Agustín Delgado facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Agustín Delgado

Delgado in 2016
Personal information
Full name	Agustín Javier Delgado Chalá
Date of birth	(1974-12-23) 23 December 1974 (age 50)
Place of birth	Ambuquí, Imbabura, Ecuador
Height	1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)
Position(s)	Forward
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1991–1992	ESPOLI	12	(6)
1993–1994	Barcelona SC	30	(25)
1995–1996	El Nacional	30	(30)
1997	Independiente Medellín	0	(0)
1997–1998	Barcelona SC	34	(15)
1998	Cruz Azul	8	(2)
1999–2001	Necaxa	83	(38)
2001–2004	Southampton	11	(1)
2004	Aucas	13	(7)
2004	UNAM	11	(1)
2005	Barcelona SC	38	(10)
2006–2008	L.D.U. Quito	69	(24)
2009	Emelec	8	(0)
2010	Valle del Chota	7	(0)
Total		324	(159)
International career
1994–2006	Ecuador	71	(31)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Agustín Javier Delgado Chalá, born on December 23, 1974, is an Ecuadorian politician and a former professional footballer. He played as a forward and was known by his nickname El Tín. He was once the top goal scorer for the Ecuador national team with 31 goals in 71 games. Later, Enner Valencia scored more goals than him. Delgado played club football in Ecuador, Mexico, and England during his career.

Delgado first played for the Ecuador national team in 1994 against Peru. He played in 71 games for his country and scored 31 goals. He was part of Ecuador's team in the 2002 FIFA World Cup and 2006 FIFA World Cup. In 2002, he made history by scoring Ecuador's first-ever goal in a FIFA World Cup tournament.

Football Career Highlights

Early Club Days

Agustín Delgado began his football journey in Ecuador with ESPOLI in 1991. In 1994, he joined Barcelona SC and helped them win the Ecuadorian Serie A title in 1995. After that, he moved to El Nacional and won the Ecuadorian league title again. He then returned to Barcelona SC, winning a third league title in a row.

In 1998, Delgado played briefly in Mexico for Cruz Azul. He then joined Necaxa in 1999, a team that had won the CONCACAF Champions' Cup. He played for Necaxa in the 2000 FIFA Club World Championship. He scored a goal against South Melbourne and also in the third-place play-off against Real Madrid. Necaxa won that match after a penalty shootout.

Time in England

In late 2001, Delgado moved to England to play for Premier League club Southampton. This happened after he scored nine goals, helping Ecuador qualify for their first World Cup.

However, his time at Southampton was difficult because he faced many injuries. He had an injury before the 2002 World Cup qualifiers. Despite this, he felt a lot of pressure to play in the World Cup for Ecuador. He decided to play even when injured. When he returned to England, doctors found that his injury had become long-lasting, which affected his future in European football. He also had difficulties with his manager, Gordon Strachan, partly because of language.

Despite these challenges, Delgado scored an important goal for Southampton in a 3–2 home win against Arsenal, who were the league champions at the time. He also scored a goal against Liverpool in the League Cup.

Later Club Career

After leaving Southampton, Agustín Delgado went back to Ecuador. He joined Aucas in 2004, where he played well. His good performance led him to join Mexican club UNAM. There, he helped his team win the league championship.

In 2005, Delgado transferred back to Barcelona SC. He played alongside his Ecuador teammate Iván Kaviedes. While he started strongly, he only scored 7 goals that season.

Delgado then joined L.D.U. Quito in 2006. He started scoring goals again and helped Liga reach the quarterfinals of the 2006 Copa Libertadores. In 2008, he was part of the LDU Quito team that won the Copa Libertadores, a very important South American club competition. He did not play in the final game, but he was part of the winning squad.

In March 2009, Delgado signed with Emelec. In 2010, he became a player and administrator for Valle del Chota, a club in his hometown. He helped the club get promoted to a higher league. In February 2011, he announced that he was retiring from professional football to focus on managing the club.

International Football for Ecuador

Agustín Delgado's first goal at the 2002 FIFA World Cup was a historic moment. It was the first goal ever scored by the Ecuadorian team in a World Cup, and it happened against Mexico. He was one of the top scorers in the South American qualifiers for that tournament, with 9 goals.

Delgado was known as a strong player who could score with both feet, and he was especially good at heading the ball. He had a great sense of where to be in the penalty box and understood the game well. Because of these skills, he became a very important player in Ecuador and was seen as one of the most feared strikers in South America.

He also helped Ecuador qualify for the World Cup again in 2006, scoring 5 goals in 10 games during the qualifiers. He had said that the 2006 World Cup in Germany would be his last. In that tournament, Delgado scored in the 80th minute in Ecuador's 2–0 win against Poland. In the next game, he scored in the 55th minute in their 3–0 victory over Costa Rica. These goals helped Ecuador move on to the last 16 teams, along with the host country, Germany.

After the 2006 World Cup, Delgado announced he was retiring from international football. He finished his international career with 71 games played and a record 31 goals for the national team.

Political Career

In the Ecuadorian general election of 2013, Agustín Delgado was elected as a member of the National Assembly for the Imbabura Province. He is a member of the PAIS Alliance political party. Two of his former teammates from the national football team, Ulises de la Cruz and Iván Hurtado, also serve in the National Assembly for the same party.

Honours and Achievements

Agustín Delgado won several titles during his football career:

Barcelona SC

• Serie A: 1995, 1997

El Nacional

• Serie A: 1996

Necaxa

• CONCACAF Champions Cup: 1999

UNAM

• Primera División: 2004 Apertura

L.D.U. Quito

• Serie A: 2007
• Copa Libertadores: 2008

Ecuador

• Canada Cup: 1999

See also

In Spanish: Agustín Delgado Chalá para niños