David Suazo facts for kids
Suazo in 2012
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Óscar David Suazo Velázquez | ||
| Date of birth | 5 November 1979 | ||
| Place of birth | San Pedro Sula, Honduras | ||
| Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Striker | ||
| Youth career | |||
| –1997 | Marathón | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1997–1999 | Olimpia | 10 | (5) |
| 1999–2007 | Cagliari | 255 | (94) |
| 2007–2011 | Internazionale | 27 | (8) |
| 2008–2009 | → Benfica (loan) | 12 | (4) |
| 2010–2011 | → Genoa (loan) | 16 | (3) |
| 2011–2012 | Catania | 6 | (0) |
| Total | 327 | (114) | |
| International career | |||
| 2000 | Honduras U23 | 5 | (6) |
| 1999–2012 | Honduras | 57 | (17) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2018 | Brescia | ||
| 2021–2022 | Carbonia | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Óscar David Suazo Velázquez (born November 5, 1979) is a retired professional football player from Honduras who is now a coach. He played as a striker, which means his main job was to score goals. Suazo was a star in Italy's football leagues for 12 seasons, where he played in over 300 games and scored more than 90 goals.
Contents
Club Career
Starting in Honduras
Suazo was born in San Pedro Sula, Honduras. He earned the cool nicknames La Pantera (The Panther) and El Rey David (King David). He started his football journey at a young age, playing for teams like Olimpia Reserves.
After playing well in the 1999 FIFA World Youth Championship, he joined the main team of Olimpia, a top club in Honduras. He was so talented that he made it to the first team before he was even 20 years old.
Moving to Cagliari in Italy
A coach from the Italian team Cagliari, named Óscar Tabárez, saw Suazo play and was very impressed. He brought Suazo to Europe to play for his team. This was a big move for Suazo and his career.
In his first season with Cagliari, the team was moved down to Serie B, Italy's second-highest league. But Suazo didn't give up. He worked hard and became a key player, helping Cagliari get promoted back to the top league, Serie A, in 2004.
Joining the Champions at Inter Milan
By 2007, Suazo was one of the best strikers in Italy. The famous club Internazionale (often called Inter) wanted to sign him. For a short time, it seemed like their rival team, AC Milan, might sign him instead. But Suazo had already promised Inter's coach he would join them.
On June 26, 2007, he officially joined Inter for a €14 million transfer fee. A transfer fee is the money one club pays another to buy a player. Suazo said, "It was an issue of respect... I had a promise with coach Roberto Mancini". In his first season with Inter, he scored eight goals.
Playing for Other Clubs on Loan
After his first season with Inter, Suazo was sent to play for other clubs on a "loan." This is when a player temporarily plays for a different team. He played for Benfica in Portugal and later for Genoa in Italy.
He scored a few goals for these teams but struggled with injuries. An injury kept him from playing at all during the 2010–11 season with Inter.
Final Seasons and Retirement
On August 12, 2011, Suazo signed with the Italian club Catania. He played six games for them. His contract ended in June 2012.
Sadly, ongoing knee injuries made it difficult for him to play. On March 27, 2013, at the age of 33, David Suazo announced he was retiring from professional football.
International Career
Suazo was a proud member of the Honduras national team. He started playing for his country in 1999. Over his career, he played 57 games for Honduras and scored 17 goals.
He helped his country in many important games, including World Cup qualifying matches. He also played in the 2000 Summer Olympics and the 2010 FIFA World Cup. His last game for Honduras was on June 12, 2012, against Canada.
Life After Playing Football
After retiring as a player, Suazo didn't leave football. He became a scout and then an assistant coach for his old team, Cagliari. A scout's job is to find new, talented players.
He later became the manager (head coach) for the Italian team Brescia in 2018. He has also coached other teams, continuing to share his knowledge of the game.
Playing Style
Suazo was known for being a very fast and physically strong striker. Many people consider him one of the greatest football players ever from Honduras. His incredible speed was his biggest weapon, making him one of the fastest players in Italy's Serie A during his time.
This speed made him very dangerous for other teams, especially on counter-attacks. He was also a great leader on the field and was the captain for Cagliari.
Personal Life
Football runs in Suazo's family. His brothers, Nicolás and Ruben, also played football. His cousins, Maynor Suazo and Hendry Thomas, were also international players for Honduras.
Suazo is married to an Italian woman named Elisa Secchi, and they have two sons. His son Luis Gabriel is following in his father's footsteps and joined the youth team of the famous club Juventus in 2022.
Career statistics
Club
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Continental | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Olimpia | 1997–98 | Liga Nacional | 0 | 0 | – | – | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1998–99 | 10 | 5 | – | – | 10 | 5 | ||||
| Total | 10 | 5 | – | – | 10 | 5 | ||||
| Cagliari | 1999–2000 | Serie A | 13 | 1 | 3 | 0 | – | 16 | 1 | |
| 2000–01 | Serie B | 33 | 12 | 3 | 2 | – | 36 | 14 | ||
| 2001–02 | 34 | 9 | – | – | 34 | 9 | ||||
| 2002–03 | 35 | 10 | 3 | 1 | – | 38 | 11 | |||
| 2003–04 | 45 | 19 | 1 | 0 | – | 46 | 19 | |||
| 2004–05 | Serie A | 22 | 7 | 3 | 1 | – | 25 | 8 | ||
| 2005–06 | 37 | 22 | 5 | 3 | – | 42 | 25 | |||
| 2006–07 | 36 | 14 | 3 | 1 | – | 39 | 15 | |||
| Total | 255 | 94 | 21 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 276 | 102 | ||
| Inter Milan | 2007–08 | Serie A | 26 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 35 | 10 |
| 2009–10 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | ||
| 2010–11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Total | 27 | 8 | 5 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 39 | 10 | ||
| Benfica (loan) | 2008–09 | Portuguese Liga | 12 | 4 | – | 4 | 1 | 16 | 5 | |
| Genoa (loan) | 2009–10 | Serie A | 16 | 3 | – | – | 16 | 3 | ||
| Catania | 2011–12 | Serie A | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| Career total | 314 | 114 | 24 | 8 | 10 | 1 | 348 | 123 | ||
International
- Scores and results list Honduras' goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Suazo goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 16 July 2000 | Estadio Cuscatlán, San Salvador, El Salvador |  El Salvador |
5–0 | 5–2 | 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 2 | 2 September 2000 | Estadio Olímpico Metropolitano, San Pedro Sula, Honduras | El Salvador |
4–0 | 5–0 | 2002 FIFA World Cup qualifiers |
| 3 | 12 June 2004 | Stadion Ergilio Hato, Willemstad, Netherlands Antilles |  Netherlands Antilles |
1–0 | 2–1 | 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 4 | 12 June 2004 | Stadion Ergilio Hato, Willemstad, Netherlands Antilles | Netherlands Antilles |
2–0 | 2–1 | 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 5 | 19 June 2004 | Estadio Olímpico Metropolitano, San Pedro Sula, Honduras | Netherlands Antilles |
2–0 | 4–0 | 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 6 | 18 August 2004 | Estadio Alejandro Morera Soto, Alajuela, Costa Rica |  Costa Rica |
1–1 | 5–2 | 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 7 | 8 September 2004 | Estadio Olímpico Metropolitano, San Pedro Sula, Honduras |  Guatemala |
2–2 | 2–2 | 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 8 | 7 October 2006 | Lockhart Stadium, Fort Lauderdale, United States | Guatemala |
3–2 | 3–2 | Friendly |
| 9 | 12 September 2007 | Estadio Olímpico Metropolitano, San Pedro Sula, Honduras |  Ecuador |
1–0 | 2–1 | Friendly |
| 10 | 26 March 2008 | Lockhart Stadium, Fort Lauderdale, United States |  Colombia |
1–0 | 2–1 | Friendly |
| 11 | 4 June 2008 | Estadio Olímpico Metropolitano, San Pedro Sula, Honduras |  Puerto Rico |
3–0 | 4–0 | 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 12 | 4 June 2008 | Estadio Olímpico Metropolitano, San Pedro Sula, Honduras | Puerto Rico |
4–0 | 4–0 | 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 13 | 7 June 2008 | Estadio Nilmo Edwards, La Ceiba, Honduras |  Haiti |
2–0 | 3–1 | Friendly |
| 14 | 14 June 2008 | Estadio Juan Ramon Loubriel, Bayamón, Puerto Rico | Puerto Rico |
1–0 | 2–2 | 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 15 | 5 September 2009 | Estadio Olímpico Metropolitano, San Pedro Sula, Honduras |  Trinidad and Tobago |
4–0 | 4–1 | 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 16 | 18 November 2009 | Land Shark Stadium, Miami Gardens, United States |  Peru |
1–1 | 1–2 | Friendly |
| 17 | 11 April 2012 | Estadio Nacional de Costa Rica, San José, Costa Rica | Costa Rica |
1–0 | 1–1 | Friendly |
Honours
Olimpia
- Honduran Liga Nacional: 1998–99
- Honduran Super Copa: 1996–97
- Honduran Cup: 1998
Cagliari
- Serie B runner-up: 2003–04
Internazionale
- Serie A: 2007–08, 2009–10
- Supercoppa Italiana: 2010
- Coppa Italia: 2009–10
- UEFA Champions League: 2009–10
- FIFA Club World Cup: 2010
Benfica
- Taça da Liga: 2008–09
Honduras
- CONCACAF Men's Olympic Qualifying Tournament: 2000
Individual
- Serie A Foreign Footballer of the Year: 2006
See also
In Spanish: David Suazo para niños
