Raúl Vicente Amarilla
Encyclopedia
Raúl Vicente Amarilla is a retired Paraguay
an football
striker
.
and signed for Real Zaragoza
. Before making his debut with Real Zaragoza, he was loaned to Racing de Santander
for the 1980/81 season. Amarilla returned to Real Zaragoza where he gained success by leading the team in scoring in the 1982–83 season, finishing as the second best scorer in La Liga
. Because of his success in the Spanish League, Amarilla was asked to play for the Spain national under-21 football team
. He accepted the offer and this is why later in his career he was not able to play for the Paraguay national team
. After several seasons with Real Zaragoza
, Amarilla joined FC Barcelona
between 1985 and 1988.
Amarilla returned to Paraguay
in 1988 to play for Club Olimpia de Asunción
. In 1989, while playing for Olimpia
he was the top scorer in the Copa Libertadores of the same year with 10 goals. For the second half of 1989 he went on loan to the popular América de Mexico
football team. Despite playing for a brief period, he established himself as a fan favorite by scoring 21 goals and eventually was chosen as one of the top 100 players in Club America's history.
He returned in 1990 to Paraguay to play again for Olimpia. In that year, he helped the team win the Copa Libertadores, the Supercopa
and Recopa Sudamericana
by forming the unforgettable feared attacking Olimpia trio along with Gabriel González
and Adriano Samaniego
. To top his great performance in the year 1990, he was voted South American Footballer of the Year
.
In 1993, he migrated to Japan
and the next year, at the age of 34, he returned to Paraguay and retired from professional football by playing again in Olimpia, where he is one of the most loved former players by the fans.
|1993||rowspan="2"|Yokohama Flügels
||rowspan="2"|J. League 1||7||3||5||3||4||0||16||6
|-
|1994||19||12||0||0||0||0||19||12
26||15||5||3||4||0||35||18
26||15||5||3||4||0||35||18
|}
and Sportivo Luqueño where he achieved minor success. Afterwards, Amarilla was named the assistant coach of Anibal Ruiz
for the Paraguayan national team
during the 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification
and the 2006 World Cup
. After Ruiz resigned from the Paraguayan national team, Amarilla was named as the interim head coach by the Paraguayan Football Association until the start of 2007, where Gerardo Martino
was appointed as the new manager. Amarilla currently works as the director of the youth divisions of Olimpia
.
Paraguay
Paraguay , officially the Republic of Paraguay , is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to the east and northeast, and Bolivia to the northwest. Paraguay lies on both banks of the Paraguay River, which runs through the center of the...
an football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
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...
.
Career as a player
Amarilla made his debut in his hometown team, Sportivo Luqueño at the age of 17. Because of his scoring ability and great heading skills (he was fairly tall, 6 feet 3 inches) he soon moved to SpainSpain
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...
and signed for Real Zaragoza
Real Zaragoza
Real Zaragoza, S.A.D. is a Spanish association football team from Zaragoza in Spain. Founded on 18 March 1932, Real Zaragoza have spent the majority of their 78 year history in the Spanish top-flight. Real Zaragoza are Spain's 9th highest ranked team in overall league points...
. Before making his debut with Real Zaragoza, he was loaned to Racing de Santander
Racing de Santander
Real Racing Club de Santander, S.A.D. is a Spanish football club based in Santander, in the autonomous community of Cantabria. Founded in 1913, it currently plays in La Liga, holding home games at Estadio El Sardinero, with a capacity for 22,400 spectators....
for the 1980/81 season. Amarilla returned to Real Zaragoza where he gained success by leading the team in scoring in the 1982–83 season, finishing as the second best scorer in La Liga
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...
. Because of his success in the Spanish League, Amarilla was asked to play for the Spain national under-21 football team
Spain national under-21 football team
The Spain national under-21 football team, is the national under-21 football team of Spain and is controlled by the Royal Spanish Football Federation. The team, nicknamed La Rojita , competes in the biannual European Under-21 Football Championship.Following the realignment of UEFA's youth...
. He accepted the offer and this is why later in his career he was not able to play for the Paraguay national team
Paraguay national football team
The Paraguay national football team is controlled by the Paraguayan Football Association and represents Paraguay in men's international football competitions. The team has reached the second round of the World Cup on four occasions . The 2010 trip also featured their first appearance in the...
. After several seasons with Real Zaragoza
Real Zaragoza
Real Zaragoza, S.A.D. is a Spanish association football team from Zaragoza in Spain. Founded on 18 March 1932, Real Zaragoza have spent the majority of their 78 year history in the Spanish top-flight. Real Zaragoza are Spain's 9th highest ranked team in overall league points...
, Amarilla joined FC Barcelona
FC Barcelona
Futbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....
between 1985 and 1988.
Amarilla returned to Paraguay
Paraguay
Paraguay , officially the Republic of Paraguay , is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to the east and northeast, and Bolivia to the northwest. Paraguay lies on both banks of the Paraguay River, which runs through the center of the...
in 1988 to play for Club Olimpia de Asunción
Olimpia Asunción
Club Olimpia is a Paraguayan sport club based in Asunción. It is best known for its professional football team which plays in the Paraguayan Primera División....
. In 1989, while playing for Olimpia
Olimpia Asunción
Club Olimpia is a Paraguayan sport club based in Asunción. It is best known for its professional football team which plays in the Paraguayan Primera División....
he was the top scorer in the Copa Libertadores of the same year with 10 goals. For the second half of 1989 he went on loan to the popular América de Mexico
Club América
Club América is a Mexican Professional football club based in Mexico City. It competes in the Primera División, the top professional league in the country. The team's nickname is Las Águilas ....
football team. Despite playing for a brief period, he established himself as a fan favorite by scoring 21 goals and eventually was chosen as one of the top 100 players in Club America's history.
He returned in 1990 to Paraguay to play again for Olimpia. In that year, he helped the team win the Copa Libertadores, the Supercopa
Supercopa Sudamericana
The Supercopa Sudamericana , also known as the Supercopa Libertadores João Havelange, Supercopa Libertadores, Supercopa João Havelange or simply Supercopa, was a football club competition contested annually by the past winners of the Copa Libertadores...
and Recopa Sudamericana
Recopa Sudamericana
The Recopa Sudamericana is an annual football match-up between the reigning champions of the previous year's Copa Libertadores and the Copa Sudamericana, South America's premier club competitions....
by forming the unforgettable feared attacking Olimpia trio along with Gabriel González
Gabriel González (footballer)
Gabriel González Chaves is a former football player from Paraguay that used to play as a forward or attacking midfielder....
and Adriano Samaniego
Adriano Samaniego
Adriano Samaniego Giménez ; is a former football striker.-Club:Samaniego started his football career in the youth divisions of Club Olimpia of Paraguay. His debut in the first team squad was in 1981...
. To top his great performance in the year 1990, he was voted South American Footballer of the Year
South American Footballer of the Year
The South American Footballer of the Year is an annual association football award presented to the best footballer in South America over the previous calendar year. The award was conceived by Venezuelan newspaper El Mundo, whom awarded it from 1971 to 1985. Uruguayan newspaper El País took over...
.
In 1993, he migrated to Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
and the next year, at the age of 34, he returned to Paraguay and retired from professional football by playing again in Olimpia, where he is one of the most loved former players by the fans.
Club career statistics
|-|1993||rowspan="2"|Yokohama Flügels
Yokohama Flügels
was a Japanese football club that played in the J. League between 1993 and 1998. In 1999 the club was officially merged with local rivals Yokohama Marinos and the two teams became known together as Yokohama F. Marinos.- History :...
||rowspan="2"|J. League 1||7||3||5||3||4||0||16||6
|-
|1994||19||12||0||0||0||0||19||12
26||15||5||3||4||0||35||18
26||15||5||3||4||0||35||18
|}
Titles
| Season | Club | Title |
|---|---|---|
| 1984–85 |  FC BarcelonaFC Barcelona Futbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.... |
La Liga 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... |
| 1987–88 | FC Barcelona FC Barcelona Futbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.... |
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 .... |
| 1988 |  OlimpiaOlimpia Asunción Club Olimpia is a Paraguayan sport club based in Asunción. It is best known for its professional football team which plays in the Paraguayan Primera División.... |
Paraguay 1st Division |
| 1990 Copa Libertadores 1990 The Copa Libertadores 1990 was won by Club Olimpia after defeating Barcelona Sporting Club with a 3-1 aggregate in the finals. One of the players for Olimpia was legendary goalkeeper Ever Hugo Almeida, who retired from professional football the following year.... |
Olimpia Olimpia Asunción Club Olimpia is a Paraguayan sport club based in Asunción. It is best known for its professional football team which plays in the Paraguayan Primera División.... |
Copa Libertadores |
| 1990 | Olimpia Olimpia Asunción Club Olimpia is a Paraguayan sport club based in Asunción. It is best known for its professional football team which plays in the Paraguayan Primera División.... |
Supercopa Sudamericana Supercopa Sudamericana The Supercopa Sudamericana , also known as the Supercopa Libertadores João Havelange, Supercopa Libertadores, Supercopa João Havelange or simply Supercopa, was a football club competition contested annually by the past winners of the Copa Libertadores... |
| 1990 | Olimpia Olimpia Asunción Club Olimpia is a Paraguayan sport club based in Asunción. It is best known for its professional football team which plays in the Paraguayan Primera División.... |
Recopa Sudamericana Recopa Sudamericana The Recopa Sudamericana is an annual football match-up between the reigning champions of the previous year's Copa Libertadores and the Copa Sudamericana, South America's premier club competitions.... |
| 1993 | Olimpia Olimpia Asunción Club Olimpia is a Paraguayan sport club based in Asunción. It is best known for its professional football team which plays in the Paraguayan Primera División.... |
Paraguay 1st Division |
Awards
- Paraguayan 1st Division topscorerPrimera División de Paraguay topscorersThe following article contains a year-by-year list and statistics of football topscorers in the Primera División de Paraguay .-Topscorers by year:...
in 1988 - Copa Libertadores Topscorer in 1989
- South American Footballer of the YearSouth American Footballer of the YearThe South American Footballer of the Year is an annual association football award presented to the best footballer in South America over the previous calendar year. The award was conceived by Venezuelan newspaper El Mundo, whom awarded it from 1971 to 1985. Uruguayan newspaper El País took over...
in 1990
Career as a coach
A few years aftern retiring from professional football, Amarilla began coaching small teams in the Paraguayan league such as Club Sportivo San LorenzoClub Sportivo San Lorenzo
Club Sportivo San Lorenzo, is a Paraguayan football club based in the city of San Lorenzo. The club was founded April 17, 1930 and plays in the "División Intermedia" division of the Paraguayan league...
and Sportivo Luqueño where he achieved minor success. Afterwards, Amarilla was named the assistant coach of Anibal Ruiz
Aníbal Ruiz
Aníbal "Maño" Ruiz, born 30 December 1942 in Salto, Uruguay, is a football coach. His best coaching efforts include winning the Supercopa Sudamericana with Olimpia Asunción in 1991 and leading the Paraguayan national football team to the 2006 World Cup...
for the Paraguayan national team
Paraguay national football team
The Paraguay national football team is controlled by the Paraguayan Football Association and represents Paraguay in men's international football competitions. The team has reached the second round of the World Cup on four occasions . The 2010 trip also featured their first appearance in the...
during the 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification
2006 FIFA World Cup qualification
A total of 197 teams entered the qualification process for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, competing for a total of 32 spots in the final tournament. Germany, as the host, qualified automatically, leaving 31 spots open for competition...
and the 2006 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...
. After Ruiz resigned from the Paraguayan national team, Amarilla was named as the interim head coach by the Paraguayan Football Association until the start of 2007, where Gerardo Martino
Gerardo Martino
Gerardo Daniel Martino , nicknamed Tata, is an Argentine former football midfielder and current a manager.Martino played mostly for Newell's Old Boys in his native Rosario. He holds the record of appearances with the team playing a total of 505 matches in all official competitions...
was appointed as the new manager. Amarilla currently works as the director of the youth divisions of Olimpia
Olimpia Asunción
Club Olimpia is a Paraguayan sport club based in Asunción. It is best known for its professional football team which plays in the Paraguayan Primera División....
.