Esteban Solari

Esteban Solari
Personal information
Full name	Esteban Andrés Solari
Date of birth	June 2, 1980 (age 31)
Place of birth	Rosario, Argentina
Height	1.87 m (6 ft 1 1⁄2 in)
Playing position	Striker
Club information
Current club	APOEL
Number	9
Youth career
1999-2000	Velez Sarsfield
Senior career*
	* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of February 1, 2012.; † Appearances (Goals).;

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Esteban Andrés Solari, born June 2, 1980 in Rosario^[1]) is an Argentine football player who currently plays for APOEL in the Cypriot First Division.

[edit] Personal life

His nickname "Tano" means "Italian", but can also mean "stubborn" in Argentinian slang. His parents are Eduardo Miguel Solari and Alicia Susana Poggio. His brothers are Santiago Hernán Solari, Martin Miguel Solari, David Eduardo Solari and his sister is Liz Maria Solari (model).

[edit] Biography

Solari's first professional club was Velez Sarsfield, for whom he played in the 1999-00 season, followed by seasons at Estudiantes and Defensa y Justicia. He played for Argentinos Juniors in the 2002-03 season, and in 2003-04 he played for Italian team Chioggia. After leaving Chioggia, he moved to Lierse for the 2004-05 season, scoring 5 goals in 23 appearances.

Then, he left Lierse and signed a contract with APOEL for the 2005-06 season. After impressing during his debut season, he was offered a contract extension until 2008. That year, Esteban played 16 games from the start and 4 as a substitute, scoring 14 goals in the league and helped his team to win the 2005-06 Cypriot Cup. In the 2006-07 season, he finished top scorer in Cyprus with 20 goals in the league, and was one major force behind APOEL's achievement to win the championship. He was voted also as the MVP of the championship that year.

However, at the end of May 2007, it was announced that Solari had signed for UNAM Pumas of Mexico, once again becoming a first goalscorer, this time in Mexico by scoring 25 goals in 40 appearances.

On June 13, 2008, Solari was transferred to the Spanish club UD Almería, who paid €4 millon to buy him from UNAM Pumas. However in his first year in Primera Division, he did not get as many chances as he needed to prove himself (8 appearances and 1 goal). He stayed in Almeria for another season having only 2 appearances on season 2009-10.

On June 2, 2010 he signed a 3 years contract with APOEL, returning to the team that established his name and advanced his career. Solari made a great start at his second spell with APOEL by scoring 4 goals in 6 appearances in UEFA Europa League. In the championship he played in 28 matches and scored 11 goals, helping APOEL to win the 2010–11 Cypriot First Division.