Nolberto Solano
Encyclopedia
Nolberto Albino "Nobby" Solano Todco (born 12 December 1974) is a Peruvian footballer who plays for Hartlepool United
. He has spent much of his career in the English
Premier League and also played 95 times for Peru
between 1994 and 2009. He is a popular figure in his native Peru, where he is seen as one of the most famous Peruvians, appearing on a postage stamp
, telephone cards and having his wedding televised live.
His talents in football range from accurate crosses to accomplished dead-ball skills and he has traditionally played either on the right side of midfield, or as a right back during his career. He is the first choice player to take corner and direct free kicks. Solano is the first Peruvian to play in the Premier League and the FA Cup
Final. He is also an accomplished trumpet
player and has set up his own Salsa
band, The Geordie Latinos. He has described himself as an "adopted Geordie
."
, Peru
, Solano was the youngest of his family. His father, Albino, was in the Peruvian Navy, whilst his mother was a housewife who raised him, his four brothers and two sisters. He began playing football at a very early age in the streets of Callao.
Solano witnessed the Peru national football team
qualify for the 1978 FIFA World Cup
at the age of three and again qualify for the 1982 FIFA World Cup
at the age of seven. The second World Cup
he witnessed had the biggest effect on him. At that time he played a lot of football and his national team inspired him.
in 1992 at the age of 17. Towards the end of his first season at Sporting Cristal he signed a one year contract with Deportivo Municipal before returning to Cristal at the end of 1993. He was part of the famous Sporting Cristal
squad of the 1990s during which the club won the Peruvian Championship
in 1994, 1995 and 1996 and reached the finals of the 1997 Copa Libertadores. Along with Roberto Palacios
, Flavio Maestri
, Julinho
and Jorge Soto
, he was one of Sporting Cristal
's most recognized players of the era.
where he became a teammate of Diego Maradona
, who nicknamed Solano the 'Maestrito'.
for £2,480,000. Such was the interest in the little Peruvian that his first appearance in a black and white shirt for Newcastle reserves resulted in the kick off being delayed to accommodate the large crowd, many of whom had been delayed after a lorry had shed its load blocking one of the major routes into the city. Solano justified the turnout with a goal. His first team debut for Newcastle came in a Premier League match against Chelsea
on 22 August 1998, when he came on after 67 minutes as a substitute for goalscorer Andreas Andersson
. In June 2001, he signed a new five year contract with the club. A month later he scored what he later described as "the best goal of [his] career" with a solo effort against 1860 München
. He was sold in the January transfer window
of 2004 to Aston Villa
. During his first spell at Newcastle, he played in the 1999 FA Cup Final
.
in January 2004 for a fee of £1.5 million and signed a two-and-a-half year contract with the club. He made his debut in a 5–0 win over Leicester City
on 31 January 2004, Solano ended the 2004–05 season as top scorer and was elected the club's Player of the Year by the supporters, the local press and his teammates.
James Milner going the other way to Aston Villa on a season-long loan. He signed a two-year contract with the option for Newcastle to extend it for another year. In the 2006–07 season, injuries to right-back Stephen Carr
and others caused the Newcastle United manager Glenn Roeder
to play Solano at right-back instead of his usual right-wing position. However it was not an unfamiliar playing position to Solano, as he started his football career in defence and had featured at right-back for his country. With his contract due to expire at the end of the season, Roeder
revealed he was in talks to extend Solano's contract to the end of next season. Solano signed a new one-year contract at Newcastle in the summer of 2007, however a few months later he asked to leave the club so to move closer to his family, who had moved to London
.
in August 2007. He made his debut for West Ham in October 2007, coming on as a second half substitute in the 3–1 home win against Sunderland
, and was instrumental in West Ham's second goal, his shot being deflected into the Sunderland goal by goalkeeper, Craig Gordon
. His first goal for West Ham was a free-kick and the fifth goal in West Ham's 5–0 away win against Derby County
on 10 November 2007. In the last game of the season on 11 May 2008 Solano scored his second free-kick goal, against Aston Villa, the match ended 2–2. He was released by West Ham when his contract expired at the end of the 2007–08
season having scored four goals in 23 appearances.
playing for Larissa
. He then returned to Peru with Universitario de Deportes
and scored a crucial penalty against Alianza Lima
in the play-off for the Peruvian Primera División title, helping the team to a 2–0 aggregate victory to seal the clubs 25th league title.
, but was unable to agree a deal. He also spent a few days training at Newcastle United in January 2010 in the hopes of earning a contract. Manager Chris Hughton
later said on 30 January that Solano "is a good player but he came here very much to train."
after a brief trial period, reuniting with Nigel Pearson
, who had been assistant manager at Newcastle. Solano said he wanted "to be part of getting the club back in the Premier League." He was given international clearance to play for Leicester on 28 January, and he made his debut as an 84th minute substitute in a 0–0 draw against his former club Newcastle at the Walkers Stadium
on 30 January, to an enthusiastic reception from both sets of fans. He played his first full game in a 1–0 win over Crystal Palace
on 16 March. Solano played a total of eleven league games, scoring in a 4–3 penalty shootout defeat to Cardiff City
in the Championship play-off
semi-final second leg. It was reported that Solano signed a new 6 month contract but this turned out to be false as he left the club on 7 July.
, who had recently taken over the manager's job at Hull City. Initially joining on trial in early July, on 12 July 2010 it was reported that Solano had signed a one-year deal with the Tigers.
Despite initial expectations that Solano would be with Hull City for only a single season before retiring, Solano revealed in April 2011, that he hoped that he would be able to extend his stay with the Tigers beyond the 2010–11 season, by combining a playing and coaching role, as Nick Barmby
has done.
, having previously worked with manager Mick Wadsworth
at Newcastle. Solano, on the first day of signing, promoted the idea of Are You Coming To Pools? with Hartlepool United selling season tickets for £100,the lowest price in all of the Football League One
. Solano, featured in a Sky Sports News interview and wishes to get Hartlepool promoted.
On 2 August 2011, Solano scored in a friendly against Sunderland, heated rivals of his former club Newcastle United and scored his first league goal for Hartlepool on 17 September at home against Bury F.C. The following week, Solano doubled his Hartlepool account by scoring their first goal direct from a free-kick in the 2-1 away win at AFC Bournemouth.
at the age of 18, and went on to be capped 95 times, scoring 20 goals. He has been a key member of the squad since the mid-1990s but, in June 2005, Solano decided to quit the Peruvian national football team due to disagreements with the coach, Freddy Ternero. In 2006, he returned to the national team setup under new coach Franco Navarro
. Despite his return to the national team, Solano was not selected for Peru
's Copa America
2007 squad. He has continued to represent the national team since then, but with his country having no chance at all of qualifying for the 2010 FIFA World Cup
, he has recently announced his decision to retire from international football after the upcoming World Cup Qualifiers against Argentina
and Bolivia
. Solano has also stated his desire to try and guide his country to the World Cup as a coach in the near future to try and make up for never making it as a player.
|1993||Sporting Cristal
||Peruvian Primera División||?||?||?||?||?||?||?||?||?||?
|-
!colspan="3"|Sporting Cristal Total
!?!!?!!?!!?!!?!!?!!?!!?!!?!!?
|-
|1994||Universitario
||Peruvian Primera División||?||?||?||?||?||?||?||?||?||?
|-
!colspan="3"|Universitario Total
!?!!?!!?!!?!!?!!?!!?!!?!!?!!?
|-
|1995||rowspan="3"|Sporting Cristal
||rowspan="3"|Peruvian Primera División||38||12||?||?||?||?||?||?||?||?
|-
|1996||26||13||?||?||?||?||?||?||?||?
|-
|1997||11||7||?||?||?||?||?||?||?||?
|-
!colspan="3"|Sporting Cristal Total
!75!!32!!?!!?!!?!!?!!?!!?!!?!!?
|-
|1997–98||Boca Juniors
||Primera División||32||5||?||?||?||?||?||?||?||?
|-
!colspan="3"|Boca Juniors Total
!32!!5!!?!!?!!?!!?!!?!!?!!?!!?
|-
|1998–99
||rowspan="6"|Newcastle United
||rowspan="6"|Premier League||29||6||7||0||1||0||1||0||38||6
|-
|1999–00||30||3||3||0||1||0||6||1||40||4
|-
|2000–01
||33||6||1||1||4||0||0||0||38||7
|-
|2001–02
||37||7||5||1||4||0||6||4||52||12
|-
|2002–03
||31||7||1||0||1||0||12||1||45||8
|-
|2003–04
||12||0||2||0||1||0||5||1||20||1
|-
!colspan="3"|Newcastle United (1st Spell) Total
!172!!29!!19!!2!!12!!0!!30!!7!!233!!38
|-
|2003–04||rowspan="3"|Aston Villa
||rowspan="3"|Premier League||10||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||10||0
|-
|2004–05||36||8||1||0||2||1||0||0||39||9
|-
|2005–06||3||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||3||0
|-
!colspan="3"|Aston Villa Total
!49!!8!!1!!0!!2!!1!!0!!0!!52!!9
|-
|2005–06||rowspan="3"|Newcastle United
||rowspan="3"|Premier League||29||6||4||0||2||0||0||0||35||6
|-
|2006–07||28||2||2||0||3||2||11||0||44||4
|-
|2007–08||1||0||0||0||1||0||0||0||2||0
|-
!colspan="3"|Newcastle United (2nd Spell) Total
!58!!8!!6!!0!!6!!2!!11!!0!!81!!10
|-
!colspan="3"|Newcastle United (Overall Total) Total
!230!!37!!25!!2!!18!!2!!41!!7!!314!!48
|-
|2007–08||West Ham United
||Premier League||23||4||0||0||0||0||0||0||23||4
|-
!colspan="3"|West Ham United Total
!23!!4!!0!!0!!0!!0!!0!!0!!23!!4
|-
|2008–09||Larissa||Superleague||13||1||?||?||?||?||?||?||?||?
|-
!colspan="3"|Larissa Total
!13!!1!!?!!?!!?!!?!!?!!?!!?!!?
|-
|2009||Universitario
||Peruvian Primera División||24||7||?||?||?||?||?||?||?||?
|-
!colspan="3"|Universitario Total
!24!!7!!?!!?!!?!!?!!?!!?!!?!!?
|-
|2009–10
||Leicester City||Championship
||13||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||13||0
|-
!colspan="3"|Leicester City Total
!13!!0!!0!!0!!0!!0!!0!!0!!13!!0
|-
|2010–11
||Hull City
||Championship
||11||0||1||0||1||0||0||0||13||0
|-
!colspan="3"|Hull City Total
!11!!0!!1!!0!!1!!0!!0!!0!!13!!0
|-
|2011–12||Hartlepool United
||League One
||8||2||1||0||1||0||0||0||10||2
|-
!colspan="3"|Hartlepool United Total
!8!!2!!1!!0!!1!!0!!0!!0!!10!!2
|-
!colspan="3"|England Total
!334!!51!!28!!2!!22!!3!!41!!7!!425!!63
|-
478||96||28||2||22||3||41||7||569||108
area of Newcastle
on 26 April 2010, on allegations of raping a 22-year old woman from the city. After a thorough investigation by the Northumbria Police
, no further action was taken when allegations turned out to be false.
Hartlepool United F.C.
Hartlepool United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Hartlepool that currently play in League One. The team won promotion to League One in the 2006–07 season...
. He has spent much of his career in the English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
Premier League and also played 95 times for Peru
Peru national football team
The Peru national football team, known as 'el equipo inca', represents Peru in international football competition and is managed by the Peruvian Football Federation . The team competes against the other nine members of FIFA's CONMEBOL conference, which encompasses the countries of South America...
between 1994 and 2009. He is a popular figure in his native Peru, where he is seen as one of the most famous Peruvians, appearing on a postage stamp
Postage stamp
A postage stamp is a small piece of paper that is purchased and displayed on an item of mail as evidence of payment of postage. Typically, stamps are made from special paper, with a national designation and denomination on the face, and a gum adhesive on the reverse side...
, telephone cards and having his wedding televised live.
His talents in football range from accurate crosses to accomplished dead-ball skills and he has traditionally played either on the right side of midfield, or as a right back during his career. He is the first choice player to take corner and direct free kicks. Solano is the first Peruvian to play in the Premier League and the FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
Final. He is also an accomplished trumpet
Trumpet
The trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
player and has set up his own Salsa
Salsa music
Salsa music is a genre of music, generally defined as a modern style of playing Cuban Son, Son Montuno, and Guaracha with touches from other genres of music...
band, The Geordie Latinos. He has described himself as an "adopted Geordie
Geordie
Geordie is a regional nickname for a person from the Tyneside region of the north east of England, or the name of the English-language dialect spoken by its inhabitants...
."
Early life
Born in CallaoCallao
Callao is the largest and most important port in Peru. The city is coterminous with the Constitutional Province of Callao, the only province of the Callao Region. Callao is located west of Lima, the country's capital, and is part of the Lima Metropolitan Area, a large metropolis that holds almost...
, Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
, Solano was the youngest of his family. His father, Albino, was in the Peruvian Navy, whilst his mother was a housewife who raised him, his four brothers and two sisters. He began playing football at a very early age in the streets of Callao.
Solano witnessed the Peru national football team
Peru national football team
The Peru national football team, known as 'el equipo inca', represents Peru in international football competition and is managed by the Peruvian Football Federation . The team competes against the other nine members of FIFA's CONMEBOL conference, which encompasses the countries of South America...
qualify for the 1978 FIFA World Cup
1978 FIFA World Cup
The 1978 FIFA World Cup, the 11th staging of the FIFA World Cup, was held in Argentina between 1 June and 25 June. The 1978 World Cup was won by Argentina who beat the Netherlands 3–1 after extra time in the final. This win was the first World Cup title for Argentina, who became the fifth...
at the age of three and again qualify for the 1982 FIFA World Cup
1982 FIFA World Cup
The 1982 FIFA World Cup, the 12th FIFA World Cup, was held in Spain from 13 June to 11 July. The tournament was won by Italy, after defeating West Germany 3–1 in the final.-Host selection:...
at the age of seven. The second 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...
he witnessed had the biggest effect on him. At that time he played a lot of football and his national team inspired him.
Club career
Solano signed his first professional contract with the Peruvian first division side Sporting CristalSporting Cristal
Club Sporting Cristal is a Peruvian football team. Based in the Rímac District, in the department of Lima, it plays in the professional league known as the Peruvian First Division. Founded on November 16, 1926 in the Rimac District given its approval to the merger and Snuff Sporting merging with...
in 1992 at the age of 17. Towards the end of his first season at Sporting Cristal he signed a one year contract with Deportivo Municipal before returning to Cristal at the end of 1993. He was part of the famous Sporting Cristal
Sporting Cristal
Club Sporting Cristal is a Peruvian football team. Based in the Rímac District, in the department of Lima, it plays in the professional league known as the Peruvian First Division. Founded on November 16, 1926 in the Rimac District given its approval to the merger and Snuff Sporting merging with...
squad of the 1990s during which the club won the Peruvian Championship
Primera División Peruana
The Peruvian Primera División is the top professional division of Peruvian football. It is known today as Torneo Descentralizado de Fútbol Profesional Peruano...
in 1994, 1995 and 1996 and reached the finals of the 1997 Copa Libertadores. Along with Roberto Palacios
Roberto Palacios
Roberto Carlos Palacios Mestas is a Peruvian football midfielder from the district of Chorrillos in Lima, the capital of Peru.-Biography:...
, Flavio Maestri
Flavio Maestri
Flavio Francisco Maestri Andrade is a former Peruvian football player. He is nicknamed “the tank” because of his size...
, Julinho
Julio César de Andrade Moura
Julio César de Andrade Moura, more commonly known as Julinho is an association football striker from Brazil, who obtained the Peruvian nationality...
and Jorge Soto
Jorge Soto
Jorge Antonio Soto is a retired Peruvian footballer.-Career:Soto is one of the all-time emblematic figures of Sporting Cristal...
, he was one of Sporting Cristal
Sporting Cristal
Club Sporting Cristal is a Peruvian football team. Based in the Rímac District, in the department of Lima, it plays in the professional league known as the Peruvian First Division. Founded on November 16, 1926 in the Rimac District given its approval to the merger and Snuff Sporting merging with...
's most recognized players of the era.
Boca Juniors
In 1997 aged 22 he signed for Argentinian side Boca JuniorsBoca Juniors
Club Atlético Boca Juniors is an Argentine sports club based in La Boca neighborhood of Buenos Aires. It is best known for its professional football team, which currently plays in the Primera División....
where he became a teammate of Diego Maradona
Diego Maradona
Diego Armando Maradona is a retired Argentine football player and widely regarded as one of the greatest football players of all time. Over the course of his professional club career Maradona played for Argentinos Juniors, Boca Juniors, Barcelona, Napoli, Sevilla and Newell's Old Boys, setting...
, who nicknamed Solano the 'Maestrito'.
Newcastle United
In 1998, Solano became the first Peruvian to play in England when he signed a contract with Newcastle UnitedNewcastle United F.C.
Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End and Newcastle West End, and has played at its current home ground, St James' Park, since the merger...
for £2,480,000. Such was the interest in the little Peruvian that his first appearance in a black and white shirt for Newcastle reserves resulted in the kick off being delayed to accommodate the large crowd, many of whom had been delayed after a lorry had shed its load blocking one of the major routes into the city. Solano justified the turnout with a goal. His first team debut for Newcastle came in a Premier League match against Chelsea
Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...
on 22 August 1998, when he came on after 67 minutes as a substitute for goalscorer Andreas Andersson
Andreas Andersson
Andreas Claes Andersson is a Swedish footballer. He retired in 2005, but has started playing for lower league side FC Andrea Doria in Sweden. He was capped 42 times and scored 8 goals for Sweden, and he played at the 2002 FIFA World Cup...
. In June 2001, he signed a new five year contract with the club. A month later he scored what he later described as "the best goal of [his] career" with a solo effort against 1860 München
TSV 1860 München
Turn- und Sportverein München von 1860, commonly known as TSV 1860 München or 1860 Munich, is a German sports club based in Munich, Bavaria. The club's football team plays in the Second Bundesliga, after relegation from the Bundesliga following the 2003–04 season...
. He was sold in the January transfer window
Transfer window
The transfer window is the period during the year in which a football club can transfer players from other countries into their playing staff. Such a transfer is completed by registering the player into the new club through FIFA...
of 2004 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...
. During his first spell at Newcastle, he played in the 1999 FA Cup Final
1999 FA Cup Final
The 1999 FA Cup Final took place on 22 May 1999 and was played at the old Wembley Stadium. It was contested between Manchester United and Newcastle United. Manchester United had finished as champions and Newcastle 13th in the Premier League that season. The Final was a one-sided affair, Manchester...
.
Aston Villa
Solano joined Aston VillaAston 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...
in January 2004 for a fee of £1.5 million and signed a two-and-a-half year contract with the club. He made his debut in a 5–0 win over Leicester City
Leicester City F.C.
Leicester City Football Club , also known as The Foxes, is an English professional football club based at the King Power Stadium in Leicester...
on 31 January 2004, Solano ended the 2004–05 season as top scorer and was elected the club's Player of the Year by the supporters, the local press and his teammates.
Newcastle United
Solano returned to Newcastle United in August 2005 for a fee of £1.5 million with midfielderMidfielder
A midfielder is an association football position. Some midfielders play a more defensive role, while others blur the boundaries between midfielders and forwards. The number of midfielders a team uses during a match may vary, depending on the team's formation and each individual player's role...
James Milner going the other way to Aston Villa on a season-long loan. He signed a two-year contract with the option for Newcastle to extend it for another year. In the 2006–07 season, injuries to right-back Stephen Carr
Stephen Carr
Stephen Carr is an Irish footballer who plays for and captains Birmingham City. He previously played for the Premier League teams Tottenham Hotspur and, for a shorter spell, Newcastle United. He is a former international player with the Republic of Ireland...
and others caused the Newcastle United manager Glenn Roeder
Glenn Roeder
Glenn Victor Roeder is an English football manager and former player, most recently in charge at Norwich City. As a player, Roeder represented England B on 7 occasions...
to play Solano at right-back instead of his usual right-wing position. However it was not an unfamiliar playing position to Solano, as he started his football career in defence and had featured at right-back for his country. With his contract due to expire at the end of the season, Roeder
Glenn Roeder
Glenn Victor Roeder is an English football manager and former player, most recently in charge at Norwich City. As a player, Roeder represented England B on 7 occasions...
revealed he was in talks to extend Solano's contract to the end of next season. Solano signed a new one-year contract at Newcastle in the summer of 2007, however a few months later he asked to leave the club so to move closer to his family, who had moved to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
West Ham United
Solano signed a one-year contract with West Ham UnitedWest Ham United F.C.
West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Upton Park, Newham, East London. They play in The Football League Championship. The club was founded in 1895 as Thames Ironworks FC and reformed in 1900 as West Ham United. In 1904 the club relocated to their current...
in August 2007. He made his debut for West Ham in October 2007, coming on as a second half substitute in the 3–1 home win against Sunderland
Sunderland A.F.C.
Sunderland Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear who currently play in the Premier League...
, and was instrumental in West Ham's second goal, his shot being deflected into the Sunderland goal by goalkeeper, Craig Gordon
Craig Gordon
Craig Sinclair Gordon is a Scottish footballer, currently playing as a goalkeeper for both Sunderland and the Scotland national team. He was a nominee for STV's Scotland's Greatest Ever Football Team in 2010....
. His first goal for West Ham was a free-kick and the fifth goal in West Ham's 5–0 away win against Derby County
Derby County F.C.
Derby County Football Club is an English football based in Derby. the club play in the Football League Championship and is notable as being one of the twelve founder members of the Football League in 1888 and is, therefore, one of only ten clubs to have competed in every season of the English...
on 10 November 2007. In the last game of the season on 11 May 2008 Solano scored his second free-kick goal, against Aston Villa, the match ended 2–2. He was released by West Ham when his contract expired at the end of the 2007–08
2007-08 in English football
The 2007–08 season was the 128th season of competitive football in England.-European competitions:In October 2007 Arsenal equalled the UEFA Champions League record victory with a 7–0 win over Slavia Prague at the Emirates Stadium. The record was broken the following month when Liverpool...
season having scored four goals in 23 appearances.
Greek league and return to Peru
After leaving West Ham Solano spent a short spell in the Super League GreeceSuper League Greece
The 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...
playing for Larissa
Larissa
Larissa is the capital and biggest city of the Thessaly region of Greece and capital of the Larissa regional unit. It is a principal agricultural centre and a national transportation hub, linked by road and rail with the port of Volos, the city of Thessaloniki and Athens...
. He then returned to Peru with Universitario de Deportes
Universitario de Deportes
Club Universitario de Deportes, also known as Universitario, or more popularly as [La] "U", is a Peruvian football club located in Lima. It is the most successful football club in Peru. The club was founded in 1924 under the name Federación Universitaria by students of the National University of...
and scored a crucial penalty against Alianza Lima
Alianza Lima
Club Alianza Lima is a Peruvian First Division football club who plays at the Estadio Alejandro Villanueva in the La Victoria District of Lima, Peru. They are one of the most famous and well supported clubs in the country and the oldest team in the Peruvian First Division.Alianza enjoyed success...
in the play-off for the Peruvian Primera División title, helping the team to a 2–0 aggregate victory to seal the clubs 25th league title.
Return to England
In December 2009, Solano trained with Colchester UnitedColchester United F.C.
Colchester United Football Club is an English football club based in Colchester. The club was formed in 1937, and briefly shared their old Layer Road home with now defunct side Colchester Town who had previously used the ground from 1910....
, but was unable to agree a deal. He also spent a few days training at Newcastle United in January 2010 in the hopes of earning a contract. Manager Chris Hughton
Chris Hughton
Christopher William Gerard "Chris" Hughton is a professional football manager and former player who is currently the manager of Birmingham City F.C....
later said on 30 January that Solano "is a good player but he came here very much to train."
Leicester City
On 22 January, Solano signed a six month contract with Leicester CityLeicester City F.C.
Leicester City Football Club , also known as The Foxes, is an English professional football club based at the King Power Stadium in Leicester...
after a brief trial period, reuniting with Nigel Pearson
Nigel Pearson
Nigel Graham Pearson is an English football manager and former professional player. He is currently in his second spell as manager of Leicester City, having previously managed Hull City, Southampton and Carlisle United, and been assistant manager for England Under-21s and Newcastle United...
, who had been assistant manager at Newcastle. Solano said he wanted "to be part of getting the club back in the Premier League." He was given international clearance to play for Leicester on 28 January, and he made his debut as an 84th minute substitute in a 0–0 draw against his former club Newcastle at the Walkers Stadium
Walkers Stadium
The King Power Stadium is a football stadium which hosts home matches of English football club Leicester City. The all-seater stadium, inaugurated in July 2002, holds 32,500 and has the 19th largest stadium capacity in England. The stadium is named after King Power, a company owned by club owner...
on 30 January, to an enthusiastic reception from both sets of fans. He played his first full game in a 1–0 win over Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace F.C.
Crystal Palace Football Club are an English Football league club based in South Norwood, London. The team plays its home matches at Selhurst Park, where they have been based since 1924. The club currently competes in the second tier of English Football, The Championship.Crystal Palace was formed in...
on 16 March. Solano played a total of eleven league games, scoring in a 4–3 penalty shootout defeat to Cardiff City
Cardiff city
Cardiff City may refer to:* Cardiff city centre* Cardiff City Council* Cardiff City F.C.* Cardiff City L.F.C.* Cardiff City Stadium...
in the Championship play-off
Football League Championship play-offs
The Football League Championship play-offs are a series of playoff matches contested by the teams finishing from 3rd to 6th in the Football League Championship table. The semi-finals are played over two legs, with 6th playing 3rd and 5th playing 4th, with the return fixtures following...
semi-final second leg. It was reported that Solano signed a new 6 month contract but this turned out to be false as he left the club on 7 July.
Hull City
Following his departure from Leicester City, he rejoined former Foxes' boss Nigel PearsonNigel Pearson
Nigel Graham Pearson is an English football manager and former professional player. He is currently in his second spell as manager of Leicester City, having previously managed Hull City, Southampton and Carlisle United, and been assistant manager for England Under-21s and Newcastle United...
, who had recently taken over the manager's job at Hull City. Initially joining on trial in early July, on 12 July 2010 it was reported that Solano had signed a one-year deal with the Tigers.
Despite initial expectations that Solano would be with Hull City for only a single season before retiring, Solano revealed in April 2011, that he hoped that he would be able to extend his stay with the Tigers beyond the 2010–11 season, by combining a playing and coaching role, as Nick Barmby
Nick Barmby
Nicholas Jon "Nick" Barmby is an English footballer who plays for Hull City as a midfielder, where he is also caretaker manager. At his peak he earned a total of 23 caps for England between 1995 and 2001...
has done.
Hartlepool United
It was announced on 13 May 2011 that Solano had signed for Hartlepool UnitedHartlepool United F.C.
Hartlepool United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Hartlepool that currently play in League One. The team won promotion to League One in the 2006–07 season...
, having previously worked with manager Mick Wadsworth
Mick Wadsworth
Michael "Mick" Wadsworth is an English football coach and former player, who is currently the Manager at Football League One club Hartlepool United.-Playing career:...
at Newcastle. Solano, on the first day of signing, promoted the idea of Are You Coming To Pools? with Hartlepool United selling season tickets for £100,the lowest price in all of the Football League One
Football League One
Football League One is the second-highest division of The Football League and third-highest division overall in the English football league system....
. Solano, featured in a Sky Sports News interview and wishes to get Hartlepool promoted.
On 2 August 2011, Solano scored in a friendly against Sunderland, heated rivals of his former club Newcastle United and scored his first league goal for Hartlepool on 17 September at home against Bury F.C. The following week, Solano doubled his Hartlepool account by scoring their first goal direct from a free-kick in the 2-1 away win at AFC Bournemouth.
International career
Solano made his full international debut for PeruPeru national football team
The Peru national football team, known as 'el equipo inca', represents Peru in international football competition and is managed by the Peruvian Football Federation . The team competes against the other nine members of FIFA's CONMEBOL conference, which encompasses the countries of South America...
at the age of 18, and went on to be capped 95 times, scoring 20 goals. He has been a key member of the squad since the mid-1990s but, in June 2005, Solano decided to quit the Peruvian national football team due to disagreements with the coach, Freddy Ternero. In 2006, he returned to the national team setup under new coach Franco Navarro
Franco Navarro
Franco Enrique Navarro Monteiro is a former football striker and manager from Peru.-Career:Navarro played for Deportivo Municipal, Sporting Cristal, Alianza Lima, Independiente from Argentina and Grasshoppers from Switzerland among others...
. Despite his return to the national team, Solano was not selected for Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
's Copa America
Copa América
The Copa América —previously known as South American Championship—is an international football competition contested between the men's national teams of CONMEBOL, the sport's continental governing body...
2007 squad. He has continued to represent the national team since then, but with his country having no chance at all of qualifying for the 2010 FIFA World Cup
2010 FIFA World Cup
The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010...
, he has recently announced his decision to retire from international football after the upcoming World Cup Qualifiers against Argentina
Argentina national football team
The Argentina national football team represents Argentina in association football and is controlled by the Argentine Football Association , the governing body for football in Argentina. Argentina's home stadium is Estadio Monumental Antonio Vespucio Liberti and their head coach is Alejandro...
and Bolivia
Bolivia national football team
The Bolivia national football team is the national team of Bolivia and is controlled by the Federación Boliviana de Fútbol. After playing in the 1930 and 1950 World Cups, they qualified just once—in 1994...
. Solano has also stated his desire to try and guide his country to the World Cup as a coach in the near future to try and make up for never making it as a player.
Club
|-|1993||Sporting Cristal
Sporting Cristal
Club Sporting Cristal is a Peruvian football team. Based in the Rímac District, in the department of Lima, it plays in the professional league known as the Peruvian First Division. Founded on November 16, 1926 in the Rimac District given its approval to the merger and Snuff Sporting merging with...
||Peruvian Primera División||?||?||?||?||?||?||?||?||?||?
|-
!colspan="3"|Sporting Cristal Total
!?!!?!!?!!?!!?!!?!!?!!?!!?!!?
|-
|1994||Universitario
Universitario de Deportes
Club Universitario de Deportes, also known as Universitario, or more popularly as [La] "U", is a Peruvian football club located in Lima. It is the most successful football club in Peru. The club was founded in 1924 under the name Federación Universitaria by students of the National University of...
||Peruvian Primera División||?||?||?||?||?||?||?||?||?||?
|-
!colspan="3"|Universitario Total
!?!!?!!?!!?!!?!!?!!?!!?!!?!!?
|-
|1995||rowspan="3"|Sporting Cristal
Sporting Cristal
Club Sporting Cristal is a Peruvian football team. Based in the Rímac District, in the department of Lima, it plays in the professional league known as the Peruvian First Division. Founded on November 16, 1926 in the Rimac District given its approval to the merger and Snuff Sporting merging with...
||rowspan="3"|Peruvian Primera División||38||12||?||?||?||?||?||?||?||?
|-
|1996||26||13||?||?||?||?||?||?||?||?
|-
|1997||11||7||?||?||?||?||?||?||?||?
|-
!colspan="3"|Sporting Cristal Total
!75!!32!!?!!?!!?!!?!!?!!?!!?!!?
|-
|1997–98||Boca Juniors
Boca Juniors
Club Atlético Boca Juniors is an Argentine sports club based in La Boca neighborhood of Buenos Aires. It is best known for its professional football team, which currently plays in the Primera División....
||Primera División||32||5||?||?||?||?||?||?||?||?
|-
!colspan="3"|Boca Juniors Total
!32!!5!!?!!?!!?!!?!!?!!?!!?!!?
|-
|1998–99
FA Premier League 1998-99
The 1998–99 FA Premier League season was the seventh season of the Premier League, the top division of English football, since its establishment in 1992. The season will always be remembered as the one in which Manchester United won a unique treble of the league title, the FA Cup and the European Cup...
||rowspan="6"|Newcastle United
Newcastle United F.C.
Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End and Newcastle West End, and has played at its current home ground, St James' Park, since the merger...
||rowspan="6"|Premier League||29||6||7||0||1||0||1||0||38||6
|-
|1999–00||30||3||3||0||1||0||6||1||40||4
|-
|2000–01
FA Premier League 2000-01
The FA Premier League 2000-01 season was the third season running which ended with Manchester United as champions and Arsenal as runners-up. Sir Alex Ferguson became the first manager to win three successive English league titles, although three teams had achieved that feat in the past - but with...
||33||6||1||1||4||0||0||0||38||7
|-
|2001–02
FA Premier League 2001-02
The 2001–02 FA Premier League season was the tenth season of the competition. It began with a new sponsor, Barclaycard, and was titled the FA Barclaycard Premiership, replacing the previous sponsor, Carling...
||37||7||5||1||4||0||6||4||52||12
|-
|2002–03
FA Premier League 2002-03
The 2002–03 FA Premier League was the eleventh season of the Premier League, the top division in English football. The first matches were played on 17 August 2002 and the last were played on 11 May 2003...
||31||7||1||0||1||0||12||1||45||8
|-
|2003–04
FA Premier League 2003-04
The 2003–04 FA Premier League season was the twelfth season of the Premier League. In the end, Arsenal went through the season without a single defeat – only the second ever team to do so and were crowned champions once more, at the expense of Chelsea, who had spent heavily throughout the...
||12||0||2||0||1||0||5||1||20||1
|-
!colspan="3"|Newcastle United (1st Spell) Total
!172!!29!!19!!2!!12!!0!!30!!7!!233!!38
|-
|2003–04||rowspan="3"|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...
||rowspan="3"|Premier League||10||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||10||0
|-
|2004–05||36||8||1||0||2||1||0||0||39||9
|-
|2005–06||3||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||3||0
|-
!colspan="3"|Aston Villa Total
!49!!8!!1!!0!!2!!1!!0!!0!!52!!9
|-
|2005–06||rowspan="3"|Newcastle United
Newcastle United F.C.
Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End and Newcastle West End, and has played at its current home ground, St James' Park, since the merger...
||rowspan="3"|Premier League||29||6||4||0||2||0||0||0||35||6
|-
|2006–07||28||2||2||0||3||2||11||0||44||4
|-
|2007–08||1||0||0||0||1||0||0||0||2||0
|-
!colspan="3"|Newcastle United (2nd Spell) Total
!58!!8!!6!!0!!6!!2!!11!!0!!81!!10
|-
!colspan="3"|Newcastle United (Overall Total) Total
!230!!37!!25!!2!!18!!2!!41!!7!!314!!48
|-
|2007–08||West Ham United
West Ham United F.C.
West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Upton Park, Newham, East London. They play in The Football League Championship. The club was founded in 1895 as Thames Ironworks FC and reformed in 1900 as West Ham United. In 1904 the club relocated to their current...
||Premier League||23||4||0||0||0||0||0||0||23||4
|-
!colspan="3"|West Ham United Total
!23!!4!!0!!0!!0!!0!!0!!0!!23!!4
|-
|2008–09||Larissa||Superleague||13||1||?||?||?||?||?||?||?||?
|-
!colspan="3"|Larissa Total
!13!!1!!?!!?!!?!!?!!?!!?!!?!!?
|-
|2009||Universitario
Universitario de Deportes
Club Universitario de Deportes, also known as Universitario, or more popularly as [La] "U", is a Peruvian football club located in Lima. It is the most successful football club in Peru. The club was founded in 1924 under the name Federación Universitaria by students of the National University of...
||Peruvian Primera División||24||7||?||?||?||?||?||?||?||?
|-
!colspan="3"|Universitario Total
!24!!7!!?!!?!!?!!?!!?!!?!!?!!?
|-
|2009–10
2010–11 Leicester City F.C. season
The 2010–11 season was Leicester City F.C.'s 106th season in the English football league system and their 59th season in the second tier of English football...
||Leicester City||Championship
Football League Championship
The Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League...
||13||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||13||0
|-
!colspan="3"|Leicester City Total
!13!!0!!0!!0!!0!!0!!0!!0!!13!!0
|-
|2010–11
2010–11 Hull City A.F.C. season
The 2010–11 season is Hull City's first season back in the Championship after relegation from the Premier League in the 2009–10 season.-Current squad:-Transfers:...
||Hull City
Hull City A.F.C.
Hull City Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, founded in 1904. The club participates in the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football...
||Championship
Football League Championship
The Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League...
||11||0||1||0||1||0||0||0||13||0
|-
!colspan="3"|Hull City Total
!11!!0!!1!!0!!1!!0!!0!!0!!13!!0
|-
|2011–12||Hartlepool United
Hartlepool United F.C.
Hartlepool United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Hartlepool that currently play in League One. The team won promotion to League One in the 2006–07 season...
||League One
Football League One
Football League One is the second-highest division of The Football League and third-highest division overall in the English football league system....
||8||2||1||0||1||0||0||0||10||2
|-
!colspan="3"|Hartlepool United Total
!8!!2!!1!!0!!1!!0!!0!!0!!10!!2
|-
!colspan="3"|England Total
!334!!51!!28!!2!!22!!3!!41!!7!!425!!63
|-
478||96||28||2||22||3||41||7||569||108
Personal life
Solano was arrested by police in the GosforthGosforth
Gosforth is an area of Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, England, United Kingdom, to the north of the city centre. Gosforth constituted an urban district from 1895 to 1974, when it became part of the City of Newcastle upon Tyne. It has a population of 23,620...
area of Newcastle
Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne...
on 26 April 2010, on allegations of raping a 22-year old woman from the city. After a thorough investigation by the Northumbria Police
Northumbria Police
Northumbria Police is the territorial police force responsible for policing the areas of Northumberland and Tyne and Wear in North East England. The service is the sixth largest police force in England and Wales. The current Chief Constable is Sue Sim who was appointed by Northumbria Police...
, no further action was taken when allegations turned out to be false.
Sporting Cristal
- Peruvian First Division: 1994, 1995, 1996
- Copa Libertadores Runner-up: 1997
Universitario de Deportes
- Peruvian First Division: 2009
Individual
- 1992 Peruvian Player on the Year
- 1997 America's Ideal Team of the Year
- 1997 South American Player on the Year: 2º place
- 2006 Best executor of World: free kickDirect free kickA direct free kick is a method of restarting play in a game of association football following a foul. Unlike an indirect free kick, a goal may be scored directly against the opposing side without the ball having first touched another player.-Award:...
External links
- Player site
- International statistics at rsssf