Franco Zuculini

Racing Club

Born in La Rioja, Zuculini made his professional debut with Racing Club de Avellaneda on 13 April 2008 at not yet 18, starting in a 1–0 home win against Arsenal de Sarandí for the Primera División championship. He appeared in 29 league matches and scored two goals in his first full season, helping his team narrowly avoid relegation.

Hoffenheim

On 26 June 2009, Zuculini signed with TSG 1899 Hoffenheim in Germany. He appeared in only seven Bundesliga games during his short spell, scoring on 24 October in a 3–0 home victory over 1. FC Nürnberg after coming on as a second half substitute. Subsequently, Zuculini began a series of loans which saw him appear for Genoa C.F.C. in Italy, former club Racing and Spain's Real Zaragoza.

Real Zaragoza

On 12 August 2011, Zaragoza announced the signing of Zuculini on a season-long loan, with a view to a permanent transfer later in the year. He made his La Liga debut 16 days later, starting and featuring 52 minutes in a 0–6 home loss to Real Madrid. Zuculini agreed to a three-year deal with the Aragonese in the subsequent off-season, He opened his scoring account (two in all competitions) for the side on 10 December 2012 in a 2–0 away defeat of Rayo Vallecano which was also the 5,000 goal in their history, being released at the end of the campaign after it ended in relegation.

Arsenal de Sarandí

In February 2013, Zuculini suffered a knee ligament injury that ended his season. While recovering…

In January 2009, Zuculini was selected for the Argentina under-20 team for the 2009 South American Youth Championship in Venezuela. He was named by full side manager Diego Maradona in a squad of 14 local players in late May of that year, and made his debut on the 20th – aged just 18 – in a friendly with Panama (3–1 win in Santa Fe).

Zuculini's younger brother, Bruno, is also a footballer and a midfielder. He too represented Racing de Avellaneda.