José Luis Chilavert Facts for Kids

"Chilavert" redirects here. For other uses, see Chilavert (disambiguation).

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal family name is Chilavert and the second or maternal family name is González.

Quick facts for kids
José Luis Chilavert
Personal information
Chilavert in 1985, while playing for Argentine side San Lorenzo
Full name	José Luis Félix Chilavert González
Date of birth	(1965-07-27) 27 July 1965 (age 59)
Place of birth	Luque, Paraguay
Height	1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)
Position(s)	Goalkeeper
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1982–1984	Sportivo Luqueño	67	(4)
1984–1985	Guaraní	19	(1)
1985–1988	San Lorenzo	122	(0)
1988–1991	Real Zaragoza	79	(1)
1991–2000	Vélez Sarsfield	266	(36)
2000–2002	Strasbourg	50	(0)
2002–2003	Peñarol	14	(4)
2003–2004	Vélez Sarsfield	0	(0)
Total		617	(46)
International career
1989–2003	Paraguay	74	(8)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

José Luis Félix Chilavert González (born July 27, 1965) is a famous former football player from Paraguay. He was a goalkeeper, but he was also known for scoring many goals! This was very unusual for a goalkeeper.

Chilavert played for several clubs, including Sportivo Luqueño, Guaraní, San Lorenzo de Almagro, Real Zaragoza, Vélez Sarsfield, RC Strasbourg, and Peñarol. He also played for the Paraguay national team.

He won 12 club titles, including the 1994 Copa Libertadores and the 1994 Intercontinental Cup with Vélez Sarsfield. Chilavert was named the IFFHS World's Best Goalkeeper three times. People thought he was one of the best goalkeepers in the world. He was also great at taking free kicks and penalties.

Chilavert scored 67 goals in his career, which is a lot for a goalkeeper. Eight of these goals were in international matches. He is the second-highest goalscoring goalkeeper of all time. Only Brazilian goalkeeper Rogério Ceni scored more. Chilavert is also one of only three goalkeepers to score three goals in one game (a hat-trick). He was known for his strong personality and was nicknamed "El Buldog" ("The Bulldog"). He even had a cartoon bulldog on his jersey!

Chilavert played for the Paraguay national team 74 times from 1989 to 2003. He scored eight goals for his country. He was the captain of the team in two FIFA World Cup tournaments (1998 and 2002). He was also part of the 1998 FIFA World Cup Team of the Tournament.

In 2023, Chilavert ran for president of Paraguay. He wanted to help his country, but he received less than 1% of the votes.

Early Life and Family
Club Football Career
Playing for Paraguay
Life After Football
Personal Life and Beliefs
Honours
Images for kids
See also

Early Life and Family

José Luis Chilavert grew up in Luque, Paraguay, in a family that didn't have much money. He didn't wear shoes until he was seven years old. When he was five, he had two important jobs: milking cows and selling the milk.

His parents were Catalino Chilavert and Nicolasa González. One of his brothers, Rolando Chilavert, also became a football player.

Club Football Career

Chilavert started his football journey with Sportivo Luqueño. He then moved to Spain to play for Real Zaragoza. While playing there in 1988, he surprised fans by coming out of his goal with the ball. He said that people would "scream at me to get back in goal." But he trusted his skills. He started practicing free kicks and penalties a lot after training, sometimes taking 80 to 120 shots. This practice made him very good at scoring.

After Spain, Chilavert moved to Argentina to play for Vélez Sarsfield. This was a very successful time for him. He helped Vélez Sarsfield win the Argentine Primera División four times. They also won the Copa Libertadores and the Intercontinental Cup in 1994.

In 1999, Chilavert made history by becoming the first goalkeeper to score a hat-trick in a professional football game. He scored all three goals from penalties while playing for Vélez against Ferro Carril Oeste. He also scored a famous free kick from behind the halfway line against River Plate.

Later, in 2001, while playing for Strasbourg in France, Chilavert scored the winning penalty in a shootout. This helped his team win the 2001 Coupe de France Final.

Playing for Paraguay

Chilavert was recognized as the World Goalkeeper of the Year by the IFFHS in 1995, 1997, and 1998.

He played in the 1998 FIFA World Cup. There, he became the first goalkeeper to take a direct free kick in a World Cup match. He almost scored against Bulgaria. He helped Paraguay reach the round of sixteen, where they lost to France. After the tournament, FIFA included Chilavert in the tournament's All-Star Squad.

Chilavert decided not to play in the 1999 Copa América. He felt that the money for football should be used for education in Paraguay instead.

Before the 2002 FIFA World Cup, Chilavert had a disagreement with Brazil's Roberto Carlos after a qualification game. Chilavert was suspended for a few games because of this. He missed Paraguay's first game in the 2002 World Cup.

In the 2002 World Cup, Paraguay played against Spain. Chilavert made a mistake that led to a goal for Spain. However, he almost scored from a free kick himself, but the shot was saved. In their last group game, Paraguay had to beat Slovenia to have a chance to move on. Paraguay won 3-1, and because Spain also won their game, Paraguay made it to the next round. They then played against Germany and lost 1-0, even with Chilavert making several good saves.

Chilavert played 74 international games for Paraguay and scored eight goals, which is a record for a goalkeeper in international matches. He stopped playing for the national team in 2003.

Life After Football

Chilavert in 2014, during an interview aired by La TV Pública of Argentina

Chilavert first announced he would retire from football in December 2003. But he decided to play again for Vélez Sarsfield for a short time. He finally retired for good in 2004. In his last match, he even scored a goal!

After retiring, Chilavert worked as a commentator for the American TV network Univision during the 2006 FIFA World Cup and 2010 FIFA World Cup. He once said that if he had played in the 2006 World Cup, he would have tried to score a goal again.

Personal Life and Beliefs

José Luis Chilavert is married to Marcela, who is an English teacher. They met in Buenos Aires. They have a daughter named Anahí, born in 1998.

Chilavert is known for speaking his mind. He often criticized politicians in his home country, saying they were not doing enough to help people. He believed that money should be spent on education rather than just on sports. He even supported an athlete, Edgar Baumann, who had problems with the Paraguayan Olympic Committee. Chilavert wanted to make sure athletes were treated fairly.

Because of his strong opinions and desire to help his country, some people thought Chilavert might become the future president of Paraguay. He himself said that he would run for president after his playing career was over.