Juan Arango

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Juan Arango
Personal information
Full name	Juan Fernando Arango
Date of birth	16 May 1980
Place of birth	Maracay, Venezuela
Height	1.8 m (6 ft 1 in)
Nickname	"Arangol" "Caribbean Hurricane"
Position	Striker
Club information
Current club	RCD Mallorca
Number	8
Youth clubs
	UCV Junior Team
Professional clubs*
Years	Club	Apps (goals)
1999–2000 2000–2001 2002–2003 2003–2004 2004–present	Nueva Cadiz FC Zulianos FC Caracas FC CF Monterrey CF Pachuca CF Puebla RCD Mallorca	63 (39)
National team**
2000–present	Venezuela	53 (20)
* Professional club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 2006. ** National team caps and goals correct as of 29 September 2006.

Juan Arango (b. May 16/17, 1980 in Maracay, Venezuela) is a Venezuelan footballer who plays as a forward for RCD Mallorca, in the first division of the professional football league in Spain, and for Venezuela's national team.

Arango is known as "Arangol" in Venezuela, and has been nicknamed the "Caribbean Hurricane" by Luis Omar Tapia in ESPN's telecasts.

Arango is one of the few Venezuelan players ever to play for a first division team in any of the major European leagues. He has become a key player for his team, being a regular starter and possesses great vision and eye for goal. Arango started his career as an out and out striker but since moving to Mallorca has enjoyed better performances playing just off the front strikers in a role similarly played out by South American compatriots Kaká and Messi.

It is the belief of many that Arango will play for a bigger team in the near future as his career has blossomed from promising to star player. He is widly regarded as the best player Venezuela has ever produced. He is now his country's all time leading scorer.

For March, 2007, it expect to obtain the Spanish passport.

[edit] Career

He started playing as a professional Footballer at the age of sixteen with Nueva Cádiz FC, team that ascends to the Venezuelan first division the following season under the name of Zulianos FC.

In January 1999 he plays for the first time with the Venezuelan national team, a friendly against Denmark.

From Zulianos FC, Arango comes to Caracas FC. After six months playing with the team, Arango was offered to play at Club de Fútbol Monterrey, a Mexican Club. He played for two other Mexican clubs until 2004 when he was bought by a first division Spanish team, Real Club Deportivo Mallorca. In 2005-06 he was their top scorer with 16 league goals and is currently their top scorer this season with 4 goals.

In 2006, EFE choosed him as the third best Latin American player in the Spanish league, the first place was taken by Pablo Aimar.

[edit] Current Announcements

Valencia CF are trying to purchase Arango, after he scored the goal that disqualified Real Madrid in the Copa Del Rey. Arango has manifested his willingness to go to the Valencia CF. His contract expires in July 2007 and it is expected Mallorca will reluctantly accept an offer around 3 million.