Nolberto Solano Biography; Newcastle’s Master of Freekicks
Recognizing himself as an ‘adopted Geordie’, the Peruvian midfielder spent 8 years at Newcastle and gained the love of the Geordies, not only for his performance on the pitch but also for his character. In Nolberto Solano biography we look at the former Premier League midfielder’s life and career.
Already seeing his precision in taking world-class freekicks, it was no surprise for football fans that the Peru icon can use that precision in the music career he followed after playing time to be successful.
With 95 international appearances for Peru, Nolberto Solano is the 9th in the ranking of Peruvians with the most international caps, however, scoring 20 goals as a midfielder makes him a favorite of his country as well as Newcastle United. He is a popular figure in his native
Peru, where he is seen as one of the most famous Peruvians, appearing on telephone cards and having his wedding televised live.
All You Need to Know About Nolberto Solano Biography
Here, in
Nolberto Solano bio
, we take a look at the 19-year career of the Peru legend and his life inside and outside the pitch. Remembering some of his iconic goals and his humble and adorable character, Nolberto Solano biography is one to read for every football fan.
Nolberto Solano Information
Full name: Nolberto Albino "Ñol" Solano Todco
Nickname: Maestrito, Nobby Solano
Personal information
Nolberto Solano date of birth: 12 December 1974 (age 46)
Zodiac sign: Sagittarius
Place of birth: Callao, Peru
Nolberto Solano religion: Christian
Mother’s name: Jeanette Todco
Father’s name: Albino Solano
Nolberto Solano nationality: Peruvian
Marital status: Divorced
Former wife: Claudia Solano
Body Measurements
Hair color: Black
Eye color: Dark Brown
Height: 1.73 m
Weight: 78 kg
Body Type: Slim
Nolberto Solano Early Life
Nolberto Solano date of birth
is 12 December 1974, the youngest child of 7 children to a former navy man, Albino Solano, and a homemaker mother, Jeanette, Nobby Solano has 4 brothers and 2 sisters.
Two early impressions marks
Nolberto Solano childhood
and dragged him to football, one was witnessing the Peru national football team qualify for the 1978 FIFA World Cup at the age of three and the other their 1982 FIFA World Cup qualification at the age of seven.
Hence, he began playing football at a very early age in the streets of Callao before signing his first professional contract at age of 17 with Peruvian Primera División side
Sporting Cristalin 1992.
Nolberto Solano Profile
Making his league debut for Sporting Cristal on 13 April 1992 during their 2-0 victory over San Agustín kick starts
Nolberto Solano life story
as he later signed a one-year contract with Deportivo Municipal and made the headlines as he scored 7 goals during 27 appearances for Municipal. After that, he returned to Cristal and was a key part of the Sporting Cristal squad which won the Peru Primera División Championships thrice (1994, 1995, and 1996) and reached the finals of the 1997 Copa Libertadores.
Solano’s performance earned him a contract with Argentine giants, Boca Juniors, in 1997, where he became a teammate of
Diego Maradona, who nicknamed Solano the 'Maestrito'.
His continued form raised the attention of Premier League giants Newcastle United, and in 1998 Solano became the first professional Peru-born footballer to play in England as the Magpies signed the Peruvian for a reported £2.4 million fee.
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.
Becoming a regular for Newcastle and playing the 1999 FA Cup Final with the club (which they lost to Manchester United 2-0), Solano signed a new five-year contract with the club in June 2001.
However, due to a "strained relationship" with manager
Bobby Robson, he left Newcastle United and joined Aston Villa 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,[10] ended the 2004–05 season as top scorer, and was elected the club's Player of the Year by the supporters, his teammates, and the local press, which earned Solano an offer from then-Champions League champions, Liverpool.
However, on transfer deadline day, Solano rejected a late offer to join Liverpool and agreed to return to Newcastle, where he spent another two years before joining West Ham in August 2007.
In 2008, Solano became "one of the biggest signings in the club’s history" when he signed for Super League Greece club AE Larissa in August 2008 before returning to Peru with Universitario de Deportes.
After spells at Leicester City and Hull City, Solano retired at Hartlepool United in April 2012.
Nolberto Solano nationality
is Peruvian, and he started his managing career right away after his playing retirement at his homeland,
Universitario, and despite the fact he guided the club into the top half of the table after being in the relegation zone when he first took charge, he left the club in the same year.
The Peruvian became the head coach of Canadian club Internacional de Toronto in League1 Ontario. However, the club had its licensing agreement terminated on 22 July due to issues regarding the payment of player salaries.
Since 2017, Solano is a technical assistant to Ricardo Gareca with the Peru national team, and taking charge as coach of the U-23 team.
Style of Play
Nolberto Solano made 230 league appearances in his two spells at
Newcastle, scoring 37 goals, and was part of the team that lost the 1999 FA Cup final 2-0 to Manchester United. While generally used as a right-sided midfielder, he was also appreciated as an emergency right-back.
Not every footballer responds well to a change of position, especially when it involves an attack-minded individual switching to a more defensive approach. However, when injuries hurt the squad, Solano was there to shine in a full-back role.
It is a characteristic that is not always celebrated, and it is an element that lacks a bit in today’s game. Players are so focused and trained in one area of the sport that they can lose that quality of just “playing”.
An occasional feistiness was reflected in his being the first of many Premier League players to be sent off by Mike Dean, in a game at Ipswich. While not the fastest wide player, Solano was a fine passer and capable of scoring spectacular free-kicks.
The goal that still glorifies Nobby Solano’s career at Newcastle United is a 90th-minute winner at Leeds in December 2001, Newcastle’s 4-3 victory putting them three points clear at the top of the table. However, successive defeats against Arsenal and Liverpool in March ended their title challenge.
Reception
Nolberto Solano's spells on Tyneside amounted to 230 games, with a return of 37 goals. And if there’s anything a Newcastle fan will tell you, those goals were special. Nolberto Solano doesn’t do tap-ins. From awkward-angled headers to half-volleys, free kicks, and thunderbolts, he had it all in his locker.
Solano is also a popular figure in his native Peru, where he is seen as one of the most famous Peruvians, appearing on telephone cards and having his wedding televised live.
Goal Celebration
After scoring wonder goals, Solano kept his celebrations simple, just running toward the fans with his emotions flowing and kissing his finger and throwing it to them.
Nolberto Solano Outside Football
Being raised in a Christian family,
Nolberto Solano religion
is Christianity. However, despite raising to ranks of a celebrity in both Peru and England, Solano kept his personal life private. A hero of his native Peru, his likeness was used in countless advertisements, and his wedding was broadcast live on national television.
One well-known fact is hard to find Solano outside the pitch without
his loving trumpet, the instrument he learned during his teenage time in Peru.
"I don’t think Bobby Robson was so keen on me playing my trumpet,” Solano said in 2005.
"He didn’t know about it when he first took over as manager, but he soon found out when I rang him up one night and played down the phone to him. I’m not sure he was too amused.
"Sometimes I’d take it [the trumpet] into training and play it for the lads in the dressing room – though it wasn’t always too successful. One time I played a duet with Gary Speed on guitar, but he likes rock music and I like salsa. I now realize the two styles should probably never be mixed."
The 42-year-old was renowned as an accomplished trumpet player during his spell in English football, and even set up his own Salsa band, ‘The Geordie Latinos’.
“At least my Villa team-mates like my music, although whenever I play badly on the pitch they always take the piss out of me by saying ‘Nobby, you’ve got to stop playing your trumpet so much and start concentrating on your football.’ I used to play Latin jazz duets with Dion Dublin at Villa. It was nice to mix the sounds of my trumpet with Dion’s sax, but sadly he moved to Leicester City so we don’t get to play together anymore,” Solano says.
Nolberto Solano Personal Life
Nolberto Solano is the youngest of seven children, with the ex-midfielder having four brothers and two sisters. His father, Albino, was in the Peruvian Navy, before working as a taxi driver before retirement, while his mother, Janet, was a housewife.
Family, Children and Relationships
Solano married once to Claudia Solano and got divorced in 2005. With too little information on Nolberto Solano's personal life, it's believed the Peruvan has a son.
His former wife got arrested in 2004 for driving while being drunk and was fined £250 and ordered to pay £34 costs after pleading guilty to the charge, she had 62mg of alcohol in 100ml of breath - the legal limit is 35mg.
Philanthropy
In 2007, Nolberto Solano has revealed he is trying to organise a charity friendly between England and Peru. The Newcastle midfielder says he is attempting to arrange a fixture to raise money for the victims of the devastating earthquake, which recently hit Peru. However, his attemption failed.
With ‘Geordie Latinos’, Solano attended many charity events, and recently had been active in charity commercial.
Legal Issues
Solano was arrested by police in the Gosforth 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.
In 2020, Nobby Solano revealed he was arrested in Peru for breaching the Coronavirus lock-down rules. But the Newcastle United legend denied he legged it to a party during a curfew – saying is was just a gathering for friends with some music. Solano was pictured on Peruvian TV being led away by police.
Nolberto Solano Career Statistics
Here in this part of
Nolberto Solano biography
, we take a look at the midfielder’s stats during his playing and managing career.
Scoring 52 goals and contributing 66 assists during his playing career, Solano is also joint-fifth on the all-time goalscoring chart, having netted 20 times, equalling
Claudio Pizarro’s tally.
Club
In a total of 493 club appearances, Solano has scored 80 goals and contributed 89 assists. Being best recognized as a Newcastle legend, Solano has scored 48 goals during 315 appearances he made for the Magpies as well as contributing 78 assists.
In a total of 302 Premier League appearances, Solano has scored 49 goals with 60 appearances.
International
In a total of 95 appearances for Peru, which makes him 9th in the total ranking, Solano has scored 20 goals and holds a ratio of 0.21 goals per match.
Solano made his full international debut for Peru at the age of 18 and announced his decision to retire from international football after World Cup 2010 Qualifiers against Argentina and Bolivia, aged 36.
Managerial
During his managerial spells at Peru with Universitario de Deportes and José Gálvez, Solano held a 31.91 percent win rate in a total of 47 games. He now serves as assistant to Ricardo Gareca at Peru national team, as well as managing their under-23 side occasionally.
Nolberto Solano Honors
Before ending
Nolberto Solano biography
, we take a look at the former Premier League winger's achievements.
Winning three successive Peruvian First Division with Sporting Cristal, Solano has also won UEFA Intertoto Cup with Newcastle United in 2006 before adding another Peruvian league title with Universitario de Deportes in 2009.
He also has won two Kirin Cups with Peru in 1999 and 2005. He was named Peruvian Player of the Year in 1992 and was included in America's Ideal Team of the Year in 1997 as well as ending up second in the South American Player of the Year in the same year.
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