 2015.
25. "Games played by Alejandro Faurlín in 2013/2014". Soccerbase. Retrieved 22 August 2015.
26. "Games played by Alejandro Faurlín in 2014/2015". Soccerbase. Retrieved 22 August 2015.
27. "Games played by Alejandro Faurlín in 2015/2016". Soccerbase. Retrieved 7 November 2015.

External links

• (Spanish) Primera División statistics
• (Spanish) BDFA profile
• Alejandro Faurlín career statistics at Soccerbase
• QPR snap up Argentine midfielder at BBC Football