Nolberto Solano

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Personal information
Nolberto Solano
Full name	Nolberto Albino Solano Todco
Date of birth	December 12, 1974 (age 32)
Place of birth	Callao, Peru
Height	1.7 m (5 ft 7 in)
Nickname	Nobby
Playing position	Midfielder/Right back
Club information
Current club	Newcastle United
Number	4
Senior clubs¹
Years	Club	App (Gls)*
1993–94 1994–97 1997–98 1998–2004 2004–05 2005–present	Deportivo Municipal Sporting Cristal Boca Juniors Newcastle United Aston Villa Newcastle United	00? 0(?) 077 (31) 032 0(5) 172 (29) 049 0(8) 047 0(8)
National team²
1994–present	Peru	076 (19)
¹ Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 20:48, 25 February 2007 (UTC). ² National team caps and goals correct as of 12:38, 17 August 2006 (UTC). * Appearances (Goals)

Nolberto "Nobby" Albino Solano Todco (born December 12, 1974 in Callao) is a Peruvian football player who currently plays for Newcastle United in the English Premiership. He is a popular figure in his native Peru, where he is seen as one of the most famous Peruvians. He even has a postage stamp in his name and figure.

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.

1 Early Football Career
2 Premiership Career
3 International career
4 Trivia
5 External links

[edit] Early Football Career

Solano signed his first professional contract in 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 Municipal before returning at the end of 1993. During his second spell at Sporting Cristal the club won the Peruvian Championship in 1994, 1995 and 1996, and reached the finals of the 1997's Copa Libertadores with Solano a regular fixture in the defence. In 1997 at the age of 22 he signed for Argentinian side Boca Juniors, becoming a team-mate of the football superstar Diego Maradona for a short time.

[edit] Premiership Career

[edit] Newcastle United (1998-2004)

In 1998 Solano became the first Peruvian to play in England when he signed a contract with Newcastle United. His debut Newcastle performance came in a Premier League match against Chelsea on August 22, 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. Nevertheless, when the manager of Newcastle, Sir Bobby Robson, showed his displeasure at Solano's loyalty to his country, he was sold in the January transfer window of 2004 to Aston Villa. He had been an extremely popular member of Newcastle's squad and many fans voiced their anger over his sale.

[edit] Aston Villa (2004-2005)

Solano made his debut for Aston Villa in a 5-0 win over Leicester City, and during the course of his time there he became a valuable asset, becoming their top scorer for the 2004-2005 season, and elected Player of the Year by the supporters, the press and his team mates.

[edit] Newcastle United (2005-present)

However, Solano was re-signed by Newcastle on August 31, 2005 from Aston Villa, just moments before the closure of the summer transfer window. The deal cost Newcastle £1.5 million with midfielder James Milner going the other way on loan to Aston Villa until the end of the season. Solano signed a 2 year contract, with the option to extend an additional year. His re-signing was met with delight by Newcastle fans, who had chanted "Nobby's" name during the unveiling of record signing Michael Owen earlier on the 31st.

In the 06/07 season, injuries to Stephen Carr and others caused the Newcaslte United manager Glenn Roeder to play Solano at right back instead of his usual right wing position. Solano started his football career in defence and his instrumental form has kept former first choice right back Stephen Carr out of the team. With his contract due to expire at the end of the season, Roeder has revealed he is in talks to extend Solano's contract to the end of next season.

[edit] International career

Solano made his full international debut for Peru at the age of 18, since then he has been capped over 70 times, scoring 19 goals (as of 2005). 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.