Diego Chará facts for kids
Chará with the Portland Timbers in 2015
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Diego Ferney Chará Zamora | ||
| Date of birth | 5 April 1986 | ||
| Place of birth | Cali, Valle del Cauca, Colombia | ||
| Height | 1.72 m (5 ft 8 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Defensive midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
|
Current team
|
Portland Timbers | ||
| Number | 21 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Deportes Quindío | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2004–2008 | Deportes Quindío | 124 | (2) |
| 2009 | América de Cali | 31 | (1) |
| 2010–2011 | Deportes Tolima | 51 | (5) |
| 2011– | Portland Timbers | 418 | (12) |
| International career | |||
| 2010–2011 | Colombia | 2 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 25 July 2025 | |||
Diego Ferney Chará Zamora (born 5 April 1986) is a professional football player from Colombia. He plays as a defensive midfielder and is the captain for the Major League Soccer team Portland Timbers.
Contents
Playing for Clubs
Diego Chará started his football journey in the youth teams of Deportes Quindío. In 2004, he joined their main team and became a very important player. He played 124 league games and scored two goals for Quindío.
Early Career in Colombia
Because of his great playing, top clubs in Colombia noticed him. In 2009, he joined América de Cali, where he played 31 league games and scored one goal. The next year, he moved to Deportes Tolima.
Chará was a key player for Tolima. He helped his team reach the quarter-finals of the 2010 Copa Sudamericana. The next season, he also helped Tolima get into the 2011 Copa Libertadores, which is a big South American football tournament. During the 2011 Copa Libertadores, Chará played in seven games. He even helped his team win 2–0 against the strong Brazilian team Corinthians.
Joining Portland Timbers
After his impressive games in the Copa Libertadores, the Major League Soccer team Portland Timbers became interested in Chará. In April 2011, Chará signed with Portland. He became the club's first ever Designated Player. This means he was a special player whose salary didn't fully count against the team's salary cap.
Chará played his first game for Portland on April 23 against LA Galaxy. On August 20, he scored his first goal in MLS very quickly, just 78 seconds into the game against Cascadia Cup rivals Vancouver Whitecaps FC. This goal set a new record for the fastest MLS goal for the Portland Timbers club.
On March 19, 2023, Chará made history again. He became only the second player in Major League Soccer to play more than 30,000 minutes for a single club. This shows how long and consistently he has played for the Portland Timbers.
Playing for His Country
Diego Chará also played for the Colombian national team. He played his first game for Colombia on November 18, 2010, in a friendly match against Peru. He played two games for his country in total.
About His Life
Diego Chará comes from a family of footballers. His older brother, Felipe Chará, and his younger brother, Yimmi Chará, are also professional players. Yimmi even played alongside Diego for the Portland Timbers between 2020 and 2023.
In August 2019, Chará became a United States citizen. Before that, he had a U.S. green card. This meant he was considered a domestic player for MLS teams, which is important for team rules.
Achievements and Awards
Diego Chará has won several important titles and awards during his career.
Team Trophies
- MLS Cup: 2015 (This is the championship trophy for Major League Soccer)
- MLS is Back Tournament: 2020 (A special tournament held during the 2020 season)
- Western Conference (playoffs): 2015, 2018, 2021 (Winning the playoff section for teams in the Western part of the league)
- Western Conference (regular season): 2013, 2017 (Finishing first in the Western Conference during the regular season)
Individual Awards
- MLS All-Star: 2019 (Chosen as one of the best players in the league to play in the All-Star game)
- MLS Best XI: 2020 (Named as one of the top 11 players in the league for that year)
Images for kids
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Chará with the Portland Timbers in 2015
See also
In Spanish: Diego Chará para niños
