José Luis Chilavert

José Luis Chilavert
Personal information
Full name José Luis Félix Chilavert González
Date of birth July 27, 1965 (1965-07-27) (age 44)
Place of birth    Luque, Paraguay
Height 1.92 m (6 ft 3+1⁄2 in)
Playing position Goalkeeper (retired)
Youth clubs
1980–82 Sportivo Luqueño
Senior clubs1
Years Club App (Gls)*
1982–84
1984
1984–88
1988–91
1991–2000
2000–02
2002–03
2003–04		 Sportivo Luqueño
Club Guaraní
San Lorenzo de Almagro
Real Zaragoza
Vélez Sársfield
RC Strasbourg
Peñarol
Vélez Sársfield

122 0(0)
079 0(1)
272 (24)
052 0(0)
014 0(4)
   
National team
1989–2003 Paraguay 074 0(8)

1 Senior club appearances and goals
counted for the domestic league only.
* Appearances (Goals)

José Luis Félix Chilavert González (born July 27, 1965 in Luque, Departamento Central) is a Paraguayan former football goalkeeper and free kick specialist. He was a three-time IFFHS World's Best Goalkeeper award winner. Chilavert was also known for his skills as a free kick specialist, and often took penalties. His pioneering of this expertise in his position made him the all-time leading scorer among professional keepers until Brazilian Rogério Ceni passed him in 2006. He scored 62 goals in his professional career, many of them crucial, including eight in international matches. Four of his international goals were scored during Paraguay's qualification for the 2002 FIFA World Cup.

Chilavert was also known for his eccentricity and at times fiery temper, which brought him his fair share of controversies; most notorious among which was being sent off for brawling with ex-Newcastle player Faustino Asprilla.

Contents

Club career

Chilavert made his debut as a football player at the age of 17, with the team Sportivo Luqueño, who were a second division team at that time. In 1989, he played for the Paraguayan national team for the first time. By then he had already reached division one football, with Argentina's San Lorenzo.

He later moved to Spain, where he played with for Real Zaragoza. He then returned to Argentina, where he played with Vélez Sársfield, helping them win the Argentine championship four times as well as the Copa Libertadores and the Intercontinental Cup, both in 1994. In 1999, he became the first goalkeeper to score a hat-trick in the history of football, while playing for Vélez against Ferro Carril Oeste, scoring all three goals through penalties. He also scored a memorable free-kick from behind the half-way line against River Plate. [1]

International career

He was voted World Goalkeeper of the Year by the IFFHS in 1995, 1997, and 1998. In 1998, he participated in the World Cup, where he became the first goalkeeper ever to take a direct free kick in World Cup finals (almost scoring), against Bulgaria; he received an ovation when he crossed the pitch to try to score. With two clean sheets in the first round, he helped take Paraguay to the round of sixteen, where the team lost to France on a golden goal. Chilavert had made boasts about being the Cup's best goalkeeper before the tournament.

After a qualifying game for the 2002 FIFA World Cup, he spat on Brazil's Roberto Carlos, an action which caused FIFA to give him a three-match suspension and forced him to watch the first game of the World Cup from the stands.

He had 74 international caps for Paraguay and a goalkeeper-record of eight international goals.

Retirement and post-career

Chilavert announced his retirement from all football in December 2003, but decided to come out of retirement to return to Vélez. He finally retired permanently in 2004, playing his last match, a farewell testimonial, on November 11 of that year (fittingly, he scored a goal).[2]

In 2005, Chilavert was sentenced to six months in prison in France for the use of false documents about the compensation for the end of his contract with Racing Club de Strasbourg.[3]

Chilavert was a commentator for American television network Univision during the 2006 FIFA World Cup. He is expected to commentate on future tournaments for them.

Honours

Guarani

Vélez Sarsfield

Strasbourg

Peňarol

Individual

Career statistics

Club performance League Cup Total
Season Club League Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Argentina League Cup Total
1985 San Lorenzo de Almagro Primera División 10 0
1985-86 38 0
1986-87 31 0
1987-88 43 0
Spain League Copa del Rey Total
1988-89 Real Zaragoza La Liga 37 0
1989-90 34 0
1990-91 8 0
Argentina League Cup Total
1991-92 Vélez Sársfield Primera División 22 0
1992-93 30 0
1993-94 23 0
1994-95 34 0
1995-96 34 0
1996-97 24 0
1997-98 35 10
1998-99 28 4
1999-00 34 8
2000-01 8 2
France League Coupe de France Total
2000-01 Strasbourg Division 1 17 0
2001-02 Division 2 33 0
2002-03 Ligue 1 0 0
Uruguay League Cup Total
2003 Peñarol Primera División 17 4
Argentina League Cup Total
2003-04 Vélez Sársfield Primera División 6 0
Total Argentina 400 24
Spain 79 0
France 50 0
Uruguay 17 4
Career Total 546 28

References

  1. ↑ Watch video
  2. ↑ "Chilavert scores in emotional farewell", Reuters via eurosport.com, 15 November 2004.
  3. ↑ "Chilavert gets suspended jail term", Reuters via ESPN Soccernet, 9 July 2005.

External links