Jefferson Farfán facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Jefferson Farfán

Farfán playing for Lokomotiv Moscow in 2018
Personal information
Full name	Jefferson Agustín Farfán Guadalupe
Date of birth	(1984-10-26) 26 October 1984 (age 40)
Place of birth	Lima, Peru
Height	1.77 m (5 ft 10 in)
Position(s)	Winger
Youth career
1993–1998	Deportivo Municipal
1998–2001	Alianza Lima
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2001–2004	Alianza Lima	77	(28)
2004–2008	PSV	118	(57)
2008–2015	Schalke 04	170	(39)
2015–2016	Al-Jazira	12	(4)
2017–2020	Lokomotiv Moscow	51	(20)
2021–2022	Alianza Lima	17	(4)
Total		445	(152)
International career
2000–2001	Peru U17	22	(20)
2001	Peru U18	4	(3)
2002–2003	Peru U20	7	(1)
2003–2004	Peru U23	5	(0)
2003–2021	Peru	102	(27)
Medal record Men's football Representing  Peru Bolivarian Games Gold 2001 Ambato Team Copa América Runner-up 2019 Brazil Third 2015 Chile
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Jefferson Agustín Farfán Guadalupe (born October 26, 1984) is a famous Peruvian former professional footballer. He mostly played as a winger, which means he played on the sides of the field, helping to attack and score goals. People often called him Farfán or by his nickname Foquita, which means Little Seal in Spanish. He was known for his amazing speed and great skills with the ball. He was also one of the best players at giving assists (passes that lead to a goal) when he played in the Bundesliga in Germany.

Farfán started his football journey with youth clubs like Deportivo Municipal and Alianza Lima. He made his first professional appearance for Alianza Lima in 2001. By 2002, he was seen as one of Peru's most promising young players. He helped Alianza Lima win the Primera División title twice more in 2003 and 2004. After his third league title with Alianza in 2004, he was recognized as the best Peruvian player of that year.

In mid-2004, Farfán moved to the Dutch club PSV Eindhoven. He helped PSV win four Eredivisie titles in a row. In 2008, he joined the German team Schalke 04. During his time there, he won the 2011 DFB-Pokal Final (a major German cup). By 2012, he was considered the most expensive Latin American player in the German league. Farfán also played briefly for Al-Jazira in the United Arab Emirates. Later, he played in Russia for Lokomotiv Moscow. In his second season with Lokomotiv, he helped them win their first league title in 14 years and was the team's top scorer.

For the national team, Farfán is the country's second-highest goalscorer, right after Paolo Guerrero. He is very popular in Peru. His coach, Ricardo Gareca, even called him "one of the most important players in the history of Peruvian football." He helped Peru finish third in the 2015 Copa América and second in 2019. Farfán announced his retirement from football in December 2022 at the age of 38.

Club Journey

Early Days at Alianza Lima

Farfán began his professional football career with Alianza Lima in Peru. He played a few games for the first team in 2001. In 2002, he started to play more often and helped Alianza win the Peruvian championship in 2003. In his last season with the club in 2004, Farfán scored 14 goals. This helped Alianza Lima win another Peruvian championship.

Time in Europe

Jefferson Farfán with PSV in 2005

After his success in Peru, the Dutch club PSV Eindhoven bought Farfán in mid-2004 for about 2 million Euros. He was scouted by the famous coach Guus Hiddink. Farfán played his first game in the Eredivisie (Dutch league) on August 14, winning 5–2 against RBC Roosendal. Soon after, he made his European debut in a Champions League qualifying game, which PSV won 5–0. He scored his first European goal in a 2–1 win against Rosenborg BK. In his first season in the Netherlands, Farfán helped PSV win both the league and the cup. PSV then won the Eredivisie for the next three seasons in a row. In the 2005-06 season, Farfán was the club's top scorer with 21 goals.

On June 5, 2008, Farfán moved to the German team Schalke 04 for about €10 million. He signed a four-year contract. In April 2012, he extended his contract with Schalke until June 2016.

Moving to the Middle East and Russia

On July 20, 2015, after seven years with Schalke, Farfán joined Al Jazira Club in the United Arab Emirates. He signed a three-year deal. However, he left the club on October 19, 2016, because the club did not follow all the rules in his contract.

On January 28, 2017, he signed with the Russian team FC Lokomotiv Moscow. Farfán had been out of action for a while due to injuries. But after six months of recovery, he had a great season. He scored important goals that helped Lokomotiv win their first league title in 14 years.

He was out for 14 months from May 2019 because of a knee injury and then testing positive for COVID-19. He returned to play on July 12, 2020, scoring a late goal in a 1–1 draw. On August 5, 2020, Lokomotiv announced that Farfán had left the club as his contract ended.

Return to Alianza Lima and Retirement

On March 22, 2021, Farfán signed again with his old club, Alianza Lima. He played for them until he announced his retirement on December 16, 2022, at the age of 38.

Playing for Peru

Farfán training with Peru at the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

Farfán was a very important player for the Peru national football team. He made his debut in February 2003. He played 95 games for his country and is second on Peru's all-time goalscoring list with 27 goals.

He was the second-highest scorer in the South American qualifiers for the 2006 World Cup, with seven goals.

Farfán helped Peru finish third at the 2015 Copa América. He was also a key player for Peru during the qualifiers for the 2018 World Cup, scoring three goals. He scored two goals in a close 3–4 loss to Chile. He also scored the winning goal in a 1–0 home win over Paraguay. He scored one of two goals in a 2–0 home win against New Zealand. This win helped Peru qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup after 36 years!

In June 2018, he was chosen for Peru's team for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. He played in their first game against Denmark. He came on as a substitute in their second game against France. Peru was eliminated after losing both games. He missed their last group game against Australia because he had to go to the hospital after a head injury during training. Peru won that final game 2–0.

In Peru's second game of the 2019 Copa América, Farfán scored a goal in Peru's 3-1 win over Bolivia. However, he got a left knee injury before Peru's next game against Uruguay. This injury meant he couldn't play for the rest of the tournament. He had knee surgery in Barcelona. Peru went on to lose the final 3–1 to Brazil without him.

How Farfán Played

Farfán was known as a fast and very skilled forward or winger. He was not just a goal-scorer, but also great at giving assists and creating chances for goals. His ability to dribble past defenders, make accurate corner kicks, and give good passes helped Schalke score many goals, especially in international games. Farfán was also good at penalty kicks and free kicks.

Honours

Alianza Lima

• Peruvian Primera División: 2001, 2003, 2004, 2021, 2022

PSV Eindhoven

• Eredivisie: 2004–05, 2005–06, 2006–07, 2007–08
• KNVB Cup: 2004–05; runner-up: 2005–06
• Johan Cruyff Shield runner-up: 2005, 2006

Schalke 04

• DFB-Pokal: 2010–11
• DFL-Supercup: 2011; runner-up: 2010

Al Jazira Club

• UAE President's Cup: 2015–16

Lokomotiv Moscow

• Russian Premier League: 2017–18
• Russian Cup: 2016–17, 2018–19
• Russian Super Cup runner-up: 2017, 2018

Peru U18

• Bolivarian Games: 2001

Peru

• Copa América runner-up: 2019; third place: 2015

Personal Life

Farfán has three children: two sons and one daughter. He spent most of his career in Germany and learned to speak some German.

See also

In Spanish: Jefferson Farfán para niños