Carlos Valderrama facts for kids

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Carlos Valderrama

Valderrama in 2016

Personal information

Full name

Carlos Alberto Valderrama Palacio

Date of birth

2 September 1961 (age 63)

Place of birth

Santa Marta, Colombia

Height

1.75 m

Playing position

Attacking midfielder

Youth career

Liceo Celedón

Unión Magdalena

Senior career*

Years

Team

Apps^†

(Gls)^†

1980–1984

Unión Magdalena

(5)

1984–1985

Millonarios

(0)

1985–1987

Deportivo Cali

131

(22)

1987–1991

Montpellier

(4)

1991–1992

Real Valladolid

(1)

1992–1993

Independiente Medellín

(1)

1993–1995

Atlético Junior

(5)

1995–1997

Tampa Bay Mutiny

(7)

1996–1997

→ Deportivo Cali (loan)

(4)

1997–1999

Miami Fusion

(3)

1999–2001

Tampa Bay Mutiny

(5)

2001–2002

Colorado Rapids

(1)

Total

637

(58)

National team

1985–1998

Colombia

111

(11)

Teams managed

2007

Atlético Junior (assistant)

Honours

Copa América

Representing Colombia
Third	1987 Argentina
Third	1993 Ecuador
Third	1995 Uruguay

Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.

† Appearances (Goals).

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal family name is Valderrama and the second or maternal family name is Palacio.

Carlos Alberto Valderrama Palacio (born 2 September 1961) is a famous former football player from Colombia. People often called him "El Pibe" which means "The Kid." He was known for playing as an attacking midfielder, a player who helps score goals. Many people think Valderrama is one of the best South American players ever. In 2004, the legendary player Pelé even put him on a list of the world's greatest living players called FIFA 100.

Valderrama was a very creative player who could set up goals for his team. He is seen as one of Colombia's best footballers of all time. He was easy to spot on the field because of his unique blonde afro hairstyle. He was also famous for his amazing passes and clever skills. He won the award for the South American Footballer of the Year in 1987 and 1993. In 1999, World Soccer magazine also named him one of the top 100 players of the 20th century.

Valderrama played for the Colombia national football team from 1985 to 1998. He played 111 games for his country and scored 11 goals. This makes him one of the players with the most games played for Colombia. He was a key player during a special time for Colombian football in the 1990s. He played in three FIFA World Cups and five Copa América tournaments.

Towards the end of his career, Valderrama played in the Major League Soccer (MLS) in the United States. He joined the league in its very first season. He was one of the most recognizable players in the MLS back then. He helped make the league popular in the late 1990s. Today, he is still a legend and one of the most successful players in MLS history. In 2005, he was named to the MLS All-Time Best XI, a list of the best players ever in the league.

Carlos Valderrama's Club Career
- Playing in Colombia and Europe
- Playing in the MLS
Carlos Valderrama's International Career
Carlos Valderrama's Playing Style
Life After Football
- Valderrama in Media
Coaching Career
Personal Life
Career Statistics
- Club
- International Goals
Carlos Valderrama's Awards and Honours
See also

Carlos Valderrama's Club Career

Playing in Colombia and Europe

Carlos Valderrama was born in Santa Marta, Colombia. He started his football career in 1981 with a Colombian team called Unión Magdalena. Later, he played for Millonarios in 1984. In 1985, he joined Deportivo Cali, where he played for many years in Colombia.

In 1988, Valderrama moved to France to play for Montpellier in the French First Division. It was a bit hard for him to get used to the faster and more physical European style of football at first. But soon, his amazing passing skills made him a key player for the team. He helped Montpellier win the Coupe de France (French Cup) in 1990.

In 1991, he moved to Spain to play for Real Valladolid for one season. After that, he returned to Colombia in 1992. He played for Independiente Medellín and then Atlético Junior in 1993. With Atlético Junior, he won the Colombian championship in 1993 and 1995.

Playing in the MLS

Valderrama meeting fans in 1998 while playing for Tampa Bay Mutiny.

Valderrama started his Major League Soccer (MLS) journey with the Tampa Bay Mutiny in 1996. This was the very first season of the MLS. His team won the first-ever Supporters' Shield, which is given to the team with the best regular season record. Valderrama was also named the league's first Most Valuable Player. He finished that season with 4 goals and 17 assists.

He stayed with the Tampa Bay Mutiny for the 1997 season. He also played a short time on loan back at Deportivo Cali in Colombia. In 1998, he moved to another MLS team, Miami Fusion, where he played for two seasons. He went back to Tampa Bay in 2000 for two more seasons. During his time with the Mutiny, the team even sold wigs that looked like his famous hairstyle!

In the 2000 MLS season, Valderrama, who was 38 years old, made history. He recorded 26 assists, which is the only time a player has had more than 20 assists in a single MLS season. This record still stands today and is considered "unbreakable" by the MLS itself.

In 2001, Valderrama joined the Colorado Rapids. He played there until 2002, when he retired from football. His last game was a 1–1 draw against the Kansas City Wizards on 20 September 2002. In that game, Valderrama helped set up a goal. At 41 years and 18 days old, he was the oldest player in the league at that time. Other players have since broken this record.

Valderrama played in the American soccer league for eight years. He played in 175 games. He didn't score many goals (16) for a midfielder. However, he is the league's fourth all-time leader in assists with 114. In 2005, he was chosen for the MLS All-Time Best XI, recognizing him as one of the best players in MLS history.

Carlos Valderrama's International Career

Valderrama played for the Colombia national football team from 1985 to 1998. He played in 111 international games and scored 11 goals. He was the captain of his national team in the 1990, 1994, and 1998 FIFA World Cups. He also played in five Copa América tournaments.

He played his first international game on 27 October 1985, when he was 24 years old. This was a World Cup qualifying match against Paraguay. In his first big international tournament, he helped Colombia finish third at the 1987 Copa América in Argentina. He was the team's captain and was named the best player of the tournament. He scored the first goal in Colombia's 2–0 win over Bolivia in that tournament.

Some of Valderrama's best international games were during the 1990 FIFA World Cup in Italy. He was Colombia's captain. He helped his team win 2–0 against the UAE in their first game, scoring the second goal from far away. Colombia lost their second game. They needed at least a draw against West Germany to move to the next round. In that important game, a German player scored a goal late in the game. But in the last minute, Valderrama dribbled past several players and made a perfect pass to Freddy Rincón, who scored. This made the score 1–1 and allowed Colombia to go to the second round. Colombia was later knocked out by Cameroon after losing 2–1 in extra time.

On 5 September 1993, Valderrama helped Colombia achieve a famous 5–0 win over their rivals Argentina. This win helped them qualify for the 1994 World Cup. Even though people had high hopes for Valderrama at the World Cup, an injury before the tournament put his spot on the team at risk. He recovered in time, but Colombia did not do well and was eliminated in the first round.

Four years later, Valderrama led his country to qualify for the 1998 World Cup in France. He scored three goals during the qualifying games. However, at 37 years old, his impact in the tournament was less. Colombia won against Tunisia, but they were eliminated in the first round after losing 2–0 to England. This was Valderrama's last international game.

Carlos Valderrama's Playing Style

Valderrama is often called a 'classic number 10 playmaker'. This means he was very creative and helped his team attack. However, he often played deeper in the middle of the field. He would play in a free role, like a deep-lying playmaker, to have more influence on the game. He was a great team player and very selfless. He preferred to help his teammates score rather than scoring himself. His smart thinking, good positioning, and wide range of passes helped him find space. This allowed him to control the game's speed with short passes or create chances with long passes.

Valderrama's most famous features were his big blonde afro hairstyle, his jewelry, and his mustache. But on the field, he was known for his elegant way of handling the ball. He was also agile and had quick feet. His ball control and dribbling skills were amazing, especially for a player of his size. He often used his strength and balance to keep the ball from opponents. He would do this with fancy moves, which made him very popular with fans. Valderrama's strength, ability to use both feet, and flair helped him play well against top teams. His amazing vision and passing skills made him one of the best at giving assists during his time. He was also good at heading the ball and taking free kicks, even though he didn't score many goals himself.

Some people said Valderrama played slowly and wasn't very fit. They also said he didn't help much with defense, especially later in his career in the MLS. When he first played in France, he struggled to get used to the faster European game. This gave him less space and time to make plays. He was sometimes criticized for not being fit enough and for not helping much with defense. However, he later became a key creative player for his team because of his skill and accurate passing. Earlier in his career, Valderrama actually showed good speed, stamina, and defensive skills.

Laurent Blanc, a French defender who played with Valderrama, described him well. He said, "In the fast European game, he wasn't always comfortable. He was a natural at 'toque,' which means keeping the ball moving. But he was so talented that we could give him the ball when we didn't know what else to do with it, knowing he wouldn't lose it... and often he would do things that most of us only dream about."

Life After Football

In February 2004, Carlos Valderrama officially ended his 22-year football career. He had a special tribute match in Barranquilla, Colombia. Many famous South American football players, like Diego Maradona and Enzo Francescoli, came to play in it.

In 2006, a large 22-foot bronze statue of Valderrama was put up outside the Estadio Eduardo Santos stadium in his hometown of Santa Marta. This statue was made by a Colombian artist named Amilkar Ariza.

In March 2004, Valderrama was the only Colombian player to be included in FIFA's list of the 125 Top Living Football Players.

Valderrama in Media

Valderrama has appeared on the cover of Konami's International Superstar Soccer Pro 98 video game. In the Nintendo 64 version of the game, he is called by his nickname, El Pibe.

He has also been in EA Sports' FIFA football video game series. He was even featured as one of the "Ultimate Team Legend" cards in FIFA 15.

Besides video games, Valderrama works in sports media. He is a commentator for Fútbol de Primera, a radio network. He helps describe different matches, especially during the FIFA World Cup.

Coaching Career

After retiring as a player, Valderrama became an assistant manager for Atlético Junior. On 1 November 2007, he was involved in an incident where he accused a referee of corruption. He waved cash in the referee's face after a penalty was given to the other team. Junior lost that game, which ended their chances of making the playoffs. He also later worked as a coach for a football academy called Clearwater Galactics in Clearwater, Florida.

Personal Life

Valderrama is married and has six children.

Career Statistics

Club

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club	Season	League			Cup		Continental		Other		Total
Club	Season	Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Unión Magdalena	1981	Categoría Primera A	15	1	1	0	–		–		16	1
	1982		43	2	–		–		–		43	2
	1983		36	2	–		–		–		36	2
	Total		94	5	1	0	–		–		95	5
Millonarios	1984	Categoría Primera A	33	0	–		–		–		33	0
Deportivo Cali	1985		48	13	–		–		–		48	13
	1986		46	5	–		6	0	–		52	5
	1987		37	4	–		6	1	–		43	5
	Total		131	22	–		12	1	–		143	23
Montpellier	1988–89	Division 1	24	1	2	0	1	0	–		27	1
	1989–90		18	1	5	1	–		–		23	2
	1990–91		35	2	2	0	4	0	–		41	2
	Total		77	4	9	1	5	0	–		91	5
Real Valladolid	1991–92	La Liga	17	1	4	0	–		–		21	1
Independiente Medellín	1992	Categoría Primera A	10	1	–		–		–		10	1
Atlético Junior	1993		35	4	–		–		–		35	4
	1994		18	1	–		7	0	–		25	1
	1995		29	0	–		–		–		29	0
	Total		82	5	–		7	0	–		89	5
Tampa Bay Mutiny	1996	MLS	23	4	1	1	–		4	0	28	5
	1997	MLS	20	3	1	0	–		2	0	23	3
	Total		43	7	2	1	–		6	0	51	8
Deportivo Cali (loan)	1996–97	Categoría Primera A	18	4	–		3	1	–		21	5
Miami Fusion	1998	MLS	18	2	1	0	–		2	0	21	2
	1999	MLS	4	1	–		–		–		4	1
	Total		22	3	1	0	–		2	0	25	3
Tampa Bay Mutiny	1999	MLS	27	3	2	0	–		2	0	31	3
	2000		32	1	2	0	–		2	0	36	1
	2001		12	1	1	0	–		–		13	1
	Total		71	5	5	0	–		4	0	80	5
Colorado Rapids	2001	MLS	12	0	–		–		–		12	0
	2002	MLS	27	1	2	0	–		5	1	34	2
	Total		39	1	2	0	–		5	1	46	2
Career total			637	58	24	2	27	2	17	1	705	63

International Goals

Scores and results list Colombia's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Valderrama goal.

List of international goals scored by Carlos Valderrama
No.	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	1 July 1987	Estadio Gigante de Arroyito, Rosario, Argentina	Bolivia	1–0	2–0	1987 Copa América
2	30 March 1988	Estadio Centenario, Armenia, Colombia	Canada	2–0	3–0	Friendly
3	24 June 1989	Miami Orange Bowl, Miami, United States	United States	1–0	1–0	Friendly
4	27 June 1989	Miami Orange Bowl, Miami, United States	Haiti	3–0	4–0	Friendly
5	9 June 1990	Stadio Renato Dall'Ara, Bologna, Italy	United Arab Emirates	2–0	2–0	1990 FIFA World Cup
6	22 July 1995	Estadio Domingo Burgueño, Maldonado, Uruguay	United States	2–0	4–1	1995 Copa América
7	7 July 1996	Estadio Metropolitano Roberto Meléndez, Barranquilla, Colombia	Uruguay	2–0	3–1	1998 FIFA World Cup qualification
8	20 August 1997		Bolivia	2–0	3–0	1998 FIFA World Cup qualification
9	16 November 1997	Estadio Alberto J. Armando, Buenos Aires, Argentina	Argentina	1–0	1–1	1998 FIFA World Cup qualification
10	23 May 1998	Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, United States	Scotland	1–0	2–2	Friendly
11	31 May 1998	Waldstadion, Frankfurt, Germany	Germany	1–3	1–3	Friendly