Antony de Ávila
Encyclopedia
Ántony Wílliam de Ávila Charris (born December 21, 1962 in Santa Marta, Colombia) is a former Colombia
n soccer striker
, who last played for América de Cali
.
in his native Colombia, the MetroStars
of Major League Soccer
, Unión de Santa Fe
of Argentina
and Barcelona SC of Ecuador
. His 25 goals for América in 1990 led Colombia. He is the top scorer in the history of América de Cali
, with 203 goals, making him one of the fans' idols. De Ávila scored 29 goals during his career in Copa Libertadores making him the 6th highest scoring player
in the history of the tournament. In summer of 2009, De Ávila has returned into competition at the age of 46, with his original club America de Cali.
De Ávila's MLS career spanned a season and a half, as he joined the Metros midway through the 1996 season as a replacement for colossal disappointment Rubén Darío Hernández
. With the club playing on AstroTurf
for parts of the season, El Pitufo was surprisingly adept at what was called "ping-pong soccer". He scored 15 goals and added 11 assists in his time in the league, plus another two goals and an assist in the playoffs.
between 1983 and 1998. He played for his country in the 1994 and 1998 FIFA World Cup
s. De Ávila made his senior debut on July 26, 1983.
") or El Pipa, he was known as much for his short height of 1.57m (5 ft 3 in) as for his goal-scoring prowess.
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
n soccer striker
Striker
Forwards, also known as strikers, are the players on a team in association football who play nearest to the opposing team's goal, and are therefore principally responsible for scoring goals...
, who last played for América de Cali
América de Cali
Corporación Deportiva América, commonly known as América de Cali or simply América is a Colombian football club based in Cali. They currently play in the Categoría Primera A, the top-flight professional league in the country....
.
Career
De Ávila spent his career with four clubs: América de CaliAmérica de Cali
Corporación Deportiva América, commonly known as América de Cali or simply América is a Colombian football club based in Cali. They currently play in the Categoría Primera A, the top-flight professional league in the country....
in his native Colombia, the MetroStars
Metrostars
Metrostar may refer to:*New York Red Bulls, formerly called the "MetroStars", a soccer team from New York*Manila Metro Rail Transit System, popularly called "The Metrostar Express", a part of the metropolitan rail system in Manila...
of Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer is a professional soccer league based in the United States and sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation . The league is composed of 19 teams — 16 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada...
, Unión de Santa Fe
Unión de Santa Fe
Club Atlético Unión is a sports club from Santa Fe, the capital city of the province with the same name in Argentina. The club, founded in 1907, has a strong rivalry with Colón de Santa Fe....
of Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
and Barcelona SC of Ecuador
Ecuador
Ecuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...
. His 25 goals for América in 1990 led Colombia. He is the top scorer in the history of América de Cali
América de Cali
Corporación Deportiva América, commonly known as América de Cali or simply América is a Colombian football club based in Cali. They currently play in the Categoría Primera A, the top-flight professional league in the country....
, with 203 goals, making him one of the fans' idols. De Ávila scored 29 goals during his career in Copa Libertadores making him the 6th highest scoring player
Copa Libertadores de América Topscorers
This is a year-by-year and all-time list of topscorers in the Copa Libertadores football tournament. Alberto Spencer is the all-time goalscorer record of the Copa Libertadores with 54 goals...
in the history of the tournament. In summer of 2009, De Ávila has returned into competition at the age of 46, with his original club America de Cali.
De Ávila's MLS career spanned a season and a half, as he joined the Metros midway through the 1996 season as a replacement for colossal disappointment Rubén Darío Hernández
Rubén Darío Hernández
Rubén Darío Hernández is a former Colombian football striker, one of the leading scorers in his country's history, and one of the early busts of Major League Soccer....
. With the club playing on AstroTurf
AstroTurf
AstroTurf is a brand of artificial turf. Although the term is a registered trademark, it is sometimes used as a generic description of any kind of artificial turf. The original AstroTurf product was a short pile synthetic turf while the current products incorporate modern features such as...
for parts of the season, El Pitufo was surprisingly adept at what was called "ping-pong soccer". He scored 15 goals and added 11 assists in his time in the league, plus another two goals and an assist in the playoffs.
International career
De Ávila also scored 13 in 54 appearances for the Colombia national teamColombia national football team
The Colombian national football team represents Colombia in international football competitions and is controlled by the Colombian Football Federation. It is a member of the CONMEBOL...
between 1983 and 1998. He played for his country in the 1994 and 1998 FIFA World Cup
1998 FIFA World Cup
The 1998 FIFA World Cup, the 16th FIFA World Cup, was held in France from 10 June to 12 July 1998. France was chosen as host nation by FIFA on 2 July 1992. The tournament was won by France, who beat Brazil 3-0 in the final...
s. De Ávila made his senior debut on July 26, 1983.
Personal
Nicknamed El Pitufo ("The SmurfThe Smurfs
The Smurfs is a comic and television franchise centred on a group of small blue fictional creatures called Smurfs, created and first introduced as a series of comic strips by the Belgian cartoonist Peyo on October 23, 1958...
") or El Pipa, he was known as much for his short height of 1.57m (5 ft 3 in) as for his goal-scoring prowess.
External links
- Career statistics at National Football Teams