 Jara (left) playing for Chile in 2010 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Gonzalo Alejandro Jara Reyes | ||
| Date of birth | 29 August 1985 | ||
| Place of birth | Santiago, Chile | ||
| Height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)[1] | ||
| Playing position | Defender | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Nottingham Forest | ||
| Number | 18 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Huachipato | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2003–2006 | Huachipato | 69 | (1) |
| 2007–2009 | Colo-Colo | 64 | (1) |
| 2009–2013 | West Bromwich Albion | 56 | (2) |
| 2011 | → Brighton & Hove Albion (loan) | 4 | (0) |
| 2012 | → Brighton & Hove Albion (loan) | 10 | (0) |
| 2013 | → Nottingham Forest (loan) | 17 | (0) |
| 2013– | Nottingham Forest | 8 | (0) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2006– | Chile | 63 | (3) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 9 December, 2013.
† Appearances (Goals).
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 9 December, 2013 | |||
Gonzalo Alejandro Jara Reyes (Spanish pronunciation: [ɡonˈsalo ˈxaɾa]; born 29 August 1985) is a Chilean footballer who currently plays for Nottingham Forest. He plays for the Chile national team and participated in the 2010 FIFA World Cup. He is a versatile defender and can play in either full-back role or as a centre-back.
Career
Born in Santiago, Jara made his professional debut in 2003 for Huachipato, where he played until his 2007 transfer to the South American team Colo-Colo. He made a £1.4m move to West Bromwich Albion on 25 August 2009. He has also made several appearances with the Chilean national team. He was chosen by coach Nelson Acosta to play for Chile during their 2006 tour through Europe where they played the Republic of Ireland in Dublin, Côte d'Ivoire in Toulon andSweden in Stockholm all only months before the 2006 World Cup
In 2005, Jara Reyes represented Chile at the 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship in the Netherlands, scoring a goal in Chile's 7–0 victory over Honduras.
He also played for Chile in Copa América 2007 against Ecuador, Brazil, and Mexico as well as the 2010 World Cup Qualifiers, against Peru, Uruguay and Paraguay.
Jara was Chile's captain in the prestigious 2008 U-23 Toulon Tournament, where he has played in the 5–3 victory against France, as well as the 2–0 victories against the Netherlands andJapan. He missed the semi-final match versus Côte d'Ivoire due to yellow cards.
He scored his first international goal for Chile against Venezuela during the 2010 CONMEBOLWorld Cup qualifiers.
Colo-Colo agreed to transfer him to English Championship team West Bromwich Albion for a fee of $3 million in August 2009,[2] but the buying club chose not to proceed with the deal.[3]However, they later resurrected the deal and Jara signed for Albion for a fee of £1.4 million on a three-year contract on 25 August 2009.[4] He scored his first goal for West Brom against Leicester City on 7 November 2009.[5] His second came against Arsenal on 25 September 2010, scoring in a 3–2 victory for West Brom at the Emirates Stadium.[6]
On 21 October 2011, Jara joined Championship side Brighton & Hove Albion on a loan deal initially lasting until January 2012.[7] However on 20 December 2011, West Brom recalled him and two other plays also on loan at other clubs due to an injury crisis.[8] Jara returned toBrighton & Hove Albion on a loan deal lasting until the end of the season on 31 January 2012.[9]
He joined Championship side Nottingham Forest on loan until the end of the season on 10 January 2013.[10]
After his release from West Brom, Jara signed a one-year deal with Nottingham on 19 June 2013
