| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Nolberto Albino Solano Todco | ||
| Date of birth | 12 December 1974 | ||
| Place of birth | Callao, Peru | ||
| Height | 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) | ||
| Playing position | Midfielder, Full Back | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Hartlepool United | ||
| Number | 24 | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1992–1993 | Sporting Cristal | 11 | (1) |
| 1993–1994 | Deportivo Municipal | 27 | (7) |
| 1994–1997 | Sporting Cristal | 97 | (31) |
| 1997–1998 | Boca Juniors | 32 | (5) |
| 1998–2004 | Newcastle United | 182 | (37) |
| 2004–2005 | Aston Villa | 49 | (8) |
| 2005–2007 | Newcastle United | 58 | (8) |
| 2007–2008 | West Ham United | 23 | (4) |
| 2008 | Larissa | 17 | (2) |
| 2009 | Universitario de Deportes | 32 | (10) |
| 2010 | Leicester City | 13 | (0) |
| 2010–2011 | Hull City | 11 | (0) |
| 2011– | Hartlepool United | 8 | (2) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 1994–2009 | Peru | 95 | (20) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 23:10, 15 November 2011 (UTC). † Appearances (Goals). |
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Nolberto Albino "Nobby" Solano Todco (born 12 December 1974) is a Peruvian footballer who plays for Hartlepool United. He has spent much of his career in the English Premier League and also played 95 times for Peru between 1994 and 2009. He is a popular figure in his native Peru, where he is seen as one of the most famous Peruvians, appearing on a postage stamp, telephone cards and having his wedding televised live.[1][2]
His talents in football range from accurate crosses to accomplished dead-ball skills and he has traditionally played either on the right side of midfield, or as a right back during his career. He is the first choice player to take corner and direct free kicks. Solano is the first Peruvian to play in the Premier League and the FA Cup Final. He is also an accomplished trumpet player and has set up his own Salsa band, The Geordie Latinos.[3] He has described himself as an "adopted Geordie."[4]
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Born in Callao, Peru, Solano was the youngest of his family. His father, Albino, was in the Peruvian Navy, whilst his mother was a housewife who raised him, his four brothers and two sisters. He began playing football at a very early age in the streets of Callao.
Solano witnessed the Peru national football team qualify for the 1978 FIFA World Cup at the age of three and again qualify for the 1982 FIFA World Cup at the age of seven. The second World Cup he witnessed had the biggest effect on him. At that time he played a lot of football and his national team inspired him.
Solano signed his first professional contract with the Peruvian first division side Sporting Cristal in 1992 at the age of 17. Towards the end of his first season at Sporting Cristal he signed a one year contract with Deportivo Municipal before returning to Cristal at the end of 1993. He was part of the famous Sporting Cristal squad of the 1990s during which the club won the Peruvian Championship in 1994, 1995 and 1996 and reached the finals of the 1997 Copa Libertadores. Along with Roberto Palacios, Flavio Maestri, Julinho and Jorge Soto, he was one of Sporting Cristal's most recognized players of the era.
In 1997 aged 22 he signed for Argentinian side Boca Juniors where he became a teammate of Diego Maradona, who nicknamed Solano the 'Maestrito'.[4]
In 1998, Solano became the first Peruvian to play in England when he signed a contract with Newcastle United for £2,480,000.[5] Such was the interest in the little Peruvian that his first appearance in a black and white shirt for Newcastle reserves resulted in the kick off being delayed to accommodate the large crowd, many of whom had been delayed after a lorry had shed its load blocking one of the major routes into the city. Solano justified the turnout with a goal. His first team debut for Newcastle came in a Premier League match against Chelsea on 22 August 1998, when he came on after 67 minutes as a substitute for goalscorer Andreas Andersson. In June 2001, he signed a new five year contract with the club. A month later he scored what he later described as "the best goal of [his] career" with a solo effort against 1860 München.[6] He was sold in the January transfer window of 2004 to Aston Villa. During his first spell at Newcastle, he played in the 1999 FA Cup Final.
Solano joined Aston Villa in January 2004 for a fee of £1.5 million and signed a two-and-a-half year contract with the club.[7] He made his debut in a 5–0 win over Leicester City on 31 January 2004,[8] Solano ended the 2004–05 season as top scorer and was elected the club's Player of the Year by the supporters, the local press and his teammates.
Solano returned to Newcastle United in August 2005 for a fee of £1.5 million with midfielder James Milner going the other way to Aston Villa on a season-long loan.[9] He signed a two-year contract with the option for Newcastle to extend it for another year.[9] In the 2006–07 season, injuries to right-back Stephen Carr and others caused the Newcastle United manager Glenn Roeder to play Solano at right-back instead of his usual right-wing position. However it was not an unfamiliar playing position to Solano, as he started his football career in defence and had featured at right-back for his country. With his contract due to expire at the end of the season, Roeder revealed he was in talks to extend Solano's contract to the end of next season. Solano signed a new one-year contract at Newcastle in the summer of 2007, however a few months later he asked to leave the club so to move closer to his family, who had moved to London.[10]
Solano signed a one-year contract with West Ham United in August 2007.[11] He made his debut for West Ham in October 2007, coming on as a second half substitute in the 3–1 home win against Sunderland, and was instrumental in West Ham's second goal, his shot being deflected into the Sunderland goal by goalkeeper, Craig Gordon.[12] His first goal for West Ham was a free-kick and the fifth goal in West Ham's 5–0 away win against Derby County on 10 November 2007.[13] In the last game of the season on 11 May 2008 Solano scored his second free-kick goal, against Aston Villa, the match ended 2–2. He was released by West Ham when his contract expired at the end of the 2007–08 season having scored four goals in 23 appearances.[14]
After leaving West Ham Solano spent a short spell in the Super League Greece playing for Larissa. He then returned to Peru with Universitario de Deportes and scored a crucial penalty against Alianza Lima in the play-off for the Peruvian Primera División title,[15] helping the team to a 2–0 aggregate victory to seal the clubs 25th league title.
In December 2009, Solano trained with Colchester United,[16] but was unable to agree a deal.[17] He also spent a few days training at Newcastle United in January 2010 in the hopes of earning a contract.[18] Manager Chris Hughton later said on 30 January that Solano "is a good player but he came here very much to train."[19]
On 22 January, Solano signed a six month contract with Leicester City after a brief trial period,[20] reuniting with Nigel Pearson, who had been assistant manager at Newcastle.[21] Solano said he wanted "to be part of getting the club back in the Premier League."[22] He was given international clearance to play for Leicester on 28 January,[23] and he made his debut as an 84th minute substitute in a 0–0 draw against his former club Newcastle at the Walkers Stadium on 30 January, to an enthusiastic reception from both sets of fans.[24] He played his first full game in a 1–0 win over Crystal Palace on 16 March.[25] Solano played a total of eleven league games, scoring in a 4–3 penalty shootout defeat to Cardiff City in the Championship play-off semi-final second leg.[26] It was reported that Solano signed a new 6 month contract but this turned out to be false as he left the club on 7 July.[27]
Following his departure from Leicester City, he rejoined former Foxes' boss Nigel Pearson, who had recently taken over the manager's job at Hull City. Initially joining on trial in early July, on 12 July 2010 it was reported that Solano had signed a one-year deal with the Tigers.[28]
Despite initial expectations that Solano would be with Hull City for only a single season before retiring, Solano revealed in April 2011, that he hoped that he would be able to extend his stay with the Tigers beyond the 2010–11 season, by combining a playing and coaching role, as Nick Barmby has done.[29]
It was announced on 13 May 2011 that Solano had signed for Hartlepool United, having previously worked with manager Mick Wadsworth at Newcastle.[30] Solano, on the first day of signing, promoted the idea of Are You Coming To Pools? with Hartlepool United selling season tickets for £100, the lowest price in Football League One.
On 2 August 2011, Solano scored in a friendly against Sunderland, rivals of his former club Newcastle United, and scored his first league goal for Hartlepool on 17 September at home against Bury F.C. The following week, Solano doubled his Hartlepool tally by scoring their first goal direct from a free-kick in the 2-1 away win at AFC Bournemouth.
Solano made his full international debut for Peru at the age of 18, and went on to be capped 95 times, scoring 20 goals. He has been a key member of the squad since the mid-1990s but, in June 2005, Solano decided to quit the Peruvian national football team due to disagreements with the coach, Freddy Ternero. In 2006, he returned to the national team setup under new coach Franco Navarro. Despite his return to the national team, Solano was not selected for Peru's Copa America 2007 squad. He has continued to represent the national team since then, but with his country having no chance at all of qualifying for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, he has recently announced his decision to retire from international football after the upcoming World Cup Qualifiers against Argentina and Bolivia. Solano has also stated his desire to try and guide his country to the World Cup as a coach in the near future to try and make up for never making it as a player.[31]
| Club performance | League | Cup | League Cup | Continental | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Club | League | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| Peru | League | Cup | League Cup | South America | Total | |||||||
| 1993 | Sporting Cristal | Peruvian Primera División | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? |
| Sporting Cristal Total | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ||
| 1994 | Universitario | Peruvian Primera División | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? |
| Universitario Total | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ||
| 1995 | Sporting Cristal | Peruvian Primera División | 38 | 12 | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? |
| 1996 | 26 | 13 | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ||
| 1997 | 11 | 7 | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ||
| Sporting Cristal Total | 75 | 32 | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ||
| Argentina | League | Cup | League Cup | South America | Total | |||||||
| 1997–98 | Boca Juniors | Primera División | 32 | 5 | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? |
| Boca Juniors Total | 32 | 5 | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ||
| England | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Europe | Total | |||||||
| 1998–99 | Newcastle United | Premier League | 29 | 6 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 38 | 6 |
| 1999–00 | 30 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 40 | 4 | ||
| 2000–01 | 33 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 38 | 7 | ||
| 2001–02 | 37 | 7 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 6 | 4 | 52 | 12 | ||
| 2002–03 | 31 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 1 | 45 | 8 | ||
| 2003–04 | 12 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 20 | 1 | ||
| Newcastle United (1st Spell) Total | 172 | 29 | 19 | 2 | 12 | 0 | 30 | 7 | 233 | 38 | ||
| 2003–04 | Aston Villa | Premier League | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 |
| 2004–05 | 36 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 39 | 9 | ||
| 2005–06 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | ||
| Aston Villa Total | 49 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 52 | 9 | ||
| 2005–06 | Newcastle United | Premier League | 29 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 35 | 6 |
| 2006–07 | 28 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 11 | 0 | 44 | 4 | ||
| 2007–08 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | ||
| Newcastle United (2nd Spell) Total | 58 | 8 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 11 | 0 | 81 | 10 | ||
| Newcastle United (Overall Total) Total | 230 | 37 | 25 | 2 | 18 | 2 | 41 | 7 | 314 | 48 | ||
| 2007–08 | West Ham United | Premier League | 23 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 23 | 4 |
| West Ham United Total | 23 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 23 | 4 | ||
| Greece | League | Greek Cup | League Cup | Europe | Total | |||||||
| 2008–09 | Larissa | Superleague | 13 | 1 | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? |
| Larissa Total | 13 | 1 | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ||
| Peru | League | Cup | League Cup | South America | Total | |||||||
| 2009 | Universitario | Peruvian Primera División | 24 | 7 | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? |
| Universitario Total | 24 | 7 | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ||
| England | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Europe | Total | |||||||
| 2009–10 | Leicester City | Championship | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 0 |
| Leicester City Total | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 0 | ||
| 2010–11 | Hull City | Championship | 11 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 0 |
| Hull City Total | 11 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 0 | ||
| 2011–12 | Hartlepool United | League One | 8 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 2 |
| Hartlepool United Total | 8 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 2 | ||
| England Total | 334 | 51 | 28 | 2 | 22 | 3 | 41 | 7 | 425 | 63 | ||
| Career total | 478 | 96 | 28 | 2 | 22 | 3 | 41 | 7 | 569 | 108 | ||
Solano was arrested by police in the Gosforth area of Newcastle on 26 April 2010, on allegations of raping a 22-year old woman from the city.[34] After a thorough investigation by the Northumbria Police, no further action was taken when allegations turned out to be false.[35]
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