Jefferson Gottardi
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Jefferson Gottardi | ||
| Date of birth | January 13, 1976 | ||
| Place of birth | Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia | ||
| Date of death | September 4, 2003 (aged 27) | ||
| Place of death | La Paz, Bolivia | ||
| Height | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Striker | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1991–1994 | Tahuichi Academy | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1995–1997 | Oriente Petrolero | ||
| 1998–2000 | Bolívar | ||
| 1999 | → Tampa Bay Mutiny (loan) | 11 | (4) |
| 1999 | → Deportivo Táchira (loan) | ||
| 2001 | Goiás | ||
| International career‡ | |||
| 1995 | Bolivia U-20 | ||
| 1999 | Bolivia | 1 | (0) |
|
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 5 April 2009 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 5 April 2009 | |||
Jefferson Gottardi (13 January 1976 — 4 September 2003) was a Bolivian footballer.
Career
Club
Born in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Gottardi began his career in his native Bolivia, attending the prestigious Tahuichi Academy (which also produced Marco Etcheverry and Jaime Moreno), and playing for Oriente Petrolero and Bolívar in the Liga de Fútbol Profesional Boliviano.
He secured a loan move to the United States in 1999 to play for Tampa Bay Mutiny, and scored two goals on his MLS debut in a 5-2 loss to D.C. United,[1] but never truly settled in Major League Soccer. He was waived by the team in August 1999, having played just 11 games, scoring 4 goals.[2]
After leaving Tampa, Gottardi went on loan at Deportivo Táchira in Venezuela, and then moved to Goiás in Brazil, his final club.
International
Gottardi was a member of the Bolivian national team, having competed in the qualifying tournament for the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, and in qualifying for the Copa América 1999 in Paraguay. In the end he only earned one senior cap, a friendly match against the United States.[3]
Personal life
His father, Toninho Gottardi, was a Brazilian who managed Oriente Petrolero.[4]
Health problems and death
While playing for Goiás in the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A, Gottardi began to suffer from "unusual problems with his heart", and was forced to retire from competitive play. He travelled to Cuba for treatment, to which he initially responded well, but was eventually diagnosed with ALS in July 2002.[5] He suffered a heart attack on September 4, 2003, and died at the Virgen de la Asunción hospital in La Paz. He was 27[6] and was survived by his Brazilian wife Veruschka Vanderley and their 4-year old daughter.[7]
See also
References
- ^ MLS: Razov powers Chicago to 3-1 decision over San Jose in opener; D.C. United triumphs
- ^ "CNN/SI - Soccer - Tampa Bay waives Bolivian forward Gottardi - Wednesday August 11, 1999 10:30 PM". Archived from the original on February 16, 2012. Retrieved April 7, 2009.
- ^ DIEZ AÑOS SIN JEFFERSON GOTTARDI Archived 2016-08-28 at the Wayback Machine - La Prensa (in Spanish)
- ^ Muerte del ex internacional Jefferson Gottardi enluta Bolivia - Nación (in Spanish)
- ^ SI.com - Soccer - Bolivian Gottardi dies after two-year illness - Thursday September 4, 2003 7:36PM
- ^ Muerte del ex internacional Jefferson Gottardi enluta Bolivia | terra
- ^ Un hombre de bien se fue sufriendo. Adiós Jefferson Gottardi - Bolivia.com (in Spanish)
External links
- Jefferson Gottardi at National-Football-Teams.com
- 1979 births
- 2003 deaths
- Sportspeople from Santa Cruz de la Sierra
- Bolivian footballers
- Bolivia international footballers
- Oriente Petrolero players
- Club Bolívar players
- Tampa Bay Mutiny players
- Deportivo Táchira players
- Goiás Esporte Clube players
- Bolivian expatriate footballers
- Expatriate soccer players in the United States
- Expatriate footballers in Venezuela
- Expatriate footballers in Brazil
- Major League Soccer players
- Deaths from motor neuron disease
- Association football forwards