Noel Valladares facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Noel Valladares

Valladares with Honduras in 2014
Personal information
Full name	Noel Eduardo Valladares Bonilla
Date of birth	(1977-05-03) 3 May 1977 (age 48)
Place of birth	Comayagua, Honduras
Height	1.79 m (5 ft 10+1⁄2 in)
Playing position	Goalkeeper
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1997–2005	Motagua	368	(3)
2005–2016	Olimpia	427	(0)
Total		795	(3)
National team
2000–2016	Honduras	135	(0)
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Noel Eduardo Valladares Bonilla (born May 3, 1977) is a famous former football goalkeeper from Honduras. He played for the Liga Nacional team Olimpia for many years.

Noel Valladares is one of the players who has played the most games for the Honduras national team. He is the third most capped footballer of all time for his country. Only Amado Guevara and Maynor Figueroa have played more games than him.

Playing for Football Clubs

Noel Valladares began his football journey at a local club called Real Comayagua. He started playing professionally in 1997 with F.C. Motagua.

A Goalkeeper Who Played as a Striker?

In 2003, something very unusual happened! Noel was a goalkeeper for Motagua. But during a big game against Olimpia, many players on his team got hurt. Noel, who was usually a goalkeeper, had to play as a striker! He even scored a goal with his head. After that, he played a few more games as a striker before going back to being a goalkeeper.

Moving to Olimpia and Retirement

After playing for Motagua, Noel Valladares joined Olimpia in 2005. He played for Olimpia for many years, becoming a key player for the team.

On November 7, 2016, Noel announced that he would stop playing professional football. His last game was on December 4, 2016. It was a semifinal match against Motagua in the Apertura 2016 tournament. After 19 years of playing, he officially retired.

Playing for His Country: Honduras

Noel Valladares also had a great career playing for the Honduras national team.

Early International Games

He was part of the national team that played in the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia. Before that, he played both as a goalkeeper and a forward for Honduras at the 1999 Pan American Games in Winnipeg.

World Cup Appearances

Noel made his first game for the senior Honduras team in June 2000. It was a FIFA World Cup qualification match against Haiti. He played in 46 World Cup qualification matches throughout his career.

He was the first-choice goalkeeper for Honduras for over 10 years. He helped Honduras qualify for the 2010 FIFA World Cup finals. In South Africa, he played in all three of Honduras's games. He was even named the Man of the Match in the game against Switzerland.

Captain and Awards

Noel Valladares earned a total of 135 caps (games played) for Honduras. He became the third Honduran player to reach 100 international games. In 2010, he became the captain of the Honduras national team, taking over from Amado Guevara.

His teammates sometimes called him The Secret because he was quite shy off the field. In 2011, he won the "Best Goalkeeper" award at the 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup. He also won awards for the 3rd and 4th best saves in that same tournament.

Achievements and Awards

Club Trophies

C.D. Olimpia

• Liga Profesional de Honduras (9 times):
  • 2005–06 Apertura
  • 2005–06 Clausura
  • 2007–08 Clausura
  • 2008–09 Clausura
  • 2009–10 Clausura
  • 2011–12 Apertura
  • 2011–12 Clausura
  • 2012–13 Apertura
  • 2012–13 Clausura

F.C. Motagua

• Liga Profesional de Honduras (5 times):
  • 1997–98 Apertura
  • 1997–98 Clausura
  • 1999–00 Apertura
  • 1999–00 Clausura
  • 2001–02 Apertura
• Honduran Super Cup (1 time):
  • 1997–98

International Trophies

Honduras

• Copa Centroamericana (1 time):
  • 2011
• CONCACAF Men's Olympic Qualifying Tournament (1 time):
  • 2000

Individual Awards

• Best Goalkeeper Award of CONCACAF Gold Cup (1 time): 2011
• CONCACAF Gold Cup Best Save: 2011 (3rd and 4th place)
• Man of The Match in 2010 FIFA World Cup vs. Switzerland
• Best Goalkeeper Award of Liga Profesional de Honduras (3 times):
  • 2006–07 Clausura
  • 2007–08 Apertura
  • 2007–08 Clausura

See also

In Spanish: Noel Valladares para niños

• List of men's footballers with 100 or more international caps