Carlos Gamarra

Carlos Alberto Gamarra Pavón (born 17 February 1971 in Ypacarai, Paraguay) is a former football player. He captained the Paraguay national team at international level, playing at Centre back, and is the most capped player in Paraguayan football history, having made 110 international appearances and scoring 12 goals.^[1]

Gamarra is known for his leadership, heading and outstanding tackling skills, making him one of the most respected defenders in South America.

Career

Club career

Gamarra began his club career playing for Cerro Porteño in his home country in 1991, and went on to win the Paraguayan national championship with Cerro in 1992. He moved to Independiente for the 1992-1993 football season in Argentina, but stayed only briefly before moving back to Cerro Porteño.

In 1995, Gamarra joined Internacional in Brazil, where his profile grew, eventually resulting in the naming of him as Paraguayan Footballer of the Year in 1997 by the Paraguayan newspaper Diario ABC Color (an achievement which Gamarra repeated in 1998). He moved to S.L. Benfica for the Portuguese 1997-1998 season, before returning to Brazil, this time with SC Corinthians, where he won Serie A Brazilian Championship in 1998.

After finishing the 1999 Brazilian football season with Corinthians, he moved to the Spanish league, playing for Atlético Madrid. Atlético were relegated in 2000, and Gamarra briefly moved back to Brazil, this time joining CR Flamengo. The 2001-2002 season was more successful for Gamarra, as he joined AEK Athens in Greece, playing 24 league games and winning the Greek Cup. He also became favorite player for AEK fans and it's clear that he's one of the greatest transfers in club's history.

On the back of his World Cup performance in 2002, he joined Internazionale in Italy's Serie A Scudetto for the 2002-2003 season. In his first pre-season, he scored the winning goal in the Pirelli Cup final against AS Roma. Inter finished the season as runners-up in the league, with Gamarra making 14 appearances. His next season at the club was less successful, as Inter finished fourth in the league, and Gamarra made only 10 appearances. He remained at Inter for the 2004-2005 season, but after another season largely spent on the bench he joined the Brazilian side Palmeiras in July 2005. In 2007, Gamarra decided to return to Paraguay to end his football career and signed for Olimpia.Gamarra decided to reteire after the 2007 season being Olimpia his last profesional club

National team

His first international cap came against Bolivia on 27 March 1993, a game which Paraguay lost 2-1. He stayed at Cerro Porteño until 1995.

Gamarra made his first big impact in international football during Paraguay's campaign at World Cup France 1998, in the second round of which Paraguay were knocked out by France (the eventual winners). Gamarra played in all four of Paraguay's games, garnering great respect for his defensive skills, and did not concede a single foul in any of his side's matches. FIFA named him as part of the All-Star team of the World Cup. At the 2002 World Cup in South Korea and Japan, Paraguay were once again knocked out in the second round. Gamarra played every single minute of Paraguay's campaign, and again completed his side's participation without conceding a foul.

Gamarra captained the Paraguay side to a silver medal in the football tournament at the 2004 Summer Olympics Olympic Games, losing 1-0 to Argentina in the final.

In the 2006 FIFA World Cup, Gamarra was the first player in the tournament to score an own goal, from an incoming free kick from David Beckham in his team's opening match against England, which eventually led to England's 1-0 win. During the 2006 FIFA World Cup, Gamarra announced his retirement from the Paraguay national team.

Career statistics

^[2]

Honours

Cerro Porteño

• Paraguayan League: 1990, 1992

Internacional

• Campeonato Gaúcho: 1997

Corinthians

• Campeonato Brasileiro: 1998
• Campeonato Paulista: 1999

Flamengo

• Campeonato Carioca: 2001
• Copa dos Campeões: 2001

AEK Athens

• Greek football Cup: 2002

Paraguay

• Silver medal, Olympic Games: 2004

Internazionale

• Coppa Italia: 2005

Individual awards

• 1998 Best Defender CONMEBOL

References

External links

• International statistics at rsssf
• Profile at National Football Teams