.jpg) Recoba withNacional in 2012 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Álvaro Alexánder Recoba Rivero | ||
| Date of birth | (1976-03-17)17 March 1976 (age 49) | ||
| Place of birth | Montevideo, Uruguay | ||
| Height | 1.77 m (5 ft 10 in) | ||
| Position(s) | |||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Deportivo Táchira (manager) | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Danubio | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1994–1995 | Danubio | 34 | (11) |
| 1996–1997 | Nacional | 33 | (17) |
| 1997–2008 | Inter Milan | 175 | (53) |
| 1999 | →Venezia (loan) | 19 | (11) |
| 2007–2008 | →Torino (loan) | 22 | (1) |
| 2008–2010 | Panionios | 21 | (5) |
| 2010–2011 | Danubio | 31 | (11) |
| 2011–2015 | Nacional | 82 | (17) |
| Total | 417 | (126) | |
| International career | |||
| 1995–2007 | Uruguay | 69 | (11) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2020–2022 | Nacional (assistant) | ||
| 2022–2023 | Nacional (reserves) | ||
| 2023–2024 | Nacional | ||
| 2026– | Deportivo Táchira | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Álvaro Alexánder Recoba Rivero (Spanish pronunciation:[ˈalβaɾoaleɣˈsandeɾreˈkoβariˈβeɾo]; born 17 March 1976;nickname "El Chino"[1]) is an Uruguayan professionalfootball coach and former player, who played as aforward ormidfielder. He is the current manager of Venezuelan clubDeportivo Táchira. He is considered one of the greatest Uruguayan players of all time.
He began and ended his footballing career in his native Uruguay. He also played for several European clubs throughout his career, most notably Italian sideInter Milan, where he spent 11 seasons between 1997 and 2008.
At international level, Recoba won 68caps for theUruguay national team between 1995 and 2007, participating at the2002 FIFA World Cup and twoCopa América tournaments.
Recoba started his career with Uruguay'sDanubio. After several years in the Danubio youth teams, he appeared on the first team at age 17 and played for two full seasons, 1994–95 and 1995–96.[2] At the start of the 1996–97 season, Danubio agreed to transfer Recoba toNacional. The following season, Nacional agreed to send Recoba to Italy'sSerie A clubInter Milan.[citation needed]
Recoba made his Inter debut on the same day asRonaldo, on 31 August 1997, coming on as a substitute againstBrescia at theSan Siro. He scored two goals in the last ten minutes of the match: one, a powerful 30-yard shot that flew past the keeper, the next, a free-kick into the top corner after aCristiano Doni foul. The goals allowed Inter to come back and win the match 2–1.[3]
After two seasons with Inter, Recoba was loaned out to relegation-battlingVenezia for the second round of the1998–99 Serie A.[4] The striker scored 11 times and made 9 assists in 19 games. Eventually, Venezia escaped relegation that season.[citation needed]
After his tenure at Venezia, Recoba returned to Inter. In January 2001, he renewed his contract with the club until 30 June 2006. During the same month, he wasaccused of carrying a fake passport and lost the Italian nationality he had received in 1999. TheItalian Football Federation penalised Recoba with a one-year ban, which was later reduced on appeal to four months.[5] Overall, he played for Inter Milan for eleven seasons, from 1997 to 2007.[citation needed]
On 16 March 2007, Recoba confirmed toSky Italia he wanted to leave the team at the end of the2006–07 season, citing lack of appearances with the first team. On 31 August 2007, he was loaned to Serie A clubTorino, where he rejoinedWalter Novellino, his previous boss at Venezia.[citation needed]
Recoba scored his first goal for the club in the second match of the season, a 1–1 draw withPalermo, after a good combination between himself andAlessandro Rosina.[6] On 19 December 2007, Recoba gave a top-class performance againstRoma in theCoppa Italia, scoring two excellent goals in Torino's 3–1 win.[7] However, his performances have been disappointing due to injuries and lack of playing time; he did not make the expected impact despite a solid start to the season, and finished the season out of the club's starting 11.[8]
On 5 September 2008, Recoba signed forGreek top division clubPanionios, where he joinedGreek international and former Inter teammateLampros Choutos as well as Uruguay national team playerFabián Estoyanoff. He made his debut in a 2–1 win againstAris on 18 October 2008. He proved his quality by assisting both goals for teammatesGiannis Maniatis andAnderson Gonzaga.[9] In his next match, Recoba inspired Panionios to a 5–2 away win againstErgotelis, where he scored two goals. He finished the season with five goals and seven assists, despite continuous fitness problems.[citation needed]
On 9 June 2009, Recoba agreed to remain at Panionios for the following season, as per the terms of his original contract. On 6 December 2009, and after being constantly injured, Recoba came to an agreement with the club to mutually rescind his contract on 16 December 2009. Panionios stated the termination was "friendly" and that they "were honoured" by his association with the club despite his injury-riddled spell.[10]
After nine days without a club, Recoba announced on 24 December 2009 that he would sign with Danubio,[11] where he had played from 1993 to 1995.[2] In July 2011, Recoba signed for former club Nacional. He appeared in many matches coming on from the bench, but still helped the team to win theTorneo Apertura. Recoba scored the second goal in theclásico victory 2–1 againstPeñarol by taking a penalty kick during stoppage time. The result allowed Nacional to surpass Peñarol in the tournament table. He also scored the only goal in the last game againstLiverpool. During theTorneo Clausura, he started more matches, scoring the third and definitive goal of that tournament'sclásico, which ended ending 3–2 for Nacional. He scored the only goal in the final game of2011–12 Campeonato Uruguayo againstDefensor Sporting Club on 16 June 2012. During theUruguayan Clásico on 9 November 2014, at almost age 38, Recoba scored a 30-yard free-kick in the fifth minute of stoppage time to win the match for Nacional.[12]
Recoba made his debut forUruguay on 18 January 1995 in afriendly match againstSpain (2–2) at theEstadio Riazor,A Coruña, replacingEnzo Francescoli in the 65th minute.[13] He played at the2002 FIFA World Cup. His only goal at the tournament came againstSenegal in Uruguay's final group stage match, but it was not enough as the match finished in a 3–3 draw and eliminated Uruguay in the first round.[citation needed]
In September 2005, Recoba scored the winning goal againstArgentina in a2006 World Cup qualifying match. This helped Uruguay qualify as South America's fifth-placed team and put them in position to play for theintercontinental play-off againstOceania Football Confederation championsAustralia. However, Uruguay lost 4–2 in a penalty shootout after a draw in aggregate score. Recoba was substituted off in the second leg of the playoff forMarcelo Zalayeta after 73 minutes.[14] When he was interviewed for the Australian documentaryNovember 16 in 2015, Recoba indicated his displeasure at the decision to replace him, saying, "I was OK. I had the will to keep going. I was disappointed to come off in a game like that."[15]
After the 2006 World Cup, and despite his lack of appearances in Inter's playing squad, Recoba was again picked for the Uruguay national team. He scored his 12th international goal in a 2–1 victory on 2 June 2007, in a friendly against Australia and he also appeared for Uruguay in the2007 Copa América, where Uruguay finished fourth. In total, Recoba was capped 69 times with Uruguay.[citation needed]
Recoba played his last match as a professional footballer on 31 March 2016 at age 40, at theEstadio Gran Parque Central inMontevideo.[1] The occasion was anexhibition game, organized by Nacional, between one team of current and former Nacional players, withHugo de León,Felipe Revelez,"Cacique" Medina, among others, and a team ofAmigos del Chino which included international starsJuan Román Riquelme,Christian Vieri,Carlos Valderrama,Juan Sebastián Verón andIván Zamorano.[16]
A quick, technically gifted and creativeoffensive midfieldplaymaker, who was capable both of scoring and creating goals, Recoba's main strengths were hisdribbling skills, ball control, pace, his brilliant long passing andcrossing ability and his powerful and accurate striking ability with his left-foot from outside the area.[17] He was a set-piece,penalty kick, andcorner-kick specialist, renowned for hiscurlingfree-kicks, and has scored goals of great quality, examples of which were his two goals on his debut with Inter.[17] Recoba was capable of playing in several offensive positions, and has been used as an attacking midfielder, as asupporting striker, and as awinger. For a period, he was also the highest-paid footballer in the world.[17][18][19] Despite his talent, Recoba was often injury-prone throughout his career,[20][21] and was also criticised for his poor work-rate and inconsistency, which has led pundits and managers to accuse him of not fulfilling his potential.[17][22][23][24]
On 20 October 2023, after being an assistant and manager of the reserve team, Recoba was appointed manager ofNacional.[25] He left the club by mutual consent on 10 June of the following year.[26]
In May 2025, it was announced that Recoba will be the technical director ofDeportivo LSM, a new soccer team established byLuis Suárez.[27] On 19 November, he returned to managerial duties after being appointed in charge of Venezuelan clubDeportivo Táchira for the upcoming season.[28]
Recoba's sonsJulio andJeremía are also footballers.[29]
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Danubio | 1994[30] | Primera División | 14 | 6 | — | — | — | 14 | 6 | |||
| 1995[30] | Primera División | 20 | 5 | — | — | — | 20 | 5 | ||||
| Total | 34 | 11 | — | — | — | 34 | 11 | |||||
| Nacional | 1996[30] | Primera División | 20 | 8 | — | 2 | 0 | 7 | 6 | 29 | 14 | |
| 1997[30][31] | Primera División | 10 | 9 | — | 8[b] | 3 | — | 18 | 12 | |||
| Total | 30 | 17 | — | 8 | 3 | 7 | 6 | 47 | 26 | |||
| Inter Milan | 1997–98[31] | Serie A | 8 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 6[c] | 0 | — | 19 | 5 | |
| 1998–99[31] | Serie A | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2[d] | 0 | — | 4 | 0 | ||
| 1999–2000[31] | Serie A | 27 | 10 | 6 | 0 | — | 1[e] | 0 | 34 | 10 | ||
| 2000–01[31] | Serie A | 29 | 8 | 3 | 2 | 9[f] | 5 | — | 41 | 15 | ||
| 2001–02[31] | Serie A | 18 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 4[c] | 0 | — | 22 | 6 | ||
| 2002–03[31] | Serie A | 27 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 14[d] | 3 | — | 42 | 12 | ||
| 2003–04[31] | Serie A | 19 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 7[g] | 3 | — | 29 | 11 | ||
| 2004–05[31] | Serie A | 13 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 5[d] | 1 | — | 22 | 6 | ||
| 2005–06[31] | Serie A | 20 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 7[d] | 1 | 1[h] | 0 | 30 | 6 | |
| 2006–07[31] | Serie A | 13 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 2[d] | 0 | — | 18 | 1 | ||
| Total | 175 | 53 | 28 | 6 | 56 | 13 | 2 | 0 | 261 | 72 | ||
| Venezia (loan) | 1998–99[31] | Serie A | 19 | 11 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 19 | 11 | ||
| Torino (loan) | 2007–08[31] | Serie A | 22 | 1 | 2 | 2 | — | — | 24 | 3 | ||
| Panionios | 2008–09[31] | Super League Greece | 14 | 4 | 2 | 1 | — | — | 16 | 5 | ||
| 2009–10[31] | Super League Greece | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 5 | 0 | |||
| Total | 19 | 4 | 2 | 1 | — | — | 21 | 5 | ||||
| Danubio | 2009–10[31] | Primera División | 13 | 5 | — | — | — | 13 | 5 | |||
| 2010–11[31] | Primera División | 18 | 5 | — | — | — | 18 | 5 | ||||
| Total | 31 | 10 | — | — | — | 31 | 10 | |||||
| Nacional | 2011–12[31] | Primera División | 23 | 7 | — | 1[i] | 0 | 1[j] | 1 | 25 | 8 | |
| 2012–13[31] | Primera División | 21 | 5 | — | 9[k] | 1 | — | 30 | 6 | |||
| 2013–14[31] | Primera División | 19 | 2 | — | 3[b] | 0 | 1[j] | 0 | 23 | 2 | ||
| 2014–15[31] | Primera División | 17 | 2 | — | 1[b] | 0 | 1[j] | 0 | 19 | 2 | ||
| Total | 80 | 16 | — | 14 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 97 | 18 | |||
| Career total | 413 | 123 | 32 | 9 | 78 | 17 | 5 | 1 | 528 | 150 | ||
Source:[32]
| Uruguay | ||
| Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 2 | 0 |
| 1996 | 3 | 3 |
| 1997 | 12 | 3 |
| 1998 | 0 | 0 |
| 1999 | 2 | 0 |
| 2000 | 9 | 1 |
| 2001 | 11 | 1 |
| 2002 | 7 | 1 |
| 2003 | 8 | 0 |
| 2004 | 4 | 0 |
| 2005 | 6 | 1 |
| 2006 | 0 | 0 |
| 2007 | 5 | 1 |
| Total | 69 | 11 |
International goalsSource:[32]
Scores and results list Uruguay's goal tally first. Score column indicates score after each Recoba goal.
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 17 July 1996 | Workers' Stadium,Beijing,China |  China | 1–0 | 1–1 | Friendly |
| 2. | 25 August 1996 | Osaka Nagai Stadium,Osaka,Japan |  Japan | 1–1 | 3–5 | |
| 3. | 3–4 | |||||
| 4. | 15 June 1997 | Estadio Olímpico Patria,Sucre,Bolivia |  Venezuela | 1–0 | 2–0 | 1997 Copa América |
| 5. | 10 September 1997 | Estadio Nacional,Lima,Peru |  Peru | 1–0 | 1–2 | 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 6. | 17 December 1997 | King Fahd II Stadium,Riyadh,Saudi Arabia |  South Africa | 2–1 | 4–3 | 1997 FIFA Confederations Cup |
| 7. | 17 February 2000 | Estadio Campus Municipal,Maldonado,Uruguay |  Hungary | 1–0 | 2–0 | Friendly |
| 8. | 4 September 2001 | Estadio Nacional,Lima,Peru | Peru | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 9. | 11 June 2002 | Suwon World Cup Stadium,Suwon,South Korea |  Senegal | 3–3 | 3–3 | 2002 FIFA World Cup |
| 10. | 12 October 2005 | Estadio Centenario,Montevideo,Uruguay |  Argentina | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 11. | 2 June 2007 | Telstra Stadium,Sydney,Australia |  Australia | 2–1 | 2–1 | Friendly |
| Team | Nat | From | To | Record | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | W% | ||||
| Nacional |  | 20 October 2023 | Present | 10 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 18 | 11 | +7 | 050.0 |
| Total | 10 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 18 | 11 | +7 | 050.0 | |||
Inter Milan[34]
Nacional[34]
Individual
Uruguay squads | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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