Esteban Alvarado facts for kids
Alvarado with Costa Rica at the 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Esteban Alvarado Brown | ||
| Date of birth | 28 April 1989 | ||
| Place of birth | Siquirres, Costa Rica | ||
| Height | 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Goalkeeper | ||
| Team information | |||
|
Current team
|
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 | 55 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2007–2009 | Costa Rica U20 | 7 | (0) |
| 2010– | Costa Rica | 26 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 21 May 2025 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 22 January 2025 |
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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 Liga FPD club Saprissa. He also plays for the Costa Rica national team.
Contents
Club Career Highlights
Esteban Alvarado started his football journey in Costa Rica. He has played for several clubs, showing his skills as a top goalkeeper.
Starting at Saprissa
Esteban Alvarado began his youth career at Santos de Guápiles. Later, he moved to Saprissa, a well-known club in Costa Rica. He made his first team debut for Saprissa on November 29, 2009. In that game, Saprissa won 3-1 against Municipal Liberia. He played four games for the club and helped them win the league title.
Time with AZ Alkmaar
In December 2009, AZ Alkmaar, a club from the Netherlands, signed Esteban. He officially joined them in July 2010, signing a five-year contract. At first, Esteban was a backup goalkeeper. He got his chance to play on February 12, 2011, against PSV Eindhoven.
He soon became the main goalkeeper for AZ. In the 2011–12 season, he played many games and helped his team. He was even voted the club's player of the month in November.
Famous Match Incident
On December 21, 2011, during a cup match against Ajax, a fan ran onto the field and tried to attack Esteban. Esteban defended himself, and the referee sent him off. Because of this, the AZ manager took his players off the field, and the game was stopped.
Later, the football association decided that Esteban's red card was unfair. They also ordered the match to be replayed without any fans in the stadium. When the game was replayed on January 19, 2012, Esteban played, and AZ won 3-2. He played in 34 league games that season and kept 15 clean sheets.
Winning the KNVB Cup
In the 2012–13 season, Esteban continued to be AZ's main goalkeeper. He played in the KNVB Cup final, where AZ beat PSV 2-1. This was a big achievement for Esteban and his team. He played 34 league games that season.
Esteban stayed with AZ until the end of the 2014–15 season. He was a favorite among the fans during his time there.
Moving to Trabzonspor
After leaving AZ, Esteban joined Trabzonspor, a club in Turkey, in August 2015. He played for them until December 2018.
International Career
Esteban Alvarado has also played for the Costa Rica national team.
Youth and Senior Teams
He was recognized as the best goalkeeper at the 2009 FIFA U-20 World Cup. He made his debut for the senior national team in August 2010 in a friendly match against Paraguay.
In March 2012, he was not allowed to play for the national team for five months. This happened after he left the team before a friendly match without telling the staff. In 2014, there were some disagreements, and he was not chosen for the 2014 FIFA World Cup squad.
Return to the National Team
After a change in the national team's coaching staff, Esteban returned to play for Costa Rica. He was part of the squad for the 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup. He became the main goalkeeper in that tournament after Keylor Navas was injured.
Personal Life
Esteban Alvarado was born in Costa Rica and has family roots from Jamaica. He grew up playing football and was good friends with fellow player Joel Campbell. Interestingly, Esteban used to play as a striker when he was younger. He only switched to being a goalkeeper when he was fourteen years old.
Honors and Awards
Esteban Alvarado has won several titles and awards throughout his career.
Saprissa
- Liga FPD: Clausura 2010
AZ Alkmaar
- KNVB Cup: 2012–13
CS Herediano
- Liga FPD: Apertura 2019
Individual
- 2009 FIFA U-20 World Cup: Golden Glove Award (This award is given to the best goalkeeper in the tournament.)
See also
In Spanish: Esteban Alvarado para niños
