Félix Borja
Encyclopedia
Félix Alexander Borja Valencia (born April 2, 1983) is an Ecuador
ian footballer, who currently plays for CF Pachuca in the Primera División Mexicana.
of Ecuador
. His transfer to Greek league champions Olympiakos made him the first Ecuadorian player to play for a Greek team.
Borja was declared Copa Libertadores de América
's joint top goalscorer
two months after his transfer to Olympiacos.
He is nicknamed the "kangaroo
", for the spring in his jump. His height makes it easy to score goals for his club and country.
Due to his sub-standard performances for Olympiacos in his first season, as well as the fact that he occupies a non-EU player spot at his current team's roster, Olympiacos had the desire at the end of the 2006-07 season to sell him or loan him for the upcoming season. Due to that decision by the club, Borja was loaned out to German club FSV Mainz 05 for the 2007/08 season. At the end of the season, Mainz signed him permanently. Having limited success, especially after Mainz earned promotion to the Bundesliga, he transferred to the Mexican club Puebla F.C.
for the 2006 FIFA World Cup
, despite his relative inexperience. He played in several of the 2006 FIFA World Cup qualifying matches
for the Ecuadorian national team, including the game against Uruguay
which confirmed their passage to Germany 06
. He made only one appearance for his country on the world's biggest stage against Germany
, where they were defeated 3-0.
He featured in friendlies after the FIFA World Cup
, even scoring against Brazil
in an October 2006 friendly in Sweden
. He was called up to the Ecuador squad
for the 2007 Copa America, and started in the final group game against Brazil
.
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...
ian footballer, who currently plays for CF Pachuca in the Primera División Mexicana.
Club career
Felix Borja previously played for El NacionalClub Deportivo El Nacional
Club Deportivo "El Nacional" is a Ecuadorian sports club from Quito, known best for their professional football team. The team currently plays in the Serie A, the top-flight football league in the country....
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 transfer to Greek league champions Olympiakos made him the first Ecuadorian player to play for a Greek team.
Borja was declared Copa Libertadores de América
Copa Libertadores de América
The Copa Santander Libertadores de América , known simply as the Copa Libertadores and originally known as the Copa Campeones de América , is an annual international club football competition organized by CONMEBOL since 1960...
's joint top goalscorer
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...
two months after his transfer to Olympiacos.
He is nicknamed the "kangaroo
Kangaroo
A kangaroo is a marsupial from the family Macropodidae . In common use the term is used to describe the largest species from this family, especially those of the genus Macropus, Red Kangaroo, Antilopine Kangaroo, Eastern Grey Kangaroo and Western Grey Kangaroo. Kangaroos are endemic to the country...
", for the spring in his jump. His height makes it easy to score goals for his club and country.
Due to his sub-standard performances for Olympiacos in his first season, as well as the fact that he occupies a non-EU player spot at his current team's roster, Olympiacos had the desire at the end of the 2006-07 season to sell him or loan him for the upcoming season. Due to that decision by the club, Borja was loaned out to German club FSV Mainz 05 for the 2007/08 season. At the end of the season, Mainz signed him permanently. Having limited success, especially after Mainz earned promotion to the Bundesliga, he transferred to the Mexican club Puebla F.C.
International career
He was included in the Ecuadorian national teamEcuador national football team
The Ecuadorian national football team represents Ecuador in international football competitions and is controlled by the Ecuadorian Football Federation. They generally play official home matches at Estadio Olímpico Atahualpa in Quito, but often play friendlies in other stadiums around the country...
for the 2006 FIFA World Cup
2006 FIFA World Cup
The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which won the right to host the event in July 2000. Teams representing 198 national football associations from all six...
, despite his relative inexperience. He played in several of the 2006 FIFA World Cup qualifying matches
2006 FIFA World Cup qualification (CONMEBOL)
Listed below are the dates and results for the 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification rounds for South America. 10 teams took part, all in a single group. The rules were very simple: the teams would play against each other in a home-and-away basis, with the four teams with most points qualifying to...
for the Ecuadorian national team, including the game against Uruguay
Uruguay national football team
The Uruguayan national football team represents Uruguay in international association football and is controlled by the Uruguayan Football Association, the governing body for football in Uruguay. The current head coach is Óscar Tabárez...
which confirmed their passage to Germany 06
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
. He made only one appearance for his country on the world's biggest stage against Germany
Germany national football team
The Germany national football team is the football team that has represented Germany in international competition since 1908. It is governed by the German Football Association , which was founded in 1900....
, where they were defeated 3-0.
He featured in friendlies after the FIFA World Cup
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
, even scoring against Brazil
Brazil national football team
The Brazil national football team represents Brazil in international men's football and is controlled by the Brazilian Football Confederation , the governing body for football in Brazil. They are a member of the International Federation of Association Football since 1923 and also a member of the...
in an October 2006 friendly in Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
. He was called up to the Ecuador squad
Ecuador national football team
The Ecuadorian national football team represents Ecuador in international football competitions and is controlled by the Ecuadorian Football Federation. They generally play official home matches at Estadio Olímpico Atahualpa in Quito, but often play friendlies in other stadiums around the country...
for the 2007 Copa America, and started in the final group game against Brazil
Brazil national football team
The Brazil national football team represents Brazil in international men's football and is controlled by the Brazilian Football Confederation , the governing body for football in Brazil. They are a member of the International Federation of Association Football since 1923 and also a member of the...
.
Honours
- Serie A de Ecuador (2):
- 2005 CCampeonato Ecuatoriano de Fútbol Serie A 2005The 2005 Campeonato Ecuatoriano de Fútbol de la Serie A 2005, known as 2005 Copa Pílsener Serie A for sponsorship reasons, was the 48th season of the Serie A, the top level of professional football in Ecuador. The season was divided into two tournaments, called the Apertura and Clausura, with the...
, 2006Campeonato Ecuatoriano de Fútbol Serie A 2006The 2006 Campeonato Ecuatoriano de Fútbol de la Serie A was the 48th season of Ecuador's Serie A, the country's top football tournament for the country's top league...
- 2005 C
- Super League GreeceSuper League GreeceThe Superleague Greece is the highest professional football league in Greece. It was formed on July 16, 2006 and replaced Alpha Ethniki at the top of the Greek football league system. The league consists of 16 teams and runs from August to May, with teams playing 30 games each...
(1):- 2006-07