Esteban Alvarado facts for kids
Alvarado with Costa Rica at the 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 28 April 1989 | ||
| Place of birth | Siquirres, Costa Rica | ||
| Height | 1.93 m | ||
| Playing position | Goalkeeper | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Saprissa | ||
| Number | 18 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Saprissa | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2008–2009 | Saprissa | 4 | (0) |
| 2010–2015 | AZ | 138 | (0) |
| 2015–2018 | Trabzonspor | 20 | (0) |
| 2019 | Alajuelense | 0 | (0) |
| 2019–2020 | Herediano | 51 | (0) |
| 2020–2021 | Limón | 20 | (0) |
| 2021–2023 | Herediano | 30 | (0) |
| 2023– | Saprissa | 9 | (0) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2007–2009 | Costa Rica U20 | 7 | (0) |
| 2010– | Costa Rica | 25 | (0) |
† Appearances (Goals). |
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Esteban Alvarado Brown, born on April 28, 1989, is a professional football player from Costa Rica. He plays as a goalkeeper for the club Saprissa in the Liga FPD. He also plays for the Costa Rica national team.
Contents
Club Career Highlights
Esteban Alvarado started his football journey in Siquirres, Costa Rica. He began at the Santos de Guápiles academy before joining Saprissa.
Playing for Saprissa
Alvarado made his first team debut for Saprissa on November 29, 2009. This was in a 3–1 victory against Municipal Liberia. He played four matches for the club and helped them win the league title. Soon after, he moved to AZ Alkmaar in the Netherlands.
Time at AZ Alkmaar
In December 2009, AZ Alkmaar signed Esteban Alvarado. He officially joined the Dutch club in July 2010, signing a five-year contract.
At first, Alvarado was a backup goalkeeper. He got his chance to play on February 12, 2011, against PSV Eindhoven. He made six appearances in his first season, including one clean sheet.
For the 2011–12 season, Alvarado became the main goalkeeper for AZ. He played a big role in the team's success. Fans even voted him the club's player of the month in November.
- A Memorable Match: On December 21, 2011, during a cup match against Ajax, a fan ran onto the field and tried to attack Alvarado. Alvarado reacted by kicking the attacker. He was sent off, and the game was stopped. Later, the red card was removed, and the match was replayed. AZ won the replayed match 3–2.
- Strong Performance: Alvarado played in 34 league matches that season. He kept 15 clean sheets, meaning he prevented the other team from scoring. He was even named to Goal.com's Eredivisie Team of the Season.
In the 2012–13 season, Alvarado continued as the number one goalkeeper. He played in 34 league matches. He helped AZ Alkmaar win the KNVB Cup final by beating PSV 2–1. This was his first major trophy with AZ.
He continued to be a key player in the 2013–14 season. He played in 34 league matches again. In his final season (2014–15) with AZ, he played 26 matches due to a knee injury. He was a fan favorite during his time at the club.
Moving to Trabzonspor
After leaving AZ, Alvarado joined Trabzonspor in Turkey in August 2015. He played for them until December 2018.
International Career
Esteban Alvarado has also played for his country, Costa Rica.
- Youth Success: At the 2009 FIFA U-20 World Cup, he was named the best goalkeeper of the tournament. He won the Golden Glove Award.
- Senior Team Debut: He made his debut for the senior Costa Rica national team in August 2010. This was in a friendly match against Paraguay.
Alvarado faced some challenges with the national team. In March 2012, he was not allowed to play for five months. This was because he left the team before a friendly match without telling the staff. He also had some disagreements with the national team manager, Jorge Luis Pinto, which affected his chances to play in the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
After a new manager, Paulo Wanchope, took over, Alvarado returned to the national team. He was part of the squad for the 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup. He became the main goalkeeper after Keylor Navas was injured.
Personal Life
Esteban Alvarado was born in Costa Rica, and his family has Jamaican roots.
When he was a child, Alvarado was good friends with fellow Costa Rican footballer Joel Campbell. They played football together growing up. Alvarado also shared that he used to play as a striker before he decided to become a goalkeeper at age fourteen.
Career Statistics
Club Appearances
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Saprissa | 2009–10 | Liga FPD | 4 | 0 | — | — | — | 4 | 0 | |||
| AZ | 2010–11 | Eredivisie | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 6 | 0 | |
| 2011–12 | 34 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 16 | 0 | — | 55 | 0 | |||
| 2012–13 | 34 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 42 | 0 | |||
| 2013–14 | 34 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 57 | 0 | ||
| 2014–15 | 26 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 29 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 134 | 0 | 19 | 0 | 31 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 189 | 0 | ||
| Trabzonspor | 2015–16 | Süper Lig | 14 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 16 | 0 | ||
| 2016–17 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 0 | — | — | 11 | 0 | ||||
| 2017–18 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 0 | — | — | 8 | 0 | ||||
| 2018–19 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 1 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 20 | 0 | 16 | 0 | — | — | 36 | 0 | ||||
| Herediano | 2019–20 | Liga FPD | 43 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | — | 45 | 0 | ||
| 2020–21 | 8 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 8 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 51 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | — | 53 | 0 | ||||
| Limón | 2020–21 | Liga FPD | 20 | 0 | — | — | — | 20 | 0 | |||
| Herediano | 2021–22 | Liga FPD | 14 | 0 | — | — | — | 14 | 0 | |||
| 2022–23 | 16 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 23 | 0 | ||
| Total | 30 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 37 | 0 | ||
| Saprissa | 2022–23 | Liga FPD | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | 3 | 0 | |||
| 2023–24 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 0 | — | 17 | 0 | |||
| Total | 10 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 0 | — | 20 | 0 | |||
| Career total | 269 | 0 | 39 | 0 | 45 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 359 | 0 | ||
Honours and Awards
Esteban Alvarado has won several titles and individual awards throughout his career:
Saprissa
- Liga FPD: Clausura 2010
AZ Alkmaar
- KNVB Cup: 2012–13
CS Herediano
- Liga FPD: Apertura 2019
Individual Awards
- 2009 FIFA U-20 World Cup: Golden Glove Award (Best Goalkeeper)
Images for kids
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Alvarado with Costa Rica at the 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup
See also
In Spanish: Esteban Alvarado para niños
