| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Ruben Sosa Ardaiz | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | (1966-04-25)25 April 1966 (age 58) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Montevideo, Uruguay | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Forward | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 1982–1985 | Danubio | 72 | (27) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 1985–1988 | Zaragoza | 106 | (33) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 1988–1992 | Lazio | 124 | (40) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 1992–1995 | Inter Milan | 76 | (44) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 1995–1996 | Borussia Dortmund | 17 | (3) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 1996–1997 | Logroñés | 5 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 1997–2001 | Nacional | 105 | (33) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2002 | Shanghai Shenhua | 13 | (1) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2003–2004 | Nacional | 15 | (1) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2006 | Racing MVD | 2 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Total | 535 | (182) | |||||||||||||||||||||
| International career | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1984–1995 | Uruguay | 46 | (15) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Ruben Sosa Ardaiz (born 25 April 1966) is a Uruguayan former professionalfootballforward. He was a member of theUruguay national team with extended spells at Danubio, Zaragoza, Lazio, Inter Milan and Nacional.
Born inMontevideo, Sosa started his career inDanubio at the age of 15, being one of the youngest footballers to play in theUruguayan First Division. He played for Danubio from 1982 to 1985, when he was transferred to Spain'sReal Zaragoza. With this club, Ruben Sosa won theCopa del Rey in1986, scoring in the final againstFC Barcelona.[1]
After playing for Zaragoza, Ruben Sosa was transferred to Italy'sS.S. Lazio, staying for four years before being sold toInternazionale, where he reached his greatest form as a football player.[2] He was Inter's leading goal scorer in the1992–93 and1993–94 seasons, winning theUEFA Cup in1994.[3] However, the arrival ofDennis Bergkamp in the Summer of 1993, led to splits within the Inter camp, and as a result Sosa left Serie A in the summer of 1995.[1][4]
After years of success in Uruguay, Spain and Italy, Ruben Sosa played for Germany'sBorussia Dortmund, winning theBundesliga title in1995–96.[1]
When he left Borussia Dortmund, he returned to Spain to play forCD Logroñés. After a couple of months playing for the team, Ruben Sosa decided to leave in order to make his dream come true: he wanted to play for his favourite team in Uruguay, famousNacional. At Nacional, Sosa won theUruguayan League in1998,2000 and2001, becoming one of the fans' heroes.[1]
In 2002, he left Nacional to play in China'sShanghai Shenhua. In 2003, Shanghai won theChinese Jia-A League title, but the club was stripped of the title in 2013 formatch fixing.[1]
In 2004, he returned to Nacional, this time as assistant coach, winning the2005 league title.[1]
With theUruguay national team, Sosa won theCopa América in1987[2] and1995,[1] and he played at the1990 FIFA World Cup in Italy;[5] he also managed a runners-up medal at the1989 Copa América, where he was named the tournament's best player,[5][6][7] and later took part at the1993 Copa América.
NicknamedEl Principito (The Little Prince) by Uruguayan fans, Sosa was a quick, creative, talented, agile, and powerful left-footed forward, with good skills, control, and explosive acceleration. A diminutive footballer with a stocky physique, he was usually deployed as asecond striker, although he was also capable of playing as a mainstriker or even as awinger,[2][8][9] as he was capable of both scoring and creating goals. He was known in particular for his spectacular efforts and thunderousfree kicks.[1][8][10] A complete forward, who could shoot, volley, dribble, pass with precision, and hold up the ball to create chances for teammates, his attributes made him one of the best forwards in Europe during his prime.[2][8][11] He is considered by many to be one of the best Uruguayan forwards of the last thirty years, alongsideLuis Suárez,Edinson Cavani,Diego Forlán,Enzo Francescoli,Carlos Aguilera,Álvaro Recoba,Daniel Fonseca andRubén Paz.[5][12][13]
Nowadays, Ruben Sosa works forNacional as assistant coach, but he also played for aSecond Division team in Uruguay,Racing Club de Montevideo in 2006.
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Uruguay[14] | 1984 | 6 | 0 |
| 1985 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1986 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1987 | 4 | 0 | |
| 1988 | 1 | 1 | |
| 1989 | 13 | 9 | |
| 1990 | 7 | 0 | |
| 1991 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1992 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1993 | 9 | 4 | |
| 1994 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1995 | 6 | 1 | |
| Total | 46 | 15 | |
Danubio[1]
Real Zaragoza[1]
Inter[1]
Borussia Dortmund[1]
Nacional[1]
Uruguay[1]
Individual
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