Wílmer López facts for kids
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Wilmer López Arguedas | ||
| Date of birth | 3 August 1971 | ||
| Place of birth | Alajuela, Costa Rica | ||
| Height | 1.69 m (5 ft 6+1⁄2 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Carmelita | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1992–1993 | Carmelita | (2) | |
| 1993–1998 | Alajuelense | 238 | (46) |
| 1998 | Tolima | 0 | (0) |
| 1998–2007 | Alajuelense | 240 | (34) |
| 2007–2008 | Pérez Zeledón | 14 | (1) |
| 2008–2009 | Carmelita | 18 | (1) |
| Total | 550 | ||
| International career | |||
| 1995–2003 | Costa Rica | 76 | (6) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2010–2011 | Jacó Rays | ||
| 2017– | Alajuelense | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Wilmer López Arguedas, born on August 3, 1971, is a famous retired football player from Costa Rica. He is known as one of the greatest players ever for the Alajuelense football club.
Contents
Wilmer López: A Football Star
Wilmer López started his professional football journey in the Costa Rican First Division. His first game was on January 5, 1992, with the team Carmelita. He even scored his first goal in that very match!
Playing for Alajuelense
Soon after, in 1993, Wilmer López joined Alajuelense. He quickly became a fan favorite. He played for the club for 13 seasons, which is a very long time! During his time there, he helped the team win many important titles:
- 7 Costa Rican Championships
- 3 Copa Interclubes UNCAF championships
- 1 CONCACAF Champions' Cup
He was even part of the amazing team that won four national championships in a row, from 1999 to 2003.
"El Pato" and "El Ingeniero"
Wilmer López had two cool nicknames: El Pato (The Duck) and El Ingeniero (The Engineer). He was called "The Engineer" because he was incredibly good at creating plays on the field. He could make amazing short and long passes. His quick thinking made him one of the best midfielders in the region during the 1990s and early 2000s.
He was named the best player in the national tournament for two seasons. After a short time playing for Deportes Tolima in Colombia, he returned to Costa Rica and continued to shine.
Later Career and Fan Love
After 2003, Wilmer López faced some injuries. Even though he wasn't always at his peak, fans still loved him. When his contract with Alajuelense ended in 2007, it was a sad day for many supporters.
He later played for Pérez Zeledón. Whenever he played against his old team at the Alejandro Morera Soto stadium, the fans would cheer for him. This showed how much they still admired him. In total, Wilmer López played 550 league games in his career.
Wilmer López: Playing for Costa Rica
Wilmer López also played for the Costa Rican national team. His first game for his country was in August 1995 against Japan.
World Cup and Other Tournaments
He played in a total of 76 international games for Costa Rica and scored 6 goals. He helped his country in 22 FIFA World Cup qualification matches. A big highlight was when he played in all three games for Costa Rica at the 2002 FIFA World Cup in Korea and Japan.
He also represented Costa Rica in several other important tournaments:
- 1995 UNCAF Nations Cup
- 1997 UNCAF Nations Cup
- 1998 CONCACAF Gold Cup
- 2000 CONCACAF Gold Cup
- 2002 CONCACAF Gold Cup
- 2003 CONCACAF Gold Cup
- 1997 Copa América
His last international game was in July 2003, during a 2003 CONCACAF Gold Cup match against the United States.
International Goals for Costa Rica
Here are the goals Wilmer López scored for the Costa Rican national team:
| Goal | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 1 December 1996 | Estadio Ricardo Saprissa Aymá, San José, Costa Rica |  United States |
2–0 | 2–1 | 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 2. | 23 April 1997 | Estadio Mateo Flores, Guatemala City, Guatemala |  Honduras |
3–0 | 4–0 | 1997 UNCAF Nations Cup |
| 3. | 28 January 1998 | Estadio Alejandro Morera Soto, Alajuela, Costa Rica |  Trinidad and Tobago |
4–0 | 4–0 | Friendly match |
| 4. | 4 February 1998 | LA Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, United States |  Cuba |
3–0 | 7–2 | 1998 CONCACAF Gold Cup |
| 5. | 4 February 1998 | LA Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, United States | Cuba |
5–0 | 7–2 | 1998 CONCACAF Gold Cup |
| 6. | 26 January 2000 | Estadio Ricardo Saprissa Aymá, San José, Costa Rica | Trinidad and Tobago |
1–1 | 2–1 | Friendly match |
Retirement from Football
On July 22, 2009, Wilmer López played his final football match. It was a special game with Alajuelense against a team of his friends. He played one half with his friends and the other half with his beloved Alajuelense team.
His retirement day showed how much fans adored him. Many fans, especially from "La 12" (the official fan group), rushed onto the field. They carried him on their shoulders for a long time, celebrating his amazing career.
Wilmer López: Family Life
Wilmer López is married to Alejandra López. They have two sons and one daughter.
See also
In Spanish: Wilmer López para niños
