Gonzalo Jara

Gonzalo Jara Reyes
Personal information
Full name Gonzalo Alejandro Jara Reyes
Date of birth 29 August 1985 (1985-08-29) (age 26)
Place of birth Santiago, Chile
Height 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)[1]
Playing position Defender
Club information
Current club West Bromwich Albion
Number 18
Youth career
Huachipato
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2005–2006 Huachipato 47 (1)
2007–2009 Colo-Colo 65 (1)
2009– West Bromwich Albion 50 (2)
2011 Brighton & Hove Albion (loan) 3 (0)
National team
2006– Chile 50 (3)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 13:48, 21 October 2011 (UTC).

† Appearances (Goals).

‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 20:15, 21 December 2011 (UTC)

Gonzalo Alejandro Jara Reyes (Spanish pronunciation: [ɡonˈsalo ˈxaɾa]; born August 29, 1985) is a Chilean footballer who plays for West Bromwich Albion. In addition, he plays in the Chile national football team and participated in the 2010 FIFA World Cup. He is a versatile player, he has played most often as a right back for West Brom, but has also made many appearances as a defensive midfielder for the club. Jara is also capable of playing at both left back and centre back.

Contents

Career

Jara made his professional debut in 2005 for Huachipato, where he played until his 2007 transfer to the South American team Colo-Colo. He made a £1.4m move to West Bromwich Albion on 25 August 2009. He has also made several appearances with the Chilean national team. He was chosen by coach Nelson Acosta to play for Chile during their 2006 tour through Europe where they played the Republic of Ireland in Dublin, Côte d'Ivoire in Toulon and Sweden in Stockholm all only months before the 2006 World Cup

In 2005, Jara Reyes represented Chile at the 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship in the Netherlands, scoring a goal in Chile's 7–0 victory over Honduras.

He also played for Chile in Copa América 2007 against Ecuador, Brazil, and Mexico as well as the 2010 World Cup Qualifiers, against Peru, Uruguay and Paraguay.

Jara was Chile's captain in the prestigious 2008 U-23 Toulon Tournament, where he has played in the 5–3 victory against France, as well as the 2–0 victories against the Netherlands and Japan. He missed the semi-final match versus Côte d'Ivoire due to yellow cards.

He scored his first international goal for Chile against Venezuela during the 2010 CONMEBOL World Cup qualifiers.

Colo-Colo agreed to transfer him to English Championship team West Bromwich Albion for a fee of $3 million in August 2009,[2] but the buying club chose not to proceed with the deal.[3] However, they later resurrected the deal and Jara signed for Albion for a fee of £1.4 million on a three-year contract.[4] He scored his first goal for West Brom against Leicester City on 7 November 2009.[5] His second came against Arsenal on 25 September 2010, scoring in a 3–2 victory for West Brom at the Emirates Stadium.[6]

On 21 October, 2011, Jara joined Championship side Brighton & Hove Albion on a loan deal initially lasting until January 2012.[7] However on 20 December 2011, WBA recalled him and two other plays also on loan at other clubs due to an injury crisis.[8]

International goals

Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
19 June 2008 Estadio Olímpico Luis Ramos, Puerto la Cruz, Venezuela  Venezuela 1–2 2–3 FIFA World Cup qualifier
10 September 2008 Estadio Nacional de Chile, Santiago, Chile  Colombia 1–0 4–0 FIFA World Cup qualifier
17 November 2009 Stadium Pod Dubňom, Žilina, Slovakia  Slovakia 0–1 1–2 International Friendly

Titles

Season Club Title
Apertura 2007 Colo-Colo Primera Division Chile Champion
Clausura 2007 Colo-Colo Primera Division Chile Champion
Clausura 2008 Colo-Colo Primera Division Chile Champion

References

External links