Diego Tristán facts for kids
Tristán in 2016
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Diego Tristán Herrera | ||
| Date of birth | 5 January 1976 | ||
| Place of birth | La Algaba, Spain | ||
| Height | 1.86 m | ||
| Playing position | Striker | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Betis | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1995–1998 | Betis B | 94 | (33) |
| 1998–1999 | Mallorca B | 39 | (15) |
| 1999–2000 | Mallorca | 35 | (18) |
| 2000–2006 | Deportivo La Coruña | 179 | (77) |
| 2006–2007 | Mallorca | 13 | (0) |
| 2007–2008 | Livorno | 21 | (1) |
| 2008–2009 | West Ham United | 14 | (3) |
| 2009–2010 | Cádiz | 29 | (8) |
| Total | 424 | (155) | |
| National team | |||
| 2001–2003 | Spain | 15 | (4) |
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Diego Tristán Herrera (born January 5, 1976) is a Spanish former professional footballer. He played as a striker, which means his main job was to score goals.
During his best years, many thought he was one of the top strikers in Europe. He had many skills, including great dribbling, accurate shots, good heading ability, and smart movements without the ball. He is most famous for his time at Deportivo de La Coruña, where he played for six years.
Over eight seasons in La Liga (Spain's top football league), Tristán played 227 matches and scored 95 goals. He was the top scorer in the 2001–02 season. He also played for the Spain national football team in the 2002 FIFA World Cup.
Contents
Club Career
Starting Out
Diego Tristán was born in La Algaba, a town in Spain. He started his football journey in the youth teams of Real Betis, a local club. Later, he finished his training with the reserve team of RCD Mallorca.
After playing one season in the Segunda División (Spain's second division), he made his debut in La Liga in the 1999–2000 season. He scored his first goal on September 12, 1999, against CD Numancia. In his first season in the top league, he scored an impressive 18 goals.
Time at Deportivo
In the summer of 2000, Tristán joined Deportivo de La Coruña. He almost moved to the famous club Real Madrid, but the deal didn't happen. At Deportivo, he often played alongside Dutch striker Roy Makaay.
In the 2000–01 season, Makaay was often the first-choice striker. Tristán became a regular starter the next season, in 2001–02. He had an amazing year, scoring 21 league goals and winning the Pichichi Trophy (given to La Liga's top scorer). This included scoring three goals in one game against his old club, Mallorca, in a 5–0 win.
He also scored six goals in the 2001–02 UEFA Champions League and five in the Copa del Rey. His team, Deportivo, won the Copa del Rey that year by beating Real Madrid in their own stadium. In total, he scored 32 goals that season.
In 2002, Tristán got an ankle injury while playing for his country. This meant Makaay became the main striker again and even won the European Golden Boot award. Tristán found it hard to get back to his best form, but he still scored 19 goals overall for Deportivo during the 2002–03 season.
Even after Makaay left Deportivo, Tristán struggled to regain his top form and confidence. In the 2003–04 season, he played fewer full matches. He scored 13 goals that season across all competitions.
Other Clubs
Diego Tristán scored a total of 111 goals for Deportivo before leaving in July 2006. After that, he returned to RCD Mallorca for a season. He didn't play much there and left in June 2007.
In July 2007, Tristán signed a one-year contract with Serie A club US Livorno 1915 in Italy. He only scored one goal during his time there.
On September 29, 2008, Tristán joined West Ham United F.C. in the Premier League in England. He made his debut on December 8, 2008. He scored his first goal for West Ham in a 2–1 home win against Stoke City F.C. later that month.
Return to Spain
On July 24, 2009, Tristán joined Cádiz CF, a second division club in Spain. This meant he returned to his home region of Andalusia after 14 years. He started scoring more goals again in his only season with Cádiz. However, his team was relegated (moved down a league) after finishing 19th. Even though he scored two goals in the last league match, it wasn't enough to save the team.
International Career
On June 2, 2001, Diego Tristán played his first game for the Spain national football team. He scored a goal in a 4–1 home win against Bosnia and Herzegovina national football team during a 2002 FIFA World Cup qualifying match.
In the 2002 World Cup, held in South Korea and Japan, he played a few times but didn't score any goals. He had an injury during the tournament.
Tristán scored his last goal for Spain in his 15th and final game. This was a 3–0 friendly win against Portugal on September 6, 2003.
Career Statistics
Club
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Continental | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Betis B | 1995–96 | Segunda División B | 38 | 11 | – | – | 38 | 11 | ||
| 1996–97 | Segunda División B | 32 | 11 | – | – | 32 | 11 | |||
| 1997–98 | Segunda División B | 24 | 11 | – | – | 24 | 11 | |||
| Total | 94 | 33 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 94 | 33 | ||
| Mallorca B | 1998–99 | Segunda División | 39 | 15 | – | – | 39 | 15 | ||
| Mallorca | 1999–2000 | La Liga | 35 | 18 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 5 | 46 | 23 |
| Deportivo | 2000–01 | La Liga | 29 | 19 | 3 | 2 | 11 | 2 | 43 | 23 |
| 2001–02 | La Liga | 34 | 21 | 6 | 5 | 12 | 6 | 52 | 32 | |
| 2002–03 | La Liga | 23 | 9 | 8 | 6 | 10 | 4 | 41 | 19 | |
| 2003–04 | La Liga | 34 | 8 | 3 | 2 | 11 | 4 | 48 | 14 | |
| 2004–05 | La Liga | 23 | 9 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 26 | 11 | |
| 2005–06 | La Liga | 36 | 11 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 44 | 12 | |
| Total | 179 | 77 | 25 | 17 | 50 | 17 | 254 | 111 | ||
| Mallorca | 2006–07 | La Liga | 13 | 0 | 3 | 0 | – | 16 | 0 | |
| Livorno | 2007–08 | Serie A | 21 | 1 | 1 | 0 | – | 22 | 1 | |
| West Ham United | 2008–09 | Premier League | 14 | 3 | 3 | 0 | – | 17 | 3 | |
| Cádiz | 2009–10 | Segunda División | 29 | 8 | 1 | 0 | – | 30 | 8 | |
| Career total | 424 | 155 | 33 | 17 | 61 | 22 | 518 | 194 | ||
International
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spain | 2001 | 5 | 2 |
| 2002 | 6 | 0 | |
| 2003 | 4 | 2 | |
| Total | 15 | 4 | |
- Scores and results list Spain's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Tristán goal.
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 2 June 2001 | Carlos Tartiere, Oviedo, Spain |  Bosnia and Herzegovina |
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2002 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 2. | 1 September 2001 | Mestalla, Valencia, Spain |  Austria |
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2002 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 3. | 2 April 2003 | Antonio Amilivia, León, Spain |  Armenia |
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UEFA Euro 2004 qualifying |
| 4. | 6 September 2003 | D. Afonso Henriques, Guimarães, Portugal |  Portugal |
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Friendly |
Honours
Deportivo
- Copa del Rey: 2001–02
- Supercopa de España: 2000
Individual
- Pichichi Trophy: 2001–02
See also
In Spanish: Diego Tristán para niños
