Jefferson Gottardi

Jefferson Gottardi (13 January 1976 — 4 September 2003) was a Bolivian footballer.

Jefferson Gottardi
Personal information
Full name Jefferson Gottardi
Date of birth (1976-01-13)January 13, 1976
Place of birth Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia
Date of death September 4, 2003(2003-09-04) (aged 27)
Place of death La Paz, Bolivia
Height 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)
Position(s) Striker
Youth career
1991–1994 Tahuichi Academy
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1995–1997 Oriente Petrolero
1998–2000 Bolívar
1999 → Tampa Bay Mutiny (loan) 11 (4)
1999 → Deportivo Táchira (loan)
2001 Goiás
National team‡
1995 Bolivia U-20
1999 Bolivia 1 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 5 April 2009
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 5 April 2009

Career

Club

Born in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Gottardi began his career in his native Bolivia, attending the prestigious Tahuichi Academy (which also produced Marco Etcheverry and Jaime Moreno), and playing for Oriente Petrolero and Bolívar in the Liga de Fútbol Profesional Boliviano.

He secured a loan move to the United States in 1999 to play for Tampa Bay Mutiny, and scored two goals on his MLS debut in a 5-2 loss to D.C. United,[1] but never truly settled in Major League Soccer. He was waived by the team in August 1999, having played just 11 games, scoring 4 goals.[2]

After leaving Tampa, Gottardi went on loan at Deportivo Táchira in Venezuela, and then moved to Goiás in Brazil, his final club.

International

Gottardi was a member of the Bolivian national team, having competed in the qualifying tournament for the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, and in qualifying for the Copa América 1999 in Paraguay. In the end he only earned one senior cap, a friendly match against the United States.[3]

Personal life

His father, Toninho Gottardi, was a Brazilian who managed Oriente Petrolero.[4]

Health problems and death

While playing for Goiás in the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A, Gottardi began to suffer from "unusual problems with his heart", and was forced to retire from competitive play. He travelled to Cuba for treatment, to which he initially responded well, but was eventually diagnosed with ALS in July 2002.[5] He suffered a heart attack on September 4, 2003, and died at the Virgen de la Asunción hospital in La Paz. He was 27[6] and was survived by his Brazilian wife Veruschka Vanderley and their 4-year old daughter.[7]

See also

References
  1. MLS: Razov powers Chicago to 3-1 decision over San Jose in opener; D.C. United triumphs
  2. "CNN/SI - Soccer - Tampa Bay waives Bolivian forward Gottardi - Wednesday August 11, 1999 10:30 PM". Archived from the original on February 16, 2012. Retrieved April 7, 2009.
  3. DIEZ AÑOS SIN JEFFERSON GOTTARDI Archived 2016-08-28 at the Wayback Machine - La Prensa (in Spanish)
  4. Muerte del ex internacional Jefferson Gottardi enluta Bolivia - Nación (in Spanish)
  5. SI.com - Soccer - Bolivian Gottardi dies after two-year illness - Thursday September 4, 2003 7:36PM
  6. Muerte del ex internacional Jefferson Gottardi enluta Bolivia | terra
  7. Un hombre de bien se fue sufriendo. Adiós Jefferson Gottardi - Bolivia.com (in Spanish)
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