Álvaro Recoba
Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | Álvaro Alexánder Recoba Rivero | ||
Date of birth | 17 March 1976 | ||
Place of birth | Montevideo, Uruguay | ||
Height | 1.77 m (5 ft 10 in) | ||
Position(s) |
Attacking midfielder, forward | ||
Team information | |||
Current team | Nacional (manager) | ||
Youth career | |||
Danubio | |||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
1994–1995 | Danubio | 34 | (11) |
1996–1997 | Nacional | 33 | (17) |
1997–2008 | Inter Milan | 175 | (53) |
1999 |
→ Venezia (loan) | 19 | (11) |
2007–2008 |
→ Torino (loan) | 22 | (1) |
2008–2010 | Panionios | 21 | (5) |
2010–2011 | Danubio | 31 | (11) |
2011–2015 | Nacional | 82 | (17) |
Total | 417 | (126) | |
International career‡ | |||
1995–2007 | Uruguay | 69 | (11) |
Managerial career | |||
2020–2022 | Nacional (assistant) | ||
2022–2023 | Nacional B | ||
2023– | Nacional | ||
*Club domestic league appearances and goals ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 21 October 2023 |
Álvaro Alexánder Recoba Rivero (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈalβaɾo aleɣˈsandeɾ reˈkoβa riˈβeɾo]; born 17 March 1976; nickname "El Chino"[1]) is an Uruguayan professional football coach and former player, who played as a forward or midfielder. He is the current manager of Uruguayan club Nacional.
Although he began and ended his footballing career in his native country, he also played for several European clubs throughout his career, most notably Italian side Inter Milan, where he spent 11 seasons.
At international level, Recoba won 68 caps for the Uruguay national team between 1995 and 2007, participating at the 2002 FIFA World Cup and two Copa América tournaments.
Club career
Early career
Recoba started his career with Uruguay's
Inter Milan
Recoba made his Inter debut on the same day as Ronaldo, on 31 August 1997, coming on as a substitute against Brescia at the San Siro. He scored two goals in the last ten minutes of the match: one, a powerful 30-yard shot that flew past the keeper, the next, a free-kick into the top corner after a Cristiano Doni foul. The goals allowed Inter to come back and win the match 2–1.[3]
Loan to Venezia
After two seasons with Inter, Recoba was loaned out to relegation-battling
Return to Inter Milan
After his tenure at Venezia, Recoba returned to Inter. In January 2001, he renewed his contract with the club until 30 June 2006. During the same month, he was accused of carrying a fake passport and lost the Italian nationality he had received in 1999. The Italian Football Federation penalised Recoba with a one-year ban, which was later reduced on appeal to four months.[5] Overall, he played for Inter Milan for ten seasons, from 1997 to 2007.
On 16 March 2007, Recoba confirmed to
Torino
Recoba scored his first goal for the club in the second match of the season, a 1–1 draw with
Panionios
On 5 September 2008, Recoba signed for
On 9 June 2009, Recoba agreed to remain at Panionios for the following season, as per the terms of his original contract. On 6 December 2009, and after being constantly injured, Recoba came to an agreement with the club to mutually rescind his contract on 16 December 2009. Panionios stated the termination was "friendly" and that they "were honoured" by his association with the club despite his injury-riddled spell.[10][11]
Back to Uruguay
After nine days without a club, Recoba announced on 24 December 2009 that he would sign with Danubio,[12] where he had played from 1993 to 1995.[2]
In July 2011, Recoba signed for former club Nacional. He appeared in many matches coming on from the bench, but still helped the team to win the Torneo Apertura. Recoba scored the second goal in the clásico victory 2–1 against Peñarol by taking a penalty kick during stoppage time. The result allowed Nacional to surpass Peñarol in the tournament table. He also scored the only goal in the last game against Liverpool.
During the Torneo Clausura, he started more matches, scoring the third and definitive goal of that tournament's clásico, which ended ending 3–2 for Nacional.
He scored the only goal in the final game of
During the Uruguayan Clásico on 9 November 2014, at almost age 38, Recoba scored a 30-yard free-kick in the fifth minute of stoppage time to win the match for Nacional.[13]
International career
Recoba made his debut for
In September 2005, Recoba scored the winning goal against
After the 2006 World Cup, and despite his lack of appearances in Inter's playing squad, Recoba was again picked for the Uruguay national team. He scored his 12th international goal in a 2–1 victory on 2 June 2007, in a friendly against Australia and he also appeared for Uruguay in the 2007 Copa América, where Uruguay finished fourth. In total, Recoba was capped 69 times with Uruguay.
Retirement
Recoba played his last match as a professional footballer on 31 March 2016 at age 40, at the
Style of play
A quick, technically gifted and creative
Managerial career
On 20 October 2023 Recoba was appointed manager of Nacional.[26]
Personal life
Recoba's son Julio is also a footballer.[27]
Career statistics
Club
Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
Danubio | 1994[28] | Primera División
|
14 | 6 | — | — | — | 14 | 6 | |||
1995[28] | Primera División | 20 | 5 | — | — | — | 20 | 5 | ||||
Total | 34 | 11 | — | — | — | 34 | 11 | |||||
Nacional | 1996[28] | Primera División | 20 | 8 | — | 2 | 0 | 7 | 6 | 29 | 14 | |
1997[28][29] | Primera División | 10 | 9 | — | 8[b] | 3 | — | 18 | 12 | |||
Total | 30 | 17 | — | 8 | 3 | 7 | 6 | 47 | 26 | |||
Inter Milan | 1997–98[29] | Serie A | 8 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 6[c] | 0 | — | 19 | 5 | |
1998–99[29] | Serie A | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2[d] | 0 | — | 4 | 0 | ||
1999–2000[29] | Serie A | 27 | 10 | 6 | 0 | — | 1[e] | 0 | 34 | 10 | ||
2000–01[29] | Serie A | 29 | 8 | 3 | 2 | 9[f] | 5 | — | 41 | 15 | ||
2001–02[29] | Serie A | 18 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 4[c] | 0 | — | 22 | 6 | ||
2002–03[29] | Serie A | 27 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 14[d] | 3 | — | 42 | 12 | ||
2003–04[29] | Serie A | 19 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 7[g] | 3 | — | 29 | 11 | ||
2004–05[29] | Serie A | 13 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 5[d] | 1 | — | 22 | 6 | ||
2005–06[29] | Serie A | 20 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 7[d] | 1 | 1[h] | 0 | 30 | 6 | |
2006–07[29] | Serie A | 13 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 2[d] | 0 | — | 18 | 1 | ||
Total | 175 | 53 | 28 | 6 | 56 | 13 | 2 | 0 | 261 | 72 | ||
Venezia (loan) | 1998–99[29] | Serie A | 19 | 11 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 19 | 11 | ||
Torino (loan) | 2007–08[29] | Serie A | 22 | 1 | 2 | 2 | — | — | 24 | 3 | ||
Panionios | 2008–09[29]
|
Super League Greece | 14 | 4 | 2 | 1 | — | — | 16 | 5 | ||
2009–10[29] | Super League Greece | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 5 | 0 | |||
Total | 19 | 4 | 2 | 1 | — | — | 21 | 5 | ||||
Danubio | 2009–10[29] | Primera División | 13 | 5 | — | — | — | 13 | 5 | |||
2010–11[29] | Primera División | 18 | 5 | — | — | — | 18 | 5 | ||||
Total | 31 | 10 | — | — | — | 31 | 10 | |||||
Nacional | 2011–12[29] | Primera División | 23 | 7 | — | 1[i] | 0 | 1[j] | 1 | 25 | 8 | |
2012–13[29] | Primera División | 21 | 5 | — | 9[k] | 1 | — | 30 | 6 | |||
2013–14[29] | Primera División | 19 | 2 | — | 3[b] | 0 | 1[j] | 0 | 23 | 2 | ||
2014–15[29] | Primera División | 17 | 2 | — | 1[b] | 0 | 1[j] | 0 | 19 | 2 | ||
Total | 80 | 16 | — | 14 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 97 | 18 | |||
Career total | 413 | 123 | 32 | 9 | 78 | 17 | 5 | 1 | 528 | 150 |
- ^ Includes Coppa Italia, Greek Football Cup
- ^ a b c Appearances in Copa Libertadores
- ^ UEFA Cup
- ^ a b c d e Appearances in UEFA Champions League
- ^ Appearance in Serie A play-off
- ^ One appearance in UEFA Champions League, eight appearances and five goals in UEFA Cup
- ^ Three appearances and one goal in UEFA Champions League, four appearances and two goals in UEFA Cup
- ^ Appearance in Supercoppa Italiana
- ^ Appearance in Copa Sudamericana
- ^ a b c Appearance in Primera División play-offs
- ^ Appearances in Copa Libertadores and Copa Sudamericana
International
Source:[30]
Uruguay | ||
Year | Apps | Goals |
---|---|---|
1995 | 2 | 0 |
1996 | 3 | 3 |
1997 | 12 | 3 |
1998 | 0 | 0 |
1999 | 2 | 0 |
2000 | 9 | 1 |
2001 | 11 | 1 |
2002 | 7 | 1 |
2003 | 8 | 0 |
2004 | 4 | 0 |
2005 | 6 | 1 |
2006 | 0 | 0 |
2007 | 5 | 1 |
Total | 69 | 11 |
International goals Source:[30]
Scores and results list Uruguay's goal tally first. Score column indicates score after each Recoba goal.
# | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1. | 17 July 1996 | Workers' Stadium, Beijing, China | China | 1–0 | 1–1 | Friendly |
2. | 25 August 1996 | Japan | 1–1 | 3–5 | ||
3. | 3–4 | |||||
4. | 15 June 1997 | Estadio Olímpico Patria, Sucre, Bolivia | Venezuela | 1–0 | 2–0 | 1997 Copa América |
5. | 10 September 1997 | Peru | 1–0 | 1–2 | 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification | |
6. | 17 December 1997 | King Fahd II Stadium, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia |
South Africa | 2–1 | 4–3 | 1997 FIFA Confederations Cup |
7. | 17 February 2000 | Estadio Campus Municipal, Maldonado, Uruguay | Hungary | 1–0 | 2–0 | Friendly |
8. | 4 September 2001 | Peru | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification | |
9. | 11 June 2002 | Suwon World Cup Stadium, Suwon, South Korea | Senegal | 3–3 | 3–3 | 2002 FIFA World Cup |
10. | 12 October 2005 | Estadio Centenario, Montevideo, Uruguay | Argentina | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification |
11. | 2 June 2007 | Telstra Stadium, Sydney, Australia | Australia | 2–1 | 2–1 | Friendly |
Managerial
- As of 7 December 2023[31]
Team | Nat | From | To | Record | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | W% | ||||
Nacional | 20 October 2023 | Present | 10 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 18 | 11 | +7 | 50.0 | |
Total | 10 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 18 | 11 | +7 | 50.0 |
Honours
Inter Milan[32]
- Serie A: 2005–06, 2006–07
- Coppa Italia: 2004–05, 2005–06
- Supercoppa Italiana: 2005, 2006
- UEFA Cup: 1997–98
Nacional[32]
Individual
- IFFHS Uruguayan Men's Dream Team (Team B)[33]
References
- ^ a b "Uruguay legend Alvaro 'El Chino ' Recoba bids farewell to football" by Sam Kelly, ESPN FC, 1 April 2016
- ^ a b "El "Chino" hace la diferencia" ("The Chinese makes the difference"), Danubio F.C. website (in Spanish)
- ^ "Fantacalcio: Inter-Brescia, quando Recoba esplose nel giorno di Ronaldo" ("Fantasy Football: Inter vs Brescia, When Recoba exploded at the day of Ronaldo") by Marco Guidi, La Gazzetta dello Sport, 10 October 2014 (in Italian)
- ^ Contessa, Michele (January 13, 1999). "Recoba a Venezia: "Finalmente potro' giocare"". La Gazzetta dello Sport (in Italian). Retrieved December 17, 2010.
- ^ "Inter get Recoba back from ban". World Soccer News. October 12, 2001. Retrieved April 11, 2004.
- ^ "Palermo 1 – 1 Torino". Football Italia. Channel 4. September 16, 2007. Archived from the original on December 24, 2007. Retrieved April 11, 2008.
- ^ "Coppa: Recoba breaks Roma". Football Italia. Channel 4. December 19, 2007. Archived from the original on December 21, 2007. Retrieved April 11, 2008.
- ^ "Novellino defends El Chino". Football Italia. Channel 4. December 3, 2007. Archived from the original on February 4, 2008. Retrieved April 11, 2008.
- ^ "Alvaro Recoba debuts for Panionios : European Soccer".
- ^ "Uruguayan star Alvaro Recoba quits Greek side Panionios - ESPN FC". ESPNFC.com. Retrieved January 29, 2016.
- ^ "Ανακοίνωση".
- ^ "www.impre.com". Retrieved January 29, 2016.
- ^ "Álvaro Recoba rolls back years to give Nacional victory over Peñarol". theguardian.com. The Guardian. November 10, 2014. Retrieved November 10, 2014.
- ^ "Uruguay - International Matches 1991-1995". RSSSF. Retrieved January 18, 2023.
- ^ Australia v Uruguay, 16 November 2005, 11v11 website, 16 November 2005
- ^ "November 16". You Tube. 2015. Archived from the original (Documentary Film) on November 8, 2020. Retrieved January 26, 2016.
- ^ "Chino Leyenda Nacional: Recoba se despide en el GPC" ("Chinese legend of National: Recoba says farewell at the GPC"), Nacional website (in Spanish)
- ^ a b c d Carlin, John (November 23, 2003). "Recoba's riddle". The Guardian. Retrieved March 6, 2021.
- ^ Marcotti, Gabriele (February 20, 2001). "Don't get discouraged". CNNSI.com. Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on November 4, 2008. Retrieved June 13, 2008.
- ^ Ghisi, Giancarla (May 15, 2003). "I vip dell' Inter accusano "Tutta colpa di Recoba, peggio di Tangentopoli"" [The Inter VIPs accuse: "Everything is Recoba's fault, worse than Tangentopoli"]. Corriere della Sera (in Italian). Archived from the original on January 10, 2016. Retrieved October 20, 2015.
- ^ Carminati, Nadia (January 1, 2007). "Recoba wants to be a regular". Sky Sports. Retrieved March 6, 2021.
- ^ "Recoba may not retire yet". Football Italia. May 14, 2014. Retrieved March 6, 2021.
- ^ "Inter. Moratti: "Zanetti come Facchetti. Recoba pigro, era più forte di Ronaldo"" [Inter. Moratti: "Zanetti like Facchetti. Recoba was lazy, but more talented than Ronaldo"]. La Gazzetta dello Sport (in Italian). May 19, 2014. Retrieved March 6, 2021.
- ^ Costantino, Fabio (October 15, 2009). "Recoba: "Cercai di portare Barreto all'Inter"" [Recoba: "I tried to bring Barreto to Inter"]. F.C. Inter News (in Italian). Retrieved March 6, 2021.
- ^ Gotta, Roberto (October 4, 2002). "Inter the world of paranoia". ESPN FC. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved October 20, 2015.
- ^ "El "Chino" Recoba es el nuevo entrenador de Nacional" (in Spanish). October 20, 2023.
- ^ "Carrasco llevó a Fénix a Julio Recoba, un hijo del Chino, para jugar en el Apertura". July 29, 2020. Retrieved December 14, 2021.
- ^ a b c d "Recoba, Álvaro". National Football Teams. Retrieved November 27, 2018.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u "Alvaro Recoba » Club matches". World Football. Retrieved November 27, 2018.
- ^ a b "Alvaro Recoba - International Appearances". RSSSF.
- ^ "Àlvaro Recoba manager profile". December 7, 2023.
- ^ a b "Á. Recoba". Soccerway. Retrieved January 3, 2016.
- ^ "IFFHS All-Time Uruguay Men's Dream Team". IFFHS. August 5, 2021. Retrieved January 9, 2023.
External links
- International statistics at rsssf
- Profile at Tenfield (in Spanish)
- FootballDatabase provides Álvaro Recoba's profile and stats
- Álvaro Recoba at Soccerway