Mauricio Pinilla

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Mauricio Pinilla
Personal information
Full name Mauricio Ricardo Pinilla Ferrera
Date of birth February 4, 1984 (1984-02-04) (age 24)
Place of birth    Santiago, Chile
Height 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Playing position Forward
Club information
Current club Heart of Midlothian
Number 27
Senior clubs1
Years Club App (Gls)*
2002-2003
2003
2003
2004
2004-2007
2005-2006
2006-2007
2006-2007
2007-		 Universidad De Chile
Inter Milan
→ Chievo Verona (loan)
→ Celta Vigo (loan)
Sporting
→ Racing Santander (loan)
→ Heart of Midlothian (loan)
→ Universidad De Chile (loan)
Heart of Midlothian		 39 (20)
00 0(0)
05 0(0)
06 0(0)
20 0(5)
13 0(1)
03 0(2)
04 0(2)   
National team2
2003- Chile 21 0(5)

1 Senior club appearances and goals
counted for the domestic league only and
correct as of 00:40, 25 June 2007 (UTC).
2 National team caps and goals correct
as of 00:40, 25 June 2007 (UTC).
* Appearances (Goals)

Mauricio Ricardo Pinilla Ferrera (born 4 February 1984 in Santiago, Chile) is a Chilean footballer who currently plays for Heart of Midlothian.

[edit] Club career

Pinilla started his career with Universidad De Chile, leaving for European football and Italian giants Internazionale in 2003. He was immediately loaned to fellow Serie A side Chievo and the following year he was loaned to Celta Vigo in Spain. In the summer of 2004, Portuguese side Sporting Clube de Portugal bought a half stake in his playing rights and he spent the 2004-05 season playing for them.

Pinilla continued to follow a nomadic career path though, unable to settle down at any of his new clubs. Season 2005-06 was spent on loan at Racing Santander, while in 2006-07 he was loaned to Scottish side Hearts. His time with the Edinburgh club was beset by injuries, resulting in him only playing a handful of times for the 1st team. On February 27, 2007 he went back to former club Universidad de Chile on loan.

Pinilla has since returned to Hearts for pre-season training ahead of the 2007/08 season, with Hearts buying out Sporting Clube's half stake in his contract. Inter, for whom he has never played, retain the other half. His return to playing football with Hearts had a major setback when it was revealed Pinilla had a fractured scaphoid, a hidden injury sustained while still in Chile. This put him out of action for 6 weeks. He recovered from this in Spain. Pinilla returned to training with Hearts on September 12.

On 9th January 2008, it was reported that Pinilla had sustained another injury in trainging, that will put him out for the rest of the 2007/2008. On 6th May 2008, it was reported in The Edinburgh Evening News, that Pinilla has signed a three year extension to his Hearts contract, which would keep him at Tyncastele until 2011 thus buying out his contract with Inter Millan.

[edit] International career

Pinilla is an established Chilean internationalist, and led his country's scoring during qualifications for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, with three goals. However, after his controversial loan spell in Chile with Universidad he has fallen out of favour with national team management. He was left out of the squad for the 2007 Copa America.

[edit] External links

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Heart of Midlothian F.C. – current squad

2 Neilson • 3 Wallace • 4 Berra • 6 Gonçalves • 8 Aguiar • 10 Kingston • 11 Driver • 13 Banks • 14 Nadé • 15 Mäkelä • 16 Mikoliūnas • 18 Česnauskis • 20 Thomson • 21 Jónsson • 22 Elliot • 23 Stewart • 25 Karipidis • 26 Žaliūkas • 27 Pinilla • 28 Ivaškevičius • 29 Ksanavičius • 31 Basso • 40 Divine • 42 Robinson • 43 Mole • 44 Palazuelos • 47 Bjornsson • 48 Kostadinov • 52 McGowan • 53 Rapnik • 60 Glen • — D. Armstrong • — J. Armstrong • — Doherty • — MacDonald • — Pelosi • — Sives • Caretaker Manager: Banks