 Valdivia playing for Al Ain | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Jorge Luis Valdivia Toro | ||
| Date of birth | 19 October 1983 | ||
| Place of birth | Maracay, Venezuela | ||
| Height | 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in) | ||
| Playing position | Attacking midfielder | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Palmeiras | ||
| Number | 10 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1990–2002 | Colo-Colo | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2003 | U. de Concepción | 30 | (7) |
| 2004 | Rayo Vallecano | 5 | (1) |
| 2004–2005 | Servette | 9 | (2) |
| 2005–2006 | Colo-Colo | 32 | (14) |
| 2006–2008 | Palmeiras | 93 | (24) |
| 2008–2010 | Al Ain | 49 | (18) |
| 2010– | Palmeiras | 102 | (15) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2004– | Chile | 51 | (4) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 12 August 2013.
† Appearances (Goals).
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 21:30, 23 January 2011 (UTC) | |||
Jorge Luis Valdivia Toro (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈxorxe ˈlwjs βalˈdjβja], born 19 October 1983) is a Chileanfootballer that currently plays for Brazilian Série B club Palmeiras as a creative midfielder[1] (classic 10).[2]He is known for his technical ability with the ball. He also has played in the Chilean national team seven years, being his most successful period under the orders of the coach Marcelo Bielsa. Valdivia debuted in 2003 aged nineteen at the southern club of Universidad de Concepción, that gave him a pass to Europe and then to powherhouse club Colo-Colo, that served him with Claudio Borghi as coach, as a window to the success, devoting and being sold for a US$3.5 million bid to Palmeiras, in where earned a Paulistão honour in 2008 and a Copa do Brasil title in 2012. He also has between that facts a two–season spell at Middle East club Al Ain.
His style of play closely resembles to Joga Bonito, being alongside Juliano Belletti one of the mentors of the Chute no vácuo, that in his country is commonly known as Espanta chunchos in reference to a derision of strong rival of Colo-Colo, the team Universidad de Chile. In 2007, Valdivia was included into theBrasileirão best XI, and also named the UFL Most Valuable Player, seasons later. In 2008, year in where the player won the Paulistão title, was described according to Carlos Valderrama as one of the world's best players.
Despite of Valderrama's very well references and also receiving similar reviews of Jorge Toro (a football legend in Chile), Valdivia has a controversial public image, frequently appearing in showbiz programs likeSQP, Alfombra Roja, among others, constant rumours of him "cheating" his wife Daniela Aránguiz, and in the other way around, and also of his brother Claudio, who has comments about his appearances in reality shows, dating with models, etc. In November 2011, Jorge was the main protagonist of the Bautizazoalongside another four players of the Chilean national team, and in following year's February he appeared in the Festival of Viña del Mar gala, being the Bautizazo the most controversial act of his career.
Club career
Colo-Colo
Born to Chilean parents in Maracaibo, Venezuela, Valdivia moved to his native country Chile at a young age, settling in the capital of Santiago. There, he would develop his football skills in the youth teams ofColo-Colo in 1990, aged 7. He was promoted to the first adult team in June 2002, but was loaned toUniversidad de Concepción to get some first team experience and also for disciplinary problems.
Valdivia made his professional debut with U. de Concepción against his own club Colo-Colo, in a 1–1 draw. He immediately impressed in the club because of his skills, being a starter for the whole 2003 Apertura. He helped the club qualify for the Copa Sudamericana for first time in the team's history. After his good season with the Concepción club, also in the Clausura tournament, it was rumoured that he would return to Colo-Colo, but was loaned to the Spanish clubRayo Vallecano and then to Servette of the Axpo Super League.
After two seasons in Europe, Valdivia returned to Colo-Colo in 2005. In January of the same year, Boca Juniors pre-registered the player for a transfer fee of $1.5 million, but shortly after Colo-Colo decided to keep the player. On 13 March 2005, Valdivia made his official debut against Cobreloa in a 2–0 victory atEstadio Monumental David Arellano. He scored his first competitive goal for the club in a 3–2 away win over Unión San Felipe, scoring the victory goal at 89th minute. After a lack of opportunities during the Apertura tournament, for the Clausura, he was a high-profile player of Colo-Colo, being the club's top goalscorer with 9 goals in 16 appearances.
In the next season, with the arrival of Claudio Borghi as the coach, Valdivia was established as the playmaker of the club, having more continuity in the club. He was the key player for the club, making up a dynamic trio in the midfield with Matías Fernández and Gonzalo Fierro. On 16 April 2006, during the derby lost 3–2 against Universidad Católica, Jorge was a protagonist in a scandal during the game, because of controversies with the referee Rubén Marcos Selman. Finally, after 4 years, Valdivia and his skills helped Colo-Colo win the Chilean Primera División.
Palmeiras
On 5 August 2006, it was announced that Colo-Colo had a deal with Palmeiras for the move of Valdívia in a transfer fee of $3.5 million, the highest fee that the club had ever paid for a foreign player. He signed a three-year contract with the “Verdão”, earning $400,000 per year.
Valdivia made his unofficial debut in a pre-season friendly against Santo André that Palmeiras won 2–0. After the match, the club's coach Tite affirmed that: “I have no doubt that Valdivia will have success in Brazil”. He played his first official match against Botafogo in a 3–1 Palmeira's victory at Estadio do Maracana. He had an irregular season with the club playing only 15 official matches, 1 unofficial match and not scoring any goals.
With the arrival of the coach Caio Júnior, Valdivia cemented his place in the starting line-up and he was given the number 10 shirt. On 16 January 2007, Valdívia scored his first goal against Rio Branco in a 2–1 victory. Against Corinthians in a 3–0 victory, he played a notable match providing three assists toEdmundo. After the match Caio Júnior said that: “Valdivia is the new star of Brazilian football after Tévez”. On 20 May 2007, he scored two consecutive goals against Figueirense in a Palmeira's victory 2–1. His notable performances for the club meant that he was called up to the Copa América 2007 and played in the starting lineup during the Brasileirão.
On 3 December 2007, as the best player of the Brasileirão elections, Valdivia received the Craque do Brasileirão trophy. In the same month, Valdivia was selected in South América's best team and he was considered the best midfielder in South América according to the Uruguayan newspaper El País. On 21 January 2008, he received two more trophies for his participation in the Campeonato Brasilerão 2007. At elections for Mesa Redonda trophy, organized by TV Gazeta, he was selected the best midfielder of Brazilian football.
With the departure of Caio Júnior, Palmeiras hired Vanderlei Luxemburgo as the coach. Vanderlei signed players such as Henrique and Diego Souza, putting together a good team for the Campeonato Paulista 2008. The new coach wanted Valdivia to show more maturity, because of his indiscipline. On 16 February 2008, Valdivia scored his first goal in the Paulistão against Juventus in a 4–0 victory. Valdivia gave an excellent performance during the Campeonato Paulista, where his team were proclaimed champion of the tournament. He was the second top-scorer of the club with 9 goals behind Alex Pereira. After the title was obtained, Valdivia had many offers from Europe.
During the dispute of the Brasilerão 2008, he scored a goal against Cruzeiro in a 5–2 victory, which he dedicated to his wife, to celebrate St. Valentine's dayin Brazil. On 3 August 2008, Valdivia scored 2 goals in the 2–1 victory against Ipatinga. Valdívia played his last match for Palmeiras against Botafogo for the Brasileirao. Following the rumours of his transfer to clubs such as Werder Bremen, Hertha BSC and Espanyol, he negotiated his move to Al Ain.
Al Ain
On 15 August 2008, Palmeiras announced that Valdívia had come to verbal agreements with Al Ain S.C.C. of the UAE Football League for a €8 million deal. He put pen to paper on a four-year deal until 2012, receiving a salary of €10 million per year. Shortly after, on 21 August, he joined the club in a pre-season match against Frankfurt, Germany.
Valdívia's first official game for Al Ain was against Al-Sharjah in a 4–2 victory. In the same match he scored his first official UAE League goal from a free kick. With this good performances for the club, he became a very loved player by the fans of Al Ain. On 1 December 2008, Valdivia was named the 14th most popular player in the world according to the IFFHS.[3]
On 3 July 2009, Al Ain defeated the club's rival Al Wahda in a 1–0 victory, Valdivia won his first title with the club, the Etisalat Emirates Cup. Before this game, Valdivia had been recovering from an ankle injury, but in this match he returned to the field and gave an assist to Ahmed to score the winning goal in the 28th minute. On 9 July 2009, Valdivia had the possibility of playing for Manchester City, but the move never eventuated. He won his second title with the club, the President's Cup after winning in the final against Al Shabab in a 1–0 victory, with a penalty from André Dias.
In less than a year, Valdivia became the top idol of the club and was also the club's best seller of merchandise. In a survey on the club's web page, he was named the best player in the club's history. For this, the president of the club Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan offered the player a lifetime contract, but Valdívia refused to sign. On 15 September 2009, Valdivia was elected as the best player of the UAE Football League.
On 23 September 2009, the club won the UAE Super Cup, after winning on penalties to Al-Ahli Dubai 5–4, this title was the third for Valdivia at the club. In the season 2010, he was promoted to captain of the club. After the FIFA World Cup 2010, Valdivia negotiated his release from the club.
Return to Palmeiras
During the FIFA World Cup 2010, there were persistent reports of the possible return of Valdivia to Palmeiras, but he said that only a call was needed for him to return to the club. On 26 July, the club's president Luiz Gonzaga Belluzo confirmed Valdivia's return to the club, acquiring 100% of player rights in a five-years contract for a €16 million deal.[4] On 14 August, Valdivia was presented at Estádio do Pacaembu, being greeted by 15.000 fans after a game againstAtletico Paranaense.
On 22 August 2010, Valdivia made his second debut for the club against Guaraní in a 0–0 draw as a half-time substitute. After the match played against Guaraní, he was heavily criticized because of his irregular performances on the field, but he was still acclaimed by the fans. On 12 September, played his 100th match for Palmeiras in a 0–0 draw with Vasco da Gama, receiving an honour shortly after. On 5 September, in a match that he played against Cruzeiro, he was substituted in the 65th minute, he wasn't happy and he complained to his coach Luiz Felipe Scolari. On the substitutes bench, Valdivia threw a water bottle on the ground, showing his discontent with the coach's decision. After a game played against Vitória, he said that his attitude against Cruzeiro would not be repeated again, he formerly apologized to the Scolari. On 7 October, Valdivia scored two goals in Palmeira's victory 4–1 over Avaí at Pacaembu.
On 24 October 2010, Valdivia suffered an injury in a match against Corinthians that left him without playing during the last part of the season. In December, he refused to sign a "be careful" letter for holidays, when all players of the team accepted this letter. Valdivia before described this as a lack of respect for pressing it on their holidays and the directive of Palmeiras said that their criticisms were inappropriate and they don't want unhappy players at the club.[5]During the summer of 2011, he received an offer from Fluminense to play in the Copa Libertadores, but he stayed despite this offer.
On 9 March 2011, Valdivia played a brilliant match against Noroeste for the Paulistão, scoring a free kick and then providing an assist for the club's victory goal to young player Vinicius in the 85th minute. During March, there were rumours of the possible sale of Valdívia to another club at the end of the season, but this rumour was denied on the 24th day of the month by Palmeiras's president Arnaldo Tirone.[6] On 14 April he was caught urinating on the pitch in theCopa do Brasil quarterfinals first leg game against Santo André.[7] In the second leg of the cup game that Palmeiras won 1–0, Valdivia played a notable game, being compared to Neymar according to the club's coach Felipão Scolari. Valdívia is once again injured. He has been injured for over one third of the time of his current spell at Sociedade Esportiva Palmeiras. In 7 June 2012, Valdivia was kidnapped by a gunman, in Perdizes, a neighborhood from São Paulo.[8]After won Copa do Brasil, in 11 July, the footballer, however, confirmed that stay at Palmeiras until the ending of Copa Libertadores 2013.[9]
International career
His good performance for Palmeiras during the Campeonato Brasilerão 2007 he was selected for Chile's Copa América 2007 squad. He played in Chile's first game against Ecuador in a 3–2 victory. For Chile's third goal, an Ecuadorian player fouled Valdivia and Carlos Villanueva scored the game-winning goal on a free kick. In the second game for Chile against Brazil, he was injured by Elano and before he had a heated discussion with Robinho during the match. Because of the injury, Valdivia missed the match against Mexico, but Chile qualified to the quarter-finals against Brazil. On 7 July 2007, celebrating for advancing to the quarter-finals, Valdivia, Reinaldo Navia, Álvaro Ormeño, Jorge Vargas, Rodrigo Tello and Pablo Contreras were caught in a scandal at the hotel of Puerto Ordaz, sexually abusing two waitresses according to Canal 13. After this incident, the 6 players that participated in the scandal were sancionated by the Anfp for 20 games, but shortly after the sanction was reduced to 10 games. However, Chile was eliminated by Brazil in a 6–1 loss.
On 5 August 2008, coach Marcelo Bielsa confirmed that Valdivia would officially return to the national team for a friendly match against Turkey. In this game, he came off the bench in the second half, however Chile was defeated by 1–0 with a goal by Hamit Altıntop. On 7 September 2008, he played his first game for the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification against Brazil, during the match he received a red card in the 63rd minute, immediately he was acclaimed for the Brazilian fans, calling him: "Valdivia is brazilian." On 10 October 2009, in the 4–2 away win to Colombia for the qualifiers, Valdivia played an important roll during the match, scoring the third goal of the national team and gave the assist for the fourth goal to Fabián Orellana. Chile qualified to the FIFA World Cup 2010, after a 12-year absence without making an appearance in the tournament, making history for Chilean football.
During the preparatory games prior to the World Cup, Valdivia was frequently in the starting line-up for coach Marcelo Bielsa, on 26 May 2010, in a match against Zambia national team that Chile won 3–0, he played a fundamental game, assisting Alexis Sánchez in scoring the third goal of the game. Valdívia was selected to the 23-man roster to represent Chile in Group H of the World Cup. On 16 June, Valdivia made his World Cup debut as a Striker, as Humberto Suazo was still recovering from an injury and a proper center forward replacement wasn't included in the squad, in a 1–0 win over Honduras with a goal byJean Beausejour. He returned to his natural playmaker position in the second game, coming in as a substitute at the start of the second half where he helped set up the only goal of the game passing a long ball to Esteban Paredes who then assisted Mark González who scored with a header. The third game, against Spain, saw Valdivia replacing Suazo as a striker again, going on to play only the first half of the game.
After the abrupt departure of Marcelo Bielsa, former Colo Colo coach Claudio Borghi was appointed as the new coach of the national team. Following a controversial event known as "El Bautizazo" where Valdivia along with fellow Chilean players Arturo Vidal, Jean Beausejour, Gonzalo Jara, and Carlos Carmona were attending one of Valdivia's daughter's baptism and were supposedly drinking heavily, showed up late to their training facility and were denied entrance by Borghi. Due to the players being denied entrance, they could not take part in the World Cup qualifying match against Uruguay, where Chile lost 4–0. Valdivia didn't play in the natiional team until September 2013 against Venezuela, when he was called by Jorge Sampaoli.
