Arnoldo Iguarán
Arnoldo Alberto Iguarán Zúñiga (born 18 January 1957), also known as El Guajiro, is a former Colombian footballer who played as a forward. He earned 68 caps for the Colombia national team between 1979 and 1993, playing at the 1990 FIFA World Cup and two Copa América tournaments. With 25 international goals, he was the nation's sole top scorer of all time until Radamel Falcao tied him in 2015.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Arnoldo Alberto Iguarán Zúñiga | ||
| Date of birth | 18 January 1957 | ||
| Place of birth | Riohacha, Colombia | ||
| Height | 1.77 m (5 ft 10 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Striker | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1978–1981 | Cúcuta Deportivo[1] | 156 | (44) |
| 1982 | Deportivo Táchira | ||
| 1982 | Deportes Tolima[2] | 18 | (4) |
| 1983 | Independiente Santa Fe | 11 | (3) |
| 1983–1991 | Millonarios[3] | 258 | (88) |
| 1992 | Atlético Junior[4] | 28 | (3) |
| 1993–1995 | Millonarios | 78 | (32) |
| 1995–1997 | Cúcuta Deportivo | 35 | (14) |
| National team | |||
| 1979–1993 | Colombia | 68 | (25) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only | |||
Club career
Born in Riohacha, Iguarán started and ended his club football career with Cúcuta Deportivo. He spent 12 years at Millonarios, and won the Colombian league in 1987 and 1988 with the club. In 13 seasons with Millonarios, he scored 120 goals in 336 league games.[5] Iguarán returned to Cúcuta Deportivo and retired from playing at age 40, making him one of the oldest players in Colombian league history.[6]
International career
Iguarán is also considered one of the best players ever in the Colombia national football team, where he previously held the goalscoring record with 25 goals in 68 games between 1979 and 1993, until it was tied by Radamel Falcao in 2015.[7] One of the most memorable victories he had while playing at the Colombian team was in the 1991 Copa América, where they defeated Brazil 2–0, the first goal was scored by Antony de Ávila, and the second one was scored by the "El Guájiro" Iguarán himself, in the 66th minute of the match.
International goals
Scores and results lists Colombia's goal tally first.[8]
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Since 1991, Iguarán had been considered Colombia's all-time goal scorer with 25 goals until Radamel Falcao tied him in 2015. During Falcao's 24th goal in a friendly match against Kuwait, a match commentator on Colombian television claimed that Falcao had tied Iguarán at 24 goals sparking a nationwide debate on whether Iguarán had scored 24 or 25 goals.[10] The controversy stems from a 1988 friendly match against the United States in which Iguarán scored both of the game's goals. However, video evidence suggests that one of the goals deflected off teammate Alexis García. Regardless, the match report credited Iguarán with both goals and both FIFA and the Colombian Football Federation have Iguarán on record with 25 goals. When interviewed by Colombian radio about the controversy Iguarán said, "In my records I have 25 and the Federation has 25 as well. Anyway, I don't worry about that and I won't lose any sleep over it. I think that all records are meant to be broken and this one was not going to be the exception. Someday, another striker had to come and break it and truthfully it is an honor that it's Falcao, a player I much admire."[11]
Legacy
After his retirement in the 1990s, a football academy was founded in his honor by his brother Camilo Iguarán.
Honours
Notes
- The first goal is credited to Iguarán by FIFA and FCF, however some sources credit it to Alexis García.
References
- Statistics at Golgolgol.net
- "Statistics at Golgolgol.net". Archived from the original on 21 February 2013. Retrieved 15 June 2012.
- "Statistics at Golgolgol.net". Archived from the original on 12 January 2013. Retrieved 15 June 2012.
- Statistics at Golgolgol.net
- "Iguarán, el mejor volante o delantero que jugó en Millonarios y Santa Fe" [Iguarán, the best midfielder or forward to play for both Millonarios and Santa Fe] (in Spanish). El Espectador. 5 February 2010.
- Rozo Castiblanco, Fabián M. (27 July 2009). "Antony de Ávila batiría récord en el balompié nacional" [Antony de Ávila would break the record in the national football league] (in Spanish). El Espectador.
- "Radamel Falcao: Manchester United striker equals goal record". BBC Sport. 30 March 2015. Retrieved 30 March 2015.
- Mamrud, Roberto (12 September 2002). "Arnoldo Alberto Iguarán - Goals in International Matches". The Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 7 August 2014.
- "¿Falcao está a uno o dos goles del récord de Arnoldo Iguarán?" [Is Falcao one or two goals from Arnoldo Iguarán's record?] (in Spanish). ComuTricolor. Retrieved 11 June 2015.
- "¿Son 24 0 25 goles? La polémica en torno a Falcao e Iguarán" [Is it 24 or 25 goals? The controversy around Falcao and Iguarán] (in Spanish). HSB Noticias. Retrieved 11 June 2015.
External links
- Arnoldo Iguarán – FIFA competition record
- Arnoldo Iguarán at National-Football-Teams.com
- Website of the Arnoldo Iguarán football academy (in Spanish)
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