 Farías as anEstudiantes player | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Ernesto Antonio Farías | ||
| Date of birth | (1980-05-29)29 May 1980 (age 45) | ||
| Place of birth | Trenque Lauquen, Argentina | ||
| Height | 1.77 m (5 ft 10 in) | ||
| Position | Striker | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Football Club Argentino | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1997–2004 | Estudiantes | 206 | (93) |
| 2004–2005 | Palermo | 13 | (0) |
| 2005–2007 | River Plate | 67 | (35) |
| 2007–2010 | Porto | 54 | (23) |
| 2010–2014 | Cruzeiro | 25 | (5) |
| 2012–2013 | →Independiente (loan) | 42 | (12) |
| 2014–2015 | Danubio | 7 | (1) |
| 2015–2017 | América Cali | 69 | (29) |
| Total | 483 | (198) | |
| International career | |||
| 1999 | Argentina U20 | 3 | (0) |
| 2005 | Argentina | 1 | (0) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Ernesto Antonio Farías, better known asTecla Farías, (born 29 May 1980) is an Argentine former professionalfootballer who played as astriker.
Born inTrenque Lauquen,Buenos Aires Province, Farías started playing professionally in 1997 forEstudiantes de La Plata, making hisPrimera División debut in a 2–2 draw againstClub Atlético Lanús, 19 days shy of his 18th birthday. Fromhis third season onwards he never scored less than 14 league goals, including 12 in the2003 Apertura alone, a competition-best, as his team ranked in midtable.[1]
Farías left Estudiantes as their fifth-ever goal scorer, netting nearly one goal every two games.[2][3] He signed with Italian clubU.S. Città di Palermo for the2004–05 campaign, teaming up with compatriotMariano González and appearing in only 13Serie A matches, going scoreless in the process.
Subsequently, Farías returned to his country and joinedClub Atlético River Plate, being crowned top scorer in the2006 edition of theCopa Libertadores at five (tied with 13 other players) as theBuenos Aires side reached the quarter-finals.[4] In late July 2007, after a failed transfer toDeportivo Toluca F.C. for personal reasons, he signed a four-year contract forFC Porto in a€4 million deal.[5]
During his three-year spell in Portugal, Farías was mostly used as asubstitute, consecutively barred byLisandro López,Hulk andRadamel Falcao.[6][7] He still managed to contribute solidly to the conquest of five major titles by scoring 34 official goals, 23 of those coming in thePrimeira Liga.
In January 2010, Farías had everything arranged withCruzeiro Esporte Clube as part of the deal involvingKléber,[8] but the move eventually collapsed. In late July he finally joined the Brazilians, agreeing on a three-year contract;[9] he scored his first goal for the club on 5 September, in a 3–2 away win overSociedade Esportiva Palmeiras.[10]
In late January 2012, Farías returned to his country and signed withClub Atlético Independiente, on loan.[11]
On 3 September 2005, Farías won his first – and only –cap for theArgentina national team, in a 0–1 away loss againstParaguay for the2006 FIFA World Cupqualifiers.[12] Previously, in1999, he appeared for theunder-20s in theWorld Cup held inNigeria, playing in three games in an eventualround-of-16 exit.[13]
Farías wasnicknamedEl Tecla ("The key"), because in his earlyadolescence years his uneven teeth were likened to apiano.[14][15]
Porto
Cruzeiro
América
Argentina
