Carlos Cuéllar
Encyclopedia
Carlos Javier Cuéllar Jiménez (born 23 August 1981) is a Spanish
footballer who plays for Aston Villa
. He is primarily a central defender, but can also operate as a right-back.
, Cuéllar began his career in Madrid playing at regional teams like C.D.Pegaso and San Federico, to sign below for fourth level
side CD Calahorra
, upgrading two levels
in 2001, as he joined CD Numancia
.
He spent two seasons at Soria
and, after a solid second year, moved to CA Osasuna
in the top level
. He became an important part of the Javier Aguirre
side that reached the Copa del Rey
final in 2005
and finished fourth in the league in the following season, thus qualifying for the UEFA Champions League
.
As Osasuna "dropped" to the UEFA Cup
Cuéllar, by then not an automatic first-choice in the league, played seven times in European competition
, as the Navarre
se reached the semifinals. He scored twice, notably in the 3–0 win at the BayArena
against Bayer 04 Leverkusen in April 2007, which was the fastest goal of the tournament that season.
club Rangers
made two offers for Cuéllar in June 2007 that were rejected by Osasuna, but the eventual transfer was completed on 5 July, for a fee of £2.37 million. He signed a four-year contract, worth a reported £15,000 per week, and made his competitive Rangers debut against FK Zeta
on 31 July 2007, in a 2–0 victory. After impressing early in the season, Cuéllar was awarded the Clydesdale Bank Premier League
Player of the Month award for August 2007. He scored his first Rangers goal on September 1, 2007, during a 4–0 defeat of Gretna FC
.
Cuéllar continued to play well for Rangers, but he was sent off during a critical Old Firm
match for handling a goal-bound Shunsuke Nakamura
shot. The resultant penalty kick
was saved by Allan McGregor
. As personal reward for what was an outstanding season, Cuéllar collected the Clydesdale Bank SPL Player of the Year award and was named the Scottish Football Writers Associations Player of the Year
. At the event, he was quoted as saying "I want to stay at Rangers for life." Following the departure of Thomas Buffel
during the summer, Cuéllar was handed the number 4 shirt for the 2008–09 season
, but never wore it as he was injured for the first game against Falkirk
and transferred to Aston Villa
just days later. He made a total of 65 appearances for Rangers, a club record for a single season, and scored five goals.
first round victory against PFC Litex Lovech
in Bulgaria
. His first Premier League appearance for Aston Villa was in the West Midlands Derby match against West Bromwich Albion on 21 September. Cuéllar came on as a late substitute in a match which Villa won 2–1. His first league start came against Portsmouth
on 19 October 2008, where he however operated as a right-back. Most of Cuéllar's league appearances during his first season were in that position, due to the good form in the central partnership of Curtis Davies
and Martin Laursen
.
Cuéllar performed for Villa at the 2009 Peace Cup
in his homeland
. He went on to score the winning penalty in the final where Juventus
went down 4–3 in a shootout to Aston Villa.
He scored his first goal for Villa against Bolton Wanderers on 7 November 2009 at Villa Park
. His second goal for the Villa came against Manchester United on 10 February 2010, opening the scoring with a header.
Villa accepted an offer from Cuellar's old club Glasgow Rangers in the summer of 2011 but the player refused to take a wage cut and the move broke down. Cuellar then insisted that he had no desire to leave Villa Park.
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
footballer who plays for Aston Villa
Aston Villa F.C.
Aston Villa Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Witton, Birmingham. The club was founded in 1874 and have played at their current home ground, Villa Park, since 1897. Aston Villa were founder members of The Football League in 1888. They were also founder...
. He is primarily a central defender, but can also operate as a right-back.
Early career
Born in MadridMadrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
, Cuéllar began his career in Madrid playing at regional teams like C.D.Pegaso and San Federico, to sign below for fourth level
Tercera División
Tercera División is the fourth level of the Spanish football league system. The top three are the Primera División, often referred to as "La Liga" in English, the Segunda División, and Segunda División B.-Current Format:...
side CD Calahorra
CD Calahorra
Club Deportivo Calahorra is a Spanish football team based in Calahorra, in the autonomous community of La Rioja. Founded in 1946, it plays in Tercera División - Group 16, holding home games at the Estadio La Planilla, with a capacity of 4,500 seats....
, upgrading two levels
Segunda División
The Segunda División is the lower tier of the two professional football leagues in Spain. From the season 2008-09 onwards, the name of the league is Liga Adelante.-History:...
in 2001, as he joined CD Numancia
CD Numancia
Club Deportivo Numancia de Soria, S.A.D. is a Spanish football club based in Soria, in the autonomous community of Castile and León. Founded on 9 April 1945, it plays in Segunda División, holding home games at Nuevo Estadio Los Pajaritos, with a 10,200-seat capacity.Besides football it has other...
.
He spent two seasons at Soria
Soria
Soria is a city in north-central Spain, the capital of the province of Soria in the autonomous community of Castile and León. , the municipality has a population of c. 39,500 inhabitants, nearly 40% of the population of the province...
and, after a solid second year, moved to CA Osasuna
CA Osasuna
Club Atlético Osasuna, known as Osasuna, is a Spanish football team based in Iruñea-Pamplona, in the autonomous community of Navarre.Founded in 1920, it currently plays in the Spanish first division, holding home games at the 19,553-capacity Estadio Reyno de Navarra...
in the top level
La Liga
The Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...
. He became an important part of the Javier Aguirre
Javier Aguirre
Javier Aguirre Onaindía , popularly nicknamed El Vasco , is a Mexican football manager and former midfielder. He was also a member of the Mexico national team and later became manager in two different occasions, but resigned after the 2010 FIFA World Cup...
side that reached the Copa del Rey
Copa del Rey
The Copa del Rey is an annual football cup competition for Spanish football teams. Its full name is Campeonato de España – Copa de Su Majestad el Rey de Fútbol ....
final in 2005
Copa del Rey 2004-05
The Copa del Rey 2004–05 is the 101st staging of the Copa del Rey.The competition started on September 1, 2004 and concluded on June 1, 2005 with the Final, held at the Estadio Vicente Calderón in Madrid, in which Real Betis lifted the trophy for the first time since 1977 with a 2–1 victory over CA...
and finished fourth in the league in the following season, thus qualifying for the UEFA Champions League
UEFA Champions League 2006-07
The 2006–07 UEFA Champions League was the 15th season of UEFA's premier European club football tournament, the UEFA Champions League, since it was rebranded from the European Cup, and the 52nd season overall. The final was contested by Milan and Liverpool on 23 May 2007...
.
As Osasuna "dropped" to the UEFA Cup
UEFA Cup 2006-07
The 2006–07 UEFA Cup was the 36th UEFA Cup, Europe's second tier club football tournament. On 16 May 2007, at Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland, Sevilla won their second consecutive UEFA Cup, defeating Espanyol 3–1 on penalties after the match finished 2–2 after extra time...
Cuéllar, by then not an automatic first-choice in the league, played seven times in European competition
UEFA
The Union of European Football Associations , almost always referred to by its acronym UEFA is the administrative and controlling body for European association football, futsal and beach soccer....
, as the Navarre
Navarre
Navarre , officially the Chartered Community of Navarre is an autonomous community in northern Spain, bordering the Basque Country, La Rioja, and Aragon in Spain and Aquitaine in France...
se reached the semifinals. He scored twice, notably in the 3–0 win at the BayArena
BayArena
The BayArena is a football stadium in Leverkusen, Germany, which has been the home ground of Bundesliga club Bayer Leverkusen since 1958.-History:...
against Bayer 04 Leverkusen in April 2007, which was the fastest goal of the tournament that season.
Rangers
ScottishScotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
club Rangers
Rangers F.C.
Rangers Football Club are an association football club based in Glasgow, Scotland, who play in the Scottish Premier League. The club are nicknamed the Gers, Teddy Bears and the Light Blues, and the fans are known to each other as bluenoses...
made two offers for Cuéllar in June 2007 that were rejected by Osasuna, but the eventual transfer was completed on 5 July, for a fee of £2.37 million. He signed a four-year contract, worth a reported £15,000 per week, and made his competitive Rangers debut against FK Zeta
FK Zeta
FK Zeta is a football club from Montenegro. It is based in Golubovci, a suburb of Podgorica.- History :The club was formed in 1927 as FK Danica. In 1945 it was renamed to FK Napredak. In 1955 it was renamed to FK Zeta....
on 31 July 2007, in a 2–0 victory. After impressing early in the season, Cuéllar was awarded the Clydesdale Bank Premier League
Scottish Premier League
The Scottish Premier League , also known as the SPL , is a professional league competition for association football clubs in Scotland...
Player of the Month award for August 2007. He scored his first Rangers goal on September 1, 2007, during a 4–0 defeat of Gretna FC
Gretna F.C.
Gretna Football Club was a Scottish football club that represented the town of Gretna, Dumfries and Galloway, close to the border between England and Scotland...
.
Cuéllar continued to play well for Rangers, but he was sent off during a critical Old Firm
Old Firm
The Old Firm is a common collective name for the association football clubs Celtic and Rangers, both based in Glasgow, Scotland.The origin of the term is unclear. One theory has it that the expression derives from Celtic's first game in 1888, which was played against Rangers. However, author,...
match for handling a goal-bound Shunsuke Nakamura
Shunsuke Nakamura
is a Japanese footballer who currently plays for Yokohama F. Marinos in J. League Division 1. He is one of the most prominent and successful Asian players to have played in Scotland and on 13 September 2006 became the first Japanese player to score in the UEFA Champions League and the second Asian...
shot. The resultant penalty kick
Penalty kick
A penalty kick is a type of direct free kick in association football, taken from twelve yards out from goal and with only the goalkeeper of the defending team between the penalty taker and the goal.Penalty kicks are performed during normal play...
was saved by Allan McGregor
Allan McGregor
Allan James McGregor is a Scottish association footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Rangers and the Scotland national team...
. As personal reward for what was an outstanding season, Cuéllar collected the Clydesdale Bank SPL Player of the Year award and was named the Scottish Football Writers Associations Player of the Year
SFWA Footballer of the Year
The Scottish Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year is an annual award given to the player who is adjudged to have been the best of the season in Scottish football...
. At the event, he was quoted as saying "I want to stay at Rangers for life." Following the departure of Thomas Buffel
Thomas Buffel
Thomas Buffel is a Belgian footballer who plays for Jupiler League side RC Genk. He is an attacking midfielder and can play as a striker...
during the summer, Cuéllar was handed the number 4 shirt for the 2008–09 season
2008-09 in Scottish football
The 2008–09 season was the 112th season of competitive football in Scotland.-Overview:* Hamilton Academical competed in the Scottish Premier League for the first time, their first season in the top-flight since the 1988–89 season, after being promoted as First Division champions the...
, but never wore it as he was injured for the first game against Falkirk
Falkirk F.C.
Falkirk Football Club is a Scottish professional football club based in Falkirk. It is one of two professional football teams from the town, the other being East Stirlingshire...
and transferred to Aston Villa
Aston Villa F.C.
Aston Villa Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Witton, Birmingham. The club was founded in 1874 and have played at their current home ground, Villa Park, since 1897. Aston Villa were founder members of The Football League in 1888. They were also founder...
just days later. He made a total of 65 appearances for Rangers, a club record for a single season, and scored five goals.
Aston Villa
On 12 August 2008, Aston Villa signed Cuéllar in a deal worth £7.8 million on a four-year contract. Villa's offer had triggered a release-clause in Cuéllar's contract with Rangers. He was given the squad number 24, which he also wore at his previous club. Cuéllar made his official first team début on 18 September in the 3–1 UEFA CupUEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
first round victory against PFC Litex Lovech
PFC Litex Lovech
PFC Litex Lovech or simply Litex is a Bulgarian football club from the town of Lovech, which currently competes in the Bulgarian A Professional Football Group, the top division of Bulgarian football...
in Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
. His first Premier League appearance for Aston Villa was in the West Midlands Derby match against West Bromwich Albion on 21 September. Cuéllar came on as a late substitute in a match which Villa won 2–1. His first league start came against Portsmouth
Portsmouth F.C.
Portsmouth Football Club is an English football club based in the city of Portsmouth. The club is nicknamed Pompey. Portsmouth's home matches have been played at Fratton Park since the club's formation in 1898. The team currently play in the Football League Championship after being relegated from...
on 19 October 2008, where he however operated as a right-back. Most of Cuéllar's league appearances during his first season were in that position, due to the good form in the central partnership of Curtis Davies
Curtis Davies
Curtis Eugene Davies is an English professional footballer who plays as a central defender for Birmingham City. Davies has previously played for Luton Town, where he began his career, West Bromwich Albion, Aston Villa and Leicester City....
and Martin Laursen
Martin Laursen
Martin Laursen is a Danish former footballer who played in the centre back position. He played three seasons for Italian club AC Milan, with whom he won the 2003 UEFA Champions League and the 2004 Serie A championship. He also played for Italian clubs Hellas Verona and Parma FC, and was the team...
.
Cuéllar performed for Villa at the 2009 Peace Cup
2009 Peace Cup
The 2009 Peace Cup Andalucia was an invitational friendly football tournament. It was the 4th edition of Peace Cup and was held in Spain from 24 July to 2 August in the cities of Madrid, Seville, Málaga, Jerez and Huelva. It was the first time that the tournament has been hosted by a nation other...
in his homeland
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. He went on to score the winning penalty in the final where Juventus
Juventus F.C.
Juventus Football Club S.p.A. , commonly referred to as Juventus and colloquially as Juve , are a professional Italian association football club based in Turin, Piedmont...
went down 4–3 in a shootout to Aston Villa.
He scored his first goal for Villa against Bolton Wanderers on 7 November 2009 at Villa Park
Villa Park
Villa Park may mean:United Kingdom* Villa Park, an association football stadium in Birmingham, EnglandUnited States* Villa Park, California, a small city in Orange County* Villa Park, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago in DuPage County...
. His second goal for the Villa came against Manchester United on 10 February 2010, opening the scoring with a header.
Villa accepted an offer from Cuellar's old club Glasgow Rangers in the summer of 2011 but the player refused to take a wage cut and the move broke down. Cuellar then insisted that he had no desire to leave Villa Park.
Rangers F.C
- Scottish League CupScottish League CupThe Scottish League Cup is a football competition open to all Scottish Football League and Scottish Premier League clubs. At present it is also known as the Scottish Communities League Cup owing to the sponsorship deal in place with the Scottish Government. In the past it has been sponsored by...
: 2007–08Scottish League Cup 2007-08The 2007–08 Scottish League Cup was the 62nd staging of the Scotland's second most prestigious football knockout competition, also known for sponsorship reasons as the CIS Insurance Cup.... - Scottish CupScottish CupThe Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,, commonly known as the Scottish Cup or the William Hill Scottish Cup for sponsorship purposes, is the main national cup competition in Scottish football. It is a knockout cup competition run by and named after the Scottish Football Association.The...
: 2007–08Scottish Cup 2007-08The 2007–08 Scottish Cup was the 123rd season of Scotland's most prestigious football knockout competition. The winners were Rangers, who defeated Queen of the South in the final.... - UEFA CupUEFA CupThe UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
: Runner-up: 2007–08
Individual
- Clydesdale Bank SPL Player of the Year: 2007–082007-08 in Scottish footballThe 2007-08 season was the 111th season of competitive football in Scotland.-Overview:* Gretna were competing in the Scottish Premier League for the first time, their first ever season in the top-flight, after being promoted as First Division champions the previous season.* Dunfermline Athletic...
- SFWA Footballer of the YearSFWA Footballer of the YearThe Scottish Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year is an annual award given to the player who is adjudged to have been the best of the season in Scottish football...
: 2007–082007-08 in Scottish footballThe 2007-08 season was the 111th season of competitive football in Scotland.-Overview:* Gretna were competing in the Scottish Premier League for the first time, their first ever season in the top-flight, after being promoted as First Division champions the previous season.* Dunfermline Athletic...