Born on this day is Argentine goalkeeper Oscar Ustari. The keeper was brought in as backup to Vito Mannone by Gus Poyet, but didn’t play a single minute in the Premier League.
With Mannone such a key figure in our ‘Great Escape’ and the tremendous cup run that went with it, Ustari was limited to the bench, other than a few token cup games. He made his debut for the lads in a 1-0 FA Cup win over Kidderminster Harriers just four days after signing for the club. The following cup game was another success for Ustari, keeping his second clean sheet in a 1-0 win against Southampton.
His only other appearance for Sunderland was in the FA Cup quarter-final against Hull City, where Poyet famously played a weakened team and the lads were beat 3-0. However, Ustari was certainly not to blame that day and actually managed to save a Sone Aluko penalty! The South American shot-stopper was an unused substitute in the League Cup final, where the lads put up a valiant effort.
After leaving Wearside, Oscar returned to Argentina with Newell’s Old Boys, where he played until signing for Mexican side Atlas Guadalajara. In Mexico, Ustari suffered a horror knee injury which kept him out of action for several months. The keeper now plays in Uruguay for CF Pachuca, at the age of 34.
