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Nolberto Solano
Personal information
Full name	Nolberto Albino Solano Todco
Date of birth	12 December 1974 (1974-12-12) (age 35)
Place of birth	Callao, Peru
Height	1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Playing position	Midfielder
Club information
Current club	Universitario de Deportes
Number	24
Senior career1
Years	Club	App (Gls)*
1992–1993 1993–1994 1994–1997 1997–1998 1998–2004 2004–2005 2005–2007 2007–2008 2008–2009 2009–	Sporting Cristal Deportivo Municipal Sporting Cristal Boca Juniors Newcastle United Aston Villa Newcastle United West Ham United Larissa Universitario de Deportes	011 00(1) 027 00(7) 097 0(31) 032 00(5) 182 0(37) 049 00(8) 058 00(8) 023 00(4) 017 00(2) 032 00(10)
National team2
1994–2009	Peru	095 0(20)
1 Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 4 October 2008. 2 National team caps and goals correct as of 15 October 2009. * Appearances (Goals)

Nolberto Albino Solano Todco (born 12 December 1974 in Callao), commonly known as "Nobby" or "Ñol", is a Peruvian football player who plays for Universitario de Deportes, having spent much of his career in the English Premier League. He is a popular figure in his native Peru, where he is seen as one of the most famous Peruvians, appearing on a postage stamp, telephone cards and having his wedding televised live.^[1][2]

His talents in football range from accurate crosses to accomplished dead-ball skills and he has traditionally played either on the right wing, or as a right back during his career. He is the first choice player to take corner and direct free kicks. Solano is the first Peruvian to play in the Premier League and the FA Cup Final. He is also an accomplished trumpet player and has set up his own Salsa band, The Geordie Latinos.^[3] He has described himself as an 'adopted Geordie'.^[4]

Contents 1 Early life 2 Club career 2.1 Boca Juniors 2.2 Newcastle United 2.3 Aston Villa 2.4 Newcastle United 2.5 West Ham United 2.6 Colchester united 2.7 International career 2.8 Playing Style 2.9 Honours 2.9.1 Team 2.9.1.1 Sporting Cristal 2.9.1.2 Universitario de Deportes 2.9.1.3 Newcastle United 2.9.1.4 National Team 2.9.2 Individual 2.10 Notes and references 2.11 External links

[edit] Early life

Solano was the youngest of his family. His father, Albino, was in the Peruvian Navy, whilst his mother was a housewife who raised him, his four brothers and two sisters. He began playing football at a very early age in the streets of Callao.

Solano witnessed the Peru national football team qualify for the 1978 FIFA World Cup at the age of three and again qualify for the 1982 FIFA World Cup at the age of seven. The second World Cup he witnessed had the biggest effect on him. At that time he played a lot of football and his national team inspired him.

[edit] Club career

Solano signed his first professional contract with the Peruvian first division side Sporting Cristal in 1992 at the age of 17. Towards the end of his first season at Sporting Cristal he signed a one year contract with Deportivo Municipal before returning at the end of 1993. He was part of the famous Sporting Cristal squad of the years 90, the club won the Peruvian Championship in 1994, 1995 and 1996, and reached the finals of the 1997's Copa Libertadores. With Roberto Palacios, Flavio Maestri, Julinho and Jorge Soto, have been some of Sporting Cristal's most recognized football players of that time.

[edit] Boca Juniors

In 1997 at the age of 22 he signed for Argentinian side Boca Juniors. Here he became a teammate of the highly respected footballer Diego Maradona, who nicknamed Solano the 'Maestrito'.^[4]

[edit] Newcastle United

In 1998, Solano became the first Peruvian to play in England when he signed a contract with Newcastle United for £2,480,000.^[5] Such was the interest in the little Peruvian that his first appearance in a black and white shirt for Newcastle reserves resulted in the kick off being delayed to accommodate the large crowd, many of whom had been delayed after a lorry had shed its load blocking one of the major routes into the city. Solano justified the turnout with a goal. His first team debut Newcastle performance came in a Premier League match against Chelsea on 22 August, after 67 minutes of play, as a substitute for goalscorer Andreas Andersson. In June 2001, he signed a new contract which would mean he could keep his place at the club for five years. A month later he scored what he later described as "the best goal of [his] career" with a solo goal against 1860 München.^[6] Nevertheless he was sold in the January transfer window of 2004 to Aston Villa. During his first spell at Newcastle, he played in the 1999 FA Cup Final.

[edit] Aston Villa

Solano joined Aston Villa in January 2004 for a fee of £1.5 million and signed a two-and-a-half year contract with the club.^[7] He made his debut in a 5–0 win over Leicester City, becoming their top scorer for the 2004–05 season, and was elected the club's Player of the Year by the supporters, the local press and his teammates.

[edit] Newcastle United

Solano returned to Newcastle United in August 2005 for a fee of £1.5 million with midfielder James Milner going the other way to Aston Villa on a season-long loan.^[8] He signed a two-year contract with the option for Newcastle to extend it for another year.^[8] In the 2006–07 season, injuries to right-back Stephen Carr and others caused the Newcastle United manager Glenn Roeder to play Solano at right-back instead of his usual right-wing position. However it was not an unfamiliar playing position to Solano, as he started his football career in defence and had featured at right-back for his country. With his contract due to expire at the end of the season, Roeder revealed he was in talks to extend Solano's contract to the end of next season. Solano signed a new one-year contract at Newcastle in the summer of 2007, however a few months later he asked to leave the club so to move closer to his family, who had moved to London.^[9]

[edit] West Ham United

Solano signed a one-year contract with West Ham United in August 2007.^[10] He made his debut for West Ham in October 2007, coming on as a second half substitute in the 3–1 home defeat of Sunderland, and was instrumental in West Ham's second goal, his shot being deflected into the Sunderland goal by goalkeeper, Craig Gordon.^[11] His first goal for West Ham was a free-kick and the fifth goal in West Ham's 5–0 away win against Derby County on 10 November 2007.^[12] In the last game of the season on 11 May 2008 Solano scored his second free-kick goal, against Aston Villa, the match ended 2–2. He was released by West Ham at the end of the 2007–08 season having scored four goals in 23 appearances.^[13]

[edit] Colchester united

Nobby is curently training with Steve Ault at Colchester United.

[edit] International career

Solano made his full international debut for Peru at the age of 18, since then he has been capped 88 times, scoring 20 goals. He has been a key member of the squad since the mid-1990s but, in June 2005, Solano decided to quit the Peruvian national football team due to disagreements with the coach, Freddy Ternero. In 2006, he returned to the national team setup under new coach Franco Navarro. Despite his return to the national team, Solano was not selected for Peru's Copa America 2007 squad. He has continued to represent the national team since then, but with his country having no chance at all of qualifying for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, he has recently announced his decision to retire from international football after the upcoming World Cup Qualifiers against Argentina and Bolivia. Solano has also stated his desire to try and guide his country to the World Cup as a coach in the near future to try and make up for never making it as a player. [1]

[edit] Playing Style

The neutrality of this section is disputed. Please see the discussion on the talk page. Please do not remove this message until the dispute is resolved. (December 2009)

With a slight frame and low centre of gravity Solano's game is based almost entirely on skill and vision, he in many ways exemplifies the South American type of footballer. Predominantly a wide player, as a winger in Europe he was a typical; a taste for drifing inside and unhurried in his manner of carrying the ball. He came second only to Thierry Henry in assists for the 2000–01 season.^[14] He is also a dead ball specialist, having scored several memorable long range freekicks.

[edit] Honours

[edit] Team

[edit] Sporting Cristal

• Peruvian First Division: 1994, 1995, 1996
• Copa Libertadores Runner-up: 1997

[edit] Universitario de Deportes

• Peruvian First Division: 2009

[edit] Newcastle United

• UEFA Intertoto Cup: 2006

[edit] National Team

• Kirin Cup: 1999, 2005

[edit] Individual

• 1997 Peruvian Player on the Year
• 1997 America's Ideal Team of the Year^[15]
• 1997 South American Player on the Year: 2º place^[16]
• 2003 Best make shift right back of the year.
• 2006 Best executor of World: free kick ^[17]

[edit] Notes and references

[edit] External links

• Nolberto Solano career stats at Soccerbase
• Player site
• Nolberto Solano at the Internet Movie Database
• International statistics at rsssf

v • d • e Peru squad – 1995 Copa América 1 Miranda • 2 Jorge Soto • 3 Garcia • 4 Olivares • 5 Dulanto • 6 José Soto • 7 Baroni • 8 Del Solar • 9 Ramírez • 10 Palacios • 11 Pinillos • 12 Yupanqui • 13 Reynoso • 14 Ubillús • 15 Solano • 16 Rivera • 17 Jayo • 18 Magallanes • 19 Carty • 20 Rodriguez • 21 Quesada • 22 Carranza • Coach: Company

v • d • e Peru squad – 1999 Copa América 1 Ibáñez • 2 Rebosio • 3 Reynoso • 4 Olivares • 5 Guadalupe • 6 José Soto • 7 Solano • 8 Jayo • 9 Maestri • 10 Palacios • 11 Holsen • 12 Miranda • 13 Velasquez • 14 Jorge Soto • 15 Pereda • 16 Mendoza • 17 Chacón • 18 Pizarro • 19 Ciurlizza • 20 Soria • 21 Butrón • 22 Zúñiga • Coach: Oblitas

v • d • e Peru squad – 2000 CONCACAF Gold Cup 1 Ibáñez • 2 Huamán • 3 Reynoso • 4 Salazar • 5 Soto • 6 Rebosio • 7 Solano • 8 Jayo • 9  • 10 Palacios • 11 Holsen • 13 Ciurlizza • 14 Jorge Soto • 15 Zúñiga • 16 Suárez • 17 Pinillos • 18 Sáenz • 19 Lobatón • 20 del Solar • 23 Quinteros • Coach: Maturana

v • d • e Peru squad – 2004 Copa América 1 Ibáñez • 2 Acasiete • 3 Rebosio • 4 Soto • 5 Hidalgo • 6 Vílchez • 7 Solano • 8 Jayo • 9 Maestri • 10 Palacios • 11 Olcese • 12 Delgado • 13 la Rosa • 14 Pizarro • 15 Salas • 16 Mendoza • 17 Farfán • 18 Pedro García • 19 Ciurlizza • 20 Zegarra • 21 Butrón • 22 Julio García • Coach: Autuori

v • d • e Universitario de Deportes – current squad 1 Fernandez · 2 Galliquio · 3 Galvan · 4 Villamarín · 5 Gonzales · 6 R. Torres · 7 M. Torres · 9 Ruidiaz · 10 Bustamante · 11 Labarthe · 12 Llontop · 13 Calderón · 14 La Torre · 15 Vásquez · 16 Revoredo · 17 Carmona · 18 Calheira · 19 Orejuela · 20 Novoa · 21 Espinoza · 23 Alva · 24 Solano · 25 Bazán · 26 Balta · 27 Duarte · 28 Rabanal · 30 Núñez · 31 Lobrano · 32 Conde · Manager: Juan Reynoso