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Jefferson Farfán
Jefferson Farfán 2018.jpg
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 is a famous Peruvian football player. He was born on October 26, 1984. He mostly played as a winger, which is a player who runs along the sides of the field.

People often called him Foquita, which means "Little Seal" in Spanish. He was known for being very fast and skillful. He was also great at helping his teammates score goals, especially when he played in the Bundesliga in Germany.

Farfán started his career with Deportivo Municipal and Alianza Lima in Peru. He made his first professional appearance in 2001. By 2003, he helped Alianza Lima win a league title. In 2004, he won another league title and was named the best Peruvian player of that year.

Later, he moved to Europe and played for PSV Eindhoven in the Netherlands. He helped them win four league titles. He then joined Schalke 04 in Germany and won a cup with them. Farfán also played for Al-Jazira in the United Arab Emirates and Lokomotiv Moscow in Russia. With Lokomotiv, he helped them win their first league title in 14 years.

For the national team, Farfán is the second-highest goal scorer ever, right after Paolo Guerrero. Many people in Peru consider him one of the most important players in their country's football history. He helped Peru finish third in the 2015 Copa América and second in the 2019 Copa América.

Club Career Highlights

Starting at Alianza Lima

Farfán began his professional football journey with Alianza Lima in Peru. He started playing for the first team in 2001. By 2002, he was a key player. In 2003, he helped Alianza win the Peruvian championship. In his last season with the club in 2004, Farfán scored 14 goals, helping them win another championship.

Moving to PSV Eindhoven

Jefferson Farfán PSV
Jefferson Farfán with PSV in 2005

After his success in Peru, Farfán was bought by the Dutch club PSV Eindhoven in mid-2004. He made his debut in the Eredivisie league on August 14, 2004. He also played in the UEFA Champions League for the first time, scoring his first European goal against Rosenborg BK.

In his first season with PSV, Farfán helped them win both the league and the cup. PSV continued to win the Eredivisie for the next three seasons in a row. In the 2005-06 season, he was the top scorer for his club with 21 goals. He left PSV in mid-2008 after winning his fourth championship with them.

Playing for Schalke 04

On June 5, 2008, Farfán joined the German club Schalke 04. He signed a four-year contract. In March 2011, he scored two important goals against Valencia in the 2010–11 UEFA Champions League. These goals helped Schalke 04 reach the quarter-finals of the competition.

One of his most famous goals happened on October 23, 2011, against Bayer Leverkusen. He ran almost the entire length of the field with the ball at high speed before scoring. The German media called him a "super sprinter" for this amazing 80-meter run in just 10 seconds. In April 2012, Farfán extended his contract with Schalke until June 2016.

Time in the United Arab Emirates

On July 20, 2015, after seven years with Schalke, Farfán moved to Al Jazira Club in the United Arab Emirates. He signed a three-year deal. He left the club in October 2016.

Success with Lokomotiv Moscow

Jefferson Farfán 2017
Jefferson Farfán with Lokomotiv Moscow against FC Rostov in 2017

On January 28, 2017, Farfán signed with Russian Premier League team FC Lokomotiv Moscow. In his second season with the club, he helped Lokomotiv win their first league title in 14 years. He was also the team's top scorer that season with 10 goals and 4 assists.

He faced a long break from playing due to a knee injury from May 2019. He returned to play on July 12, 2020, scoring a late goal in a 1-1 draw against FC Ufa. His contract with Lokomotiv ended on August 5, 2020.

Returning to Alianza Lima

On March 22, 2021, Farfán returned to his old club, Alianza Lima, after 17 years. He made a great comeback, scoring a goal in his debut game on April 6, which Alianza won 1-0. Farfán was a very important player for Alianza Lima, helping them win the First Division league titles in both 2021 and 2022.

On December 16, 2022, Jefferson Farfán announced that he was retiring from professional football at the age of 38.

International Career

Peru tren (1)
Farfán training with Peru at the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

Farfán first played for the Peru national football team in February 2003. He played in 102 games for his country and scored 27 goals. This makes him the second-highest goal scorer for Peru. He was a top scorer in the 2006 World Cup qualifiers with seven goals.

He was a member of the Peruvian team that finished in third place at the 2015 Copa América. Farfán was also a key player for Peru during the 2018 World Cup qualifiers, scoring 3 goals. He scored one of the two goals in a 2-0 win against New Zealand. This win helped Peru qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup after 36 years!

In June 2018, he was part of Peru's team for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. He played in their first two group games. Unfortunately, Peru was eliminated from the competition. He missed their final group game due to a concussion he got during training.

In Peru's second game of the 2019 Copa América, Farfán scored a goal in Peru's 3-1 victory over Bolivia. He later got a knee injury that kept him out of the rest of the tournament. Peru went on to reach the final but lost 3-1 to Brazil.

Playing Style

Farfán was known as a fast and skilled forward or winger. He was not just a goal-scorer, but also a great assist provider. He was excellent at creating scoring chances for his team. His ability to dribble past defenders and deliver accurate passes helped Schalke score many goals. Farfán was also good at taking penalty kicks and free kicks.

Honours

Alianza Lima

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

PSV Eindhoven

Schalke 04

Al Jazira Club

  • UAE President's Cup: 2015–16

Lokomotiv Moscow

Peru U18

  • Bolivarian Games: 2001

Peru

Personal Life

Jefferson Farfán has three children: two sons and one daughter. He spent most of his football career playing in Germany. His cousin, Quembol Guadalupe, also became a professional football player.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Jefferson Farfán para niños

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