Rubén Estephan Vargas Martínez (born 5 August 1998) is a Swiss professional footballer who plays as a winger or attacking midfielder for club Sevilla and the Switzerland national team.
Club career Vargas made his professional debut for FC Luzern in a 1–1 tie with FC Zürich on 27 August 2017.
He signed a five-year contract with FC Augsburg in June 2019, becoming the first Bundesliga player of Dominican descent. He scored his first goal in his second match, against Union Berlin on 24 August. On 25 July 2021, he signed a four-year contract extension with Augsburg, running until June 2025.
On 9 January 2025, Vargas signed a contract with Spanish club Sevilla until 2029.
International career Vargas made his Switzerland senior team debut on 8 September 2019, in a UEFA Euro 2020 qualifier against Gibraltar. He replaced Granit Xhaka in the 74th minute. On 18 November, he scored his first senior international goal against the same opposition in a 6–1 win.
In 2021, Vargas scored a crucial penalty for Switzerland during UEFA Euro 2020 in a shootout against France on 28 June in the round of 16, helping Switzerland qualify for the quarter-final. However, Vargas, later missed a penalty for Switzerland during the shoot-out against Spain on 2 July in the quarter-final, which they would end up losing.
Vargas started all four of Switzerland's matches at the 2022 FIFA World Cup, assisting Remo Freuler's winning goal in the Group G decider against Serbia on 2 December.
On 7 June 2024, Vargas was named in Switzerland's squad for UEFA Euro 2024. He started the team's opening match, playing 74 minutes of a 3–1 win over Hungary in Cologne. He was awarded player of the match for Switzerland's round of 16 game against defending champions Italy, both scoring and assisting a goal in a 2–0 victory.
On 20 May 2026, Vargas was selected in the 26-man squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. He scored his first World Cup goals against Bosnia and Herzegovina and Canada in the group stage. He scored the winning penalty during the shootout against Colombia in the round of 16, securing his nation's place in the quarter-finals for the first time since 1954.
Personal life Vargas was born in Adligenswil, Switzerland, to a Dominican father named Victor Vargas alias "Filete", and a Swiss mother, and holds citizenship of both nations. He is a Christian.
Career statistics Club
+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competitionClubSeasonLeagueNational cupEuropeTotalDivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsLuzern II2015–16Swiss 1. Liga63——632016–17Swiss 1. Liga109——1092017–18Swiss 1. Liga95——95Total2517——2517Luzern2017–18Swiss Super League19111002022018–19Swiss Super League3184120379Total50952205711FC Augsburg2019–20Bundesliga33600—3362020–21Bundesliga30621—3272021–22Bundesliga29111—3022022–23Bundesliga23310—2432023–24Bundesliga31410—3242024–25Bundesliga8020—100Total1542072—16122Sevilla2024–25La Liga112——1122025–26La Liga24310—253Total35510—365Career total264511342027955
International
+ Appearances and goals by national team and yearNational teamYearAppsGoalsSwitzerland20193120205020211432022902023932024101202583202692Total6713
Scores and results list Switzerland's goal tally first.
+ List of international goals scored by Rubén Vargas No. Date Venue Cap Opponent Score Result Competition 1 18 November 2019 Victoria Stadium, Gibraltar 3 2–0 6–1 UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying 2 31 March 2021 Kybunpark, St. Gallen, Switzerland 11 2–2 3–2 Friendly 3 1 September 2021 St. Jakob-Park, Basel, Switzerland 17 2–1 2–1 4 15 November 2021 Swissporarena, Lucerne, Switzerland 22 2–0 4–0 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification 5 28 March 2023 Stade de Genève, Geneva, Switzerland 33 1–0 3–0 UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying 6 15 November 2023 Pancho Arena, Felcsút, Hungary 38 1–0 1–1 7 18 November 2023 St. Jakob-Park, Basel, Switzerland 39 1–0 1–1 8 29 June 2024 Olympiastadion, Berlin, Germany 47 2–0 2–0 UEFA Euro 2024 9 25 March 2025 Kybunpark, St. Gallen, Switzerland 52 1–0 3–1 Friendly 10 3–0 11 18 November 2025 Fadil Vokrri Stadium, Pristina, Kosovo 58 1–0 1–1 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification 12 18 June 2026 SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, United States 63 2–0 4–1 2026 FIFA World Cup 13 24 June 2026 BC Place, Vancouver, Canada 64 1–0 2–1
References
External links
SFL Profile
Swiss U20 Profile