 Domínguez playing forOlympiacos in 2015. | |||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Alejandro Damián Domínguez | ||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | (1981-06-10)10 June 1981 (age 44) | ||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Quilmes, Argentina | ||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.76 m (5 ft9+1⁄2 in) | ||||||||||||||||
| Position | Attacking midfielder | ||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||
| 2000–2001 | Quilmes | 25 | (6) | ||||||||||||||
| 2001–2004 | River Plate | 29 | (9) | ||||||||||||||
| 2004–2007 | Rubin Kazan | 63 | (22) | ||||||||||||||
| 2007–2009 | Zenit St. Petersburg | 46 | (7) | ||||||||||||||
| 2009–2010 | Rubin Kazan | 23 | (16) | ||||||||||||||
| 2010–2012 | Valencia | 22 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2011–2012 | →River Plate (loan) | 33 | (5) | ||||||||||||||
| 2012–2013 | Rayo Vallecano | 33 | (5) | ||||||||||||||
| 2013–2017 | Olympiacos | 82 | (28) | ||||||||||||||
| 2017–2018 | Rayo Vallecano | 19 | (2) | ||||||||||||||
| Total | 375 | (100) | |||||||||||||||
| International career | |||||||||||||||||
| 2001 | Argentina U20 | 3 | (1) | ||||||||||||||
Medal record
| |||||||||||||||||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||||||||||||||||
Alejandro Damián Domínguez (born 10 June 1981), also known asChori, is an Argentine retiredfootballer who played as anattacking midfielder or asecond striker.
After playing for second league clubQuilmes, Domínguez, nicknamed 'Chorí' since he was a teenager, joined Argentine giantsRiver Plate, winning theClausura three consecutive times with the club.
Scouted by several European clubs, he ended up signing for Russian sideRubin Kazan, in 2004. During 2006 pre-seasonRubin tried to sell him, but they were not satisfied with the amount offered for him and decided to keep him.[1]
Domínguez was signed byFC Zenit Saint Petersburg for €7 million before the start of 2007 Russian season, breaking the record transfer fee inside theRussian Premier League, however the record was exceeded in 2008, whenDanny moved fromFC Dynamo Moscow toZenit Saint Petersburg for a fee well above 30 million euros.[2] One of Domínguez's most notable performances was in the 4–0UEFA Cup victory overBayern Munich which sentZenit to the final of the competition for the first time in the history of the club. Domínguez played exceptionally well and provided 2 assists.Dominguez played an extraordinary role in winning Zenit's first domestic championship title in 2007. The Gazprom-sponsored side needed a win at now-defunctSaturn in order to finish top and had to defend a last-minute corner when leading 1–0. As theZenit Saint Petersburg defence froze,Baffour Gyan's header seemed to be making its way into the net, only for Chori—one of the shortest players on the pitch at 5-foot-7 – to miraculously jump on the line and head it onto the crossbar.[3][tone]
On 13 March 2009,Rubin Kazan signed 'Chori' back fromZenit, where he had some problems with the coachDick Advocaat.
In the2009–10 UEFA Champions League, Domínguez played well forRubin, providing the team with goals againstInter Milan andFC Dynamo Kyiv. He also made an assist toGökdeniz Karadeniz who scored a stunning match-winning goal againstFC Barcelona during the group stage.Rubin Kazan failed to advance to the first knockout round due to a 2–0 loss againstInternazionale.
He was named the best footballer in Russia of 2009 by theRussian Football Union,Sport Express newspaper and Russian weekly magazine Futbol.
On 11 December 2009, it was announced that Domínguez would joinValencia. He signed a three-and-a-half-year contract on 14 December 2009.[4]Dominguez was behindRoberto Soldado andAritz Aduriz in the selection.[5]
At the middle of the 2010–11 season,Sky Sport Italia andTuttosport claimed thatJuventus had reached an agreement for a loan with the option to make it a permanent move in the summer. There were doubts as to whether the deal would go through as voices suggested the striker lacked an EU passport, meaning Juventus would not be able to sign him. However, it was revealed he had an Italian passport, making him eligible to join Juve as he would not affect their non-EU quotas.[6]
In the middle of 2011, the player contacted his employers atValencia to negotiate a loan to former clubRiver Plate, which had been relegated for the first time in its history to the second division of Argentina.[7] His gesture was highly appreciated by the fans, and Domínguez featured as one of the team's stars in both attacking midfielder and forward roles for the club, scoring 5 goals, providing numerous assists and functioning as vice-captain.
In late June 2012, after he had achieved a return to the first division withRiver Plate, Domínguez was told he would not continue to play for River, as the club decided not to negotiate his transfer from Valencia. He left alongside top scorer and former captainFernando Cavenaghi, both stating irreconcilable differences with club president,Daniel Passarella.[8] He didn't stay inValencia and was contracted at the beginning of August 2012 by SpanishPrimera división clubRayo Vallecano, on a one-year deal. After signing the contract, he confessed the project they presented him was attractive, but he also chose the club because of the red stripe on the white home shirt, which reminded him of his home team River Plate's kit.[9]
The 32-year-old Argentine was widely expected to remain in Spain following his 12-month spell at the Campo de Futbol de Vallecas, but instead opted to join formerGetafe andSevilla bossMichel at the Karaiskakis Stadium.[10]
In July 2013, Domínguez signed a two-year contract with Greek side Olympiakos.[11] On 1 December 2013, he scored his first goal with the club in theSuper League in a 3–0 home win againstErgotelis.[12] On 26 February 2014 after he had scored one goal againstManchester United in the first leg of their last-16Champions League tie, he told UEFA's official site that :"I am so happy. I am very satisfied with the team's work and the victory we achieved. I believe we have made a big step – a giant leap forward".[13][14]
On 13 September 2014 Domínguez impressed again scoring a spectacular goal in a 3–0 home win againstOFI.[15] He also impressed in Olympiacos' 3–2 home win against Atletico Madrid. He was subsequently named in theChampions League "Team of the Week". On 9 December 2014, Dominguez impressed again by scoring an amazing goal in a 4–2 home win againstMalmö forUEFA Champions League.[16]
On 2 April 2015, the Argentine attacking midfielder had been an indispensable member ofOlympiakos squad for yet another season pledged his future to the club by signing a new contract until 2017. Despite the offers from his homeland Dominguez decided to stay at Olympiakos as he was very happy with his life in Greece."I'm glad that I signed a new deal. I'm very happy with that. My family is also happy here in Greece. That's why I decided to renew my contract. There were offers from Argentina but Olympiakos wanted me to stay here as well. I feel great playing at such a great club which competes for titles every season. I like living under pressure", Dominguez underlined.[17] In the 2014–15 the club won the league and he scored 15 goals (3rd highest in the league) and provided 11 assists (highest in the league).
On 23 May 2015, Alejandro Domínguez scored asOlympiacos celebrated their 27thGreek Cup triumph thanks to a 3–1 victory againstSkoda Xanthi at the Olympic Stadium. Receiving the ball inside his own half, Domínguez escaped two challenges, drove towards the area and unleashed a stunning curling effort.[18][19][20]
On 12 September 2015, Dominguez scored his first goal for the2015–16 season in a home 3–1 win againstPlatanias. He had a long shot hit the post in the 44th but did not miss in the 52nd when he took a back heel pass fromBrown Ideye inside the area, dribbled past a defender, and shot low just inside the right post.[21] On 13 December 2015, Dominguez helped his club, by scoring the only goal, to reach the 14th victory in a row forGreek Super League setting a new club record, by winningPanetolikos. On 3 January 2016, he scored the first goal helping his club to escape with a 3–1 away win againstPanionios.[22]On 18 February 2016, in the 1st legUEFA Europa League game for the round of 32 againstRSC Anderlecht, Argentine midfielder Dominguez reached 100 matches withOlympiakos' jersey.[23]
On 25 August 2016, in a crucial second leg match forEuropa League playoffs, he entered in the last minute of the game, and by scoring the first goal in extra time helped his club to escape with a 2–1 home win (3–1 on aggregate) against Portuguese clubArouca.
On 7 August 2017,Rayo Vallecano confirmed the return of Domínguez to the club.[28]
On 28 June 2019, Alejandro Dominguez, has announced his retirement from football at the age of 38.[29]
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Continental | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Quilmes | 2000–01 | Argentine Primera División | 25 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 25 | 6 |
| River Plate | 2000–01 | Argentine Primera División | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| 2001–02 | Argentine Primera División | 15 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 5 | |
| 2002–03 | Argentine Primera División | 12 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 2 | |
| Total | 29 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 29 | 9 | ||
| Rubin Kazan | 2004 | Russian Premier League | 18 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 22 | 2 |
| 2005 | Russian Premier League | 22 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 6 | |
| 2006 | Russian Premier League | 23 | 13 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 30 | 17 | |
| Total | 63 | 21 | 9 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 76 | 25 | ||
| Zenit St. Petersburg | 2007 | Russian Premier League | 24 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 35 | 6 |
| 2008 | Russian Premier League | 22 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 28 | 4 | |
| Total | 46 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 12 | 0 | 63 | 10 | ||
| Rubin Kazan | 2009 | Russian Premier League | 23 | 16 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 31 | 18 |
| Valencia | 2009–10 | La Liga | 13 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 0 |
| 2010–11 | La Liga | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 16 | 1 | |
| Total | 22 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 30 | 1 | ||
| River Plate | 2011–12 | Primera B Nacional | 33 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 34 | 6 |
| Rayo Vallecano | 2012–13 | La Liga | 33 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 33 | 5 |
| Olympiacos | 2013–14 | Super League Greece | 23 | 5 | 7 | 3 | 8 | 3 | 38 | 11 |
| 2014–15 | Super League Greece | 30 | 15 | 5 | 1 | 8 | 2 | 43 | 18 | |
| 2015–16 | Super League Greece | 18 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 27 | 7 | |
| 2016–17 | Super League Greece | 11 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 18 | 4 | |
| Total | 82 | 28 | 18 | 6 | 26 | 6 | 126 | 40 | ||
| Rayo Vallecano | 2017–18 | Segunda División | 19 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 2 |
| Career total | 375 | 99 | 38 | 12 | 54 | 11 | 467 | 122 | ||
River Plate
Zenit Saint Petersburg
Rubin Kazan
Olympiacos
Rayo Vallecano
Individual
Awards | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||
