Carlos Valderrama Biography

Carlos Valderrama, born 2 September 1961 in Santa Marta, is a Colombian retired footballer nicknamed "El Pibe" (The Boy) and "El Ángel Rubio" ("The Blonde Angel"). He is considered one of the best Colombian footballers of all time. He is mostly known in the rest of the world for his blonde hair, which earned him the nickname "The White Gullit". He was voted South American Footballer of the Year in 1987. Furthermore, he was included by Pelé in the FIFA 100 best players list.

Valderrama had his career started in 1981. He debuted for the Colombian club

. Afterwards, he played until 1988 in Colombia for Millonarios and Deportivo Cali. He transferred to France in 1988, winning the French Cup with Montpellier.

Valderrama switched in 1990 to the Spanish Real Valladolid where he played two years. He then returned to Colombia in 1992 to play for Independiente Medellín and Atlético Junior. He spent the last years of his career in the MLS in the United States, where he played for Tampa Bay and Miami Fusion. He retired from playing at

in 2003.

Under coach Gabriel Ochoa Uribe, the midfielder debuted for the Columbian national team on 27 October 1985 in the World Cup qualifier (playoffs) against Paraguay (3-0) in Asunción, together with Jorge Ambuila, Carlos Hoyos and Gabriel Gómez.

In that match, Valderrama replaced José Eugenio Hernández after 45 minutes. He took part in the World Cup finals three times in a row (1990, 1994 and 1998). After being hit hard by Anders Limpar in a friendly match against Sweden (0-0) on 18 February 1994 in Miami, he was in danger of missing the 1994 World Cup because of knee problems. Ultimately, he was fit enough to start for his homeland in all three group matches.

All You Need to Know About Carlos Valderrama Biography

Colombia went home early after defeats against Romania (1-3) and host America (1-2). The last victory over Switzerland (2-0) was of no avail. In his last tournament, in 1998 in France, Valderrama and his team also missed out on reaching the second round.

The South American team lost to both Romania (0-1) and England (0-2) and only managed to win against Tunisia (1-0) by a goal from leader Preciado. Valderrama retired as an international after the tournament. His last international game was against England on 26 June 1998.

Carlos Valderrama Information

Now that we know the Columbian footballer much better, in this section of

Carlos Valderrama biography

we will share more general information about him such as

Carlos Valderrama nationality

to let you know him even better.

Carlos Valderrama Bio

• Full Name: Carlos Alberto Valderrama Palacio

• Nickname: The Blonde Angel

• Profession: Professional Football Coach

Carlos Valderrama Physical Stats

• Weight: 74 Kg

• Height: 1.77 m

• Eye Color: Brown

• Hair Color: Blonde

Carlos Valderrama Football Information

• Position: Midfielder

• Jersey Number: 10

• Professional Debut: 1981

Carlos Valderrama Date of Birth and Personal Info

• Date of Birth: 2 September 1961

• Birth Place: Santa Marta, Colombia

• Zodiac Sign: Virgo

• Nationality: Columbian

Now stay tuned to this section of

Carlos Valderrama biography

as we want to share some info about

Carlos Valderrama childhood

.

Carlos Valderrama Early Life

Having spent his childhood and part of his adolescence attending his father's training sessions at Unión Magdalena as well as playing in the youth sector at the same club from 1978 to 1980, he debuted in the Campeonato Profesional on 15 March 1981, coming on at 74th in the match against Independiente Santa Fe, which then ended 1-1, in place of Carlos Alberto Barreto; that year the coach was the Argentinian Perfecto Rodríguez.

In Unión Magdalena's first championship with Valderrama in the squad, the team reached as far as the semi-final group (at the time the tournament was structured in several group stages), coming in last place and therefore being out of the title race.

Valderrama netted his first career goal on 12 August 1981 against Deportes Quindío and made 15 appearances. The early days at the club were not particularly positive for Valderrama, who, nevertheless, together with his cousin Didí, had the trust of coach Rodríguez.

Results deteriorated the following year, and Unión ended up in the second round, collecting eighteen points in the twenty-one games of their group. Valderrama played his first match of the season on 3 March against

, scoring his first goal on 20 May against Once Caldas; he received the first expulsion of his career on 15 August, in a match against Atlético Nacional.

He made 43 appearances with 2 goals at the end of the season (including 25 with 1 goal in the Apertura). The format of the competition was changed in 1983 but the team's performance did not improve. He started on 13 March against Deportes Tolima, and he scored his first goal of the season on 1 May, in his 6th appearance, again against Tolima. He collected 36 appearances in all, with 2 goals. He was later sold to

of Bogota, then the most successful team in Colombia.

Now stay tuned to this section of Carlos Valderrama biography as we want to share some info about his Millonarios career.

Millonarios

On arriving at the Bogota club, several things Valderrama was used to change: the climate was colder, the city was bigger and the responsibility was greater. The head coach Jorge Luis Pinto offered him several chances to play, but often the coach started him from the bench, but the 23-year-old midfielder was unable to express himself at his best, so the club decided to put him up for sale.

The Deportivo Cali was the club that bought the young director and paid him the same amount with which the Millonarios had taken him from Unión Magdalena, which was ten million pesos.

Deportivo Cali

Coming back from an unsuccessful experience with the capital's club, Valderrama was able to turn his career around with Deportivo Cali, a club with which he laid the foundations of his future European and international success. Vladimir Popović, a former Yugoslav midfielder, who had coached in South America, especially

, for several years, took over the club's bench in 1985.

In his first season with Valderrama, a strong connection was born between him and Bernardo Redín, who was also a midfielder: the two had a similar interpretation of football and could find each other instinctively on the pitch, with consistency and skill, creating a creative duo.

The team maintained an excellent performance in the league, to the point that at the end of the season they were ranked second, surpassed only by América de Cali and leading two of their players to the top of the scorers' table, Sergio Angulo with 25 goals and Miguel González with 34.

He debuted on 3 March against Atlético Bucaramanga in the first match; scoring his first goal on 4 June against América. He was sent off in the match against Santa Fe and scored the first double of his career against Cúcuta. He had made 48 appearances by the end of the season, scoring 13 goals. In the following year, the club was back in the Copa Libertadores after a five-year absence and was a major contender for the title.

Under the guidance of the Redín-Valderrama duo, in their finest hour of form, the Cali-based team finished fourth in both the first and second phases (the league had adopted the Apertura and Clausura formula) and thus managed to qualify for the final tournament, an eight-team group.

The team was again runner-up behind Gabriel Ochoa Uribe's América. In the first match, on 23 February, Valderrama played against Unión Magdalena and had the first goal on 10 May against Once Caldas. He played 46 games in total, scoring 5 goals.

The team suffered in 1987 from the not-so-excellent performances of the group, which was mainly made up of Valderrama, Redín and the Chilean Jorge Aravena, winner of the goalscorer ranking with twenty-three goals: by the end of the season, Deportivo Cali finished sixth, away from the fight for the title that in the two previous years saw it as a protagonist.

Their journey in Libertadores ended with the play-off against América de Cali to determine the qualification for the next round, as the teams had scored the same number of points: the winner was again América, who overcame Deportivo 4-2 after penalty shoot-outs.

The midfielder made his debut on the first day of the tournament, on 25 March against América, scoring his first goal on his 10th appearance, in the 30 April match against Once Caldas. After 37 games and 4 goals at the end of the season, Valderrama left the team.

Now stay tuned to this section of

Carlos Valderrama biography

as we want to share some info about his career in France.

Montpellier

In 1988 the Colombian midfielder landed in Europe, in the prime of his career: aged 27 he had several international appearances, and he was coming back from a positive performance, during the 1-1 draw on 24 May 1988 against England at Wembley, to the extent that English newspapers, in the aftermath of the match, wrote that

was "lucky" to have acquired a player like Valderrama.

While he scored both of his team's goals on his debut in a 2-0 friendly win over Partizan Belgrade, his start in Ligue 1 was not the best: as he arrived in France out of form, Montpellier's then-coach Pierre Mosca dropped him from the starting line-up to the bench. His then-teammate Laurent Blanc blamed the difficulties encountered by the Colombian on the difference between South American and European football, particularly on a tactical and physical level.

In 1989, when the new coach Michel Mézy arrived, Valderrama gained a permanent place in the starting eleven and was able to be crucial for the team, as it happened in the 1989-1990 French Cup (although he was not on the field in the final), particularly in the semi-final against Saint-Étienne.

Real Valladolid

He was transferred in 1991 to Spanish club

- for about forty million pesetas - in which two of his national teammates, René Higuita and Leonel Álvarez, were playing, and where his former coach Francisco Maturana, who guided Colombia to good participation in the 1990 World Cup in Italy, was in charge.

Sometime after the arrival of the South Americans, the president of the team left his post, something which was followed by various economic and internal troubles within the club. When the Colombian coach failed to achieve good results he was fired, and the other three compatriots also left with him: Valderrama was purchased by

for forty-five million pesetas.

Independiente Medellín

After arriving in Medellín, he participated in the 1992 season, which finished with the thirteenth place overall, leaving the championship still dominated by América de Cali. Therefore, at the end of the year with an unimpressive result, Valderrama joined Atlético Junior for 1,200,000 dollars.

Atlético Junior

The team had finished the final round of the 1992 championship with six defeats out of six; however, despite the poor result, the coach Julio Comesaña was trusted by the management. In the first phase of the tournament, Junior won Group B, which earned them access to the next round; the semi-final round ended with Junior qualifying, behind Atlético Nacional, for the last stage.

A goal in the 89th minute by Mackenzie against Atlético Nacional on 19 December 1993 earned the team the title after a thirteen-year drought, in which Valderrama was instrumental both for his five goals and, above all, for his bright and creative contribution in the midfield.

The next year, 1994, started without Valderrama: following the assassination of Andrés Escobar, in fact, the player declared his retirement from football, but two months later he changed his mind, partly thanks to the influence of the coach of Junior Comesaña.

Things were not very friendly: in fact, after the elimination of the national team in the first round of the 1994 World Cup, the former idol was unpopular with the fans of various teams, which blamed him in part for the failure in the U.S.

Over time, he succeeded in rebuilding the relationship with the Colombians and also resume playing at the international level. The 1994 league ended with the elimination of Atlético Junior from the final round, because of the poor results obtained especially during the first phase of the league (the tenth place out of sixteen teams), which was played without Valderrama.

Carlos Valderrama Profile

In 1995, the formula of the league was changed, abolishing the various group stages and adopting a single round of thirty games. The club won the fourth title in its history on the last day of the championship, despite the defeat against Santa Fe. Valderrama finished his last season in Colombia with a record of 29 games played out of 30, without any goals.

Now stay tuned to this section of Carlos Valderrama biography as we want to share some info about his career in the United States.

Tampa Bay Mutiny

The United States Football Federation decided in 1996, with a view to the creation of a national football league, to make sure the teams were as balanced as possible, by assigning four players to each of the various teams, who were selected among the best players who had chosen to play in the new league. Valderrama was consequently transferred to the Tampa Bay Mutiny, a team in which he had wished to play.

There he made his debut on 13 April 1996 in the match against the New England Revolution. In his first season in the United States, the Colombian had an excellent performance: he played 23 games in the regular season, netting four goals and, most importantly, seventeen assists, even though he was thirty-five years old.

The playoff adventure was ended in the semifinals, when Salvadoran Raúl Díaz Arce, having scored a hat-trick in the first leg, helped D.C. United to a 2-1 victory in the return game, played in Tampa. Valderrama was awarded Major League Soccer's MVP of the season at the end of the season, and his teammate Roy Lassiter topped the scoring charts with 27 goals.

In the following year, the Tampa Bay Mutiny came in second in the Eastern Conference, just behind the defending champions, and Valderrama had an average of 0.95 assists per game (nineteen winning passes in a total of twenty matches played) in the regular season, while the knockout phase was ended in the first round after a double defeat against the Columbus Crew.

However, once again Valderrama emerged as one of the league's best, again receiving an inclusion in the list for the MVP award (which went to American Preki) and was named the MLS All-Star Game's best player.

Miami Fusion

Upon leaving Tampa, following a brief stint at Deportivo Cali in 1997, which finished in March, he made the decision, on the occasion of the 1998 Major League Soccer season, to transfer to Miami Fusion, a team experiencing its first participation in the top league following its establishment the previous year.

His 18 appearances, accompanied by 12 assists, allowed the club to make it to the playoffs as the fourth qualifier in the Eastern Conference, which was the last place available, and with only one point ahead of Valderrama's former team. Another time standing between the South American's club and the later stages of the post season was D.C. United, which eliminated Fusion in the shootout.

Return to Tampa Bay Mutiny

Valderrama's experience in Florida finished on 23 April 1999, after 4 regular season games and a difficult relationship with Brazilian coach Ivo Wortmann; he later played in the two unlucky playoff games of the Tampa Bay Mutiny against the Columbus Crew.

During the 2000 season, the first season played from the start after his return to the Mutiny, Valderrama established a record, providing twenty-six assists in thirty-two games, helping the team qualify for the playoffs; however, once again the playoffs were halted after two games: the

, in fact, defeated the Tampa team in both the first leg and the second leg, concluding Valderrama's last season in Florida.

Colorado Rapids

The year 2001 was a breakthrough year for the midfielder who, after moving from hot Florida to the arid Colorado Rapids, was approaching his 40th birthday, which made him the oldest player in MLS.

He transferred to the Colorado Rapids as part of a player swap that brought Valderrama, Kotschau, and Garlick to Commerce City, with Adin Brown, Scott Vermillion, and one of the first picks of the draft moving to Miami. In spite of his age, he was still able to play twelve games in the league, although he did not qualify for the playoffs; his assists also decreased to three.

Valderrama's 2002 season was the last of his career and among the best in the championship: in fact, the Colorado team made it to the semifinals and had to surrender only to the future champions Los Angeles Galaxy. The South American playmaker also managed to achieve good personal results with sixteen assists in twenty-seven regular season games.

He then retired from professional football at the age of 41, and is remembered as one of the best players in the US league, and holding the record for the most assists (114). He officially bid farewell to football on 1 February 2004 with a match in which various other South American football personalities took part.

Columbia National Team

Valderrama played for the Colombian national football team between 1985 and 1998. He was captain and guided the team to the 1990, 1994 and 1998 World Cups. During the 1990 World Cup, Valderrama debuted against the United Arab Emirates on 9 June 1990.

In the 2-0 victory, he also scored his team's second goal. It was his only goal in a

final tournament. Following a defeat against Yugoslavia, the team drew against

. In the match, after Germany opened the scoring shortly before the end of the match, he provided the assist for Freddy Rincón's equaliser with an elegant pass in injury time.

After that, the team went through to the last 16. However, they were sent home after losing 2-1 to Cameroon. He never missed a minute of the tournament. The Colombian team was eliminated after the group stage four years later in the

and in France in 1998. Valderrama played in all matches. In total, he played 111 matches for his country.

Style of Play

His playing style featured a wide repertoire of through passes, first touches and long shots, along with skilful dribbling, which enabled him to maintain possession of the ball for long periods of time with Eduardo Galeano writing that he had crooked feet, which he used to "hide" the ball from opponents. In the wake of the victory against

during the 1987 Copa América, he was described as a classic number ten, who was able to handle the ball with great precision.

His greatest flaw was his slow pace, but he was able to counterbalance this through his technical skills; some of his other weaknesses were his header and the defensive phase, where he participated little or not at all.

He was rarely selfish on the field, and would often provide decisive assists for his teammates: he would usually position himself in the role of trequartista, and, because of his vision of the game, he would act as an offensive director, setting the team's tempo.

He played football against the grain, detaching himself from the physicality and athleticism which were gaining in importance while running little but handling and circulating the ball with speed and intelligence.

Reception

Arguably the best Colombian player of all time, or at least the best known, Valderrama was recognisable by his enormous tuft of blonde hair. Having played a total of 111 matches for his country, he was named as South American Footballer of the Year on no less than two occasions.

Carlos Valderrama outside Football

In 2008, Carlos Alberto Valderrama received an honorary degree in Physical Education, Recreation and Sports Technology from the Academic Council of the University of Magdalena. Upon receiving the honorary degree he said: “This was a wonderful surprise given to me by life and the university. It is a great surprise that should be celebrated.”

 In a press conference, Valderrama said that this recognition motivated him to continue studying since he is a young man who still has many dreams to fulfil, one of them being to pursue a university degree. The ceremony, which took place in the Julio Otero Muñoz auditorium of the alma mater, saw the national football star arrive in the company of a group of friends and journalists from Samaria.

Carlos Valderrama Personal Life

In this section of Carlos Valderrama biography, we will take a deeper look into his personal life and share some information about things like

Carlos Valderrama life story

and

Carlos Valderrama religion

, stay tuned.

Family, Children and Relationships

Having been married to his wife Claribeth Albán for almost 40 years now. He told the story of how he met her wife in an interview: “She moved from her city to my neighbourhood, Pescaíto. They opened a shop there where they sold soft drinks, bread and meat, and she worked there. I usually went there to eat and have a soda, and I saw her for the first time one night. I was 16 and she was 17. So we talked, and then I started going in every day and teasing her until it was time for something to happen. She was tough at first, like everyone else.”

Carlos added: “Fortunately we have had a good love and we still have the joy of being together for so long. Our marriage is almost 40 years old, and we have six children, and we are already going for a long time”

Valderrama was born into an important Colombian football family. Carlos "Jaricho" Valderrama Puche, his father, who was a mathematics teacher, starred for the national team, participated in the World Cup qualifiers for the 1966 tournament and became Colombian champion with Unión Magdalena in 1968.

Both his brothers Ronald and Alan were professional football players, along with his nephews Julián, Édison and Miguel González Palacio. In addition, his uncle Pablo (called "Toto" or "Sabú") and his sons, and therefore Valderrama's cousins Didí Álex and Pablo Yico Valderrama, followed the same profession.

His family also included Aníbal "el Pollo" Yáñez in the 1920s and Aurelio and Justo Palacio in the 1960s, who were related to his mother Juana Palacio. His distant relative Nicole Valderrama was a player for the second team of VfL Bochum in Germany and attended several DFB youth training courses.

Philanthropy

During his playing career and even after retiring from professional football, Carlos Valderrama was always been involved with many different charity projects. For example, on 28 April 2018, aged 57, he took part in a charity match which was played in Barranquilla Colombia. He also dyed his hair pink and took part in a walk in Bogota to raise awareness for breast cancer.

Legal Issues

In his early twenties, he also had trouble with the law, when in 1981 he was arrested by the police and had to stay for four days in a detention cell in Santa Marta prison, for having assaulted an officer.

And in 1995 a DNA test confirmed that he had a son with Colombian journalist Emelina Ruge Tapias, as a result of an extramarital love affair three years earlier, when Valderrama was playing for Independiente Medellín.

Carlos Valderrama Career Statistics

In this section of Carlos Valderrama biography, we will take a look at his career stats on the international and club level.

Club

During his playing career between 1981 and 2002, Valderrama played in a total of 682 matches in all competitions, scoring 75 goals and providing 178 assists to his teammates.

International

He was also part of the Columbian national football team between 1985 and 1998, where he played 111 matches for his country, with 11 goals and 40 assists to his name.

Carlos Valderrama Honors

Carlos Valderrama has won Coupe de France in 1990 with Montpellier, the Colombian Championship in 1993 and 1995 with Atletico Junior and the MLS Supporters' Shield in 1996 with Tampa Bay Mutiny.

Some of his notable individual titles and awards include Copa América MVP, South American Footballer of the Year, South American Team of the Year, MLS All-Star of the Year, Major League Soccer MVP, World Soccer's 100 Greatest Footballers of All Time, Colombian Player of the Century, FIFA 100 and many others.

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