Álvaro Recoba facts for kids
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Recoba with Nacional in 2012
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| 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 | ||
| 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 (reserves) | ||
| 2023–2024 | Nacional | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Álvaro Alexánder Recoba Rivero (born 17 March 1976), also known as "El Chino," is a football coach from Uruguay. He used to be a professional football player. He played as a forward or midfielder. Most recently, he coached the Uruguayan club Nacional.
Álvaro Recoba started and finished his football career in his home country, Uruguay. He also played for several teams in Europe. His most famous time was with the Italian team Inter Milan, where he played for 11 seasons between 1997 and 2008.
For his country, Recoba played 68 times for the Uruguay national team. This was between 1995 and 2007. He played in the 2002 FIFA World Cup and two Copa América tournaments.
Contents
Playing for Clubs
Starting His Career
Recoba began his football journey with Danubio in Uruguay. He spent several years in their youth teams. When he was 17, he joined the first team. He played for two full seasons, from 1994 to 1996.
In 1996, Danubio agreed to transfer Recoba to Nacional. The next season, Nacional sent Recoba to Italy to play for Inter Milan in Serie A.
Time at Inter Milan
Recoba played his first game for Inter on 31 August 1997. It was the same day as Ronaldo's debut. Recoba came on as a substitute against Brescia at the San Siro stadium. He scored two goals in the last ten minutes of the match. One was a powerful shot from far away, and the other was a free-kick. His goals helped Inter win the game 2–1.
Loan to Venezia
After two seasons with Inter, Recoba was loaned to Venezia. This team was struggling to stay in the top league. Recoba scored 11 goals and made 9 assists in 19 games. Thanks to his help, Venezia avoided being moved down to a lower league that season.
Back to Inter Milan
After playing for Venezia, Recoba returned to Inter. In January 2001, he signed a new contract with the club. He was later accused of an issue with his Italian nationality. The Italian Football Federation banned him from playing for a year. This ban was later shortened to four months. Overall, he played for Inter Milan for ten seasons, from 1997 to 2007.
On 16 March 2007, Recoba said he wanted to leave Inter. He felt he wasn't playing enough games. On 31 August 2007, he was loaned to another Serie A club, Torino. There, he joined his old coach from Venezia, Walter Novellino.
Playing for Torino
Recoba scored his first goal for Torino in his second match. It was a 1–1 draw against Palermo. On 19 December 2007, Recoba played very well against Roma in the Coppa Italia. He scored two great goals in Torino's 3–1 win. However, he had some injuries and did not play as much as expected.
Time with Panionios
On 5 September 2008, Recoba signed with Panionios, a top team in Greece. He joined his former Inter teammate Lampros Choutos there. He also played with Uruguayan player Fabián Estoyanoff.
Recoba played his first game for Panionios on 18 October 2008. It was a 2–1 win against Aris. He helped his team by setting up both goals. In his next game, Recoba helped Panionios win 5–2 against Ergotelis, scoring two goals himself. He ended the season with five goals and seven assists. He had some fitness problems during this time.
On 9 June 2009, Recoba agreed to stay at Panionios for another season. However, he was often injured. On 6 December 2009, he and the club agreed to end his contract. Panionios said it was a "friendly" ending.
Back to Uruguay
After a short break, Recoba announced on 24 December 2009 that he would sign with Danubio, his first club. In July 2011, Recoba joined his former club Nacional. He often came on as a substitute but helped the team win the Torneo Apertura.
Recoba scored a penalty kick in stoppage time to win the clásico match against Peñarol 2–1. This win helped Nacional move ahead of Peñarol in the league. He also scored the only goal in the last game against Liverpool. During the Torneo Clausura, he started more games. He scored the winning goal in that tournament's clásico, which Nacional won 3–2. He also scored the only goal in the final game of the 2011–12 Campeonato Uruguayo on 16 June 2012.
In the Uruguayan Clásico on 9 November 2014, when he was almost 38, Recoba scored a free-kick from far away in the last minutes of the game. This goal won the match for Nacional.
Playing for His Country
Recoba first played for Uruguay on 18 January 1995. It was a friendly match against Spain. He played in the 2002 FIFA World Cup. His only goal in that tournament was against Senegal. The game ended in a 3–3 draw, and Uruguay was eliminated.
In September 2005, Recoba scored the winning goal against Argentina. This helped Uruguay get a chance to play in a special match to qualify for the 2006 FIFA World Cup. Uruguay played against Australia but lost in a penalty shootout. Recoba was taken out of the game before the shootout, which he was not happy about.
After the 2006 World Cup, Recoba continued to play for Uruguay. He scored his 12th international goal in a 2–1 win against Australia on 2 June 2007. He also played for Uruguay in the 2007 Copa América. Uruguay finished fourth in that tournament. In total, Recoba played 69 times for Uruguay.
Retiring from Football
Álvaro Recoba played his last professional football match on 31 March 2016. He was 40 years old. The game was a special exhibition match organized by Nacional in Montevideo. It was played between a team of current and former Nacional players and a team of "Friends of Chino." This second team included famous international players like Juan Román Riquelme and Christian Vieri.
How He Played
Recoba was a fast, skilled, and creative attacking midfielder. He was good at both scoring goals and helping others score. His main strengths were his dribbling skills, how well he controlled the ball, and his speed. He was also known for his amazing long passes and crossing ability. He had a powerful and accurate left-footed shot from outside the penalty area.
He was a specialist at set-pieces, penalty kicks, and corner-kicks. He was famous for his curling free-kicks. He scored many amazing goals, like the two he scored in his first game for Inter. Recoba could play in different attacking positions. He played as an attacking midfielder, a supporting striker, and a winger. For a while, he was even the highest-paid footballer in the world.
Even though he was very talented, Recoba often had injuries during his career. Some people also thought he didn't work hard enough or was not always consistent. This made some experts say he didn't reach his full potential.
Coaching Career
On 20 October 2023, Recoba became the manager of Nacional. Before that, he was an assistant coach and manager of their reserve team. He left the club by agreement on 10 June 2024.
In May 2025, it was announced that Recoba will be the technical director for Deportivo LSM. This is a new soccer team started by Luis Suárez.
Personal Life
Álvaro Recoba has two sons, Julio and Jeremía. They are also football players.
Career Statistics
Here are some details about Recoba's career in football.
Club Games
| Club | Season | League | National cup | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Danubio | 1994 | Primera División | 14 | 6 | — | — | — | 14 | 6 | |||
| 1995 | Primera División | 20 | 5 | — | — | — | 20 | 5 | ||||
| Total | 34 | 11 | — | — | — | 34 | 11 | |||||
| Nacional | 1996 | Primera División | 20 | 8 | — | 2 | 0 | 7 | 6 | 29 | 14 | |
| 1997 | Primera División | 10 | 9 | — | 8 | 3 | — | 18 | 12 | |||
| Total | 30 | 17 | — | 8 | 3 | 7 | 6 | 47 | 26 | |||
| Inter Milan | 1997–98 | Serie A | 8 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 6 | 0 | — | 19 | 5 | |
| 1998–99 | Serie A | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 4 | 0 | ||
| 1999–2000 | Serie A | 27 | 10 | 6 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | 34 | 10 | ||
| 2000–01 | Serie A | 29 | 8 | 3 | 2 | 9 | 5 | — | 41 | 15 | ||
| 2001–02 | Serie A | 18 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | — | 22 | 6 | ||
| 2002–03 | Serie A | 27 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 14 | 3 | — | 42 | 12 | ||
| 2003–04 | Serie A | 19 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 3 | — | 29 | 11 | ||
| 2004–05 | Serie A | 13 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 1 | — | 22 | 6 | ||
| 2005–06 | Serie A | 20 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 30 | 6 | |
| 2006–07 | Serie A | 13 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 18 | 1 | ||
| Total | 175 | 53 | 28 | 6 | 56 | 13 | 2 | 0 | 261 | 72 | ||
| Venezia (loan) | 1998–99 | Serie A | 19 | 11 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 19 | 11 | ||
| Torino (loan) | 2007–08 | Serie A | 22 | 1 | 2 | 2 | — | — | 24 | 3 | ||
| Panionios | 2008–09 | Super League Greece | 14 | 4 | 2 | 1 | — | — | 16 | 5 | ||
| 2009–10 | Super League Greece | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 5 | 0 | |||
| Total | 19 | 4 | 2 | 1 | — | — | 21 | 5 | ||||
| Danubio | 2009–10 | Primera División | 13 | 5 | — | — | — | 13 | 5 | |||
| 2010–11 | Primera División | 18 | 5 | — | — | — | 18 | 5 | ||||
| Total | 31 | 10 | — | — | — | 31 | 10 | |||||
| Nacional | 2011–12 | Primera División | 23 | 7 | — | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 25 | 8 | |
| 2012–13 | Primera División | 21 | 5 | — | 9 | 1 | — | 30 | 6 | |||
| 2013–14 | Primera División | 19 | 2 | — | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 23 | 2 | ||
| 2014–15 | Primera División | 17 | 2 | — | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 19 | 2 | ||
| Total | 80 | 16 | — | 14 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 97 | 18 | |||
| Career total | 413 | 123 | 32 | 9 | 78 | 17 | 5 | 1 | 528 | 150 | ||
International Games
Here are the games Recoba played for the Uruguay national team.
| 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 Here are the goals Recoba scored for Uruguay.
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 17 July 1996 | Workers' Stadium, Beijing, China |  China |
1–0 | 1–1 | Friendly |
| 2. | 25 August 1996 | Osaka Nagai Stadium, Osaka, Japan |  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 | Estadio Nacional, Lima, Peru |  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 | Estadio Nacional, Lima, Peru | 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 Record
Here is Recoba's record as a football manager.
| Team | Nat | From | To | Record | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | W% | ||||
| Nacional |  |
20 October 2023 | 10 June 2024 | 10 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 18 | 11 | +7 | 50.0 |
| Total | 10 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 18 | 11 | +7 | 50.0 | |||
Awards and Trophies
Recoba won many awards and trophies during his career.
With Inter Milan
- Serie A: 2005–06, 2006–07
- Coppa Italia: 2004–05, 2005–06
- Supercoppa Italiana: 2005, 2006
- UEFA Cup: 1997–98
With Nacional
- Uruguayan Primera División: 2011–12, 2014–15
Individual Awards
- IFFHS Uruguayan Men's Dream Team (Team B)
- Top scorer in the Pre-Libertadores de América League: 1996
- Top scorer in the Apertura Tournament: 1997
- Top scorer for Nacional in the Apertura Tournament: 1997
- Second top scorer for Venezia: 1998–99
- Second top scorer for Inter: 1999–00, 2000–01, 2002–03, 2003–04
- Second top scorer for Panionios in the Greek Super League: 2008–09
- Second top scorer for Danubio in the Clausura Tournament: 2009–10
- Second top scorer for Danubio in the Clausura Tournament Clausura: 2010–11
- Nacional's second-highest scorer in the Apertura Tournament: 2011–12
- Best player in the Uruguayan Championship: 2011–12
- Best playmaker in the Uruguayan Championship: 2011–12
- El País' Uruguayan Footballer of the Year: 2012
- Nacional's second-highest scorer in the Apertura Tournament: 2012–13
- Uruguayan player to score more than one Olympic goal in a championship with Nacional: 2012–13
See also
In Spanish: Álvaro Recoba para niños
