Peñarol Facundo began his football career at the age of 4 at La Picada, a baby football club. Later, he had a brief stint with
River Plate in AUFI, and since 2012, he has been playing in the youth divisions of
Peñarol, a club he supports. His first three years at Peñarol were in AUFI. In 2015, he began to be part of the club's youth teams, starting with the U-14. In the Juveniles, he played 115 matches and scored 49 goals. He was part of the U-14, U-15, U-16, and U-17 teams. In 2017, Pellistri won his first Uruguayan championship, obtaining the title in U-16 after defeating
Defensor Sporting 2-1 in the tournament final. That same year, he scored his first classic goal. The match corresponded to the 4th round of the Clausura Tournament, and near the end, he scored the goal that sealed the final result of the match (2-1). This match against
Nacional was played at the
Estadio Centenario, a national historic monument, marking his first official game at that venue. In 2018, the year in which Facundo was part of the U-17 team, he was called up for the first time to train with the main squad of the
carbonero, led by
Diego López, to carry out the mid-year preseason in the department of Colonia. At that time, the player was 16 years old and experiencing his first involvement with the main squad. In 2019, the player alternated between the main squad and the reserves, where he played 13 matches. Finally, on August 11, 2019, he made his first division debut. He came on in the 89th minute against Defensor Sporting at the
Estadio Luis Franzini, during the 4th round of the Torneo Intermedio 2019. Although he had relatively few minutes on the field, in his first play, he managed to excite the fans. The match ended in a 2-2 draw. From then on, Facundo began to be more frequently considered for the main squad. On November 6, 2019, he scored his first official goal in the first division, in a 3-1 victory against
Cerro during the 10th round of the Torneo Clausura 2019, held at the
Estadio Luis Tróccoli. Since his debut, he started gaining more playing time and quickly ignited great excitement among Peñarol fans, to the point that just a few months after his debut, he was selected through various social media platforms of the
AUF as the public's player of the year 2019. He was also distinguished as a member of the ideal team of the 2019 Uruguayan Championship, having participated in only 50% of the year's matches. But he didn't just excite and attract the interest of fans. Shortly after becoming a major revelation in the local scene, rumors began to surface from major global institutions.
Boca Juniors,
Atlético de Madrid,
Arsenal,
Barcelona,
Real Madrid, and
Manchester City were some of the clubs that reportedly showed interest in the player. In December 2019,
Juan Román Riquelme, vice president of Boca Juniors and former player of the club, publicly praised the player and stated that "
there are not many players like him anymore". In February 2020, his contract with Peñarol was renewed until 2022, which included a release clause of 15 million dollars, a historic and significant amount for the institution.
Manchester United Pellistri joined Manchester United on 5 October 2020, for a reported transfer fee of £9 million, on a five-year contract.
Diego Forlán, who was then managing Peñarol, endorsed Pellistri in a conversation with Manchester United manager and former teammate
Ole Gunnar Solskjær, comparing the young player to
Ryan Giggs and emphasizing his ability to speak English. His first pre-season goal was on 18 July 2021, against
Derby County, in a 2–1 away win at
Pride Park.
Loan to Alavés On 31 January 2021, Pellistri joined
Deportivo Alavés on loan for the remainder of the season. He returned to United to play in their summer pre-season matches, before going back on loan to Alavés in August for the 2021–22 season.
2022–23 season Pellistri made his competitive debut for Manchester United on 10 January 2023, coming on as a substitute and assisting the second goal in a 3–0
EFL Cup win over
Charlton Athletic. Pellistri made his Premier League debut on 8 February 2023, coming on as a substitute in a 2–2 draw against
Leeds United. On 17 March 2023, Pellistri made his first senior start for United, against
Real Betis in the
UEFA Europa League. On 20 September 2023, Pellistri made his
UEFA Champions League debut against
Bayern Munich, in the group stage, at
Allianz Arena.
Loan to Granada On 31 January 2024, Pellistri joined
Granada on a loan deal until the end of the season. On 11 February, Pellistri netted his first goal for Granada in a La Liga game against
Barcelona, which ended in a 3–3 stalemate.
Panathinaikos On 21 August 2024, Pellistri signed for
Super League Greece club
Panathinaikos on a four-year deal. The fee was a reported €6 million (£5.1 million) with up to €2 million in performance based add-ons, with Manchester United also holding a 45% sell-on clause as well as a three-year buy-back option. ==International career==