Fredy Montero facts for kids
Montero in July 2010
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Fredy Henkyer Montero Muñoz | ||
| Date of birth | 26 July 1987 | ||
| Place of birth | Campo de la Cruz, Colombia | ||
| Height | 1.76 m | ||
| Playing position | Forward | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Deportivo Cali | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2000–2005 | Deportivo Cali | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2005–2010 | Deportivo Cali | 65 | (22) |
| 2005 | → Academia (loan) | 9 | (0) |
| 2006–2007 | → Atlético Huila (loan) | 39 | (14) |
| 2009–2010 | → Seattle Sounders FC (loan) | 56 | (22) |
| 2011–2014 | Seattle Sounders FC | 63 | (25) |
| 2013 | → Millonarios (loan) | 22 | (8) |
| 2013–2014 | → Sporting CP (loan) | 16 | (13) |
| 2014–2016 | Sporting CP | 51 | (14) |
| 2016–2017 | Tianjin TEDA | 29 | (9) |
| 2017 | → Vancouver Whitecaps FC (loan) | 33 | (13) |
| 2018–2019 | Sporting CP | 20 | (3) |
| 2019–2020 | Vancouver Whitecaps FC | 48 | (13) |
| 2021–2023 | Seattle Sounders FC | 55 | (11) |
| 2024– | Deportivo Cali | 21 | (7) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2007–2009 | Colombia | 4 | (0) |
† Appearances (Goals). |
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Fredy Henkyer Montero Muñoz (born on July 26, 1987) is a professional footballer from Colombia. He is known as Fredy Montero (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈfɾeði monˈteɾo]). He plays as a forward for Deportivo Cali.
Fredy Montero was once the top goal scorer for the Seattle Sounders. He scored 79 goals for them during two different times: from 2009 to 2012, and from 2021 to 2023. He was later passed by Raúl Ruidíaz in 2024. Montero has played for the Colombia national team five times. He scored one goal in a friendly match against Catalonia.
Montero started playing youth soccer at Deportivo Cali when he was six years old. He played his first professional game at 18 in 2005. Then, he was loaned to Academia for a season. He also played for Atlético Huila for two years. There, he became the league's top scorer in 2007. After returning to Deportivo Cali, he was again the top scorer in 2008.
In 2009, Montero joined the Major League Soccer team Seattle Sounders on loan. He was named the Newcomer of the Year and scored the most goals for his team. In 2010, the Sounders bought Montero, and he became a "Designated Player." This meant he was one of the highest-paid players on the team. During his four years with the Sounders, Montero was chosen for the MLS All-Star team twice.
Montero also played for several years in Portugal with Sporting CP. He scored 43 goals for them between 2013-2016 and 2018-2019. He also played in Canada for Vancouver Whitecaps and in China for Tianjin TEDA.
Contents
Club Career Highlights
Starting with Atlético Huila
Montero was loaned to Atlético Huila in 2006. He became the top goal scorer in the 2007 Apertura tournament. He scored 13 goals, tying with Sergio Galván Rey. Even though European clubs were interested, he went back to Deportivo Cali in 2007. He was again the top scorer in the 2008 Finalizacion tournament, with 16 goals.
Time with Seattle Sounders
In January 2009, Fredy Montero joined the Seattle Sounders on loan. He quickly fit in, scoring nine goals in nine preseason games. He played his first MLS game on March 19, 2009, against New York Red Bulls. In that game, he scored the first and third goals in the club's history. He was named the MLS Player of the Week for his two goals. He also won MLS Player of the Month for March 2009.
In April 2009, Montero shared that he hoped to play in Europe someday. He liked playing in MLS because he could learn from many different players. He later said he was focused on the Sounders, not on rumors about moving to Fulham.
Montero was chosen for the 2009 MLS All-Star Game against Everton. He played in the first half with his teammates Kasey Keller and Jhon Kennedy Hurtado. He was later named the MLS Newcomer of the Year.
At the start of the 2010 season, Montero faced high expectations. He was left out of the starting lineup for one game. By July, he was named Player of the Month again. He was also selected for the inactive roster of the 2010 MLS All-Star Game. He finished the year with 10 goals and 10 assists in league play. In all games, he scored 12 goals and made 11 assists. Montero was also named the top player in the MLS "24 Under 24" list. This list honors talented players under 24 years old.
On December 1, 2010, the Seattle Sounders FC announced that Montero would stay with the club permanently. He became the third Designated Player and the highest-paid player on the team.
In the 2011 season, Montero broke his wrist. He missed two games and played with a cast. His performance improved later in the season. The team won the 2011 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. Montero was named Player of the Tournament for scoring three game-winning goals.
Loan to Millonarios
On January 21, 2013, Montero was officially loaned to Millonarios, a top team in Colombia. He also signed a longer contract with the Sounders at this time.
Playing for Sporting CP
Montero was loaned to Primeira Liga team Sporting CP in Portugal on July 22, 2013. He scored three goals in his first game for the club against Arouca. This was a 5–1 win in the first round of the Primeira Liga season. He was named the SJPF Player of the Month for August and September. He scored nine goals in his first six games.
On January 30, 2014, Montero signed a four-and-a-half-year deal to stay with Sporting permanently. He scored his first goal for Sporting since December 2013 in a 4–0 win over Penafiel on October 4, 2014.
Moving to Tianjin TEDA
On February 6, 2016, Montero moved to Chinese Super League team Tianjin TEDA for €5 million.
Loan to Vancouver Whitecaps FC
On February 15, 2017, Montero was loaned to Major League Soccer team Vancouver Whitecaps from Tianjin TEDA.
Second Time at Sporting CP
On January 17, 2018, Montero returned to Sporting CP on an 18-month contract. In May, he and some teammates were attacked by fans at the club's training ground. This happened after the team finished third in the league and missed out on the UEFA Champions League. Despite this, he and the team agreed to play in the Portuguese Cup final.
Second Time at Vancouver
On February 15, 2019, Montero and Sporting ended his contract. On the same day, Vancouver announced that he had joined their club permanently.
Second Time at Seattle
On March 4, 2021, Montero rejoined Seattle Sounders FC. He wanted to return to Seattle and finish his career there. The club needed a new forward because Jordan Morris was injured. Montero became the Sounders' all-time leading scorer again in April 2021, passing Clint Dempsey. He scored two goals that season. After the 2021 season, Seattle did not renew his contract.
However, he signed a new deal before the 2022 season. That year, he helped Seattle win the CONCACAF Champions League title. This led the club to sign him again for the 2023 season.
Return to Deportivo Cali
After his contract with Seattle Sounders ended in 2023, Montero returned to Deportivo Cali. This was announced on April 2, 2024.
International Career
Montero played his first international game for Colombia on May 9, 2007. It was a 4–0 win against Panama. He played the last 13 minutes of the match. In October 2008, he started a World Cup qualifying game against Paraguay. He scored his first goal for Colombia in a friendly match against Catalonia on December 29, 2008. Montero last played for Colombia in a friendly game against Venezuela on August 12, 2009. He has said he wants to play for the national team again.
Personal Life
Fredy Montero was born to Fredy Montero Sr., a policeman, and Jaynne. His parents live in Barranquilla, Colombia. He is the oldest of four children. He has two sisters, Jaynne Jr. and Fyorella, and a brother named Luiggi. Montero married Alexis Immig in April 2012. She is from Gig Harbor. They have three daughters and live in Bellevue, Washington.
Montero was named MLS Humanitarian of the Month in March 2011. He helped raise over $29,000 for victims of the 2010 Colombian floods. On August 21, 2012, Montero threw out the first pitch for the Seattle Mariners baseball team. He is also a part-owner of Santo Coffee Company, a coffeeshop in Seattle that opened in 2019.
Montero became a permanent resident of the United States in 2010. His dog is named FIFA, after the governing body of football. Montero is also a fan of the EA Sports' FIFA video game series.
Career Statistics
Club Appearances and Goals
| Club | Season | League | National cup | League cup | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Deportivo Cali | 2005 | Primera A | 8 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 8 | 0 | ||||
| 2006 | Primera A | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 2 | 0 | |||||
| 2007 | Primera A | 17 | 3 | — | — | — | — | 17 | 3 | |||||
| 2008 | Primera A | 38 | 19 | 0 | 0 | — | 2 | 1 | — | 40 | 20 | |||
| Total | 65 | 22 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 67 | 23 | ||
| Academia (loan) | 2005 | Primera B | 9 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 9 | 0 | ||||
| Atlético Huila (loan) | 2006 | Primera A | 17 | 1 | — | — | — | — | 17 | 1 | ||||
| 2007 | Primera A | 22 | 13 | — | — | — | — | 22 | 13 | |||||
| Total | 39 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 39 | 14 | ||
| Seattle Sounders FC (loan) | 2009 | MLS | 27 | 12 | 4 | 1 | — | — | 2 | 0 | 33 | 13 | ||
| 2010 | MLS | 29 | 10 | 3 | 1 | — | 6 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 40 | 12 | ||
| Seattle Sounders FC | 2011 | MLS | 30 | 12 | 3 | 3 | — | 9 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 44 | 18 | |
| 2012 | MLS | 33 | 13 | 3 | 2 | — | 3 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 43 | 17 | ||
| Total | 119 | 47 | 13 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 6 | 10 | 0 | 160 | 60 | ||
| Millonarios (loan) | 2013 | Primera A | 22 | 8 | 5 | 2 | — | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 34 | 10 | |
| Sporting CP (loan) | 2013–14 | Primeira Liga | 29 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 32 | 13 | |
| Sporting CP | 2014–15 | Primeira Liga | 26 | 11 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | — | 37 | 15 | |
| 2015–16 | Primeira Liga | 12 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 3 | — | 22 | 6 | ||
| Total | 67 | 27 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 13 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 91 | 34 | ||
| Tianjin TEDA | 2016 | Chinese Super League | 29 | 9 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 30 | 9 | |||
| Vancouver Whitecaps FC (loan) | 2017 | MLS | 33 | 13 | 0 | 0 | — | 3 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 39 | 15 | |
| Sporting CP | 2017–18 | Primeira Liga | 11 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 3 | — | 21 | 5 | |
| 2018–19 | Primeira Liga | 9 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 2 | — | 16 | 4 | ||
| Total | 20 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 10 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 37 | 9 | ||
| Vancouver Whitecaps FC | 2019 | MLS | 32 | 8 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 1 | 0 | 33 | 8 | ||
| 2020 | MLS | 16 | 5 | — | — | — | — | 16 | 5 | |||||
| Total | 48 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 49 | 13 | ||
| Seattle Sounders FC | 2021 | MLS | 16 | 6 | — | — | — | — | 16 | 6 | ||||
| Career total | 467 | 162 | 28 | 13 | 9 | 0 | 51 | 16 | 16 | 1 | 571 | 192 | ||
International Appearances and Goals
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colombia | 2007 | 2 | 0 |
| 2008 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2009 | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 4 | 0 | |
Honors and Awards
Seattle Sounders FC
- CONCACAF Champions League: 2022
- Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup: 2009, 2010, 2011
Sporting CP
- Taça de Portugal: 2014–15, 2018–19
- Taça da Liga: 2017–18, 2018–19
- Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira: 2015
Individual Awards
- Categoría Primera A top goalscorer: 2007 Torneo Apertura, 2008 Torneo Finalización
- Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Player of the Tournament: 2011
- MLS 24 Under 24 Top Player: 2010
- MLS All-Star: 2009, 2010
- MLS Humanitarian of the Month: March 2010
- FutbolMLS.com's 2010 Latino del Año: November 2010
- MLS Newcomer of the Year Award: 2009
- Major League Soccer Player of the Month: March 2009, July 2010
See also
In Spanish: Fredy Montero para niños
