Marcelo Díaz

This name uses Spanish naming customs; the first or paternal family name is Díaz and the second or maternal family name is Rojas.

Marcelo Díaz

Personal information
Full name	Marcelo Alfonso Díaz Rojas
Date of birth	30 December 1986 (1986-12-30)
Place of birth	Santiago, Chile
Height	1.66 m (5 ft 5 in)
Playing position	Central Midfielder Defensive Midfielder
Club information
Current club	Universidad de Chile
Number	21
Youth career
	Universidad de Chile
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
2004–	Universidad de Chile	144	(3)
2011	→ La Serena (loan)	13	(5)
National team‡
2005	Chile U20	7	(0)
2011–	Chile	1	(0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 10 February 2012. † Appearances (Goals). ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 11 November 2011

Marcelo Alfonso Díaz Rojas (born 30 December 1986) is a Chilean footballer that currently plays for Universidad de Chile and the Chilean national football team.

Díaz came trough Universidad de Chile youth academy, and was promoted to the first team in 2005, when he was 18. Since then he has played 162 matches and scored 4 goals, the most important in a 2011 Copa Sudamericana game against Flamengo, that his team won 1–0, thanks to Díaz. He won four titles with Universidad de Chile, after winning three titles in the 2011 season.

In 2005, Díaz played for Chile at the U20 level, making his adult international debut six years later on 11 November 2011, in a 4–0 loss with Uruguay at Centenario Stadium.

He plays as Central Midfielder, but can also play as Defensive Midfielder or Attacking Midfielder. After his stellar play with Jorge Sampaoli as coach in Universidad de Chile (winning the 2011 Copa Sudamericana), and due to similarities in their play, earned Díaz the nickname of "South American Xavi", as both of them control the midfield with great ball winning capabilities, but excel also in the passing game.

Club career

Universidad de Chile

Early seasons

Díaz began his career in Universidad de Chile youth academy, being immediately accepted by Jorge Cabrera, the coach of the club's lower divitions. He played in the Club Julio Covarrubias of Padre Hurtado, after of arrive to Universidad de Chile, affirming that he had some of lucky being accepted in the club, because he was a player that not called the attention and of low profile.

After of pass all categories of the lower divition, playing as playmaker, he was promoted to the first team in 2004 with 18 years old, but only was called to three matches and not debuted in none of them. The next season, Díaz made his professional debut in a 3–2 loss with Everton for the first week of the 2005 Apertura Tournament. In the season 2006, he played 29 matches between the Apertura and the Clausura Tournament.

After the one season, playing with regularity, in the Apertura Tournament 2008, Díaz was a frequently starter in the squad of Arturo Salah, and scored his first professional goal with the club on 23 March, in a 3–2 loss with Huachipato, he never scored a goal for Universidad de Chile in previous seasons. During the season between the Apertura and Clausura played 36 games.

After of the departure of Arturo Salah and the arrival of the Uruguayan coach Sergio Markarián, Díaz was used as left back, unlike Salah that used to Díaz as attacking midfielder. On 28 January 2009, he scored his first international goal in a 1–0 home victory to Pachuca thanks to Díaz. In the first semester of the season, he won his first professional title, the Apertura Tournament, that his club won after of beat 1–0 to Unión Española in the playoffs final. The next season, now with Gerardo Pelusso as coach, Díaz was used as right back and only played five league games.

Deportes La Serena (loan)

On 13 August 2010, the same player confirmed his incorporation to Deportes La Serena. On 22 August, Díaz debuted in a 4–0 home win over Santiago Wanderers at La Portada Stadium. In third match for the club against Audax Italiano, he scored his side's goal in a 2–1 defeat in the 86th minute. On 3 October, Díaz scored a twice in a 3–3 draw with Everton, being red carded in the 91th minute. After one match of absence, and his return in the game against Unión Española, he again scored his side's goal in a 2–1 away defeat with Universidad Católica. On 28 November, Díaz had a successful performance against Cobresal, being named the man-of-the-match and scoring a goal in a 2–0 win.

Finished the year 2010, Díaz was semi-signed by Huachipato on loan, but Universidad de Chile's new coach Jorge Sampaoli wanted him to play for his team in 2011 and the player remained in the club.

2011 season

Díaz began the season as a substitute player replacing to Guillermo Marino in all second halves of a game, but due to his good performances, he ended up replacing Marino on the starting lineup. On 4 June 2011, he scored a wonderful 26-yard free-kick versus O'Higgins, in Universidad de Chile's amazing 7–1 rout for the playoff's semi-final. Following the title obtained in the Apertura Tournament and the departure of Felipe Seymour to Italian Serie A side Genoa, Díaz started to play in Seymour's former position in the starting lineup as Central midfielder, with a more defensive role.

When the Clausura Tournament began, former Universidad de Chile midfielder Manuel Iturra was heavy linked with the club, to replace to Seymour, but Sampaoli decided finally against Iturra and for Díaz, who with the given confidence stepped up his game and became one of the key players of the team. His great performances in the local tournament and in the 2011 Copa Sudamericana caught the eye of national team's coach Claudio Borghi to play in the 2014 World Cup qualifiers. On October 19th, Díaz played in the Copa Sudamericana's Round of 16 match against Flamengo, who had Ronaldinho. In that game Universidad de Chile historically beat 4–0 as visitors, something never done by a Chilean team. In the second leg match, Díaz scored the only goal of the game in a 1–0 win at Estadio Nacional, winning the Man of the Match Award. The next game of his club against the rivals, Colo-Colo, and he again was the man of the match in a 2–2 away draw. In that same match, Díaz was punished by the ANFP for obscene gestures to the Garra Blanca, the barra brava of Colo-Colo. After his performances, he was called-up by Borghi for play against the Uruguayan national football team at Centenario Stadium for the World Cup qualifiers. On November 23rd, for the semi-finals of the Copa Sudamericana against Vasco da Gama, Díaz played in a 1–1 away draw at São Januário Stadium. He played an important role in the match, winning important balls in the middle of the pitch and assisting Osvaldo González, with a great Free Kick to score the equalizer goal in the 79th minute. In the second leg game against the Brazilians, Díaz was named once again the man of the match in a 2–0 win. In the next game against LDU Quito for the first leg final, he made another assist to Eduardo Vargas, who scored the only goal of game. On December 14th, in the final of the tournament, Díaz played a good role in a 3–0 win over LDU, being crowned as the best champion of this tournament. According to the South American media, they compared to Universidad de Chile with Barcelona and Díaz with Xavi. Winning the Clausura Tournament, Universidad de Chile made a successful season earning three titles in one year, with Díaz as one of the key players of the season along with Johnny Herrera, Eduardo Vargas, Marcos González and José Rojas.

2012 season

On 4 January 2012, the club received a $1.5 million offer of Argentine Primera División side Newell's Old Boys for Díaz, but the same player rejected to play the Copa Libertadores. The club to retain Díaz offered him pay rise. With the departure of José Rojas to Botafogo, Díaz was the leading candidate to be the team's captain, but the frustraed trasnfer of Rojas to Botafogo, "Pepe" remained as captain. He played during the pre-season of the club, playing in all games of Universidad de Chile. Díaz started the season of fine form scoring a penalty goal in a 3–1 win over Deportes La Serena in the first game of Universidad de Chile at the Apertura Tournament.

International career

U20 team

In January 2005, aged 19, Díaz caught the attention of José Sulantay, who called up the player to play the South American Youth Championship held in Colombia. He made his U-20 debut during the championship. Following the qualification of the Chilean national youth team to the 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship, he was in the 23–man squad to play the world championship, but he didn't play during the tournament.

Adult team

Díaz singing the national anthem in the game between Chile and Uruguay.

Six years after his participation with the U-20 team, on September 7th, 2011, Díaz was called up by Claudio Borghi to play in the 2014 World Cup qualification against Uruguay and Paraguay, in replace of Carlos Carmona, who was banned for his participation in the scandal of "Bautizazo". On 11 November, Díaz officialy debuted for the adult team of Chile in a 4–0 away loss at Centenario Stadium, being replaced by Milovan Mirosevic in the 61th minute. The next game against Paraguay on November 15th, he was in the bench, but didn't play in the 2–0 home win for Chile. He is included in the 22 man squad for the March, 2011 game against Ghana.

Honours

Club

Universidad de Chile

• Apertura Tournament (2): 2009, 2011
• Clausura Tournament (1): 2011
• Copa Sudamericana (1): 2011

Individual

• Chilean Primera División best eleven (1): 2011

External Links

• Marcelo Díaz at Football-Lineups
• Player profile at BDFA