Ben Brereton Díaz

Benjamin Anthony Brereton (born 18 April 1999), also known as Ben Brereton Díaz, is a professional footballer who plays as a forward or winger for Premier League club Southampton and the Chile national team.

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Brereton and the second or maternal family name is Díaz.

Ben Brereton Díaz

Personal information
Full name	Benjamin Anthony Brereton[1]
Date of birth	(1999-04-18) 18 April 1999 (age 25)[2]
Place of birth	Stoke-on-Trent, England
Height	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)[3]
Position(s)	Forward, winger
Team information
Current team	Southampton
Number	17
Youth career
2006–2013	Manchester United
2013–2015	Stoke City
2015–2017	Nottingham Forest
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2017–2019	Nottingham Forest	53	(8)
2018–2019	→ Blackburn Rovers (loan)	16	(0)
2019–2023	Blackburn Rovers	144	(45)
2023–2024	Villarreal	14	(0)
2024	→ Sheffield United (loan)	14	(6)
2024–	Southampton	6	(0)
International career‡
2017–2018	England U19	18	(5)
2018	England U20	1	(0)
2021–	Chile	35	(7)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 21:10, 30 September 2024 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 23:54, 10 September 2024 (UTC)

Brereton Díaz began his club career with Nottingham Forest, making his senior debut in 2017. He moved to Blackburn Rovers in 2018, initially on loan before joining them on a permanent transfer in 2019.

Born in England, Brereton Díaz represented his birth country at the under-19 and under-20 levels, before being named in the Chile squad for the 2021 Copa América in Brazil, having qualified for the latter through his mother.

Early life

Brereton Díaz was born in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire^[4] and attended Blythe Bridge High School.^[5] He was born to Martin Brereton, an English policeman and former amateur football player in Stoke-on-Trent area and District Sunday League, and Andrea Brereton (née Díaz), born in Concepción, Chile, who worked at Churchill China.^[6][7][8]

Club career

Early career

From the ages of seven to 14 Brereton Díaz was in the youth set-up at Manchester United. In 2013, he moved to his hometown club, Stoke City.^[9][10]

Nottingham Forest

Brereton Díaz signed with Championship club Nottingham Forest in the summer of 2015 after his release from Stoke City.^[3] Following his impressive form in the club's academy teams, with 15 goals in 20 appearances, he signed a new contract with the club on 31 December 2016.^[11] Brereton Díaz made his first-team debut for Forest on 25 January 2017 as a 76th-minute substitute during a 2–0 loss to Leeds United.^[12] He scored his first goal on 4 February, netting in injury-time against Aston Villa to give Forest a 2–1 victory.^[13]

On 27 March 2017, having made ten appearances and scoring against Fulham and Brentford, Brereton Díaz was nominated for the Championship Apprentice of the Year award. He was one of three players nominated, the others named as Lloyd Kelly of Bristol City and Sheffield Wednesday's George Hirst.^[14] Brereton Díaz was announced as the winner at the EFL Awards at the Hilton Hotel, Park Lane, on 9 April.^[15] He signed a long-term contract with Forest on 22 June 2017, keeping him under contract at the club until June 2021.^[16]

Blackburn Rovers

On 28 August 2018, Brereton Díaz signed for Blackburn Rovers on loan, with a view to making the transfer permanent in the January 2019 transfer window.^[17] On 4 January 2019, the move was made permanent for an undisclosed fee, believed to be £7m.^[18][19]

Brereton Díaz was awarded the Championship Player of the Month award for September 2021 after scoring six goals in five matches, including a hat-trick against Cardiff City.^[20] After the 2021–22 season, when he scored 22 goals as Blackburn finished 8th, the club triggered a one-year contract extension for Brereton Díaz.^[21]

In the 2022–23 season, Brereton Díaz scored 14 goals as Blackburn finished seventh, just outside the playoff positions on goal difference. His final game of the season was against Millwall, in which he scored two goals and Blackburn came back from 3–1 down to win 4–3.^[22]

On 8 May 2023, it was confirmed that Brereton Diaz would be leaving Blackburn in the summer.^[23]

Villarreal

On 4 July 2023, following the expiry of his contract at Blackburn, La Liga club Villarreal announced the signing of Brereton Díaz for a four-year contract on a free transfer.^[24][25]

Sheffield United (loan)

On 5 January 2024, Brereton Díaz returned to England on loan until the end of the season with Premier League relegation-struggling side Sheffield United.^[26][27] He made his debut for the club as a second-half substitute in a 4–0 victory over Gillingham in the FA Cup.^[28] He scored his first goal for the club in his Premier League debut against West Ham on 21 January.^[29] The match finished in a 2–2 draw.^[30]

Southampton

On 30 July 2024, Brereton Díaz joined Premier League club Southampton on a four-year contract.^[31] He made his debut for the club on 17 August 2024 in a 1–0 away defeat against Newcastle United.^[32]

International career

Born in England to a Chilean mother,^[8] Brereton Díaz was eligible to play for both nations. He played age-group games for England but switched allegiances to Chile, making his senior debut in 2021.

England

In March 2017, Brereton Díaz received his first call-up to an England side after being named in the under-19s squad for games against their Spanish, Norwegian and Belarusian counterparts. Having started his side's 3–0 defeat of Spain and coming off the bench for the 5–1 beating of Belarus, manager Keith Downing praised his performances and ease at settling into the squad.^[33]

Brereton Díaz was subsequently called up to represent England at the 2017 UEFA European Under-19 Championship.^[34] In the group stage, he scored the winner against the Netherlands^[35] and twice against Germany.^[36] Brereton Díaz was a second-half substitute during the victory against Portugal in the final.^[37] His total of three goals meant Brereton Díaz was joint top goalscorer at the tournament.^[38] Brereton Díaz also played at the 2018 UEFA European Under-19 Championship, scoring his only goal of the tournament in the opening group stage match against Turkey.^[39]

Chile

After noticing he was half Chilean whilst playing Football Manager, a group of fans began a social media campaign to get Brereton Díaz picked for Chile.^[40] This was subsequently picked up by the national media and on 24 May 2021, Brereton Díaz was called up to the Chile squad for the first time by manager Martín Lasarte for the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Argentina and Bolivia.^[41] He was subsequently included in Chile's squad for 2021 Copa América^[42] and on 14 June made his debut for Chile when he came off the bench against Argentina in a 1–1 draw.^[43] On 18 June, he was handed his first start as he scored his first international goal for La Roja, against Bolivia in a 1–0 win.^[44] In March 2024, he was dropped by Chilean coach Ricardo Gareca due to his lack of Spanish language skills,^[45] but later in June 2024 he was called up for the 2024 Copa América.^[46]

Personal life

Brereton Díaz first started using the name Ben Brereton Díaz when he debuted for Chile,^[47][48] as Spanish names use both the father's surname and mother's surname. He then announced in July 2021 he would use the name at club level as well.^[49][50] Since playing for the national side, Brereton Díaz said he has been taking Spanish lessons three times a week and learning the national anthem.^[51]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 30 September 2024

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			National cup[lower-alpha 1]		League cup[lower-alpha 2]		Europe		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Nottingham Forest	2016–17[52]	Championship	18	3	—		—		—		18	3
	2017–18[53]	Championship	35	5	2	1	2	0	—		39	6
	Total		53	8	2	1	2	0	—		57	9
Blackburn Rovers	2018–19[54]	Championship	25	1	2	0	1	0	—		28	1
	2019–20[55]	Championship	15	1	1	0	1	0	—		17	1
	2020–21[56]	Championship	40	7	2	0	1	0	—		43	7
	2021–22[57]	Championship	37	22	0	0	1	0	—		38	22
	2022–23[58]	Championship	43	14	4	1	3	1	—		50	16
	Total		160	45	9	1	7	1	—		176	47
Villarreal	2023–24[59]	La Liga	14	0	1	0	—		5[lower-alpha 3]	0	20	0
Sheffield United (loan)	2023–24[59]	Premier League	14	6	2	0	—		—		16	6
Southampton	2024–25[60]	Premier League	6	0	0	0	1	0	—		7	0
Career total			247	59	14	2	10	1	5	0	276	62

1. Includes FA Cup, Copa del Rey
2. Includes EFL Cup
3. Appearances in UEFA Europa League

International

As of match played 10 September 2024^[61]

Appearances and goals by national team and year

National team	Year	Apps	Goals
Chile	2021	9	3
	2022	8	1
	2023	10	3
	2024	8	0
Total		35	7

As of match played 10 September 2024. Chile score listed first, score column indicates score after each Brereton goal.^[61]

International goals by date, venue, cap, opponent, score, result and competition

No.	Date	Venue	Cap	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	18 June 2021	Arena Pantanal, Cuiabá, Brazil	2	Bolivia	1–0	1–0	2021 Copa América
2	10 October 2021	Estadio San Carlos de Apoquindo, Santiago, Chile	7	Paraguay	1–0	2–0	2022 FIFA World Cup qualification
3	14 October 2021	Estadio San Carlos de Apoquindo, Santiago, Chile	8	Venezuela	3–0	3–0	2022 FIFA World Cup qualification
4	27 January 2022	Estadio Zorros del Desierto, Calama, Chile	10	Argentina	1–1	1–2	2022 FIFA World Cup qualification
5	16 June 2023	Estadio Sausalito, Viña del Mar, Chile	20	Dominican Republic	1–0	5–0	Friendly
6					2–0
7					3–0

Honours

England U19

• UEFA European Under-19 Championship: 2017^[37]

Individual

• UEFA European Under-19 Championship Golden Boot: 2017^[62]
• EFL Championship Apprentice of the Year: 2016–17^[15]
• EFL Championship Player of the Month: September 2021^[20]
• Blackburn Rovers Players' Player of the Year: 2021–22^[63]
• Junior Rovers Player of the Year: 2021–22^[64]
• Chilean Footballer of the Year: 2022^[65]
• PFA Team of the Year: 2021–22 Championship^[66]

References

1. "Latest updated Premier League squad lists for 2023/24". Premier League. 8 February 2024. Retrieved 15 March 2024.
2. "Ben Brereton Diaz". 11v11.com. AFS Enterprises. Retrieved 4 February 2018.
3. "Ben Brereton". Blackburn Rovers F.C.
4. Church, Daniel (6 February 2017). "Shoot for the Stars: Nottingham Forest's Ben Brereton". Shoot. Pedigree Group. Retrieved 4 February 2018.
5. Smith, Pete (12 March 2017). "Transfer gossip: Liverpool plan £10m bid for Nottingham Forest's Blythe Bridge ace Ben Brereton". The Sentinel. Stoke-on-Trent. Archived from the original on 14 March 2017.
6. "La desconocida raíz penquista de Ben, el "inglés" que ayer debutó en la Roja" (in Spanish). Soy Concepción. 15 June 2021. Retrieved 19 June 2021.
7. "A to Z: Ben Brereton". Blackburn Rovers F.C. 30 October 2018. Retrieved 21 March 2021.
8. Smith, Peter (15 June 2021). "How Ben Brereton from Meir Park ended up playing against Lionel Messi at Copa America". Stoke Sentinel. Retrieved 19 June 2021.
9. Fuentealba, Rodrigo (3 October 2021). "El nuevo estatus de Ben Brereton, la gran esperanza de gol de Chile en Eliminatorias". La Tercera. Retrieved 5 October 2021. "... De los siete a los 14 años estuvo con el Manchester United, comía su comida y hacía sus tareas en el auto", dijo recientemente su madre, Andrea Díaz
10. Sharpe, Rich (21 June 2021). "'Cried and cried' – Brereton's family open up on his Chile exploits". Lancashire Telegraph. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
11. Davies, Matt (31 December 2016). "Nottingham Forest striker Ben Brereton signs new contract". Nottingham Post. Archived from the original on 1 January 2017.
12. "Leeds 2–0 Forest". Nottingham Forest F.C. 25 January 2017. Retrieved 4 February 2018.
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28. Hall, Danny (9 January 2024). "Ben Brereton Diaz's Sheffield United debut shows glimpses of what fans can expect after "difficult week"". The Star. Retrieved 16 January 2024.
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32. Coates, Charlotte (17 August 2024). "Newcastle United 1–0 Southampton". BBC Sport. Retrieved 17 August 2024.
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40. Sharpe, Rich (4 July 2021). "How Blackburn Rovers season ticket holder helped make Ben Brereton a Chile star". Lancashire Telegraph. Retrieved 15 December 2023.
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45. Abraham, Timothy (9 March 2024). "Brereton Diaz must learn Spanish, says Chile coach". BBC Sport. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
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47. Harbey, George (15 June 2021). "Nottingham Forest's Joe Lolley pokes fun at Ben Brereton following Chile debut". Football League World.
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49. @Rovers (21 July 2021). "👕🤔 'Brereton' or 'Brereton Diaz' on the #Rovers shirt next season? - now that is the question! 😏 @benbreo has set…" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
50. Blackburn Rovers: "The hard work pays off for Brereton Diaz"
51. O'Connor, Robert (10 November 2021). "Ben Brereton Díaz: Playing for Chile is such an honour – I'm having Spanish lessons so I can sing the national anthem". The Times. Retrieved 15 December 2023.
    "Feature: ¡Buenos Diaz!". The Football League website. 22 December 2021. Retrieved 22 May 2022.
52. "Games played by Ben Brereton Díaz in 2016/2017". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 2 January 2022.
53. "Games played by Ben Brereton Díaz in 2017/2018". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 2 January 2022.
54. "Games played by Ben Brereton Díaz in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 2 January 2022.
55. "Games played by Ben Brereton Díaz in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 2 January 2022.
56. "Games played by Ben Brereton Díaz in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 2 January 2022.
57. "Games played by Ben Brereton Díaz in 2021/2022". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 2 January 2022.
58. "Games played by Ben Brereton Díaz in 2022/2023". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 30 July 2022.
59. "Games played by Ben Brereton Díaz in 2023/2024". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 21 January 2024.
60. "Games played by Ben Brereton Díaz in 2024/2025". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 30 July 2024.
61. "Ben Brereton". National Football Teams. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
62. "Four share Under-19 top scorers' prize". UEFA. 15 July 2017. Retrieved 5 January 2017.
63. @rovers (4 May 2022). "All the winners from last night's Player of the Year Awards - part two". Retrieved 4 May 2022 – via Instagram.
64. @Rovers (3 May 2022). "Picking up two trophies is our top scorer @benbreo, who won both the Players' Player of the Year and Junior Rovers Player of the Year awards" (Tweet). Retrieved 4 May 2022 – via Twitter.
65. Madariaga, Carlos (5 December 2022). "Ben Brereton es escogido mejor futbolista chileno del año por el Círculo de Periodistas Deportivos". ADN Radio Chile (in Spanish). Retrieved 28 January 2023.
66. "PFA Championship Team of the Year". Professional Footballers' Association. 9 June 2022. Retrieved 14 July 2022.

External links

• Profile at the Villarreal CF website
• Ben Brereton Díaz at Soccerbase
• Ben Brereton Díaz at National-Football-Teams.com
• Ben Brereton Díaz – UEFA competition record (archive)