 Conca in 2011 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Darío Leonardo Conca[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1983-05-11)11 May 1983 (age 42) | ||
| Place of birth | General Pacheco, Argentina | ||
| Height | 1.68 m (5 ft 6 in)[2] | ||
| Position | Attacking midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1999–2000 | Tigre | ||
| 2000–2002 | River Plate | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1999–2000 | Tigre | 1 | (0) |
| 2000–2008 | River Plate | 14 | (2) |
| 2004–2006 | →Universidad Católica (loan) | 65 | (13) |
| 2006 | →Rosario Central (loan) | 13 | (0) |
| 2007 | →Vasco da Gama (loan) | 30 | (6) |
| 2008 | →Fluminense (loan) | 30 | (4) |
| 2009–2011 | Fluminense | 124 | (28) |
| 2011–2013 | Guangzhou Evergrande | 65 | (33) |
| 2014 | Fluminense | 52 | (13) |
| 2015–2018 | Shanghai SIPG | 46 | (13) |
| 2017 | →Flamengo (loan) | 3 | (0) |
| 2019 | Austin Bold | 3 | (0) |
| Total | 446 | (112) | |
| International career | |||
| 2002 | Argentina U20 | 9 | (1) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Darío Leonardo Conca (Spanish pronunciation:[daˈɾi.oleoˈnaɾðoˈkoŋka]; born 11 May 1983) is an Argentine former[3] professionalfootballer who played as anattacking midfielder. Conca was elected for two consecutive years as the best player ofCampeonato Brasileiro Série A in 2009 and 2010.[4][5] When Conca signed forGuangzhou Evergrande in 2011, he was made the third-highest paid player in the world, behind onlyReal Madrid'sCristiano Ronaldo andBarcelona'sLionel Messi.[6]
Conca started his career in Argentina'sPrimera B Nacional and made his debut forTigre at the age of just 15.River Plate took him just a year later and Conca made the steady rise to River's first team. On 23 November 2003, under then Chilean managerManuel Pellegrini, Conca made his first team debut in a 1–0 defeat to Chacarita Juniors.
In 2004, however, Conca was loaned to Chilean clubUniversidad Católica by new River managerLeonardo Astrada. In 2006, River loaned him out again, this time toRosario Central where after some impressive displays,Vasco da Gama made a successful bid to bring him to Brazil on 5 January 2007, signing an initial one-year loan deal from River Plate. He made his Vasco debut and scored in friendly 4–0 win overVilla Rio on 14 January 2007.
In 2008, Conca signed a loan deal withFluminense, and was a key player in the squad under coachRenato Gaúcho. Conca played an important role in the team's brilliant 2008Copa Libertadores campaign, along with others such asThiago Neves,Thiago Silva,Washington andCícero. In 2009, he signed a three-year deal with Fluminense. He was voted the best player in Brazil in a poll organized annually byGlobo, and was ranked as the 15th-best player in Latin America and the best player in Brazil by Uruguayan newspaperEl País. After a successful season where Fluminense won the Brazilian league, Conca renewed his contract with Fluminense for another five years.
On 2 July 2011,Chinese Super League clubGuangzhou Evergrande announced that they had officially signed Conca on a two-and-a-half-year deal for a domestic record fee of $10 million (This record was broken byLucas Barrios in May 2012), he was given the number 15 shirt. It was reported that Conca's annual salary would be $12.5 million, putting him among the highest paid players in the world.[7] He scored his first goal for the club on his debut in a 5–0 win againstNanchang Hengyuan on 14 July 2011. Conca scored 9 goals in 15 appearances as Guangzhou became Super League champion for the first time in the club's history. He was named by local fans and media as "the king ofTianhe Stadium".[8]
At the start of the 2012 season, Conca helped Guangzhou win the2012 Chinese FA Super Cup againstTianjin Teda on 25 February. On 7 March, he scored his first two goals in a2012 AFC Champions League group stage match, which was Guangzhou's firstAFC Champions League match, as Guangzhou defeatedK-League championsJeonbuk Hyundai Motors 5–1 away.[9] Conca continued his excellent form in March and April. He managed to score five goals in the first eight rounds of the domestic league and three goals in the first four group stage games of the AFC Champions League as Guangzhou came first in both competitions. On 1 May, he scored a penalty after Guangzhou'sZhang Linpeng had been brought down in a home Champions League match againstJeonbuk Hyundai Motors. In the 60th minute of that match, however, he was substituted out, and Guangzhou would later go on to lose 3–1 after Jeonbuk Hyundai'sLee Dong-gook scored two goals in injury time.[10] On 3 May, Conca expressed his disappointment about the team managerLee Jang-soo's decision on hisWeibo account, saying:[11][12]
I don't understand why they always sideline me with the excuse that I'm exhausted and need rest. How could I have scored a crucial penalty if I'm not in condition? And why does the coach always have Conca take a rest?
On 4 May, Conca received a ban of nine matches (including reserve league match) at least and was fined ¥1 million by the club for his remarks on Weibo.[13] On 15 May, the club decided to include him on the roster for the last group match of AFC Champions League againstBuriram United. He scored the winning goal of the match in the 90th minute, sealing a place in the knockout phase for the Chinese Super League side.[14] His ban was officially canceled when former Italian World Cup-winning football managerMarcello Lippi was appointed as the new manager of club on 17 May. After joining Guangzhou Evergrande for just one year, Conca handed in a transfer request on 4 July.[15] However, after several talks with the club, Conca changed his mind and said he would stay in Guangzhou at least until the end of the season. On 27 October, Conca assistedGao Lin to score the league-winning goal in the injury time againstLiaoning Whowin, which gave Guangzhou Evergrande their second Super League title and became the first team ever to defend the CSL title.[16] In his first full year in China, Conca played 36 matches and scored 17 goals for Guangzhou and was named as the candidate forChinese Football AssociationFootballer of the Year award. However, he lost toJiangsu Sainty'sCristian Dănălache, top scorer of the league, in November 2012.
On 30 November 2012, Conca decided to leavethe Chinese side, writing a letter for Guangzhou president, Liu Yongzhuo, with the following words: "I have things to do in my life. One of this things is coming back to Brazil". Therefore, his intentions were to come back toFluminense, where he is still seen as an idol.[17] However, Fluminense was not able to come to an agreement with Guangzhou Evergrande so Conca returned to China on 3 January 2013.[18]
Conca continued to play as the crucial player in Lippi's tactics in this season. On 26 February 2013, he made his season debut in the first match of2013 AFC Champions League group stage, which Guangzhou beatJ. League Division 1 sideUrawa Red Diamonds 3–0 atTianhe Stadium.[19] He scored his first goal of the season in the2013 Chinese FA Super Cup on 3 March 2013, however, Guangzhou finally lost to Jiangsu Sainty 2–1, failing to defend theSuper Cup title.[20] Conca was linked with Fluminense again in the summer, but he emphasized that he would fulfill his contract and return to Brazil at the end of 2013 when his contract ends.[21] He scored 14 goals in his 26 league appearances in the season which ensured Guangzhou win the Super League title three times in a row. In the2013 AFC Champions League, Conca scored six goals in five successive matches from second leg of round of 16 to second leg of semi-finals as Guangzhou became the first Chinese club to reach the final of the AFC Club Championship since 1998.[22][23][24][25][26] On 3 November 2013, in the last match of the league which Guangzhou beatWuhan Zall 5–0, Conca stripped off his shirt when he scored his first goal of the match, showing the words "No matter where I am, you will always be in my mind. Thank you" to say goodbye to Guangzhou Evergrande's fans.[27] Conca played both legs of2013 AFC Champions League Final which Guangzhou secured the title on the away goals ruling against K-League sideFC Seoul on 9 November 2013.[28][29]
On 17 November 2013, on the winning by 2–1 againstSão Paulo atMaracanã Stadium, Fluminense announced Conca's return to club in an unusual way: on screen of the field he was confirmed as first player forTricolor das Laranjeiras for 2014 season. Before heading back to Brazil, Conca, however, is available to play for Guangzhou Evergrande until the end of the2013 FIFA Club World Cup in December.[30] Conca won Chinese Football Association Footballer of the Year award on 24 November 2013.[31] In December, although Guangzhou failed to defend the FA Cup title by losingGuizhou Renhe 3–2 on aggregate in the2013 Chinese FA Cup final, Conca was awarded the most valuable player of FA Cup.[32] Conca played all three matches for Guangzhou Evergrande in the FIFA Club World Cup. He scored two goals in the tournament. The first came on the quarter-finals when Guangzhou beat African championsAl Ahly 2–0 and the second came on his last match for the club when Guangzhou lost toCopa Libertadores winnersAtlético Mineiro 3–2 in the third place match.[33][34]
In 99 competitive games for the club, Conca scored 54 goals and assisted 37.
On 18 January 2014, Conca made his return debut forFluminense in the first match of2014 Campeonato Carioca. He assisted two goals in the match, however, Fluminense were finally defeated byMadureira 3–2.[35]
On 22 January 2015,Fluminense announced that Conca would be joiningShanghai SIPG.[36]
On 8 July 2015, he scored a penalty to equalize the game for his team against Guangzhou R&F in the China FA cup. His team went on to win 2–1 at Shanghai stadium.
On 12 July 2015, Conca scored two goals in addition to an assist in the away win against Guangzhou R&F. The game ended 3–2 forShanghai SIPG.
On 15 March 2016, he assisted Elkson's second goal in the 2016 AFC Champions league group stage match against Gamba Osaka to give Shanghai a 2–1 lead, Shanghai went on to win the match and Conca was praised for his good performance.
On 10 April 2016, he provided an assist in a 4–0 win against Liaoning FC. He also scored a goal which was later canceled for offside.
Conca joinedFlamengo on a year-long loan from Shanghai SIPG on 3 January 2017.[37]
Conca joined the new clubAustin Bold FC playing in theUSL Championship. After three games, on 18 April, the club announced that the Bold and Conca have parted ways so he could pursue other football opportunities. On 23 April 2019, he announced that he would be retiring fromfootball to focus on other ventures.[3]
Darío Conca was capped at Argentina's youth national team, but never at the senior team. However, he considered the idea of playing forBrazil in 2015,[38] andMano Menezes, Brazil's manager at the time, did not rule out including him in Brazil's squad.[39]
Conca met his wife Paula Araújo in 2007. They married in Maldives in September 2010.[40] On 15 March 2012, their first son, Benjamin, was born inGuangzhou,China PR.[41] Their second son, Bryan, was born inShanghai on 18 March 2016.[42]
| Club | Season | League | State league[a] | National cup[b] | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
| River Plate | 2002 | Argentine Primera División | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 3 | 0 | |||||
| 2003 | Argentine Primera División | 11 | 2 | — | — | — | — | 11 | 2 | ||||||
| Total | 14 | 2 | — | — | — | — | 14 | 2 | |||||||
| Universidad Católica (loan) | 2004 | Primera División of Chile | 18 | 2 | — | — | 0 | 0 | — | 18 | 2 | ||||
| 2005 | Primera División of Chile | 24 | 7 | — | — | 10[c] | 2 | — | 34 | 9 | |||||
| 2006 | Primera División of Chile | 23 | 4 | — | — | 6[d] | 1 | — | 29 | 5 | |||||
| Total | 65 | 13 | — | — | 16 | 3 | — | 81 | 16 | ||||||
| Rosario Central (loan) | 2006 | Argentine Primera División | 13 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 13 | 0 | |||||
| Vasco da Gama (loan) | 2007 | Série A | 30 | 6 | 11 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 1 | — | 48 | 7 | ||
| Fluminense (loan) | 2008 | Série A | 30 | 4 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 14[d] | 2 | — | 56 | 8 | ||
| 2009 | Série A | 36 | 7 | 16 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 9[c] | 2 | — | 63 | 13 | |||
| 2010 | Série A | 38 | 9 | 15 | 5 | 6 | 0 | — | — | 59 | 14 | ||||
| 2011 | Série A | 7 | 1 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8[d] | 1 | — | 27 | 4 | |||
| Total | 111 | 21 | 55 | 13 | 8 | 0 | 31 | 5 | — | 205 | 39 | ||||
| Guangzhou Evergrande | 2011 | Chinese Super League | 15 | 9 | — | — | — | — | 15 | 9 | |||||
| 2012 | Chinese Super League | 24 | 10 | — | 2 | 1 | 9[e] | 6 | 1[f] | 0 | 36 | 17 | |||
| 2013 | Chinese Super League | 26 | 14 | — | 4 | 3 | 14[e] | 8 | 4[g] | 3 | 48 | 28 | |||
| Total | 65 | 33 | — | 6 | 4 | 23 | 14 | 5 | 3 | 99 | 54 | ||||
| Fluminense | 2014 | Série A | 37 | 9 | 15 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 2[c] | 0 | — | 59 | 16 | ||
| Shanghai SIPG | 2015 | Chinese Super League | 29 | 9 | — | 2 | 2 | — | — | 31 | 11 | ||||
| 2016 | Chinese Super League | 17 | 4 | — | 2 | 0 | 8[e] | 2 | — | 27 | 6 | ||||
| Total | 46 | 13 | — | 4 | 2 | 8 | 2 | — | 58 | 17 | |||||
| Career total | 381 | 97 | 81 | 17 | 24 | 9 | 85 | 25 | 5 | 3 | 577 | 151 | |||
Universidad Católica
Fluminense
Guangzhou Evergrande
Flamengo
Individual