Faryd Mondragón
![]() Mondragón playing for 1. FC Köln in 2008 | |||
Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | Faryd Camilo Mondragón Alí | ||
Date of birth | 21 June 1971 | ||
Place of birth | Cali, Colombia | ||
Height | 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in)[1] | ||
Position(s) | Goalkeeper | ||
Team information | |||
Current team | Deportivo Cali | ||
Number | 1 | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
1990–1991 | Deportivo Cali | 1 | (0) |
1992 | Real Cartagena | 15 | (0) |
1992 | Santa Fe | 2 | (0) |
1993 | Cerro Porteño | 11 | (0) |
1993–1994 | Argentinos Juniors | 21 | (0) |
1994–1995 | Independiente | 0 | (0) |
1995 | Santa Fe | 30 | (0) |
1995–1998 | Independiente | 103 | (1) |
1999 | Real Zaragoza | 13 | (0) |
1999–2000 | Independiente | 16 | (0) |
2001 | Metz | 30 | (0) |
2001–2007 | Galatasaray | 185 | (0) |
2007–2010 | 1. FC Köln | 106 | (0) |
2011 | Philadelphia Union | 27 | (0) |
2012–2014 | Deportivo Cali | 78 | (0) |
Total | 638 | (1) | |
International career‡ | |||
1993–2014 | Colombia | 56 | (0) |
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of June 24, 2014 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of July 5, 2014 |
Faryd Camilo Mondragón Alí (born 21 June 1971) is a retired Colombian footballer who last played as a goalkeeper for Deportivo Cali in the Colombian First Division.
Since his debut in 1993, he has played over 50 times for the Colombian national team, making him alongside Mario Yepes the last active members of the original 1990s golden generation of Colombian football. He was named in the Colombian squads for the 1992 Olympics, two Copa América tournaments, two CONCACAF Gold Cups, and the World Cups of 1994, 1998 and 2014. On June 24, 2014, Mondragon made history by becoming the oldest player to play a FIFA World Cup match at the age of 43 years and 3 days before retiring after Colombia was eliminated.
Club career
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/13/080407-P-SP27_FC-_Faryd_Mondragon-226.jpg/150px-080407-P-SP27_FC-_Faryd_Mondragon-226.jpg)
Born in Cali of Lebanese descent, Mondragón's career began at Deportivo Cali, and he moved to Independiente Santa Fe and then Cerro Porteño in Paraguay. His career took off when he joined the Argentine first division side Argentinos Juniors in 1993, and then made his international debut for Colombia. The following year he moved to Club Atlético Independiente where he won, among other titles, the 1995 Supercopa Libertadores against Flamengo. Apart from some brief periods, he largely stood at the club until 2001.
He was the man behind the FC Metz's escape from relegation from Ligue 1 at the end of the 2000–01 season. However, he was convicted of using a false Greek passport and despite the mitigating circumstances (the passport would have been provided by shysters and FC Metz had not reached the limit of players outside the EU), Mondragón was not allowed to play in France and had to leave the country.
Mondragón represented Turkish power Galatasaray from 2001 to 2007, where he won two Süper Lig titles in 2002 and 2006. He was appreciated by the fans for his many saves and his commitment to the success of the team, and also become known for his prayers before and during games. He came to the fore in many European matches and was selected Player of the week in the Champions League two times.
Mondragón transferred from Istanbul to 1. FC Köln in May 2007. After arriving at his new club, he was forced to compete with established Köln goalkeeper Stefan Wessels for a spot in the starting eleven. One of the reasons that he chose 1. FC Köln it was because the current coach Christoph Daum was working there. After an intense pre-season, Mondragón was named as the new number one for 1. FC Köln. This resulted in Wessels leaving the club for Everton in England. Since Wessels departure, Mondragón established a first choice goalkeeper for the club until Mondragón was relegated to the bench after an altercation with Zvonimir Soldo over his desire to go on international duty. This resulted in Mondragón being sent home from the team hotel and being replaced by young Croatian stopper Miro Varvodić.[2]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/ce/Faryd_Cali_2.jpg/170px-Faryd_Cali_2.jpg)
His contract with Köln was terminated with effect from 31 December 2010,[3] the reason being Mondragón's desire to play in the MLS.
He spent the 2011 season with Philadelphia Union of Major League Soccer, where he was successful in providing leadership to a young team. On January 30, 2012, Deportivo Cali announced Mondragon had signed a one-year contract to finish his career with his original professional club.[4]
International career
After making his debut against Venezuela in 1993,[5] Mondragón was a member of the Colombian national teams that competed at the 1992 Summer Olympics and the 1994 and 1998 FIFA World Cup. During the 1998 World Cup, he started in goal for all three of their games, including the final match against England. Despite conceding two goals, he made some impressive saves and in doing so kept the score down to 2–0, with the BBC's South American football correspondent Tim Vickery saying that Mondragón was "single-handedly responsible for the fact that England did not run up a cricket score".[6] At the end of the game, Mondragón broke down in tears and David Seaman, England's goalkeeper, did his best to console him. According to German footballing legend Franz Beckenbauer, Mondragón had been the best goalkeeper of the first round.[7]
Along with Carlos Valderrama, the country's most capped player, Mondragón is the only Colombian to have participated in five FIFA World Cup qualification campaigns.[5] In 2010, he was recalled to the Colombian squad at the age of 39 after a five year absence from international football.[8] In 2014, he was named in Colombia's squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup, making him the oldest player at the tournament, and in World Cup history, at the age of 43, and the only squad member at the 1994 FIFA World Cup.[9] He is also the only player to have participated in 6 different World Cup qualifying campaigns since 1993. By coming on as a substitute in the 85th minute of the final group game against Japan on 24 June 2014, he became the oldest player ever to play in a World Cup game at the age of 43 years and 3 days old, surpassing the record set by Roger Milla for Cameroon at the 1994 World Cup.[10] Mondragon gave a very emotional interview afterwards, expressing his gratitude to have been given the opportunity to represent Colombia one last time at a world cup.[11]
After Colombia's elimination to the host country Brazil, Mondragon officially confirmed his retirement and thanked the fans and nation for the support after stating, "This is my last stadium as a professional player. I'm proud to be part of this wonderful group. Thank you all for the years of support." [12][13]
Career statistics
Updated June 27, 2014
Club performance | League | Cup | League Cup | Continental | Total | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Season | Club | League | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
Colombia | League | Cup | League Cup | South America | Total | |||||||
1990 | Deportivo Cali | Categoría Primera A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
1991 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
1992 | Real Cartagena | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 0 | |
Santa Fe | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | ||
Paraguay | League | Cup | League Cup | South America | Total | |||||||
1993 | Cerro Porteño | División Profesional | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 0 |
Argentina | League | Cup | League Cup | South America | Total | |||||||
1993–94 | Argentinos Juniors | Primera División | 21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 0 |
1994–95 | Independiente | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
Colombia | League | Cup | League Cup | South America | Total | |||||||
1995 | Santa Fe | Categoría Primera A | 30 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30 | 0 |
Argentina | League | Cup | League Cup | South America | Total | |||||||
1995–96 | Independiente | Primera División | 27 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 27 | 0 |
1996–97 | 33 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 33 | 0 | ||
1997–98 | 26 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 26 | 1 | ||
1998–99 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 0 | ||
Spain | League | Copa del Rey | Supercopa de España | Europe | Total | |||||||
1998–99 | Real Zaragoza | La Liga | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 0 |
Argentina | League | Cup | League Cup | South America | Total | |||||||
1999–00 | Independiente | Primera División | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 0 |
France | League | Coupe de France | Coupe de la Ligue | Europe | Total | |||||||
2000–01 | Metz | Ligue 1 | 30 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30 | 0 |
Turkey | League | Türkiye Kupası | Süper Kupa | Europe | Total | |||||||
2001–02 | Galatasaray | Süper Lig | 28 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 40 | 0 |
2002–03 | 32 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 39 | 0 | ||
2003–04 | 27 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 36 | 0 | ||
2004–05 | 34 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 38 | 0 | ||
2005–06 | 34 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 38 | 0 | ||
2006–07 | 30 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 40 | 0 | ||
Germany | League | DFB-Pokal | Other | Europe | Total | |||||||
2007–08 | Köln | Bundesliga | 31 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 31 | 0 |
2008–09 | 31 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 33 | 0 | ||
2009–10 | 32 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 36 | 0 | ||
2010–11 | 12 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 0 | ||
USA | League | Open Cup | League Cup | North America | Total | |||||||
2011 | Philadelphia Union | Major League Soccer | 27 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30 | 0 |
Colombia | League | Cup | Other | South America | Total | |||||||
2012 | Deportivo Cali | Categoría Primera A | 33 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 34 | 0 |
2013 | 40 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 40 | 0 | ||
2014 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 10 | 0 | ||
Total | Colombia | 126 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 132 | 0 | |
Paraguay | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 0 | ||
Argentina | 140 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 140 | 1 | ||
Spain | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 0 | ||
France | 30 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30 | 0 | ||
Turkey | 185 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 34 | 0 | 231 | 0 | ||
Germany | 106 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 114 | 0 | ||
USA | 27 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30 | 0 | ||
Career total | 638 | 1 | 21 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 39 | 0 | 701 | 1 |
Honours
- Superliga Colombiana: 2014
Personal life
Mondragón is of Lebanese descent.[14] His first name Faryd means “unique or unmatched” in Arabic.[15]
See also
References
- ^ "Faryd Mondragón". footballdatabase.eu. Retrieved September 14, 2012.
- ^ "Report: Faryd Mondragon Set To Leave Koeln For Philadelphia Union". Goals.com. December 9, 2010. Retrieved February 7, 2012.
- ^ "Mondragon verlässt den FC". 1. FC Köln (in German). December 13, 2010. Retrieved December 21, 2010.
{{cite web}}
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suggested) (help) - ^ "Mondragón se vuelve a poner la verde". ligapostobon.com.co (in Spanish). January 30, 2012. Retrieved January 30, 2012.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|trans_title=
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suggested) (help) - ^ a b "Faryd MONDRAGON". FIFA. Retrieved 16 June 2014.
- ^ "Tim Vickery column: Veteran goalkeeper eyeing place in Rio". BBC. 22 April 2013. Retrieved 16 June 2014.
- ^ "Faryd Mondragon Provides Stability In Goal". SBNation. 14 March 2011. Retrieved 16 June 2014.
- ^ "Mondragon in Colombia roster after 5-year absence". Fox Soccer. 21 May 2014. Retrieved 16 July 2014.
- ^ "World Cup Knowledge: players who played at World Cup without a club". The Guardian. 11 June 2014. Retrieved 16 June 2014.
- ^ "Mondragon bridging Colombian history". FIFA Official Website. 25 June 2014. Retrieved 25 June 2014.
- ^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RY82Jdx6cu8
- ^ http://www.sportsmole.co.uk/football/colombia/world-cup/news/faryd-mondragon-announces-retirement_163450.html
- ^ http://www.fanatix.com/news/world-cup-record-breaker-retires-colombia-goalkeeper-bids-farewell-to-football/281443/
- ^ "Football: Colombian 'globetrotter' reaches end of the road at World Cup". The Straight Times. May 28, 2014. Retrieved 24 June 2014.
- ^ Eric Gomez (21 April 2011). "Breaking News: Mondragon talks MLS, Europe, Copa America". Goal.com. Retrieved 24 June 2014.
External links
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- Faryd Mondragón at National-Football-Teams.com
- Argentine Primera statistics Template:Es icon
- 1971 births
- Living people
- People from Cali
- Colombian footballers
- Colombian people of Lebanese descent
- Deportivo Cali footballers
- Independiente Santa Fe footballers
- Argentinos Juniors footballers
- Club Atlético Independiente footballers
- Real Zaragoza footballers
- FC Metz players
- Galatasaray S.K. footballers
- 1. FC Köln players
- Cerro Porteño footballers
- Association football goalkeepers
- Association football goalkeepers who have scored
- Olympic footballers of Colombia
- Footballers at the 1992 Summer Olympics
- Colombia international footballers
- 1994 FIFA World Cup players
- 1997 Copa América players
- 1998 FIFA World Cup players
- 2003 CONCACAF Gold Cup players
- 2005 CONCACAF Gold Cup players
- 2014 FIFA World Cup players
- Colombian expatriate footballers
- Expatriate footballers in Germany
- Expatriate footballers in France
- Expatriate footballers in Spain
- Expatriate footballers in Turkey
- Expatriate footballers in Argentina
- Expatriate footballers in Paraguay
- Expatriate soccer players in the United States
- Primera División Argentina players
- La Liga footballers
- Ligue 1 players
- Süper Lig players
- Bundesliga players
- 2. Bundesliga players
- Colombian expatriates in France
- Colombian expatriates in the United States
- Philadelphia Union players
- Deportivo Cali
- Major League Soccer players
- Major League Soccer All-Stars
- Colombian expatriates in Turkey