 Pandiani in August 2016 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Walter Gerardo Pandiani Urquiza[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1976-04-27)27 April 1976 (age 49)[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Montevideo, Uruguay[1] | ||
| Height | 1.84 m (6 ft 0 in)[1] | ||
| Position | Striker | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1995–1997 | C.A. Basañez | 22 | (12) |
| 1997–1998 | Basáñez | 0 | (0) |
| 1998–2000 | Peñarol | 71 | (29) |
| 2000–2005 | Deportivo La Coruña | 86 | (31) |
| 2002–2003 | →Mallorca (loan) | 33 | (13) |
| 2005 | →Birmingham City (loan) | 14 | (4) |
| 2005–2006 | Birmingham City | 17 | (2) |
| 2006–2007 | Espanyol | 52 | (8) |
| 2007–2011 | Osasuna | 92 | (27) |
| 2011–2012 | Espanyol | 16 | (3) |
| 2012–2013 | Villarreal | 17 | (2) |
| 2013 | Atlético Baleares | 9 | (1) |
| 2013–2014 | Miramar Misiones | 19 | (5) |
| 2015–2016 | Lausanne-Sport | 15 | (1) |
| Total | 463 | (138) | |
| International career | |||
| 2001–2004 | Uruguay | 4 | (0) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2014–2015 | Masnou (youth) | ||
| 2016 | Masnou | ||
| 2016–2017 | Europa (youth) | ||
| 2017–2018 | Hospitalet (youth) | ||
| 2019 | Lorca | ||
| 2020–2021 | Dibba Al-Hisn | ||
| 2021–2022 | Cerro | ||
| 2022 | Cerrito | ||
| 2023 | Albion | ||
| 2024–2025 | Miramar Misiones | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Walter Gerardo Pandiani Urquiza (born 27 April 1976) is a Uruguayanfootballmanager and former player who played as astriker.
His performances forPeñarol earned him a move toDeportivo in Spain, where he remained for the vast majority of his career, also representingMallorca,Espanyol (twice) andOsasuna. He also spent a year withBirmingham City in England.
Over 12 seasons, Pandiani amassedLa Liga totals of 279 games and 82 goals.
Born inMontevideo, Pandiani started his career with hometown clubProgreso, moving on toBasáñez andPeñarol, the latter also in the country's capital. In December 1999 he agreed terms to joinDeportivo La Coruña as a replacement for his compatriotSergio Martínez,[2] and the move was officially completed the following January when he signed a five-and-a-half-year deal for an undisclosed fee, still remaining with Peñarol until the end of the season.[3]
Pandiani made his debut for the Spaniards on 27 August 2000, comingfrom the bench forDiego Tristán in a2–0 win overEspanyol atEstadio Riazor in theSupercopa de España return match.[4][5] Despite never being an undisputed starter for theGalician team he was one of their most important attacking elements, often scoring as a substitute, netting 13 goals during the2003–04 season.[6][7][8]
Pandiani, who had a successful loan stint atMallorca while still at Depor,[9] moved toBirmingham City in thePremier League, also on loan, in January 2005, after a series of run-ins with coachJavier Irureta.[10][11][12] He scored a goal on his debut againstSouthampton in a 2–1 home win,[13] and went on to score three more inthe season, prompting managerSteve Bruce to sign him on a permanent contract for a reported fee of£3 million.[14]
During his time at Deportivo, Pandiani bought a big red truck which he drove to training, a type of vehicle that he is a fan of, which he kept while at Deportivo, Espanyol and Osasuna. He personalised it with his nickname "El Rifle", a Uruguayan flag, and the emblems of his club and Uruguayan clubPeñarol.[15]
Having failed to continue to display his previous form, Pandiani returned to Spain on 13 January 2006, after completing a move to Espanyol for £1 million.[14]
Inhis first full season he scored only sevenLa Liga goals,[16] including a first-halfhat-trick against eventual championsReal Madrid in theSantiago Bernabéu Stadium,[17] but was top scorer in the2006–07 UEFA Cup with eleven as his club reachedthe final, which they loston penalties toSevilla.[16]
During his time at Espanyol, Pandiani, and Barcelona'sJosé Manuel Pinto, drove in the 2011 Barcelona "Monster Jam"monster truck event.[18]
For2007–08, Pandiani joinedOsasuna.[19] Scarcely used in his first year, he was instrumental for theNavarrese inthe following campaign, especially after the arrival in mid-October of coachJosé Antonio Camacho,[20] finishing as the club's top scorer.
Osasuna's first goal of the2010–11 season only came in the fourth matchday, and the 34-year-old Pandiani scored it through a header as the team came from behind to win it 3–1 againstReal Sociedad, at home.[21] On 30 January 2011, duringhalf-time of a 1–0 home win against Real Madrid, he was involved in a "verbal spat" withCristiano Ronaldo, suggesting afterwards that "As a footballer he is a phenomenon but to do the things he does, maybe he has a screw loose."[22]
The 35-year-old Pandiani returned to Espanyol for2011–12, signing a one-year contract[23] and acting mainly as backup to youth graduateÁlvaro Vázquez.[24][25] On 22 September he came from the bench to score the game's only goal at home againstGetafe, in stoppage time.[26] On 27 October he repeated the feat, albeit not so late in the game, with a powerful header at home toReal Betis.[27]
In late August 2012, Pandiani signed a one-year contract withSegunda División clubVillarreal, where his 18-year-old sonNico was aC-team player.[28] On his debut, at home toGuadalajara on 2 September, he entered the game as a second-half substitute and scored the winning goal,[29] and did the same the following week in another narrow win, atPonferradina.[30]
In late January 2013, Pandiani and Nico left Villarreal and joinedAtlético Baleares of theSegunda División B.[31][32] They both started in Nico's second senior match, and Pandiani scored in the 2–1 defeat away toSant Andreu on 12 May.[33]
In October 2013, the pair returned to Uruguay and signed forPrimera División clubMiramar Misiones.[34] Pandiani scored three times in the six remaining matches of the2013–14 Apertura, as his team finished next to bottom, and played regularly during the Clausura but scored only twice as they repeated their previous finish, which contributed to relegation.[35]
Pandiani returned to the Barcelona area where he spent the 2014–15 season coaching junior teams atMasnou, where two of his sons played. He said that although he had always wanted to coach, he still thought of himself as a player and was open to offers;[36] in June 2015, he signed forLausanne-Sport of theSwiss Challenge League, with the remit of supervising and teaching the tricks of the trade to the 15-year-old strikerAndi Zeqiri, who had already made his first-team debut.[37] The club won promotion to theSuper League as champions in hisonly season; his one goal was an equaliser in a 1–1 home draw withAarau on 4 April, takingWalter Samuel's record as oldest person to score in either of thetop two divisions of Swiss football, though the Argentine played forBasel in the top flight.[38]
Pandiani announced his retirement on 16 June 2016 after a 23-year professional career, at the age of 40.[39] After he retired, his truck was auctioned in Barcelona with 518,000 miles on the clock.[15]
Despite his relatively successful career in Spain, Pandiani only received fourcaps forUruguay,[40] the first coming on 28 March 2001 in a 1–0 home defeat againstParaguay in the2002 World Cup qualifiers.[41]
Pandiani returned to Masnou after retiring, now as a first-team manager. Sacked on 2 November 2016,[42] he was appointed at the helm ofEuropa'sJuvenil A squad on 13 December.[43]
On 27 June 2017, Pandiani was named manager ofHospitalet's youth squad.[44] Two years later, he was given his first senior managerial job atLorca in theTercera División.[45] He left on 30 December 2019, with the team in seventh place.[46]
Following a spell atDibba Al-Hisn in the United Arab Emirates, where he signed his son Axel,[47] Pandiani was hired atCerro in theUruguayan Segunda División in June 2021. He lost in the promotion playoffs toDefensor in hisfirst season and was sacked in July 2022 with the team in fourth.[48]
On 27 July 2022, Pandiani signed forCerrito, in last place in the top flight.[49] He was fired on 30 August after taking two points from five games.[50]
Pandiani was announced as the new manager ofAlbion on 20 December 2022, ahead of the2023 season in the second division.[51] He left the club at the end of the campaign, and took overMiramar Misiones in the top tier on 27 May 2024.[52]
NicknamedEl Rifle (TheRifle),[53][54] Pandiani's best assets were his strength and aerial ability.[6]
| Uruguay | ||
| Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 1 | 0 |
| 2002 | 0 | 0 |
| 2003 | 1 | 0 |
| 2004 | 2 | 0 |
| Total | 4 | 0 |
Peñarol
Deportivo
Mallorca
Espanyol
Lausanne
Individual
