Andy Najar

Andy Ariel Najar Rodríguez (/nəˈhɑːr/ nə-HAR;[2] Spanish: [naˈxaɾ]; born 16 March 1993) is a Honduran footballer who plays for the Honduras national team.

Andy Najar
Najar playing for Honduras in 2015
Personal information
Full name Andy Ariel Najar Rodríguez[1]
Date of birth (1993-03-16) 16 March 1993
Place of birth Choluteca, Honduras
Height 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m)
Position(s) Right-back / Right-winger
Youth career
2008–2010 D.C. United
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2010–2013 D.C. United 82 (10)
2013 → Anderlecht (loan) 0 (0)
2013–2020 Anderlecht 126 (11)
2020 Los Angeles FC 8 (0)
National team‡
2012 Honduras Olympic 7 (0)
2011– Honduras 36 (4)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 11 October 2020
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 6 May 2019
In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Najar and the second or maternal family name is Rodríguez.

Early life

Najar moved with his family from Honduras to the United States at the age of thirteen, settling in the Washington metropolitan area. Najar attended Thomas A. Edison High School in Alexandria, Virginia and joined D.C. United's youth academy in 2008. During his time with the academy program, Najar received numerous awards and honors for his outstanding play at right back, being named to the USSF Development Academy Starting XI in 2009. He was also the leading scorer of the 2009 US Developmental Academy Finals in Los Angeles.

Club career

D.C. United

Najar signed a professional Generation Adidas contract with D.C. United on 22 March 2010. Once part of MLS, the league and his team became responsible for his education.[3] He was the second player to sign with the first team directly from United's Academy, after goalkeeper Bill Hamid who signed with the first team in September 2009.

Najar prepares to strike a ball during a regular season match at Columbus Crew Stadium on 2 October 2011, that ended in a 2-1 loss for United.

Najar made his professional debut on 27 March 2010, in DC's opening game of the 2010 MLS season against the Kansas City Wizards,[4] and scored his first professional goal on 28 April 2010 in a US Open Cup game against FC Dallas.[5] Najar was voted MLS Rookie of the Year for the 2010 season, ahead of Tim Ream and Danny Mwanga.[6][7]

Najar was considered by pundits such as Soccer America's Paul Gardner to be one of DC United top players already, at the young age of 17.[8] He received interest from European clubs, according to his agent, and was expected to move his services there later in his career, possibly as soon as the end of the 2010 season.[9] However, it was announced in December 2010 that Najar had signed a multi-year contract with D.C. United.[10]

Najar was the only player from the D.C. United's Academy to be called up to compete in the 2012 Olympics.[11]

Anderlecht

On 7 January 2013, Najar moved to Belgian Pro League champions Anderlecht on a one-month loan.[12] On 30 January 2013, Anderlecht finalised the full transfer of Najar.[13] The reported transfer fee was $3 million.[14]

He made his debut against Cercle Brugge on 2 August 2013, coming on as 79th-minute substitute.[15]

On 22 October 2014, Najar opened the scoring for Anderlecht in the second half of their Champions League match against Arsenal but two late goals for the English side ensured a 1−2 defeat for the Belgian champions.[16]

Andy Najar with Anderlecht

After a summer 2019 injury, Najar didn’t play for Anderlecht for over a year.

Los Angeles FC

In February 2020, Najar trained with LAFC during their preseason. On 17 June 2020, Najar returned to Major League Soccer, signing with Los Angeles FC, who earlier in the year had traded $350,000 in General Allocation Money to Nashville SC in exchange for the first selection spot in the league's Allocation Ranking.[17] Following the 2020 season, LAFC opted to decline their contract option on Najar.[18]

International career

On 6 April 2011 Najar formally announced that he would play for the Honduras national football team, choosing his birth nation rather than wait to be eligible to represent the United States, where he had yet to receive citizenship.[19] He made his first appearance for Honduras on 3 September 2011, against Colombia entering in the 67th minute.[20]

Najar was called up to compete for the Honduras national under-23 football team in the 2012 Olympics. Najar on his opportunity to compete in the 2012 Olympics "I can only thank God for this" Najar said in a Spanish-language interview Thursday. "I'll be representing not only my country, but my family as well. The Olympics are a dream for every player and I get the chance to live it."[11]

On 21 July 2013 Najar scored his first international goal for Honduras in the knockout stages of the 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup vs Costa Rica. Najar's game-winner in the 1–0 victory saw Honduras advance to the semi-finals of the tournament.[21]

Career statistics

Club
As of 14 May 2018[22][23]
Club Season League Cup Continental Other[lower-alpha 1] Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
D.C. United 2010 MLS 26520——285
2011 31500——315
2012 25020—10280
Total 82104000108710
Anderlecht 2013–14 Belgian Pro League 1521010101273
2014–15 262617194488
2015–16 242209130383
2016–17 901050—150
2017–18 1000104060
2018–19 180104000230
Total 93611127226515714
Career total 1751615127227524424
  1. Appearances in league playoffs

Honours

Club
RSC Anderlecht[24]

Individual

References
  1. "2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil: List of Players" (PDF). FIFA. 11 June 2014. p. 19. Retrieved 11 June 2014.
  2. "Andy Najar signs with first team", D.C. United press release, Monday, 22 March 2010.
  3. "DC United Signs 17-Year-Old Honduran Andy Najar from Youth System". Bleacher Report. 23 March 2010. Retrieved 11 December 2015.
  4. "MLS Boxscore". CBC News. Archived from the original on 21 July 2011.
  5. Boehm, Charles (28 April 2010). "USOC: United get the better of Dallas". Major League Soccer. Retrieved 11 December 2015.
  6. Simon Borg (3 November 2010). "Teen phenom Najar takes MLS Rookie of the Year". Major League Soccer.
  7. Steven Goff (3 November 2010). "D.C. United's Andy Najar is MLS rookie of year". The Washington Post.
  8. Gardner, Paul (23 August 2010). "MLS needs for D.C. United to recapture its old glory". Soccer America. Retrieved 11 December 2015.
  9. Posadas, Fredy (26 August 2010). "No está para la sub 20" [Not for the under 20]. El Heraldo (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 30 August 2010. Retrieved 11 December 2015.
  10. Travis Clark (21 December 2010). "DC sign top rookie Najar to multi-year deal". Major League Soccer.
  11. Salazar, Sebastian. "Najar's call-up a source of pride around club". DC United. Retrieved 26 June 2012. I can only thank God for this," Najar said in a Spanish language interview Thursday. "I'll be representing not only my country, but my family as well. The Olympics are a dream for every player and I get the chance to live it.
  12. "DC United loans Andy Najar to Anderlecht". San Francisco Chronicle. Associated Press. 7 January 2013. Archived from the original on 8 January 2013.
  13. "United's Andy Najar transferred to Belgian side R.S.C. Anderlecht". D.C. United. 30 January 2013. Retrieved 11 December 2015.
  14. Goff, Steven (30 January 2013). "It's official: Najar sold to Anderlecht". The Washington Post. Retrieved 11 December 2015.
  15. Seltzer, Greg (2 August 2013). "American Exports: Sacha Kljestan returns to lineup as Anderlecht go to the top in Belgium". Major League Soccer. Retrieved 14 December 2015.
  16. "Arsene Wenger celebrated his 65th birthday with a vital Champions League win as Arsenal scored twice in the final two minutes to beat Anderlecht". BBC Sport. 22 October 2014. Retrieved 23 October 2014.
  17. "Najar Joins LAFC With Right Blend Of Talent & Experience". LAFC.com. 16 June 2020. Retrieved 17 June 2020.
  18. https://www.lafc.com/post/2020/12/01/lafc-announces-roster-moves-2021-season
  19. "Andy Najar to represent Honduras". ESPN FC. 6 April 2011. Retrieved 11 December 2015.
  20. "D.C. United International Round-Up: Andy Najar Debuts For Honduras". Black and Red United. Retrieved 4 September 2011.
  21. "Gold Cup: Andy Najar nets first int'l goal as Honduras top Costa Rica to book semi with USMNT". Major League Soccer. Retrieved 22 July 2013.
  22. "Andy Najar » Club matches". worldfootball.net. Retrieved 14 May 2018.
  23. Andy Najar at Soccerway
  24. Andy Najar at Soccerway. Retrieved 6 October 2014.
  25. "D.C. United's Andy Najar named MLS rookie of the year". The Washington Post. 4 November 2010. Retrieved 6 October 2014.
  26. "Anderlecht Online - Andy Najar verkozen tot speler van het seizoen (01 jun 16)". www.anderlecht-online.be. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
  27. "Anderlecht Online - Wie werd verkozen tot MVP? (08 jun 17)". anderlecht-online.be. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
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