Carlos Valderrama

Carlos Valderrama

File:Carlosvalderrama.png
Personal information
Full name	Carlos Alberto Valderrama Palacio
Height	5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Position(s)	Central midfielder

Carlos Alberto Valderrama Palacio (born September 2, 1961 in Santa Marta) is a former Colombian soccer player, a creative midfielder, some pundits consider him the best Colombian player of all time.

Nicknamed El Pibe ("The kid"), Valderrama is recognizable for his enormous dyed blondish-orange bush of hair and is known for his skillful passing and shielding. One of the most formidable powers of Valderrama is his ability to dominate the match playing in walking pace. Valderrama captained Colombia during the 1990, 1994, and 1998 World Cups, before announcing his international retirement after the 1998 competition having received 111 caps and scored 11 times. He won the Colombian championship with Atlético Junior in 1993 and 1995. One example of excellent field vision was in the 1990 World Cup in Italy. In the game against Germany, Valderrama passed the ball to Freddy Rincon who was open for a pass. Rincon then scored through the legs of German goalkeeper Bodo Illgner. This goal tied the match at 1-1 and sent Colombia to the second round of the World Cup for the first time in its history and the only team Germany could not beat on their way to the championship.

He began his career at Unión Magdalena of the Colombian First Division in 1981. He also played for Millonarios and Deportivo Cali before joining Montpellier of the French First Division in 1988. to play for Independiente Medellín and Atlético Junior from 1993-96 before going to the US in 1996 to play for the Tampa Bay Mutiny (1996-97, 2000-01), Miami Fusion (1998-99), and Colorado Rapids (2001-02). In Major League Soccer, Valderrama scored relatively few goals (16) for a midfielder, but is the league's all-time leader in assists (114). In 2005, he was named to the MLS All-Time Best XI.

In February 2004, Valderrama ended his 22-year career in a tribute match at the Metropolitan stadium of Barranquilla, with some of the most important football players of South America, such as Diego Maradona (he couldn't play), Enzo Francescoli and José Luis Chilavert. Despite ending his career, recent attempts have been made to try and persuade the former South American Footballer of the Year out of retirement and to play at a semi-professional level. Clubs rumoured to have approached him are Deportivo Cali, Once Caldas, Centauros Villavicencio and Leek Town.

He is married and has five children. Valderrama was the only Colombian to feature in FIFA's 125 Top Living Football Players list in March 2004.

Trivia

File:Pibe2.jpg

Statue honoring 'Carlos "el pibe" Valderrama' in Santa Marta, Colombia

• He appeared in the cover of Nintendo 64 and Konami game International Superstar Soccer '98, as well as in the PlayStation conversion. In the N64 game, the player based on him is the only one whose name is not similar to the real-life counterpart; instead, he is called "El Pibe".
• There is a 22 foot tall bronze statue of Valderrama beside the Eduardo Santos stadium in Santa Marta, Colombia, created by Colombian artist, Amilkar Ariza.

Honours

• South American Footballer of the Year (1987, 1993)
• French Cup winner (1990)
• Colombian Championship winner with Junior Barranquilla (1993, 1995)
• MLS Player of the Year (1996)
• MLS All-time leader in assists
• MLS All-star game MVP
• Member of the FIFA Century Club

External links

• Link for Valderrama in Spanish

See also

• Famous Colombians

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