A creativeplaymaker, he is regarded as one of the best Colombian footballers of all time, and by some, as Colombia's greatest player ever. His distinctive hairstyle, as well as his precise passing and technical skills made him one of South America's most recognisable footballers in the late 1980s and early 1990s. He won theSouth American Footballer of the Year award in 1987 and 1993, He is the fifth highest assister in the history of national teams and the twelfth overall, including clubs, and in 1999, he was also named one of the top 100 players of the 20th century byWorld Soccer.
Valderrama was a member of theColombia national football team from 1985 until 1998. He represented Colombia in 111 full internationals and scored 11 times, making him the second-most cappedplayer in the country's history, behind onlyDavid Ospina.[12] He played a major role during the golden era of Colombian football in the 1990s, representing his national side in threeFIFA World Cups and fiveCopa América tournaments.
After spending most of his career playing club football in South America and Europe, towards the end of his career Valderrama played inMajor League Soccer, joining the league in its first season. One of the most recognisable players in the league at the time of its inception, he helped popularise the league during the second half of the 1990s. He remained an icon, and is one of the most decorated MLS players; in 2005, he was named to theMLS All-Time Best XI.[13][14][15][16][17]
Born on 2 September 1961, inSanta Marta, Colombia, Valderrama began his career atUnión Magdalena of the Colombian First Division in 1981. He also later played forMillonarios in 1984. He joinedDeportivo Cali in 1985, where he played most of his Colombian football. In 1988, he moved to theFrench First Division sideMontpellier. He struggled to adapt to the less technical and the faster, more physical, and tactical brand of football being played in Europe, losing his place in the squad. However, his passing ability later saw him become the club's main creative force, and he played a decisive role as his side won theCoupe de France in1990. In 1991, he remained in Europe and joined Spanish sideReal Valladolid for a season. He then returned to Colombia in 1992 and went on to play forIndependiente Medellín, and subsequentlyAtlético Junior in 1993, with whom he won the Colombian championship in 1993 and 1995.[3][18][19]
Valderrama began hisMajor League Soccer career with the US sideTampa Bay Mutiny in the league's inaugural1996 season. The team won the first everSupporters' Shield, awarded for having the league's best regular season record, while Valderrama was the league's firstMost Valuable Player, finishing the season with 4 goals and 17 assists. He remained with the club for the 1997 season, and also spent a spell on loan back at Deportivo Cali in Colombia, before moving to another MLS side,Miami Fusion, in 1998, where he also remained for two seasons. He returned to Tampa Bay in 2000, spending two more seasons with the club; while a member of the Mutiny, the team would sell Carlos Valderrama wigs atTampa Stadium.[3] In the2000 MLS season, the 38-year-old Valderrama recorded the only 20+ assist season in MLS history—ending the season with 26 — a single season assist record that remains intact to this day, and which MLS itself suggested was an "unbreakable" record in a 2012 article.[20]
In 2001, Valderrama joined theColorado Rapids, and remained with the team until 2002, when he retired. He played his last career match in a 1–1 draw with theKansas City Wizards on 20 September 2002, with Valderrama assistingMark Chung's goal, and in doing so at the age of 41 years and 18 days, he became the oldest player in the league's history at the time, a record that has since been surpassed by four other players, including three goalkeepers.[21] His American soccer league career spanned a total of eight years, during which he made 175 appearances. In the MLS, Valderrama scored relatively few goals (16) for a midfielder, but is the league's fourth all-time leader in assists (114) afterBrad Davis (123),Steve Ralston (135) – a former teammate, andLandon Donovan (145). In 2005, he was named to theMLS All-Time Best XI.[22]
Valderrama made his international debut on 27 October 1985, in a 3–0 defeat toParaguay in a1986 World Cup qualifying match, at the age of 24. In his first major international tournament, he helped Colombia to a third-place finish at the 1987 Copa América in Argentina, as his team's captain, where he was named the tournament's best player; during the tournament, he scored the opening goal in Colombia's 2–0 overBolivia on 1 July, their first match of the group stage.[3][6]
Some of Valderrama's most impressive international performances came during the1990 FIFA World Cup in Italy, during which he served as Colombia's captain. He helped his team to a 2–0 win against theUAE in Colombia's opening match of the group stage, scoring the second goal of the match with a strike from 20 yards. Colombia lost their second match againstYugoslavia, however, needing at least a draw against the eventual championsWest Germany in their final group match in order to advance to the next round of the competition. In the decisive game, German strikerPierre Littbarski scored what appeared to be the winning goal in the 88th minute of the game; however, within the last minute of injury time, Valderrama beat several opposing players and made a crucial left-footed pass toFreddy Rincón, who subsequently equalised, sealing a place for Colombia in the second round of the tournament with a 1–1 draw. Colombia were eliminated in the round of 16, following a 2–1 extra time loss toCameroon.[3][6][24]
On 5 September 1993, Valderrama contributed to Colombia's historic 5–0 victory over South American rivalsArgentina at theMonumental in Buenos Aires, which allowed them toqualify for the 1994 World Cup.[25] Although much was expected of Valderrama at the World Cup, an injury during a pre-tournament warm-up game put his place in the squad in jeopardy; although he was able to regain match fitness in time for the tournament, Colombia disappointed and suffered a first-round elimination following defeats toRomania and the hostsUSA. However, it is widely believed that internal problems and threats bydrug cartel groups at the time contributed to the team's underwhelming results in the competition, in particular following the murder ofAndrés Escobar after Colombia's 2–1 defeat to the host nation in the second group match; during the match, the Colombian defender had netted anown goal to open the scoring, which ultimately proved to be decisive,[3][6][26] despite a 2–0 win overSwitzerland in the final first round fixture.[27]
Four years later, Valderrama led his nation toqualify for the 1998 World Cup in France, scoring three goals during the qualifying stages. His impact in the final tournament at the advancing age of 37, however, was less decisive, and, despite defeatingTunisia, Colombia once again suffered a first round exit, following a 2–0 defeat againstEngland, which was Valderrama's final international appearance.[3][6]
Although Valderrama is often defined as a 'classicnumber 10playmaker', due to his creativity and offensive contribution, in reality he was not a classic playmaker in the traditional sense. Although he often wore the number 10 shirt throughout his career and was deployed as an attacking midfielder at times, he played mostly in deeper positions in thecentre of the pitch – often operating in a free role as adeep-lying playmaker, rather than inmore advanced midfield positions behind the forwards – in order to have a greater influence on the game.[6] A team-player, Valderrama was also known to be an extremely selflessmidfielder, who preferred assisting his teammates over going for goal himself;[14][28][29][30] his tactical intelligence, positioning, reading of the game, efficient movement, and versatile range of passing enabled him to find space for himself to distribute and receive the ball, which allowed him both to set the tempo of his team in midfield with short, first time exchanges, or create chances with long lobbed passes or through balls.[3][9][31][32][33][34][35]
Valderrama's most instantly recognisable physical features were his big afro-blonde hairstyle, jewelry, and moustache,[19] but he was best known for his grace and elegance on the ball, as well as his agility, and quick feet as a footballer. His control,dribbling ability and footwork were similar to those of smaller players, which for a player of Valderrama's size and physical build was fairly uncommon, and he frequently stood out throughout his career for his ability to use his strength, balance, composure, and flamboyant technique to shield the ball from opponents when put under pressure, and retain possession in difficult situations, often with elaborate skills, which made him an extremely popular figure with the fans. Valderrama's mix of physical strength, two-footed ability, unpredictability and flair enabled him to produce key and incisive performances against top-tier teams, while his world class vision and exceptional passing andcrossing ability with his right foot made him one of the bestassist providers of his time; his height, physique and elevation also made him effective in the air, and he was also an accuratefree kick taker and striker of the ball, despite not being a particularly prolific goalscorer.[6][7][8]
Despite his natural talent and ability as a footballer, Valderrama earned a reputation for having a "languid" playing style, as well as lacking notable pace, being unfit, and for having a poor defensive work-rate on the pitch, in particular, after succumbing to the physical effects of ageing in his later career in the MLS. In his first season in France, he also initially struggled to adapt to the faster-paced, more physical, and tactically rigorous European brand of football, which saw him play in an unfamiliar position, and gave him less space and time on the ball to dictate attacking passing moves; he was criticised at times for his lack of match fitness and his low defensive contribution, which initially limited his appearances with the club, although he later successfully became a key creative player in his team's starting line-up due to his discipline, skill, and his precise and efficient passing.[6][18][19][28][33][34][35] Despite these claims, earlier in his career, however, Valderrama demonstrated substantial pace, stamina, and defensive competence.[32][36]
Former French defenderLaurent Blanc, who played with Valderrama in Montpellier, described him thusly: "In the fast and furious European game he wasn't always at his ease. He was a natural exponent of 'toque', keeping the ball moving. But he was so gifted that we could give him the ball when we didn't know what else to do with it knowing he wouldn't lose it ... and often he would do things that most of us only dream about."[19]
Since retiring from professional football, Valderrama has become assistant manager ofAtlético Junior. On 1 November 2007, Valderrama accused a referee of corruption by waving cash in the face of Oscar Julian Ruiz when the official awarded a penalty toAmérica de Cali. Junior lost the match 4–1, which ended the club's hopes of playoff qualification.[43] He later also served as a coach for a football academy called Clearwater Galactics inClearwater, Florida.[44]
Valderrama "El Pibe" married Claribeth Galván, a woman from La Guajira, with whom he had three children: Alan, who played soccer but dropped out; Kenny, who studies and plays for the Universidad Autónoma del Caribe; and Carlos Alberto, the "gringo" of the family because he grew up in Tampa, Florida, and became a basketball player. From his second marriage, with Elvira Redondo, a native of the coast, with whom he has lived in the U.S. for several years, he has twin daughters Stéphany and Carla, who are now young ladies and the apples of his eye. He is also the father of Carlos Alberto, an illegitimate child that "El Pibe" acknowledged in a lawsuit.[45]
