Hernán Crespo

Hernán Crespo
Personal information
Full name Hernán Jorge Crespo
Date of birth July 5, 1975 (1975-07-05) (age 36)
Place of birth Florida, Argentina
Height 1.84 m (6 ft 1⁄2 in)[1]
Playing position Striker
Club information
Current club Parma
Number 9
Senior career*
Years Team Apps† (Gls)†
1993–1996 River Plate 62 (24)
1996–2000 Parma 116 (62)
2000–2002 Lazio 54 (39)
2002–2003 Internazionale 17 (7)
2003–2008 Chelsea 49 (20)
2004–2005 → Milan (loan) 28 (11)
2006–2008 → Internazionale (loan) 49 (18)
2008–2009 Internazionale 14 (2)
2009–2010 Genoa 16 (5)
2010– Parma 42 (10)
National team‡
1995–2007 Argentina 64 (35)
1996 Argentina U23 6 (6)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 22 May 2011.

† Appearances (Goals).

‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 1 March 2009

Hernán Jorge Crespo (born 5 July 1975) is an Argentine footballer who plays for Parma in the Italian Serie A. Crespo has scored over 300 goals in a career spanning 18 years. His honors include an Olympic Games silver medal, a Copa Libertadores, an English Premier League title and three Scudettos. He was topscorer in the 2000-01 Serie A with 26 goals, while playing for Lazio. Crespo once held the world record in transfer fee, when he was bought by Lazio from Parma in July 2000.

Contents

Club career

River Plate

Crespo made his debut with River Plate during the 1993–94 season, scoring 13 goals in 25 league appearances as River Plate won the Apertura league title. In 1996, Crespo helped River win the Copa Libertadores, scoring twice in the home leg of the final in Buenos Aires.

Parma

Crespo left River Plate for Parma in August 1996 after he won the silver medal with Argentina at the 1996 Summer Olympics and finished as the top scorer with six goals. In May 1997, coached by Carlo Ancelotti, Crespo scored 12 goals in 27 matches as Parma finished runners-up to Juventus. Parma won the 1998–99 Italian Cup and he scored the opening goal in Parma's 3–0 UEFA Cup final victory over Olympique de Marseille.

Lazio

In 2000, Lazio broke the then-world transfer record by paying £35 million (they paid £16 million in cash and transferred Matías Almeyda and Sérgio Conceição) to acquire Crespo,[2] who in turn finished as Serie A's top scorer with 26 goals. Lazio, however, failed to defend its league title in 2001, and the following season, Crespo suffered from some injuries, while new signings Jaap Stam and Gaizka Mendieta failed to live up their reputations, following the departures of playmakers Juan Sebastián Verón and Pavel Nedvěd. Crespo was left without the tremendous support he had enjoyed in 2001, but still scored a respectable haul of goals. Lazio's financial problems, however, forced the club to sell several players, and following Alessandro Nesta's transfer to AC Milan, speculation over Crespo's future intensified.

Internazionale

On 31 August 2002, Crespo, expected to shine again after suffering from injuries, signed with Internazionale as replacement for the departed Ronaldo for a reported €20 million and Bernardo Corradi.[3] Internazionale was short of strikers after the highly rated Mohamed Kallon was injured in August[4] and only Álvaro Recoba and Christian Vieri together with reserves Bernardo Corradi and Nicola Ventola, were available.

He scored seven goals in three appearances, along with nine goals in 12 Champions League matches until he was shelved for four months by injury in early 2003.

Chelsea

2003–04 season

Crespo was transferred to Premier League club Chelsea on 26 August 2003 for a fee of £16.8 million.[5] He made his league debut on 30 August 2003 as a substitute for Adrian Mutu in a 2–2 home draw against Blackburn Rovers.[6] On 16 September 2003, Crespo made his European debut, replacing Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink in the 2003–04 Champions League group stage, which ended in a 1–0 away win after a late goal from William Gallas against Sparta Prague.[7] Four days later, he scored his first goal, a double, in a 5–0 away victory against Wolves.[8] Crespo only made 31 appearances (including 19 in the league) in all competitions, scoring 12 goals.

Loan to Milan

After José Mourinho took over as Chelsea manager for the 2004–05 season, Crespo became surplus to Chelsea's plans and was loaned to Milan, as requested by then manager Carlo Ancelotti. He scored a total of ten league goals, and netted twice in the 2005 UEFA Champions League Final defeat to Liverpool.[9]

Return to Chelsea

After Chelsea's failed attempts to land a big-name striker during the summer of 2005, Mourinho needed competition for striker Didier Drogba and decided to recall Crespo from Milan, convincing him that he had a future in England. Crespo made his first return appearance in a 2–1 FA Community Shield win over Arsenal.[10] He scored his first league goal of 2005 against Wigan Athletic in Chelsea's season opener in a 1–0 win.[11] The 2005–06 league title was Crespo's first league title victory in European football.

Internazionale

Though he scored 26 goals in all competitions and won the 2005–06 Premiership, Crespo requested a return to Italy in order to rejoin AC Milan, but Chelsea refused and announced that Crespo would remain a Chelsea player until the club accepted a suitable offer for him. On 7 August 2006, Crespo joined Inter on a two-year loan. He scored his 125th Serie A goal against AC Siena on 2 December 2006, and his 200th career European goal on 2 April 2007. On 13 May, Crespo scored a hat-trick to help Inter defeat Lazio 4–3 and win the Scudetto. Two days earlier, he had appeared in training without his customary long hair, which he had kept grown out for over five years.[12]

He has scored at least one Champions League goal with each of the five European teams he has played for since moving from River Plate in 1996;[13] he is the only player in Champions League history to accomplish this feat.

Crespo was officially released from Chelsea on 3 July 2008, following the expiration of his contract.[14][15] and was signed by Inter on a one-year contract for free. In the 2008–09 season, under José Mourinho, his former manager in Chelsea, Crespo only made 13 Serie A appearances, including two starts. He was excluded from the UEFA Champions League roster.

Genoa

Following the expiration of his contract at Inter, Crespo was quickly snapped up by Genoa, taking Diego Milito's place, who moved in the opposite direction. On 8 June 2009, it was reported that Crespo had a medical check to formalize his transfer. Crespo cited his ambition to make the Argentina World Cup squad as one of his key reasons for making the move to Genoa.[16] On 13 September, Crespo scored his first goal of the 2009 season against Napoli.[17]

Parma

In January 2010, Crespo returned to Parma after the club agreed the deal with Atalanta and Genoa. Crespo replaced Nicola Amoruso who left for Atalanta, while Atalanta's Robert Acquafresca moved to Genoa to replace Crespo. The Argentinian striker returned after ten years to Parma. While he scored just once before the season's end, the striker did enjoy a more successful 2010–11 season, scoring 11 goals, including 9 in the league, becoming Parma's top scorer for a fourth time in the process, which remains a post-war club record. Despite mounting speculation of his departure, Crespo signed a one-year contract extension on 30 June 2011.[18]

International career

Crespo has 64 caps and 35 goals with Argentina. He won his first cap in a friendly match against Bulgaria in February 1995, but then had to wait 16 months for his second cap and more than two years for his first goal. He was called up to the final roster for the 1998, 2002, and 2006 FIFA World Cups. In June 2005, Crespo scored twice in Argentina's 3–1 World Cup qualifying win over arch-rivals Brazil in Buenos Aires, which made him Argentina's career scoring leader in World Cup qualifiers. He finished the 2006 competition as the Silver Shoe Award winner.

On 28 June 2007, he scored twice in Argentina's 4–1 victory over the United States in their 2007 Copa América Group C opener, tying Diego Maradona's team scoring record.[19] He finished with a total of three goals.

Career statistics

Club

Last update: 14 December 2010.
Club performance League Cup League Cup Continental Total
Season Club League Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Argentina League Cup League Cup South America Total
1993–94 River Plate Primera División 25 13 - 3 0 28 13
1994–95 18 5 4 2 22 7
1995–96 19 6 13 10 32 16
Italy League Coppa Italia League Cup Europe Total
1996–97 Parma Serie A 27 12 1 0 - - 28 12
1997–98 25 12 2 0 8 2 35 14
1998–99 30 16 7 6 8 6 45 28
1999–00 34 22 2 0 5 3 421 25
2000–01 Lazio 32 26 1 0 6 2 402 28
2001–02 22 13 4 4 7 3 33 20
2002–03 Internazionale 18 7 - 12 9 30 16
England League FA Cup League Cup Europe Total
2003–04 Chelsea Premier League 19 10 - 2 0 10 2 31 12
Italy League Coppa Italia League Cup Europe Total
2004–05 Milan Serie A 28 11 1 1 - 10 6 403 18
England League FA Cup League Cup Europe Total
2005–06 Chelsea Premier League 30 10 5 1 1 0 5 2 424 13
Italy League Coppa Italia League Cup Europe Total
2006–07 Internazionale Serie A 29 14 4 4 - 6 1 405 20
2007–08 19 4 5 2 5 1 29 7
2008–09 14 2 3 0 - 18 2
2009–10 Genoa 16 5 1 0 4 2 21 7
Parma 13 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 13 1
2010–11 29 9 2 2 0 0 0 0 31 11
Total Argentina 62 24 - 20 12 82 36
Italy 331 153 32 19 - 86 39 4481235 211
England 49 20 5 1 3 0 15 4 734 25
Career total 442 198 37 20 3 0 121 55 60412345 273

1Include 1 match at Serie A playoff for Champions League
2Include 1 match at 2000 Supercoppa Italiana
3Include 1 match at 2004 Supercoppa Italiana
4Include 1 match at 2005 FA Community Shield
5Include 1 match and 1 goal at 2006 Supercoppa Italiana

International

[20]

Argentina national team
Year Apps Goals
1995 1 0
1996 2 0
1997 9 3
1998 3 3
1999 4 1
2000 8 4
2001 6 6
2002 4 2
2003 5 3
2004 4 1
2005 7 6
2006 6 3
2007 5 3
Total 64 35

Honours

Club

Club Atlético River Plate

Parma F.C.

Società Sportiva Lazio

Chelsea F.C.

A.C. Milan

Runner-up:

F.C. Internazionale Milano

Country

Individual

Nicknames

Whilst commonly known as Hernán, Crespo was christened Hernando Jorge Crespo, after his grandfather of the same name. His nickname is "Valdanito" after striker Jorge Valdano, due to the fact that they look similar. He is also called, although less often, "El Polaco" (or "The Pollack") because his grandmother was Polish.[30]

References

  1. ^ bbc stats
  2. ^ "Lazio's £40m Crespo deal". BBC Sport (British Broadcasting Corporation). 11 July 2000. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/europe/829225.stm. Retrieved 1 March 2009. 
  3. ^ "Crespo steps in for Ronaldo". UEFA (Union of European Football Associations). 31 August 2002. http://www.uefa.com/competitions/ucl/news/kind=1/newsid=32107.html. Retrieved 26 July 2009. 
  4. ^ "SECOND DEGREE TENDON INJURY FOR KALLON". Internazionale. 2002-08-19. http://www.inter.it/aas/news/reader?L=en&N=4364. Retrieved 2009-08-10. 
  5. ^ "Chelsea sign Crespo". BBC Sport (British Broadcasting Corporation). 26 August 2003. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/c/chelsea/3183431.stm. Retrieved 15 May 2011. 
  6. ^ "Cole checks Chelsea charge". BBC Sport (British Broadcasting Corporation). 30 August 2003. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/eng_prem/3172813.stm. Retrieved 15 May 2011. 
  7. ^ "Chelsea leave it late". BBC Sport (British Broadcasting Corporation). 16 September 2003. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/champions_league/3110452.stm. Retrieved 15 May 2011. 
  8. ^ "Chelsea crush Wolves". BBC Sport (British Broadcasting Corporation). 20 September 2003. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/eng_prem/3084346.stm. Retrieved 15 May 2011. 
  9. ^ "AC Milan 3–3 Liverpool (aet)". BBC Sport (British Broadcasting Corporation). 25 May 2005. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/europe/4573159.stm. Retrieved 15 May 2011. 
  10. ^ "Chelsea 2–1 Arsenal". BBC Sport (British Broadcasting Corporation). 7 August 2005. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/4747797.stm. Retrieved 16 May 2011. 
  11. ^ "Wigan 0–1 Chelsea". BBC Sport (British Broadcasting Corporation). 14 August 2005. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/eng_prem/4127068.stm. Retrieved 16 May 2011. 
  12. ^ Hernan Crespo photo – inter.it
  13. ^ Scoring Record in Champions League – euro.futbal.org
  14. ^ Crespo No Longer a Blue – chelseafc.com
  15. ^ Chelsea let Crespo leave – Football Italia
  16. ^ . tribalfootball.com. 2009-12-03. http://www.tribalfootball.com/crespo-genoa-move-will-get-me-world-cup-248741: "Crespo: Genoa move will get me to World Cup". Retrieved 2009-12-03. 
  17. ^ "CRESPO: "PROFESSIONALITA' E VOGLIA"" (in Italian). genoacfc.it. 2009-06-08. http://www.genoacfc.it/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=7340&Itemid=31. Retrieved 2009-06-09. 
  18. ^ "UFFICIALE: CRESPO, UN ALTRO ANNO A PARMA" (in Italian). Parma FC. 30 June 2011. http://www.fcparma.com/stagione/archivio-primo-piano/8985-ufficiale-crespo-un-altro-anno-a-parma.html. Retrieved 15 July 2011. 
  19. ^ "Crespo matches Maradona tally". Inter.it. 2007-06-29. http://www.inter.it/aas/news/reader?N=26786&L=en&IDINI=26788. Retrieved 2007-07-03. 
  20. ^ http://www.rsssf.com/miscellaneous/crespo-intlg.html
  21. ^ "International Matches 1995 – Intercontinental, January–March". RSSSF. http://www.rsssf.com/intldetails/1995ic1.html. Retrieved 2009-11-09. 
  22. ^ Match Report 28 December 1996
  23. ^ [1]
  24. ^ Match Report 24 February 1998
  25. ^ a b International Matches 1999 – Intercontinental
  26. ^ [2]
  27. ^ [3]
  28. ^ Match Report 23 February 2000
  29. ^ [4]
  30. ^ abc-directory.com Biography of Hernan Crespo

External links

Parma F.C. – current squad