Fredy Guarín facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Fredy Guarín

Guarín in 2014
Personal information
Full name	Fredy Alejandro Guarín Vásquez
Date of birth	(1986-06-30) 30 June 1986 (age 37)
Place of birth	Puerto Boyacá, Colombia
Height	1.83 m
Playing position	Midfielder
Youth career
	Cooperamos Tolima
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
2002	Atlético Huila	5	(0)
2003–2007	Envigado	38	(4)
2005–2006	→ Boca Juniors (loan)	2	(0)
2006–2007	→ Saint-Étienne (loan)	18	(1)
2007–2008	Saint-Étienne	18	(0)
2008–2012	Porto	63	(11)
2012	→ Inter Milan (loan)	6	(0)
2012–2016	Inter Milan	108	(15)
2016–2019	Shanghai Shenhua	83	(21)
2019–2020	Vasco da Gama	13	(3)
2021	Millonarios	7	(1)
Total		396	(67)
National team
2003	Colombia U17	6	(2)
2003–2005	Colombia U20	7	(2)
2006–2015	Colombia	57	(4)
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Fredy Alejandro Guarín Vásquez (born 30 June 1986) is a Colombian former professional footballer. A versatile player, he was comfortable as a central, defensive or right midfielder.

He started his career with Envigado, then had a short spell in Argentina, and played two years in France with Saint-Étienne. He made a name for himself with Porto in Portugal, where he spent four seasons and won ten major titles, including three Primeira Liga championships and the 2011 Europa League.

Guarín represented Colombia at the 2011 Copa América and the 2014 World Cup.

Club career

Early years and Saint-Étienne

Guarín was born in Puerto Boyacá. In 2005, already a regular for Envigado F.C. and the Colombian under-20 national team, he joined Boca Juniors of the Argentine Primera División, where he spent the first six months in the youth team. Upon completion of his loan the Buenos Aires-based club attempted to sign him on a permanent basis, but he instead chose to go on loan to AS Saint-Étienne in August 2006.

Guarín made his debut for the French side scoring twice in a friendly against RCD Espanyol, and gradually fought his way into the starting lineup as the season closed. He first appeared in the Ligue 1 on 14 October 2006 against Olympique Lyonnais, and scored his first goal in a 3–1 victory over Troyes AC. In April 2007, the deal was made permanent for four years.

Porto

Guarín in action for Porto (2011)

On 10 July 2008, Guarín agreed a four-year contract with Primeira Liga club FC Porto for an undisclosed fee. Portuguese under-21 international Paulo Machado went the opposite direction, on loan. During his spell he was used mainly as a substitute, but managed to appear regularly; arguably, his most important goal came on 16 May 2010 as the team renewed their Taça de Portugal title, defeating G.D. Chaves 2–1.

In 2010–11, even after the departure of Raul Meireles to Liverpool, Guarín initially struggled to make Porto's starting XI. He was, however, a very important midfield element for the eventual national champions, playing in more than 40 official games and scoring ten goals, including five in the Europa League campaign, which also ended in conquest.

Inter Milan

Guarín training with Inter in 2014

Guarín joined Inter Milan on 31 January 2012 for €1.5 million, on loan, with the player replacing Paris Saint-Germain FC-bound Thiago Motta. The Italians also had an option to make the move permanent for €13.5 million in June.

On 17 May 2012, a permanent deal was arranged, but for €11 million. Guarín scored his first official goal for the Nerazzurri on 30 August, in a 2–2 home draw against FC Vaslui in the Europa League (4–2 on aggregate). In the group stage of the same competition, he provided all three assists in a 3–1 defeat of Neftchi Baku PFC.

Again in the Europa League, on 21 February 2013, Guarín scored twice in a 3–0 away win over CFR Cluj (5–0 on aggregate) to help Inter make it through to the last 16. In the January 2014 transfer window, he was supposed to move to Juventus F.C. in exchange for Mirko Vučinić, but the deal ultimately fell through after the clubs could not reach an agreement. He declared he would not return if he was not allowed to leave, but eventually he reconsidered; it was later reported that he simply wanted to clarify his future with the club, stating that he never asked to leave and that he was confused as to why the situation was created.

On 25 March 2014, Guarín agreed to extend his contract until 2017. On 14 September, as a second-half replacement, he scored in a 7–0 home win against U.S. Sassuolo Calcio. At the start of the 2014–15 season, he began being used by manager Walter Mazzarri as a second striker.

On 7 December 2014, in his 100th appearance for Inter, Guarín assisted Mauro Icardi in the 44th minute of an eventual 1–2 home defeat to Udinese Calcio. On 16 February of the following year, he scored twice after winning a first-minute penalty kick in a 4–1 victory at Atalanta BC, helping his team to secure the first away win in the league since December 2014.

Later career

On 26 January 2016, Guarín joined Shanghai Greenland Shenhua F.C. in the Chinese Super League for a reported €11 million fee plus bonuses. On 26 September 2019, the 33-year-old free agent moved to the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A with CR Vasco da Gama.

Guarín agreed to a one-year deal at Millonarios F.C. on 31 December 2020, again on a free transfer.

International career

Guarín (left) playing for Colombia at the 2014 FIFA World Cup

On 24 May 2006, Guarín made his international debut for Colombia, in a pre-World Cup friendly against Ecuador. He represented the nation at the 2005 CONCACAF Gold Cup and the 2011 Copa América.

Guarín was selected by José Pekerman for his 2014 World Cup squad. He played his first game in the tournament on 24 June after the national team had already won its first two group matches, featuring the full 90 minutes in a 4–1 win against Japan which was also his 49th cap; he earned his 50th four days later, coming on as a late substitute to help oust Uruguay 2–0 in the round of 16.

On 10 May 2015, whilst at the service of Inter, Guarín suffered a muscular injury to his right leg, being ruled out of the Copa América.

Style of play

A versatile player, Guarín is a strong, fast and creative attacking midfielder, who can also play in the centre, in a holding role or on the right flank. He is capable of shooting from long-range with both feet, and of acting as a playmaker in midfield.

In 2013, Guarín's Inter manager Andrea Stramaccioni described him as "...an extraordinary player who combines physicality with technique in an incredible way. He is also an important element in the locker room."

Career statistics

Club

International

Scores and results list Colombia's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Guarín goal.

#	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1.	26 March 2011	Vicente Calderón, Madrid, Spain	Ecuador	1–0	2–0	Friendly
2.	11 November 2011	Metropolitano Roberto Meléndez, Barranquilla, Colombia	Venezuela	1–0	1–1	2014 World Cup qualification
3.	14 August 2013	Mini Estadi, Barcelona, Spain	Serbia	1–0	1–0	Friendly
4.	6 June 2014	Pedro Bidegain, Buenos Aires, Argentina	Jordan	3–0	3–0	Friendly

Honours

Porto

• Primeira Liga: 2008–09, 2010–11, 2011–12
• Taça de Portugal: 2008–09, 2009–10, 2010–11
• Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira: 2009, 2010, 2011
• UEFA Europa League: 2010–11
• Taça da Liga runner-up: 2009–10
• UEFA Super Cup runner-up: 2011

Shanghai Shenhua

• Chinese FA Cup: 2017

See also

In Spanish: Fredy Guarín para niños