Wilmer López
Encyclopedia
Wilmer López Arguedas is a retired Costa Rica
n footballer. He played for LD Alajuelense
and is one of the club's biggest idols of all time.
on January 5, 1992 playing with AD Carmelita against ASODELI. The following next season, he was bought by LD Alajuelense
, becoming one of the most beloved players and a crowd favorite, playing 13 seasons and winning 7 Costa Rican Championship
s, 3 Copa Interclubes UNCAF
championships and 1 CONCACAF Champions' Cup, being part of the team that won 4 national championships in a row (1999-2000 - 2002-2003). He was named the best player of the national tournament for two seasons in a row before moving to Colombia, and again during another season, when he returned to Costa Rica. He also played the Copa Merconorte
and the Copa Sudamericana
.
The midfielder
, known as "El Pato" (The Duck), played for Carmelita
, Deportes Tolima
in Colombia
and LD Alajuelense
, before he was transferred to his current club, Municipal Pérez Zeledón
. He is also known as "El Ingeniero" (The Engineer) due to his amazing ability to create plays with short and long passes and also for his fast thinking that made him one of the best midfielders in the region during the '90s and the early 2000s. After 2003, he suffered multiple injuries that made him lose a lot of games and he never regained his earlier abilities as a player, although he was still loved by the crowd and gave a few good games along the road to the end of the 2007 season when his contract expired and the team decided not to hire him again. It was a very sad day for all the LD Alajuelense
's fans. Every time the Municipal Pérez Zeledón
plays at the Alejandro Morera Soto
stadium, his former fans wait for him singing and clapping every time he touches the ball, letting him know he still has part of their hearts.
. He was a part of the national squad during the qualifying matches for the 1998 FIFA World Cup
, and also played in all 3 games during the 2002 FIFA World Cup
held in Korea
and Japan
. He played his last international game in 2003 against the USA.
vs a team of friends that he picked himself, he will play the first half with his friends and the second half with LD Alajuelense
, to finish the match defending the colors that he loves. In this match, "Pato" played along with his song, who plays as he did when he was starting his career.
"El Pato" was one of the most loved players in LD Alajuelense
, along with his devotion to "La 12", the official group of Fans. This become more notorious the day of his retirement, when all the fans jumped into the field to carry him on shoulders for almost an hour.
Costa Rica
Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
n footballer. He played for LD Alajuelense
LD Alajuelense
Liga Deportiva Alajuelense , is a Costa Rican football club, currently playing in the Primera División de Costa Rica. It was founded on June 18, 1919. The team is located in Alajuela's downtown and they play their local games at the Estadio Alejandro Morera Soto.Alajuelense was the first Costa...
and is one of the club's biggest idols of all time.
Club career
López made his debut in the Costa Rican Primera DivisiónPrimera División de Costa Rica
Primera División de Costa Rica is a professional league for association football clubs in Costa Rica. At the top of the Costa Rican league system, it is the country's primary football competition. Contested by 12 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with Segunda División...
on January 5, 1992 playing with AD Carmelita against ASODELI. The following next season, he was bought by LD Alajuelense
LD Alajuelense
Liga Deportiva Alajuelense , is a Costa Rican football club, currently playing in the Primera División de Costa Rica. It was founded on June 18, 1919. The team is located in Alajuela's downtown and they play their local games at the Estadio Alejandro Morera Soto.Alajuelense was the first Costa...
, becoming one of the most beloved players and a crowd favorite, playing 13 seasons and winning 7 Costa Rican Championship
Primera División de Costa Rica
Primera División de Costa Rica is a professional league for association football clubs in Costa Rica. At the top of the Costa Rican league system, it is the country's primary football competition. Contested by 12 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with Segunda División...
s, 3 Copa Interclubes UNCAF
Copa Interclubes UNCAF
The UNCAF Club Tournament was an annual international football competition held in the UNCAF region . The competition was open to the leading domestic club teams in the region. The winners of each national league qualified automatically. It also provided qualification places for the CONCACAF...
championships and 1 CONCACAF Champions' Cup, being part of the team that won 4 national championships in a row (1999-2000 - 2002-2003). He was named the best player of the national tournament for two seasons in a row before moving to Colombia, and again during another season, when he returned to Costa Rica. He also played the Copa Merconorte
Copa Merconorte
The Copa Merconorte was an international football competition played from 1998 to 2001 by clubs from Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, and later the United States, Costa Rica and Mexico...
and the Copa Sudamericana
Copa Sudamericana
The Copa Bridgestone Sudamericana de Clubes , known simply as the Copa Sudamericana , is an annual international club football competition organized by the CONMEBOL since 2002. It is the second most prestigious club competition in South American football. CONCACAF clubs were invited between 2004...
.
The midfielder
Midfielder
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...
, known as "El Pato" (The Duck), played for Carmelita
Asociación Deportiva Carmelita
Asociación Deportiva Carmelita is a Costa Rican football team playing at Second Division. It is based in Barrio El Carmen, Alajuela, Costa Rica. Their home stadium is Estadio Alejandro Morera Soto...
, Deportes Tolima
Deportes Tolima
Deportes Tolima, is a Colombian football club based in the city of Ibagué. The club was founded December 18, 1954 and play their home games at the Manuel Murillo Toro stadium, which has a capacity of 30,000.-Foundation:...
in Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
and LD Alajuelense
LD Alajuelense
Liga Deportiva Alajuelense , is a Costa Rican football club, currently playing in the Primera División de Costa Rica. It was founded on June 18, 1919. The team is located in Alajuela's downtown and they play their local games at the Estadio Alejandro Morera Soto.Alajuelense was the first Costa...
, before he was transferred to his current club, Municipal Pérez Zeledón
Municipal Pérez Zeledón
Municipal Pérez Zeledón is a Costa Rican football team playing at the top level in the Primera Division. It is based in San Isidro. Their home stadium is Estadio Municipal Pérez Zeledón...
. He is also known as "El Ingeniero" (The Engineer) due to his amazing ability to create plays with short and long passes and also for his fast thinking that made him one of the best midfielders in the region during the '90s and the early 2000s. After 2003, he suffered multiple injuries that made him lose a lot of games and he never regained his earlier abilities as a player, although he was still loved by the crowd and gave a few good games along the road to the end of the 2007 season when his contract expired and the team decided not to hire him again. It was a very sad day for all the LD Alajuelense
LD Alajuelense
Liga Deportiva Alajuelense , is a Costa Rican football club, currently playing in the Primera División de Costa Rica. It was founded on June 18, 1919. The team is located in Alajuela's downtown and they play their local games at the Estadio Alejandro Morera Soto.Alajuelense was the first Costa...
's fans. Every time the Municipal Pérez Zeledón
Municipal Pérez Zeledón
Municipal Pérez Zeledón is a Costa Rican football team playing at the top level in the Primera Division. It is based in San Isidro. Their home stadium is Estadio Municipal Pérez Zeledón...
plays at the Alejandro Morera Soto
Alejandro Morera Soto
Alejandro Morera Soto was a Costa Rican football player, who played as a striker mostly for LD Alajuelense in the Costa Rican Primera División...
stadium, his former fans wait for him singing and clapping every time he touches the ball, letting him know he still has part of their hearts.
International career
López played 76 times and scored 6 goals for the Costa Rica national football teamCosta Rica national football team
The Costa Rica national football team, nicknamed La Sele, is the national team of Costa Rica and is controlled by the Federación Costarricense de Fútbol. Costa Rica is the third most successful team in CONCACAF after Mexico and the United States...
. He was a part of the national squad during the qualifying matches for the 1998 FIFA World Cup
1998 FIFA World Cup
The 1998 FIFA World Cup, the 16th FIFA World Cup, was held in France from 10 June to 12 July 1998. France was chosen as host nation by FIFA on 2 July 1992. The tournament was won by France, who beat Brazil 3-0 in the final...
, and also played in all 3 games during the 2002 FIFA World Cup
2002 FIFA World Cup
The 2002 FIFA World Cup was the 17th staging of the FIFA World Cup, held in South Korea and Japan from 31 May to 30 June. It was also the first World Cup held in Asia, and the last in which the golden goal rule was implemented. Brazil won the tournament for a record fifth time, beating Germany 2–0...
held in Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
and 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...
. He played his last international game in 2003 against the USA.
Retirement
On Wednesday July 23, 2009 Wilmer "El Pato" Lopez played his retirement match with LD AlajuelenseLD Alajuelense
Liga Deportiva Alajuelense , is a Costa Rican football club, currently playing in the Primera División de Costa Rica. It was founded on June 18, 1919. The team is located in Alajuela's downtown and they play their local games at the Estadio Alejandro Morera Soto.Alajuelense was the first Costa...
vs a team of friends that he picked himself, he will play the first half with his friends and the second half with LD Alajuelense
LD Alajuelense
Liga Deportiva Alajuelense , is a Costa Rican football club, currently playing in the Primera División de Costa Rica. It was founded on June 18, 1919. The team is located in Alajuela's downtown and they play their local games at the Estadio Alejandro Morera Soto.Alajuelense was the first Costa...
, to finish the match defending the colors that he loves. In this match, "Pato" played along with his song, who plays as he did when he was starting his career.
"El Pato" was one of the most loved players in LD Alajuelense
LD Alajuelense
Liga Deportiva Alajuelense , is a Costa Rican football club, currently playing in the Primera División de Costa Rica. It was founded on June 18, 1919. The team is located in Alajuela's downtown and they play their local games at the Estadio Alejandro Morera Soto.Alajuelense was the first Costa...
, along with his devotion to "La 12", the official group of Fans. This become more notorious the day of his retirement, when all the fans jumped into the field to carry him on shoulders for almost an hour.