Ariel Álvarez
Ariel Álvarez Leyva (born 9 May 1973) is a Cuban retired footballer who played at international levels, as a midfielder.
Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | Ariel Álvarez Leyva | ||
Date of birth | 9 May 1973 | ||
Place of birth | Caibarién, Cuba | ||
Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
1993–1998 | Villa Clara | ||
1999 | Bonner SC | 1 | (1) |
1999–2010 | Villa Clara | ||
National team | |||
1995–2001 | Cuba | 53 | (8) |
Teams managed | |||
2012– | Villa Clara | ||
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only |
Club career
Álvarez played his entire career for local side Villa Clara, except for half a season in Germany with Bonner SC,[1] when then Cuban leader Fidel Castro approved for the whole Cuban team to join the German 4th level side for part of the 1998/99 season.[2][3]
International career
He played at the 1989 FIFA U-16 World Championship and made his senior international debut for Cuba in 1995 and has earned a total of 53 caps, scoring 8 goals.[4] He represented his country in 16 FIFA World Cup qualifying matches.[5]
His final international was an August 2001 CONCACAF Gold Cup qualification match against Panama.
International goals
- Scores and results list Cuba's goal tally first.[4]
Number | Date | Location | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 25 May 1995 | Estadio Quisqueya, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic | Dominican Republic | 2-0 | 3-0 | 1995 Caribbean Cup qualification |
2 | 21 July 1995 | Jarrett Park, Montego Bay, Jamaica | Jamaica | 2-1 | 1995 Caribbean Cup | |
3 | 4 June 1999 | Marvin Lee Stadium, Macoya, Tunapuna–Piarco, Trinidad and Tobago | Haiti | 2-1 | 3-1 | 1999 Caribbean Cup |
4 | 8 June 1999 | Marvin Lee Stadium, Macoya, Tunapuna–Piarco, Trinidad and Tobago | Saint Kitts and Nevis | 1-0 | 2-0 | 1999 Caribbean Cup |
5 | 8 June 1999 | Marvin Lee Stadium, Macoya, Tunapuna–Piarco, Trinidad and Tobago | Saint Kitts and Nevis | 2-0 | 2-0 | 1999 Caribbean Cup |
6 | 10 June 1999 | Hasely Crawford Stadium, Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago | Jamaica | 2-0 | 2-0 | 1999 Caribbean Cup |
7 | 5 March 2000 | Estadio Pedro Marrero, Havana, Cuba | Cayman Islands | 2-0 | 4-0 | 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification |
8 | 4 April 2001 | Uitvlugt Community Centre, Uitvlugt, Guyana | Dominica | 1-0 | 3-1 | 2001 Caribbean Cup |
Managerial career
After retiring as a player, Álvarez became coach of Villa Clara.[6]
References
- Cubanos en Europa - El Blog del Futbol Cubano
- FC Fidel: quel ponte immaginario tra Cuba e Bonn - Nicola Adamu (in Italian)
- The Cubans are coming - The Guardian
- "Appearances for Cuba National Team". RSSSF.
- Ariel Álvarez – FIFA competition record
- Álvarez apuesta por la reafirmación - Cuba Debate (in Spanish)