Jorge Valdivia facts for kids
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Valdivia with Colo-Colo in 2018
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Jorge Luis Valdivia Toro | |||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 19 October 1983 | |||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Maracay, Venezuela | |||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in) | |||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Attacking midfielder | |||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||
| 1993–2002 | Colo-Colo | |||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||||
| 2003–2006 | Colo-Colo | 40 | (14) | |||||||||||||
| 2003 | → Universidad de Concepción (loan) | 30 | (7) | |||||||||||||
| 2004 | → Rayo Vallecano (loan) | 5 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2004 | → Servette (loan) | 9 | (2) | |||||||||||||
| 2006–2008 | Palmeiras | 53 | (11) | |||||||||||||
| 2008–2010 | Al Ain | 25 | (12) | |||||||||||||
| 2010–2015 | Palmeiras | 82 | (7) | |||||||||||||
| 2015–2017 | Al Wahda | 34 | (8) | |||||||||||||
| 2017–2019 | Colo-Colo | 41 | (5) | |||||||||||||
| 2020 | Morelia | 3 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2020 | Mazatlán | 3 | (1) | |||||||||||||
| 2020–2021 | Colo-Colo | 3 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2021 | Unión La Calera | 6 | (1) | |||||||||||||
| 2022 | Necaxa | 4 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| Total | 338 | (67) | ||||||||||||||
| International career | ||||||||||||||||
| 2003 | Chile U20 | 2 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2004 | Chile U23 | 7 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2004–2017 | Chile | 78 | (7) | |||||||||||||
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Medal record
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| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | ||||||||||||||||
Jorge Luis Valdivia Toro (born October 19, 1983) is a former professional footballer from Chile. He played as an attacking midfielder.
Valdivia grew up playing football at Colo-Colo's youth academy. In 2003, he played really well while on loan at Universidad de Concepción. After two more loan spells in Europe, he returned to Colo-Colo permanently in 2005. A year later, he helped them win the Torneo Apertura title.
He then moved to Palmeiras in Brazil. He played for Palmeiras for seven years, with a break when he played for Al Ain. He played over 100 games for Palmeiras. During his time there, he won the Paulistão in 2008, the Copa do Brasil in 2012, and the Série B title in 2013.
Valdivia was a Chilean international player from 2004 to 2017. He was a very important player when Chile won the 2015 Copa América in 2015. This was the first time Chile's national team had ever won this tournament. He also played in the 2007 and 2011 Copa América tournaments. He represented Chile in the 2010 and 2014 World Cups. He played 78 games for Chile and scored 7 goals.
Many people consider him one of the best playmakers in Chilean football history. Famous football players like Pelé and Carlos Valderrama have praised his skills. He is seen as a hero by many fans of Palmeiras and Al Ain. Because of his talent, he was nicknamed "El Mago," which means "the wizard." Valdivia was known for his amazing passing and football skills.
Contents
Early Life and Football Beginnings
Valdivia was born in Maracay, Venezuela, in 1983. His parents, Luis Valdivia and Elizabeth Toro, were Chilean. His father worked for LAN airlines as a correspondent, which is why they were in Venezuela. In 1985, his family moved back to Santiago, Chile. They settled in a part of the city called La Florida.
When he was in Venezuela, he was interested in baseball. After moving to Chile, he started to love football.
Club Football Journey
Starting His Career
In 1993, Valdivia joined the youth academy of Colo-Colo, a famous Chilean football club. He moved up to the first team in 2003 when he was 19 years old.
Playing for Colo-Colo and Loans
Loan to Universidad Concepción
After not playing much for Colo-Colo's first team, Valdivia was loaned to another Chilean club, Universidad de Concepción. He played his first professional game for them on March 16, 2003. He came into the game as a substitute. In his first game as a starter on April 6, he scored a goal in a 3–1 win.
After that, Valdivia became a regular player for the club. He scored seven goals in 30 games for Universidad de Concepción. People were very impressed by his skills.
Loans to Rayo Vallecano and Servette
His good performances led to another loan, this time to Rayo Vallecano in Spain. He played only five matches there and did not score any goals.
After that, he had another loan spell in Switzerland with Servette. There was a chance he could have played for Boca Juniors, a big club in Argentina. However, the transfer did not happen, and he returned to Colo-Colo.
Returning to Colo-Colo and Becoming a Star
In 2005, Valdivia came back to Colo-Colo. In 2006, he helped his club win the Torneo Apertura title. He played incredibly well, especially with the help of his coach, Claudio Borghi. He was a key player in a team that included other Chilean stars like Claudio Bravo, Matías Fernández, and Humberto Suazo.
Time at Palmeiras
On August 5, 2006, Valdivia moved to the Brazilian club Palmeiras. This was a very expensive transfer for the club at the time. After a slow start, he had a fantastic year in 2007. He won several awards for his performances, including the Campeonato Paulista Most Valuable Player. He was recognized as the best playmaker in Brazilian football that season. In 2008, he helped Palmeiras win the 2008 Campeonato Paulista title.
Playing for Al Ain
In August 2008, Valdivia joined Al Ain in the United Arab Emirates. He signed a two-year contract. At Al Ain, he won the Etisalat Emirates Cup, the President Cup, and the Super Cup. He became a very popular player and a big idol in the club's history.
Back to Palmeiras
After the 2010 FIFA World Cup, there were many rumors that Valdivia would return to Palmeiras. This finally happened on July 26, 2010. When he was introduced on August 14, 15,000 fans came to welcome him at the stadium. However, he sometimes faced criticism for his performances and fitness during this time.
Moving to Al Wahda
On June 25, 2015, it was announced that Valdivia would return to the United Arab Emirates to play for Al-Wahda. He signed a two-year contract with them.
Return to Colo-Colo
On June 19, 2017, Valdivia returned to his first club, Colo-Colo. In December 2019, Colo-Colo announced that his contract would not be extended.
Short Stays and Retirement
On January 16, 2020, Valdivia signed with Morelia in Mexico. He later played for Mazatlán and had another short spell at Colo-Colo. In 2021, he played for Unión La Calera, and in 2022, he joined Necaxa in Mexico.
On July 1, 2022, Valdivia announced that he had decided to retire from playing football. He said he wanted to become a football manager or work in TV media.
International Career with Chile
Valdivia was born in Venezuela, but his parents were Chilean. This meant he could choose to play for either country's national team. He chose to play for Chile.
He played for Chile's U20 team in 2003. He also represented Chile's U23 team in the 2004 Pre-Olympic Tournament, where he played very well. In June 2004, he played his first game for the senior Chile national team against Mexico. He later became part of the team trying to qualify for the 2006 FIFA World Cup.
Valdivia scored his first international goal for Chile on November 16, 2006, in a friendly game against Paraguay.
In June 2007, Valdivia was part of Chile's Copa América squad. Chile was knocked out in the quarterfinals by Brazil.
A year and a half later, he was called back to the national team by coach Marcelo Bielsa. On October 10, 2009, he scored a goal in a 4–2 win over Colombia. This win helped Chile qualify for the World Cup for the first time in 12 years.
Valdivia was a key player during the World Cup qualification. He was chosen for the 23-man squad for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. He played well in the tournament, even though Chile was eliminated by Brazil.
2011–2014: World Cup Appearances
In 2011, Valdivia continued to be an important player for Chile under new coach Claudio Borghi. He played in the 2011 Copa América, where Chile reached the quarterfinals. He was even included in the tournament's best team.
After some time away from the national team, Valdivia was called back by coach Jorge Sampaoli in March 2013. His official return game was on September 7, 2013, in a 3–0 win against Venezuela. On October 15, Chile beat Ecuador 2–1, which meant they qualified for the World Cup for the eighth time in their history.
On June 1, 2014, Valdivia was selected for Chile's squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil. On June 13, he scored his first World Cup goal in Chile's opening game against Australia, helping them to a 3–1 victory. Chile was later eliminated by Brazil in a penalty shootout. After the World Cup, Valdivia announced he was retiring from international football, but he later changed his mind. In November 2014, he returned to play for Chile and scored a goal in a 5–0 win against Venezuela.
2015 Copa América Victory
Valdivia played in most of the warm-up games before the 2015 Copa América, which was held in Chile. He scored a goal against El Salvador and was included in the 23-man squad for the tournament. On June 12, he started in Chile's opening game against Ecuador, which they won 2–0. In the next group match against Mexico, Valdivia was praised for his performance in a 3–3 draw. He also played a key role in a 5–0 win over Bolivia, assisting Alexis Sánchez for a goal.
He was a crucial player in the 1–0 victory against Uruguay in the quarterfinals. This win put Chile in the Copa América final for the first time in 28 years.
Valdivia started in the final against Argentina. He was substituted in the 78th minute, which made him upset. However, Chile went on to win 4–1 in a penalty shootout, securing their first-ever continental title.
Personal Life
Valdivia married Chilean model Daniela Aránguiz, and they have two children. They are currently separated.
Many of Valdivia's relatives have also played football. His maternal grandfather, Juan Toro, played for the Chile senior team. His uncle, Juan Toro Jr., played for Palestino. His older brother, Luis, played in youth categories. His half-brother, Hugo Bravo, played for clubs like Palestino and Universidad de Chile. His younger brother, Claudio, played for Audax Italiano and Palmeiras B.
After Retirement
In October and November 2021, Valdivia worked as a football commentator for the TV show ESPN F90. He then moved to Mexico to play for Necaxa in 2022. After he officially retired from football, he returned to ESPN Chile in July 2022. He now works as a panelist for the program ESPN F360.
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See also
In Spanish: Jorge Valdivia para niños
