Antolín Alcaraz facts for kids
Alcaraz with Everton in 2014
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| Personal information | |||||||||||||
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| Full name | Antolín Alcaraz Viveros | ||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 30 July 1982 | ||||||||||||
| Place of birth | San Roque González, Paraguay | ||||||||||||
| Height | 1.87 m | ||||||||||||
| Playing position | Centre-back | ||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† | ||||||||||
| 1998–2001 | Teniente Fariña | ||||||||||||
| 2001–2002 | Racing Club | 0 | (0) | ||||||||||
| 2002 | → Fiorentina (loan) | 0 | (0) | ||||||||||
| 2003–2007 | Beira-Mar | 112 | (5) | ||||||||||
| 2007–2010 | Club Brugge | 68 | (5) | ||||||||||
| 2010–2013 | Wigan Athletic | 69 | (3) | ||||||||||
| 2013–2015 | Everton | 14 | (0) | ||||||||||
| 2015–2016 | Las Palmas | 6 | (1) | ||||||||||
| 2016–2018 | Libertad | 74 | (2) | ||||||||||
| 2019–2023 | Olimpia | 80 | (6) | ||||||||||
| National team | |||||||||||||
| 2008–2012 | Paraguay | 23 | (2) | ||||||||||
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Honours
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Antolín Alcaraz Viveros, born on July 30, 1982, is a former professional footballer from Paraguay. He played as a centre-back, which is a defensive position in football.
Antolín Alcaraz didn't stay with one team for long in his early career. However, in 2003, he joined S.C. Beira-Mar and played there for five seasons. After that, he moved to Club Brugge KV. He then spent five years playing in the Premier League in England for Wigan Athletic and Everton. After a year in Spain with UD Las Palmas, he returned to his home country, Paraguay.
Alcaraz also played for the Paraguay national team. He represented his country in the 2010 World Cup and the 2011 Copa América. He helped Paraguay reach the final of the Copa América tournament in 2011.
Contents
Club Career
Early Days and Beira-Mar
Antolín Alcaraz grew up in a simple home. As a teenager, he worked as a builder's helper in his hometown of San Roque González de Santa Cruz in Paraguay. He started playing football at Club Teniente Fariña, but he didn't plan to become a professional player at first.
When Alcaraz was 18 and working as a builder, he met a football scout named Carlos Bruni. Bruni helped him join Racing Club de Avellaneda in Argentina. However, Alcaraz didn't play many games there.
In 2002, he was loaned to ACF Fiorentina in Italy. But the Italian club soon faced financial problems and had to restart in a lower league. Alcaraz then had a tryout with U.S. Città di Palermo, but he didn't join their team.
In January 2003, Alcaraz signed with the Portuguese club S.C. Beira-Mar. After playing seven games in his first half-season, he became a key defender for the team. In the 2005–06 season, he played 31 matches and helped his team get promoted back to the top league, the Primeira Liga.
Playing in Belgium: Club Brugge
On April 30, 2007, Alcaraz agreed to join Club Brugge KV in Belgium, starting in July.
He had a slow start in his first season. But he eventually became a regular player, helping his team finish third twice and second once in the league.
Premier League Adventures: Wigan Athletic
On May 14, 2010, Alcaraz joined Wigan Athletic in England. He moved for free because his contract with Club Brugge was ending. His new manager, Roberto Martínez, said Alcaraz was playing his best football at that time. He scored his first goal for Wigan on September 11, 2010, in a 1–1 home draw against Sunderland.
On May 7, 2012, Alcaraz scored the only goal in a game against Blackburn Rovers. This goal helped Wigan stay in the top division, while Blackburn was moved down to a lower league. In 2013, he won the FA Cup, which is a big football trophy in England. He played the whole game in the final, where Wigan surprisingly beat Manchester City 1–0. However, just three days later, Wigan was moved down from the top division after losing 4–1 to Arsenal.
Moving to Everton
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On July 9, 2013, Alcaraz became a free agent (meaning he was not under contract with any club). He then joined Everton on a two-year deal. He and goalkeeper Joel Robles both followed their former coach Roberto Martínez to Everton. He played his first game for Everton on December 29, 2013, after recovering from an injury. He played the full 90 minutes in a 2–1 home win against Southampton.
On April 26, 2014, Alcaraz accidentally scored an own goal (a goal scored against his own team) in the first minute of a 0–2 loss to Southampton. On January 1, 2015, he was sent off (given a red card and had to leave the game) for the first time as an Everton player. This happened in a 0–2 away loss to Hull City.
On June 10, 2015, Alcaraz left Everton.
Short Spell at Las Palmas
On August 2, 2015, when he was almost 33 years old, Alcaraz signed a one-year contract with UD Las Palmas, a team that had just been promoted to La Liga in Spain. He scored his first goal for them on September 23, helping his team win 2–0 against Sevilla FC at home.
During his time at Las Palmas, Alcaraz only played seven games because of injuries. On January 29, 2016, he left the club by agreement.
Back Home in Paraguay
In February 2016, Alcaraz agreed to a deal with Club Libertad in Paraguay. He played his first game in the Paraguayan Primera División (Paraguay's top league) the next month. He was 33 years old, and his team won 2–1 against Cerro Porteño.
On January 2, 2019, Alcaraz signed with Club Olimpia, another team in the same league. In his first season with Olimpia, he was part of the team that won the national championship.
International Career
In November 2008, Antolín Alcaraz was called up to play for the Paraguay national team for the first time. He was 26 years old. He was chosen for the team that played in the 2010 FIFA World Cup. On June 14, in Paraguay's first group stage game against Italy, he scored a goal with a powerful header from a set piece (a planned play from a free kick or corner). The game ended in a 1–1 draw. He played in almost all the matches for Paraguay, who reached the quarter-finals of the World Cup.
Alcaraz was also a key player for Paraguay during the 2011 Copa América tournament, which was held in Argentina. On July 13, he scored a goal to make the score 1–1 against Venezuela in a group stage game that ended 3–3. Four days later, in the quarter-finals against Brazil, he was sent off (had to leave the game) after an incident with an opponent. Paraguay went on to finish as runners-up in the tournament.
Achievements
Club
Beira-Mar
- Segunda Liga: 2005–06 (This is a second-tier league title)
Wigan Athletic
- FA Cup: 2012–13 (A major English cup competition)
Libertad
- Paraguayan Primera División: 2016 Apertura, 2017 Apertura (Top league titles in Paraguay)
Olimpia
- Paraguayan Primera División: 2019 (Top league title in Paraguay)
International
Paraguay
- Copa América runner-up: 2011 (Finished second in South America's main football tournament)
Images for kids
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Antolín Alcaraz with Everton in 2014
See also
In Spanish: Antolín Alcaraz para niños
