Fernando Gabriel Cáceres (born 7 February 1969) is an Argentine retired professional footballer who played as a central defender.

Fernando Cáceres
Cáceres in 2020
Personal information
Full name Fernando Gabriel Cáceres
Date of birth (1969-02-07) 7 February 1969 (age 55)
Place of birth San Isidro, Argentina
Height 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Position(s) Centre-back
Youth career
Argentinos Juniors
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1986–1991 Argentinos Juniors 113 (5)
1991–1993 River Plate 71 (11)
1993–1996 Zaragoza 91 (3)
1996 Boca Juniors 15 (1)
1996–1998 Valencia 51 (0)
1998–2004 Celta 198 (3)
2004 Córdoba 11 (0)
2005–2006 Independiente 46 (0)
2006–2007 Argentinos Juniors 0 (0)
Total 596 (23)
International career
1992–1997 Argentina 24 (1)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

He played for several clubs in the Primera División and La Liga during his professional career, spending 11 years in the latter competition and appearing in 340 games.

Cáceres represented Argentina at the 1994 World Cup and two Copa América tournaments.

Club career

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Born in San Isidro, Buenos Aires, Cáceres began playing professional football at Argentinos Juniors. In 1991 he was transferred to Club Atlético River Plate where he won his first title, the 1991 Apertura.[1]

Cáceres then moved to Spain to play for Real Zaragoza, where he won the Copa del Rey in 1994 and the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup the following year.[2][3] An undisputed starter from the beginnings, he played 124 official games in three seasons.[4]

Cáceres returned to Argentina for a brief spell at Boca Juniors, before moving back to Spain in late 1996 and sign for Valencia CF, where he stayed until the end of the 1997–98 campaign. He joined RC Celta de Vigo aged almost 29, helping to the Galicians' La Liga and European consolidation. In six seasons with the club he played 218 matches in all competitions, scoring five goals[5] most notably contributing 33 appearances in 2002–03 as his team qualified for the UEFA Champions League for the first time ever.[6]

In January 2005, after a four-month spell with Córdoba CF in the Segunda División, Cáceres returned to his country once again after signing with Club Atlético Independiente, joining a select group of players who played for River Plate, Boca Juniors and Independiente. In 2006 he rejoined Argentinos Juniors, the club where he began his career 20 years earlier, seeing out his career at 38.[1]

International career

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Cáceres won the South American Under-17 Football Championship in 1985. At full international level, he earned 24 caps for the Argentina national team,[5] and was also part of the squad that won the 1993 Copa América[7] and the one that took part in the 1994 FIFA World Cup.

Personal life

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On 1 November 2009, Cáceres was shot in the head in an attempted robbery while driving his car in a Buenos Aires suburb. He was kept in a drug-induced coma for eight weeks[8][9] and later recovered.[10][11]

Honours

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River Plate

Zaragoza

Celta

Argentina

References

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  1. ^ a b "Fernando Cáceres: "Sé que puedo enseñar"" [Fernando Cáceres: "I know I can teach"] (in Spanish). El Gráfico. 14 August 2012. Retrieved 31 July 2022.
  2. ^ "1994/95: Nayim's bolt from the blue sinks Arsenal". UEFA. 1 June 1995. Archived from the original on 22 August 2010. Retrieved 20 June 2014.
  3. ^ "¿Qué fue de 'los héroes de París'?" [What happened to the 'heroes of Paris'?] (in Spanish). Heraldo de Aragón. 4 May 2015. Retrieved 9 June 2016.
  4. ^ "Cáceres reaparece en televisión y rememora su calvario: "Hay que seguir viviendo"" [Cáceres returns to television and relives ordeal: "One has to continue to live"] (in Spanish). El Desmarque. 13 November 2019. Retrieved 31 July 2022.
  5. ^ a b Fernando Gabriel Cáceres – Defensor (Fernando Gabriel Cáceres – Defender) Archived 22 September 2006 at the Wayback Machine; at Independiente 1905 (in Spanish)
  6. ^ "Fernando Cáceres" (in Spanish). Yo Jugué en el Celta. 22 April 2008. Retrieved 20 June 2014.
  7. ^ a b "Copa América 1993". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 21 March 2009. Retrieved 20 June 2014.
  8. ^ Parte médico confirma que Fernando Cáceres continúa grave (Medical report confirms Fernando Cáceres is still in serious condition) Archived 6 November 2009 at the Wayback Machine; Triunfo, 1 November 2009 (in Spanish)
  9. ^ Former Argentina defender Caceres shot, in coma Archived 4 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine; ESPN Soccernet, 1 November 2009
  10. ^ Fernando Cáceres ya respira por sus propios medios (Fernando Cáceres already breathing by himself); Marca, 24 November 2009 (in Spanish)
  11. ^ "Caceres back from the brink". FIFA. 7 February 2010. Archived from the original on 19 January 2015. Retrieved 20 June 2014.
  12. ^ "Zenit 2–2 Celta (Aggregate: 3–4)". UEFA. Archived from the original on 23 June 2004. Retrieved 16 June 2020.
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