Player Profile: Marcelo Zalayeta
9/9/2005 2:25:00 AM
Juventus striker Marcelo Zalayeta has converted himself into a Uruguayan national hero after scoring a hatrick last weekend to give Uruguay a vital 3-2 victory over Colombia, and boost his country's chances of qualifying for next years World Cup in Germany.
Name: Marcelo Danubio Zalayeta
Nickname: The Big Panther
Date of Birth: 05/12/1978
Height: 1.88 meters
Weight: 89kg
Position: Striker
Uruguay Debut: 13/12/1997
Current Club: Juventus (Italy)
Former Clubs: Danubio and Penarol (Uruguay), Empoli and Perugia (Italy), Sevilla FC (Spain).
‘The Big Panther’, as he is known in Italy and Uruguay for his elegance, especially in relation to his technique and superb dribbling ability has played in Europe since 1997, but has just recently emerged as an important figure for both club and country.
Zalayeta’s Uruguay senior team debut was in December 1997, a 2-0 victory over UAE for the first round of the Confederations Cup, and since then the striker has made 30 appearances and has scored 10 goals.
He has become a key member of the Uruguayan national team, and last weeks ‘9 star’ performance will be remembered for many years to come.
“To say the truth, I’m not sure if I have ever scored three goals in one match”, he stated in an interview after the match in Montevideo.
Zalayeta is hoping to help Uruguay win at-least three points in their final two qualifying matches against Ecuador, and Argentina, that should be enough to earn them a World Cup Playoff birth with Oceania qualifiers Australia.
Marcelo Zalayeta (26) began his professional career at Danubio of Uruguay, a club that his parents supported to the degree that they named their son Marcelo ‘Danubio’ Zalayeta. In 1996 Zalayeta debuted for Danubio’s first team, and made 32 appearances that season, scoring 12 goals. This impressed Uruguayan giants Penarol, who signed the promising striker the following year. Zalayeta continued his good form at Penarol, also making 32 appearances, and this time scoring 13 goals.
Zalayeta was a key member of the successful Uruguayan squad that finished as runner ups to Argentina in the 1997 World Youth Cup in Malaysia, a competition that featured some of today’s biggest stars, including his Juventus teammate David Trezeguet, and Uruguay teammate Pablo Garcia, as well as Juan Roman Riquelme, Pablo Aimar, Michael Owen, and Thierry Henry. Zalayeta scored 4 goals in the tournament, and was voted as the second best player, after his attacking partner Nicolas Olivera.
His good performances were noticed by Italian glamour club Juventus, who snapped him up that same year.
In his first season at Juventus a young Zalayeta made 5 appearances for the first team, scoring one goal, and in the 1998/99 season he just played once, and this would mean that he would move to Empoli on loan for the rest of the season, in order to find a regular first team place. Although he made 17 appearances for the struggling side he only scored 2 goals, but he still caught the attention of Spanish side Sevilla, who signed him on loan for the 1999/2000 Spanish season. The Uruguayan scored five goals in 29 matches for Sevilla, but this wasn’t enough to save them from relegation. The following year he stayed at Sevilla, who had a host of his fellow countrymen, including Zalayeta’s Malaysia 97 strike partner Nicolas Olivera, as well as Marcelo Otero, Inti Podesta, and Tabare Silva. Zalayeta scored five goals for Sevilla, and helped them earn promotion to the Spanish topflight, before moving back to Juventus.
Zalayeta was chosen for Uruguay’s 1999 Copa America squad, and the player’s impressive contribution allowed Uruguay to finish in second place after losing the final to Brazil. Zalayeta scored three goals in the continental tournament, two against Ecuador and the other against hosts Paraguay.
In the 2001/02 season Zalayeta helped Juventus win the Serie A title, making 11 appearances, but scoring no goals. Although he did not find the net he made a large contribution to the side, causing headaches for opposing teams, and setting up important goals. That same year he made 8 appearances for Juve in the Italian Cup, scoring 5 goals, and helping Juventus reach the final, which they eventually lost to Parma on the away goals rule. Zalayeta also made four appearances in the Champions League, scoring once.
The next few seasons saw Zalayeta limited to just a handful of first team appearances after he suffered a severe knee injury when on international duty for Uruguay. When he recovered from the injury he moved on loan to Perugia for the rest of the season.
In the 2002/03 season he helped Juve reach the Italian Cup final once again, that this time they lost to Lazio. He made four appearances in the Champions League, and found the back of the net twice. His name became internationally recognised after scoring an extra-time winner against Barcelona in a crucial quarter final Champions League match, that allowed his club to continue to progress in the tournament, but they eventually lost in the final to bitter rivals A.C Milan after a penalty shootout that saw a Zalayeta spot kick saved by Dida.
The 2004/05 season would see Zalayeta make a huge contribution to Juventus’ successful campaign, after first choice striker David Trezeguet was out for several months due to injury.
Zalayeta made 28 appearances (mostly as a starter) for Juventus, and he scored 6 goals in the league, helping the club claim the title for the second consecutive year.
He played an important role in the Champions League, making 8 appearances, and scoring twice, including a wonder strike in extra-time that eliminated Real Madrid in the first knockout round.
This season might just be Zalayeta’s year, and performances like the one in last Sunday’s World Cup Qualifier might just mean that he will get the nod ahead of other more established strikers, such as Alessandro Del Piero, David Trezeguet, and Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
Zalayeta will play an important role in determining whether Uruguay will qualify for next years World Cup in Germany, and an attack consisting of Marcelo Zalayeta, Diego Forlan, and a back in form Alvaro Recoba will be a menace to any side. Defenders beware, as this might just be the year of the Big Panther!
