 Ángel with theNew York Red Bulls in 2008 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Juan Pablo Ángel Arango[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1975-10-24)24 October 1975 (age 50) | ||
| Place of birth | Medellín, Colombia | ||
| Height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) | ||
| Position | Forward | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Atlético Nacional | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1993–1997 | Atlético Nacional | 147 | (45) |
| 1997–2001 | River Plate | 96 | (46) |
| 2001–2007 | Aston Villa | 175 | (44) |
| 2007–2010 | New York Red Bulls | 102 | (58) |
| 2011 | Los Angeles Galaxy | 22 | (3) |
| 2011–2012 | Chivas USA | 28 | (11) |
| 2013–2014 | Atlético Nacional | 47 | (17) |
| Total | 617 | (224) | |
| International career | |||
| 1996–2005 | Colombia | 33 | (9) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Juan Pablo Ángel Arango (born 24 October 1975) is a Colombian former professionalfootballer who played as aforward.
He began his career at Nacional, whom he helped to win the championship in 1994, and then moved toRiver Plate of Argentina, where he was the league's top scorer in 2000. The following year he moved to Europe, joiningAston Villa of thePremier League for a club record £9.5 million. In 2007, he moved to the United States, where he played for three clubs inMajor League Soccer before returning to Atlético Nacional in 2013, where he ended his career a year later.
Ángel is the father of footballerTomás Ángel, who currently plays as aforward forSan Diego.
Ángel started playing professional football atAtlético Nacional in his home city ofMedellín. Ángel began to make a name for himself when he scored the winning goal against local rivalIndependiente Medellín to help Nacional capture the 1994 Colombian title.[2] During his time with his hometown club Ángel would appear in 147 league matches scoring 45 goals.
Ángel was sold toRiver Plate in Argentina in January 1998 as a replacement of the departedHernán Crespo.[3] River Plate spectators would often adorn angel wings to show their appreciation.[4] During his time with the club, Ángel managed 62 goals in 132 games, including 16 goals in 25Copa Libertadores matches.
The 25-year-old signed forPremier League sideAston Villaon 12 January 2001, becoming the club'srecord signing at£9.5 million. Angel made his debut away to Manchester United in a 2–0 loss on 20 January 2001.[5] In his time at Villa, he was reportedly Villa's highest earner. After an indifferent start to his Aston Villa career, and family difficulties, Ángel settled down and started to reproduce the form that had persuaded chairmanDoug Ellis to spend the large transfer fee. He quickly became a fans favourite and is the 3rd most recent Villa player to have scored more than 20 goals in one season (behindChristian Benteke in the2012–13 season andTammy Abraham in the2018–19 season), finishing as the club's top scorer in the2003–04 season with 16 goals in theFA Premier League,[6] (23 goals including cup competitions) but could not maintain that form as Villa struggled and he only managed seven goals in2004–05. That season he also missed two penalties in one game againstFulham.[7] During his time with the club, Ángel managed 62 goals in 205 games across all competitions. Only two players have scored more goals for Villa in the Premier League era, those beingDwight Yorke (97 goals in 288 games) andGabriel Agbonlahor (74 goals in 284 games).
On 17 April 2007, theNew York Red Bulls announced the signing of Ángel as their second designated player, pending the approval of his work visa. After hisvisa was approved, Ángel made his Red Bull debut 8 May 2007 in aUS Open Cupqualifying match. Ángel came on as a substitute and scored from afree kick inextra time during the Red Bulls' 3–1 loss toLos Angeles Galaxy.
Ángel also recorded an assist and played an important role in a third goal to round off a performance that earned him that week's MLS Player of the Week award.[8] His form showed no signs of letting up in the following game, as he weighed in with two goals and another assist as the Red Bulls overcameChicago Fire to win 3–0, taking them to joint top of the Eastern Conference.
Ángel was votedMLS Player of the Month for May 2007.[9] He became the first Red Bull player to score in six straight games.
On 18 August 2007, Ángel added two more goals to his tally. His team defeated Los Angeles Galaxy 5–4. Ángel scored the first goal early on from a free kick before striking a late winner to seal the game for the Red Bulls. Ángel also scored the first goal of the2007 MLS All-Star Game on 19 July 2007 againstCeltic, and later was namedMVP of the Match for his performance.[10] On 29 September 2007, Ángel scored a penalty to tie the Red Bulls' game againstReal Salt Lake and in doing so scored his 17th goal of the season in all competitions, setting a new franchise record. Ángel concluded his initial campaign in New York scoring 19 goals and 5 assists in 24 league matches (20 goals in 27 matches in all official competitions). His regular season goal total was one short ofLuciano Emilio who led the league with 20 but who had also played more games.
Ángel had a slow start to the 2008 season due to an arthritic nerve-related injury in his lower back that caused him to have pain in his hamstring but he finally scored his first of the season in his fourth appearance – a 2–1 winner against LA Galaxy on 10 May. On 5 June he fought through a still painful injury to score the only goal in New York's home win againstChivas USA. However, in doing so he also picked up another slight hamstring strain and after the final whistle he was seen limping off the pitch. As a result of this injury Ángel missed the Red Bulls' next 4 league games. Even through this injury-plagued season, his three goals were enough for coachSteve Nicol to name him to the2008 MLS All-Star Game vsWest Ham United in which he fed the pass that earned the game winning penalty kick and also scored a goal that was disallowed due to a controversial offside. Ángel concluded his second season in New York scoring 14 goals in 23 league matches (16 goals in 28 matches in official competitions).
Ángel's third season in New York was a major disappointment as the club had one of the worst seasons in club history. The club was quickly eliminated from play-off contention and failed to qualify to the group stages of theCONCACAF Champions League. However, Ángel still had his moments during the campaign as he became the club's all-time leading goal scorer. On 26 September 2009, he scored the equalising goal in a 1–1 draw at Chivas USA, that goal being the 46th of his career with New York and breakingClint Mathis former record of 45. Ángel ended his season leading the club in scoring for the third straight year scoring 12 goals in 25 league matches.
Juan Pablo Ángel's2010 season was greatly improved. He started off slow but slowly progressed during the first half of the season to claim a total of 11 goals from 19 games. He slumped in the second half of the season but concluded the season as the club's top scorer with 13 goals in 30 regular season appearances. On 2 June 2010, Angel scored the game-winning goal in a match against the Houston Dynamo, snapping a four-game losing streak. On 21 October 2010, Ángel assistedDane Richards on the opening goal in a 2–0 victory overNew England Revolution which helped New York clinch its second ever regular seasonEastern Conference title.[11]
On 11 November 2010, it was announced that he would not be returning to the Red Bulls for the 2011 Major League Soccer season.[12] Ángel trails onlyBradley Wright-Phillips in the club's all-time leading goal record, with 62.[13]
On 26 October 2007, Ángel told the New York Daily News, "It's very American, in every sport the playoff system ... I think there should be more credit to the guys who do well in the regular season. It's interesting. It's a little bit unfair. I'm trying to understand it. I might answer you in a different way in a couple of weeks."[14] A week later, Ángel and the Red Bulls were knocked out of contention for the2007 MLS Cup by theNew England Revolution on a 1–0 aggregate score as Ángel pleaded to his manager to be brought back on after coming off for treatment to a head injury received during the match which turned out to be a concussion.
The following season Ángel would help lead the Red Bulls to their first everMLS Cup final. On the way they defeatedHouston Dynamo 3–0 (4–1 aggregate) andReal Salt Lake 1–0, but ultimately lost the final toColumbus Crew 3–1. After a poor 2009 season the Red Bulls failed to qualify for the post season for the first time since Ángel's arrival.
The New York Red Bulls qualified the next season for the playoffs, with Ángel doing extremely well during the regular season. They ended up losing in the first round of the playoffs, losing 3–2 on aggregate, where Ángel scored a late goal to make the intense game 2–1 (2–2 aggregate) but Chris Wondolowski scored an even later goal to win it.
After the2010 MLS season New York declined Ángel's contract option and Ángel elected to participate in the2010 MLS Re-Entry Draft. On 15 December 2010 Ángel was selected byLos Angeles Galaxy in Stage 2 of the Re-Entry draft.[15] On 19 January 2011, the club announced that they had signed Ángel to a multi-year contract which would make him the Galaxy's third designated player.[16] He scored his first goal of his 2011 Galaxy campaign in a 4–1 loss againstReal Salt Lake.[17]
On 17 August 2011, Ángel was traded toChivas USA to make room for new Los Angelesdesignated playerRobbie Keane.[18] Ángel scored his first goal for 'the Goats' in his debut against theColorado Rapids. Returning to form, he would go on to finish the 2011 season with seven goals in nine games.
Ángel remained with Chivas USA through the 2012 season. His contract expired after 2012 and he made himself eligible for the2012 MLS Re-Entry Draft in December 2012. Ángel became a free agent after he went undrafted in both rounds.
Ángel's career came full circle in January 2013 when he signed a one-year contract to play for and captain his first club,Atlético Nacional.[19] He arrived as a reinforcement to try and solve the club's goalscoring troubles under coachJuan Carlos Osorio, who was also responsible for bringing Ángel to New York. As a sign of commitment to the team, his wage in Medellín was only 30 millionpesos (US$15,600) per month compared to his former salary in the US which was 300 million pesos (US$156,000) a month.
On 2 February 2013, Ángel wore green again as a starter at theEstadio Atanasio Girardot where he scored a goal from the penalty spot in his team's 3–0 victory againstAtlético Huila. His second debut for the club would prove an ominous sign as the striker's return led to a dominant spell for Nacional. Ángel finished as his team's top goalscorer in the 2013 Apertura campaign as he helped fire them to the league title – the first of three consecutive championships (later adding the 2013 Clausura and 2014 Apertura), becoming the first club to achieve this since the Colombian league switched to the Apertura/Clausura format in 2002.[20]
In addition to helping 'Los Verdolagas' return to league success, Ángel also lifted the 2013Copa Colombia and helped his side reach the final of theCopa Sudamericana in 2014. He would play in the second leg of Nacional's losing effort in the Sudamericana final against former club River Plate on 10 December 2014. Of the game, he said: “I am closing my career in a final with the two clubs I love the most. I am overjoyed because that will be the last image that stays with me from football. I have lots of conflicting feelings; it is a wonderful way to end my career, as good as it gets.”[21] Three days later, he made the final appearance of his career, coming on in the 72nd minute of a 1–0 loss toSanta Fe.[22]
Ángel was a full international forColombia, and made 33 appearances from his debut in 1996, scoring 9 goals.[23]
He was first called up to represent Colombia in 1995, and he debuted as a second-half substitute during a 2–1friendly win againstHonduras on 1 November 1996; Ángel also scored his first goal for Colombia during this match, which was the winning goal.[24]
He would then continue to represent Colombia duringqualification for the1998,2002, and2006 editions of theFIFA World Cup, in which he scored eight goals.[22][23]
His last appearance for Colombia came on 11 October 2005 during a 1–0 win againstParaguay during 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification.[25]
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | League cup[b] | Continental | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Atlético Nacional | 1993 | Primera A | 3 | 1 | 3 | 1 | ||||||
| 1994 | 32 | 8 | 32 | 8 | ||||||||
| 1995 | 22 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 26 | 4 | ||||||
| 1996 | ||||||||||||
| 1997 | ||||||||||||
| Total | ||||||||||||
| River Plate | 1997–98 | Argentine Primera División | 12 | 2 | 12 | 2 | ||||||
| 1998–99 | 31 | 11 | 31 | 11 | ||||||||
| 1999–2000 | 35 | 20 | 35 | 20 | ||||||||
| 2000–01 | 18 | 13 | 18 | 13 | ||||||||
| Total | 96 | 46 | 36 | 16 | 132 | 62 | ||||||
| Aston Villa | 2000–01 | Premier League | 9 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | 11 | 1 | |
| 2001–02 | 29 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 34 | 16 | ||
| 2002–03 | 15 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | – | 19 | 3 | |||
| 2003–04 | 33 | 16 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 7 | – | 39 | 23 | |||
| 2004–05 | 35 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | – | 38 | 9 | |||
| 2005–06 | 31 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | – | 37 | 3 | |||
| 2006–07 | 23 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 3 | – | 27 | 7 | |||
| Total | 175 | 44 | 9 | 1 | 17 | 13 | 4 | 4 | 205 | 62 | ||
| New York Red Bulls | 2007 | Major League Soccer | 24 | 19 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | – | 27 | 20 | |
| 2008 | 23 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | – | 27 | 16 | |||
| 2009 | 25 | 12 | 0 | 0 | – | 1 | 0 | 26 | 12 | |||
| 2010 | 30 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | – | 32 | 14 | |||
| Total | 102 | 58 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 112 | 62 | ||
| Los Angeles Galaxy | 2011 | Major League Soccer | 22 | 3 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 22 | 3 | ||
| Chivas USA | 2011 | Major League Soccer | 9 | 7 | – | – | – | 9 | 7 | |||
| 2012 | 19 | 4 | 4 | 1 | – | – | 23 | 5 | ||||
| Total | 28 | 11 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 32 | 12 | ||
| Atlético Nacional | 2013 | Categoría Primera A | 31 | 9 | 5 | 3 | – | 2 | 1 | 38 | 13 | |
| 2014 | 16 | 8 | 4 | 1 | – | 5 | 0 | 25 | 9 | |||
| Total | 47 | 17 | 9 | 4 | 7 | 1 | 63 | 22 | ||||
| Career total | 617 | 224 | 23 | 7 | 25 | 16 | 52 | 25 | 717 | 272 | ||
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 November 1996 | Shea Stadium,Flushing, United States |  Honduras | 2–1 | 2–1 | Friendly |
| 2 | 19 July 2000 | Estadio Nacional,Lima, Peru |  Peru | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 3 | 27 March 2001 | Estadio Nemesio Camacho,Bogotá, Colombia |  Bolivia | 1–0 | 2–0 | 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 4 | 2–0 | |||||
| 5 | 7 November 2001 | Estadio Nemesio Camacho, Bogotá, Colombia |  Chile | 2–1 | 3–1 | 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 6 | 7 September 2003 | Estadio Metropolitano Roberto Meléndez,Barranquilla, Colombia |  Brazil | 1–1 | 1–2 | 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 7 | 19 November 2003 | Estadio Metropolitano Roberto Meléndez, Barranquilla, Colombia |  Argentina | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 8 | 4 June 2005 | Estadio Metropolitano Roberto Meléndez, Barranquilla, Colombia | Peru | 3–0 | 5–0 | 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 9 | 4 September 2005 | Estadio Centenario,Montevideo, Uruguay |  Uruguay | 2–2 | 2–3 | 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification |
Atlético Nacional
Club Atlético River Plate
Aston Villa
New York Red Bulls
Individual
| Sporting positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | New York Red Bulls captain 2009–2011 | Succeeded by |