Mauricio Pinilla facts for kids
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Pinilla with Universidad de Chile in 2018
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| Personal information | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 4 February 1984 | ||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Santiago, Chile | ||||||||||||
| Height | 1.87 m | ||||||||||||
| Playing position | Striker | ||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||
| Universidad de Chile | |||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† | ||||||||||
| 2002–2003 | Universidad de Chile | 39 | (20) | ||||||||||
| 2003–2004 | Inter Milan | 0 | (0) | ||||||||||
| 2003–2004 | → Chievo (loan) | 6 | (0) | ||||||||||
| 2004 | → Celta (loan) | 6 | (0) | ||||||||||
| 2004–2007 | Sporting CP | 20 | (5) | ||||||||||
| 2006 | → Racing Santander (loan) | 13 | (1) | ||||||||||
| 2006–2007 | → Hearts (loan) | 3 | (2) | ||||||||||
| 2007 | → Universidad de Chile (loan) | 4 | (2) | ||||||||||
| 2007–2008 | Hearts | 2 | (0) | ||||||||||
| 2008 | Vasco da Gama | 3 | (0) | ||||||||||
| 2009 | Apollon Limassol | 5 | (2) | ||||||||||
| 2009–2010 | Grosseto | 24 | (24) | ||||||||||
| 2010–2012 | Palermo | 35 | (10) | ||||||||||
| 2012 | → Cagliari (loan) | 14 | (8) | ||||||||||
| 2012–2014 | Cagliari | 49 | (14) | ||||||||||
| 2014–2015 | Genoa | 12 | (3) | ||||||||||
| 2015 | → Atalanta (loan) | 14 | (6) | ||||||||||
| 2015–2016 | Atalanta | 24 | (6) | ||||||||||
| 2017 | Genoa | 12 | (0) | ||||||||||
| 2017–2018 | Universidad de Chile | 21 | (14) | ||||||||||
| 2019–2021 | Coquimbo Unido | 26 | (8) | ||||||||||
| Total | 332 | (135) | |||||||||||
| National team | |||||||||||||
| 2001 | Chile U17 | 3 | (5) | ||||||||||
| 2003 | Chile U20 | 3 | (1) | ||||||||||
| 2003–2016 | Chile | 45 | (8) | ||||||||||
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Honours
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Mauricio Ricardo Pinilla Ferrera (born February 4, 1984) is a former professional football player from Chile. He was known for playing as a striker, which means he was a forward player whose main job was to score goals.
Pinilla started his career in Chile with Universidad de Chile. When he was 19, he moved to Europe to play for Inter Milan in Italy. However, he didn't play any games for Inter Milan. Instead, he played for many different teams in five different countries, mostly in Italy.
He also played for the Chile national team from 2003 to 2016. He represented his country in the 2014 FIFA World Cup and two Copa América tournaments. He helped Chile win the Copa América in 2015 and the Copa América Centenario in 2016.
Contents
Club Career Highlights
Starting in Chile and Moving to Europe
Mauricio Pinilla was born in Santiago, Chile. He began his football journey at Club Universidad de Chile. In 2003, when he was still young, he signed a five-year contract with the famous Italian club Inter Milan.
However, Inter Milan immediately loaned him to another Italian team, AC ChievoVerona. After that, he was loaned again to RC Celta de Vigo in Spain. During this time, he didn't score any goals in 12 league games.
Playing for Many Teams
In July 2004, Pinilla moved to Sporting CP in Portugal. He scored five goals in his first season there, including three goals in one game against S.C. Braga. But he still found it hard to settle down with one team.
He was loaned out again in January 2006 to Racing de Santander in Spain, where he scored one goal. In the 2006–07 season, he was loaned to Hearts in Scotland. His time there was difficult because of injuries, so he didn't play much. In February 2007, he returned to Club Universidad de Chile for a short loan.
Pinilla went back to Hearts in 2007, but more injuries kept him from playing. In 2008, he joined CR Vasco da Gama in Brazil, and then Apollon Limassol FC in Cyprus.
Success Back in Italy
In August 2009, Pinilla returned to Italy and joined FC Grosseto SSD in Serie B, which is Italy's second-highest football league. Here, his career really took off! He scored an amazing 24 goals in 24 games. He even set a league record by scoring in 12 games in a row. He ended the season as the second-highest scorer, even though he missed some games due to injuries.
Because of his great performance, US Città di Palermo signed him in June 2010. He continued to score important goals for Palermo. In January 2012, he was loaned to Cagliari Calcio in the top league, Serie A, and later joined them permanently.
In 2014, he moved to Genoa CFC. While on loan at Atalanta BC in 2015, Pinilla scored one of the best goals of the season with a bicycle kick. He scored five more goals for Atalanta, helping his team avoid being moved down to a lower league. In 2017, he returned to Genoa.
Returning Home and Retirement
On July 21, 2017, at 33 years old, Pinilla ended his contract with Genoa and returned to his first club, Club Universidad de Chile. He played there for a while before moving to Coquimbo Unido for two years.
Mauricio Pinilla officially retired from playing football in February 2021.
International Career
Mauricio Pinilla played for the Chile national team 45 times. He scored his first goal for Chile on March 30, 2003, in a friendly game against Peru, helping his team win 2–0. He was also the top scorer for Chile in the qualifiers for the 2006 FIFA World Cup.
After a break from the national team, he returned in August 2010.
Pinilla was chosen to play in the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil. He played his first game in the tournament on June 14, coming on as a substitute in a 3–1 win against Australia. He also played in the round-of-16 game against Brazil. In that game, his shot hit the crossbar in the final minutes, and he later missed a penalty kick during the shootout, which led to Chile being eliminated.
Pinilla was part of the Chilean team that won the 2015 Copa América on their home soil. This was Chile's first major international trophy! He also helped Chile win the Copa América Centenario in 2016. On March 29, 2016, he scored two goals in a 4–1 win against Venezuela during the qualifiers for the 2018 World Cup.
Life After Football
After retiring from playing, Mauricio Pinilla didn't leave the world of football. In March 2021, he joined ESPN Chile as a sports commentator and analyst. Later that same year, he moved to Televisión Nacional de Chile to host other TV shows that were not about football.
Personal Life
Mauricio Pinilla has a nephew named Felipe Miranda, who also played youth football for Colo-Colo.
Honours
Chile
See also
In Spanish: Mauricio Pinilla para niños
