Fabián Orellana facts for kids
| Personal information | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Fabián Ariel Orellana Valenzuela | |||||||||
| Date of birth | 27 January 1986 | |||||||||
| Place of birth | Santiago, Chile | |||||||||
| Height | 1.68 m (5 ft 6 in) | |||||||||
| Position(s) | Winger | |||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||
| Colo-Colo | ||||||||||
| 2000–2005 | Audax Italiano | |||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||
| 2005–2009 | Audax Italiano | 117 | (27) | |||||||
| 2009–2011 | Udinese | 0 | (0) | |||||||
| 2009–2010 | → Xerez (loan) | 26 | (2) | |||||||
| 2010–2011 | → Granada (loan) | 39 | (8) | |||||||
| 2011–2013 | Granada | 17 | (0) | |||||||
| 2011–2012 | → Celta (loan) | 37 | (13) | |||||||
| 2013–2017 | Celta | 120 | (19) | |||||||
| 2017 | → Valencia (loan) | 16 | (1) | |||||||
| 2017–2018 | Valencia | 0 | (0) | |||||||
| 2018 | → Eibar (loan) | 17 | (3) | |||||||
| 2018–2020 | Eibar | 62 | (11) | |||||||
| 2020–2021 | Valladolid | 30 | (6) | |||||||
| 2021–2022 | Universidad Católica | 20 | (0) | |||||||
| Total | 501 | (90) | ||||||||
| International career | ||||||||||
| 2008–2021 | Chile | 44 | (2) | |||||||
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Medal record
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| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | ||||||||||
Fabián Ariel Orellana Valenzuela (born on January 27, 1986) is a Chilean former professional footballer. He played as a winger, which is a player who mostly plays on the sides of the field.
Fabián Orellana spent most of his career playing in Spain. He played for several teams there, including Xerez, Granada, Celta, Valencia, Eibar, and Valladolid. Over ten seasons, he played 288 games in La Liga, which is Spain's top football league, and scored 42 goals.
He also played for the Chilean national team starting in 2008. Orellana played in two World Cups and helped his team win the Copa América Centenario tournament in 2016.
Contents
Club Career Highlights
Fabián Orellana was born in Santiago, Chile. He started his football journey at Colo-Colo before moving to Audax Italiano. He made his first professional appearance in the Primera División when he was just 18 years old. In the 2007 season, he scored 12 goals in 38 games. His team finished third in the Apertura tournament and reached the semi-finals in the play-offs.
Moving to Spain
On May 23, 2009, Orellana signed with Udinese Calcio in Italy. Soon after, he was loaned to Xerez CD in Spain's second division, called the Segunda División. The next year, he continued playing in Spain's second division, joining Granada CF on another loan. He played a big part in helping Granada return to La Liga after 35 years. He scored seven goals during that season.
In 2011, Orellana officially became a player for Granada. In September of that year, he was loaned to another Spanish second-division team, RC Celta de Vigo.
Playing for Celta
Orellana joined Celta permanently in early 2013. He played many games for them. In one notable game on April 5, 2015, he was sent off (meaning he had to leave the field) during a match against FC Barcelona. This happened because he threw a piece of turf at an opposing player.
Later Spanish Clubs
On January 31, 2017, Orellana moved to Valencia CF on a four-month loan. This move could have become permanent. However, he later moved to SD Eibar on loan on December 1, 2017. In April 2018, Eibar made his move permanent. He scored eight goals in the 2019–20 season and also made the most assists for his team, helping them stay in the top league.
On July 20, 2020, Orellana joined Real Valladolid on a two-year contract. However, after his team was relegated (moved down to a lower league) in the 2020–21 season, he ended his contract with the club on August 30, 2021.
After leaving Club Deportivo Universidad Católica in his home country, Chile, Orellana returned to Spain in 2023. He joined a team called xBuyer Team in the Kings League, which is a new football league format.
International Career
Fabián Orellana first played for the Chilean national team in 2008. On October 15 of that year, he scored his first goal for his country. This important goal came in a World Cup qualifying game against Argentina in Santiago, which Chile won 1–0.
On October 10, 2009, Orellana scored another goal in a World Cup qualifier against Colombia. This goal helped Chile qualify for the World Cup after 12 years. In the World Cup tournament held in South Africa, he came on as a substitute in a group stage game against Spain.
Orellana also played for the Chilean under-20 team in the 2008 Toulon Tournament. His team finished in second place in that competition.
International Goals Scored
Here are the goals Fabián Orellana scored for the Chilean national team:
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 15 October 2008 | Estadio Nacional, Santiago, Chile |  Argentina |
1–0 | 1–0 | 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 2 | 10 October 2009 | Atanasio Girardot, Medellín, Colombia |  Colombia |
2–4 | 2–4 |
Life After Playing Football
In December 2024, Fabián Orellana completed his studies to become a football manager. He graduated from the INAF [es] in Chile. This means he can now coach football teams.
Personal Life and Nicknames
Fabián Orellana has a nickname, El Poeta, which means "The Poet." He got this nickname because he looked like a funny character from Chilean comedy who had the same name. After he scored his important goal against Argentina, people also started calling him El Histórico, meaning "The Historic One."
Honours and Achievements
Fabián Orellana won several important titles during his career:
With Universidad Católica
- Chilean Primera División: 2021 (This is the top football league in Chile)
With Chile National Team
- Copa América: 2016 (This is a major football tournament for national teams in South America)
See also
In Spanish: Fabián Orellana para niños
