Daniel Díaz

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Cata Díaz

Díaz in action for Getafe
Personal information
Full nameDaniel Alberto Díaz
Date of birth (1979-07-13) 13 July 1979
Place of birthSan Fernando del Valle, Argentina
Height1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)
Playing positionCentre back
Club information
Current clubBoca Juniors
Number2
Youth career
Juventud Catamarca
1997–1999Rosario Central
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps†(Gls)†
1999–2003Rosario Central97(2)
2003–2004Cruz Azul46(1)
2004–2005Colón35(2)
2005–2007Boca Juniors67(7)
2007–2012Getafe165(3)
2012–2013Atlético Madrid9(0)
2013–Boca Juniors6(2)
National team
2003–2009Argentina12(1)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 8 September 2013.
† Appearances (Goals).

Daniel Alberto "Cata" Díaz (born 13 July 1979) is an Argentine professional footballer who plays for Boca Juniors as a central defender.

After starting professionally at Rosario Central he went on to spend most of his career in Spain, amassing La Liga totals of 174 games and three goals over the course of six seasons, mainly with Getafe. He also had two spells with Boca Juniors.

Díaz appeared for Argentina at the 2007 Copa América.

Club career

Nicknamed Cata because of his origins from San Fernando del Valle de Catamarca, Díaz started playing at youth amateur local team Juventud de Catamarca before moving in 1997 to Rosario Central, still as a junior. Three years later, he first appeared professionally with the latter team.

Díaz moved to Club Deportivo Cruz Azul in 2003. After only one season with the Mexican club, he returned to Argentina to become Alfio Basile's captain in Colón de Santa Fe. Short after he received offers to move to Argentine giants Boca Juniors and Club Atlético River Plate, but being at that time Basile the former's coach, the player decided to move to the club for around US$3 million.

Cata made his debut for Boca in a 4–1 victory over Gimnasia y Esgrima de Jujuy, and was a big part in the side's 2005 Apertura-winning campaign, adding the South American Supercup (win over Once Caldas of Colombia) and the South American Cup (defeat of Mexico's Club Universidad Nacional).

In the summer of 2007 Díaz moved to Spain's Getafe CF for €4 million, being a defensive cornerstone from the very beginning as the Madrid outskirts club reached the quarterfinals of the UEFA Cup in 2007–08. During his spell with the club he rarely missed one game when healthy – for instance, in his third season, he appeared in 30 matches (2,700 minutes of action) to help the team finish sixth and qualify for the Europa League.[1][2]

On 15 June 2012, at nearly 33, Díaz signed with fellow La Liga side Atlético Madrid for two years and €1 million.[3][4] He was scarcely used during his first and only season by countryman Diego Simeone and, subsequently, returned to his homeland and Boca.

International career

With the Argentine national team Díaz made his first appearance in 2003, and was called to the 2007 Copa América squad as the national side finished second in Venezuela.

On 6 June 2009, in a 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Colombia, he scored his first and only international goal, finding the net in the 57th minute for a 1–0 home win; he would be, however, overlooked for the final stages in South Africa.

Honours

Boca Juniors
Atlético Madrid

References

  1. ↑ Díaz, el "Ironman" de la Liga BBVA (Díaz, Liga BBVA's Ironman); ESPN Deportes, 18 February 2012 (Spanish)
  2. ↑ Ni un minuto sin El Cata (Not one minute without Cata); Marca, 2 March 2012 (Spanish)
  3. ↑ El Atletico de Madrid ficha al Cata Díaz (Atletico de Madrid signs Cata Díaz); Marca, 15 June 2012 (Spanish)
  4. ↑ Atletico Madrid signs Daniel Diaz from Getafe; Footballcracy, 18 June 2012

External links

Boca Juniors – current squad
Argentina squad – 2007 Copa América Runners-up
Argentina
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