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Eduardo Vargas

Vargas playing for Chile in 2013

Personal information

Full name

Eduardo Jesús Vargas Rojas

Date of birth

20 November 1989 (age 35)

Place of birth

Santiago, Chile

Height

1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)

Position(s)

Forward, winger

Team information

Current team

Nacional

Number

Youth career

1999–2002

Internacional de Renca

2003–2004

Deportes Puerto Montt

2005–2006

Cobreloa

Senior career*

Years

Team

Apps

(Gls)

2006

Cobreloa B

(2)

2006–2009

Cobreloa

(10)

2010–2011

Universidad de Chile

(18)

2012–2015

Napoli

(0)

2013

→ Grêmio (loan)

(6)

2014

→ Valencia (loan)

(3)

2014–2015

→ Queens Park Rangers (loan)

(3)

2015–2017

TSG Hoffenheim

(2)

2017–2020

Tigres UANL

120

(29)

2020–2024

Atlético Mineiro

117

(26)

2025–

Nacional

(2)

International career^‡

2009

Chile U23

(4)

2009–

Chile

120

(45)

Medal record

Men's football

Representing Chile
Copa América
Winner	2015
Winner	2016
FIFA Confederations Cup
Runner-up	2017
China Cup
Winner	2017

*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 31 May 2025
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 25 March 2025

Eduardo Jesús Vargas Rojas (born 20 November 1989) is a professional footballer from Chile. He plays as a forward for the Uruguayan club Nacional. He also plays for the Chile national team.

Vargas first became known as a great player at Cobreloa. He then moved to Universidad de Chile. There, he helped his team win three titles, including the 2011 Copa Sudamericana. He was even named the best player of that tournament. In 2011, he was also chosen as the Chilean Footballer of the Year. He came in second for the South American Footballer of the Year award.

After joining Napoli in Italy, Vargas played on loan for several other clubs. These included Grêmio, Valencia, and Queens Park Rangers. In 2015, he moved to TSG Hoffenheim.

Vargas has played for the Chilean national team since 2010. He has played in 120 matches and scored over 40 goals. He was part of the team for the 2014 FIFA World Cup and the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup. He also played in the Copa América tournaments in 2015, 2016, 2019, 2021, and 2024. He was the top scorer in the 2015 and 2016 Copa América tournaments, which Chile won.

Club Career Highlights
International Career Highlights
Career Statistics
- Club Appearances and Goals
- International Appearances and Goals
Honours and Awards
See also

Club Career Highlights

Starting Out in Chile

Eduardo Vargas was born in Santiago, Chile. He grew up in a place called Renca. He started playing football in youth teams, including Internacional de Renca. He also tried out for other clubs like Universidad Católica. In 2005, he joined a special reality show for young players. Even though he didn't win, he impressed people enough to get a trial with Puerto Rico Islanders.

In 2006, Vargas joined Cobreloa after a good trial. He first played for their B-team, scoring two goals. He made his first team debut for Cobreloa on 23 July 2006. He was only 16 years old. He scored his first professional goal in 2008 against Palestino. By 2009, he was a regular player for the team.

Success with Universidad de Chile

On 7 January 2010, Vargas moved to Universidad de Chile. He made his first appearance for them on 25 January, scoring a goal in a big 5–1 win.

Vargas really shined during the 2011 season. He scored 29 goals in 51 matches. He helped his team win two league titles that year. They also won the 2011 Copa Sudamericana. Vargas was the top scorer in that tournament. He scored in both final games against LDU Quito, helping his team win the title.

Because of his amazing performance, Vargas was a candidate for South American Footballer of the Year in 2011. He finished second. He was also named the Chilean Footballer of the Year.

Moving to Europe: Napoli and Loans

In December 2011, the Italian club Napoli bought Vargas. He arrived in Italy in January 2012. He played his first game for Napoli on 12 January in a cup match. On 20 May, he was part of the team that won the Coppa Italia Final against Juventus.

On 20 September 2012, Vargas scored his first goals for Napoli. He scored three goals in a hat-trick during a UEFA Europa League match. This was the first time a Chilean player scored three goals in a European club competition.

Loan to Grêmio

In January 2013, Vargas went on loan to the Brazilian team Grêmio. He played his first game a few days later in the 2013 Copa Libertadores. He scored his first goal for Grêmio in February during another Copa Libertadores match.

Loan to Valencia

On 23 January 2014, Vargas joined the Spanish club Valencia on loan. He played his first game for Valencia in a win against Barcelona. He scored his first goal in the Spanish league against Real Betis. Vargas helped Valencia reach the semi-finals of the 2013–14 UEFA Europa League.

Loan to Queens Park Rangers

On 21 August 2014, Vargas moved to the English club Queens Park Rangers (QPR) on loan. He made his debut in September against Manchester United. In October, he scored two goals in a match against Liverpool. In March 2015, he scored his first goal in five months for QPR. He also scored in a win against West Bromwich Albion in April. However, he got a knee injury in that game, which ended his season. QPR was relegated from the Premier League that year.

Hoffenheim and Tigres UANL

On 24 August 2015, Vargas joined the German club 1899 Hoffenheim. He signed a four-year contract with them.

In January 2017, Vargas moved to the Mexican club Tigres UANL. He scored in the 2017 Campeón de Campeones match in July 2017, helping Tigres win. He also scored in the final against Tigres' rival, CF Monterrey, helping his team win the league title.

Atlético Mineiro and Nacional

On 9 November 2020, Vargas joined the Brazilian club Atlético Mineiro. He signed a two-year contract. He helped Atlético Mineiro win several titles, including the Brazilian league and the Brazilian Cup.

In January 2025, Vargas moved to Uruguay and joined Nacional.

International Career Highlights

Vargas shaking hands with the Australian team before their group match at the 2014 FIFA World Cup

In 2009, Vargas played for the Chile under-23 national team in the 2009 Toulon Tournament. His team won the tournament, and he was one of their top scorers. On 5 November 2009, he played his first game for the senior national team in a win against Paraguay.

In 2011, Vargas scored his first goal for Chile in a friendly match against Spain. In October, he scored his first goal in a World Cup qualifying game against Peru.

In September 2013, Vargas set a new record for the Chilean national team. He scored in six games in a row, breaking a record held by other famous players. He scored nine goals for Chile in 2013.

2014 FIFA World Cup

On 1 June 2014, Vargas was chosen for Chile's team for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil. In Chile's second group match, against Spain, Vargas scored the first goal. This win helped Chile move on to the next stage of the tournament.

2015 Copa América Success

On 11 June 2015, Vargas scored for Chile in the opening match of the 2015 Copa América. Chile won that game against Ecuador. He scored again in the next game against Mexico. In the semi-final against Peru, Vargas scored both goals in a 2–1 win. This sent Chile to the final. Chile won the final against Argentina in a penalty shootout, winning their first big international trophy. Vargas scored four goals, making him the joint top scorer of the tournament. He was also named in the Team of the Tournament.

Copa América Centenario Victory

On 14 June 2016, during the Copa América Centenario, Vargas scored two goals in a 4–2 win against Panama. This helped Chile reach the quarter-finals. Four days later, he scored four more goals in a huge 7–0 win against Mexico. Chile won the tournament again, beating Argentina in a penalty shootout. Vargas was once again the top scorer with six goals.

Later Copa América Tournaments

Vargas was part of Chile's team for the 2019 Copa América in Brazil. He scored two goals against Japan in Chile's first match, which they won 4–0.

In the 2021 Copa América, Vargas scored two goals. One was against Argentina and another against Uruguay. Both games ended in a 1–1 draw. On 2 July 2021, Vargas played his 100th match for Chile in a quarter-final game against Brazil.

Career Statistics

Club Appearances and Goals

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club	Season	League			State league		National cup		Continental		Other		Total
Club	Season	Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Cobreloa B	2006	Chilean Tercera División	12	2	—		—		—		—		12	2
Cobreloa	2006	Chilean Primera División	4	0	—		—		—		—		4	0
	2007		5	0	—		—		—		—		5	0
	2008		21	4	—		2	0	—		—		23	4
	2009		24	6	—		1	1	—		—		25	7
	Total		54	10	—		3	1	—		—		57	11
Universidad de Chile	2010	Chilean Primera División	18	1	—		—		10	2	—		28	3
	2011	Chilean Primera División	37	17	—		2	1	12	11	—		51	29
	Total		55	18	—		2	1	22	13	—		79	32
Napoli	2011–12	Serie A	10	0	—		2	0	1	0	—		13	0
	2012–13	Serie A	9	0	—		0	0	6	3	0	0	15	3
	Total		19	0	—		2	0	7	3	0	0	28	3
Grêmio (loan)	2013	Série A	18	6	6	1	3	0	10	2	—		37	9
Valencia (loan)	2013–14	La Liga	17	3	—		—		8	2	—		25	5
Queens Park Rangers (loan)	2014–15	Premier League	21	3	—		1	0	—		—		22	3
TSG Hoffenheim	2015–16	Bundesliga	24	2	—		0	0	—		—		24	2
	2016–17	Bundesliga	5	0	—		1	0	—		—		6	0
	Total		29	2	—		1	0	—		—		30	2
Tigres UANL	2016–17	Liga MX	12	1	0	0	6	2	—		—		18	4
	2017–18		41	10	—		1	0	4	2	1	1	47	13
	2018–19		34	11	—		5	4	8	2	2	0	49	17
	2019–20		19	4	—		0	0	2	1	4	1	25	6
	2020–21		14	3	—		0	0	0	0	0	0	14	3
	Total		120	29	—		6	4	20	7	7	2	153	42
Atlético Mineiro	2020	Série A	16	2	—		—		—		—		16	2
	2021		16	4	9	3	7	3	11	3	—		43	13
	2022		24	5	4	1	3	0	7	0	1	0	39	6
	2023		12	1	9	2	3	0	7	0	—		31	3
	2024		23	8	4	0	5	0	6	1	—		38	9
	Total		91	20	26	6	18	3	31	4	1	0	167	33
Nacional	2025	Uruguayan Primera División	12	2	—		—		4	0	—		16	2
Career total			448	96	32	7	36	9	102	30	8	2	626	144

International Appearances and Goals

Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team	Year	Apps	Goals
Chile	2009	1	0
	2010	2	0
	2011	6	2
	2012	6	0
	2013	12	9
	2014	12	7
	2015	13	7
	2016	14	7
	2017	15	3
	2018	1	0
	2019	9	3
	2020	2	0
	2021	11	2
	2022	2	0
	2023	0	0
	2024	12	5
	2025	2	0
Total		120	45

Score and result columns lists Chile's goal tally first.

List of international goals scored by Eduardo Vargas
No.	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1.	2 September 2011	AFG Arena, St. Gallen, Switzerland	Spain	2–0	2–3	Friendly
2.	12 October 2011	Estadio Monumental, Santiago, Chile	Peru	2–0	4–2	2014 FIFA World Cup qualification
3.	6 February 2013	Vicente Calderón, Madrid, Spain	Egypt	1–0	2–1	Friendly
4.	26 March 2013	Estadio Nacional, Santiago, Chile	Uruguay	2–0	2–0	2014 FIFA World Cup qualification
5.	24 April 2013	Mineirão, Belo Horizonte, Brazil	Brazil	2–2	2–2	Friendly
6.	7 June 2013	Estadio Defensores del Chaco, Asunción, Paraguay	Paraguay	1–0	2–1	2014 FIFA World Cup qualification
7.	11 June 2013	Estadio Nacional, Santiago, Chile	Bolivia	1–0	3–1
8.	6 September 2013	Estadio Nacional, Santiago, Chile	Venezuela	1–0	3–0
9.	10 September 2013	Stade de Genève, Geneva, Switzerland	Spain	1–0	2–2	Friendly
10.	10 September 2013	Stade de Genève, Geneva, Switzerland	Spain	2–1	2–2
11.	19 November 2013	Rogers Centre, Toronto, Canada	Brazil	1–1	1–2
12.	30 May 2014	Estadio Nacional, Santiago, Chile	Egypt	2–2	3–2
13.	30 May 2014	Estadio Nacional, Santiago, Chile	Egypt	3–2	3–2
14.	4 June 2014	Estadio Elías Figueroa, Valparaíso, Chile	Northern Ireland	1–0	2–0
15.	18 June 2014	Maracanã Stadium, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil	Spain	1–0	2–0	2014 FIFA World Cup
16.	10 October 2014	Estadio Elías Figueroa, Valparaíso, Chile	Peru	1–0	3–0	Friendly
17.	10 October 2014	Estadio Elías Figueroa, Valparaíso, Chile	Peru	3–0	3–0
18.	15 November 2014	Estadio CAP, Talcahuano, Chile	Venezuela	3–0	5–0
19.	11 June 2015	Estadio Nacional, Santiago, Chile	Ecuador	2–0	2–0	2015 Copa América
20.	15 June 2015		Mexico	2–2	3–3	2015 Copa América
21.	29 June 2015		Peru	1–0	2–1	2015 Copa América
22.	29 June 2015		Peru	2–1	2–1	2015 Copa América
23.	8 October 2015		Brazil	1–0	2–0	2018 FIFA World Cup qualification
24.	13 October 2015	Estadio Nacional, Lima, Peru	Peru	2–2	4–3
25.	13 October 2015	Estadio Nacional, Lima, Peru	Peru	4–2	4–3
26.	14 June 2016	Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, United States	Panama	1–1	4–2	Copa América Centenario
27.	14 June 2016	Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, United States	Panama	2–1	4–2	Copa América Centenario
28.	18 June 2016	Levi's Stadium, Santa Clara, United States	Mexico	2–0	7–0	Copa América Centenario
29.				4–0
30.				5–0
31.				6–0
32.	15 November 2016	Estadio Nacional, Santiago, Chile	Uruguay	1–1	3–1	2018 FIFA World Cup qualification
33.	13 June 2017	Cluj Arena, Cluj-Napoca, Romania	Romania	1–0	2–3	Friendly
34.	18 June 2017	Otkrytiye Arena, Moscow, Russia	Cameroon	2–0	2–0	2017 FIFA Confederations Cup
35.	5 October 2017	Estadio Nacional, Santiago, Chile	Ecuador	1–0	2–1	2018 FIFA World Cup qualification
36.	6 June 2019	Estadio La Portada, La Serena, Chile	Haiti	1–1	2–1	Friendly
37.	17 June 2019	Estádio do Morumbi, São Paulo, Brazil	Japan	2–0	4–0	2019 Copa América
38.	17 June 2019	Estádio do Morumbi, São Paulo, Brazil	Japan	4–0	4–0	2019 Copa América
39.	14 June 2021	Estádio Olímpico Nilton Santos, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil	Argentina	1–1	1–1	2021 Copa América
40.	21 June 2021	Arena Pantanal, Cuiabá, Brazil	Uruguay	1–0	1–1	2021 Copa América
41.	22 March 2024	Stadio Ennio Tardini, Parma, Italy	Albania	1–0	3–0	Friendly
42.	11 June 2024	Estadio Nacional, Santiago, Chile	Paraguay	3–0	3–0	Friendly
43.	10 September 2024		Bolivia	1–1	1–2	2026 FIFA World Cup qualification
44.	10 October 2024		Brazil	1–0	1–2
45.	19 November 2024		Venezuela	1–1	4–2