 Guarín in 2011 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Fredy Alejandro Guarín Vásquez | ||
| Date of birth | 30 June 1986 | ||
| Place of birth | Puerto Boyacá, Colombia | ||
| Height | 1.84 m (6 ft 1⁄2 in) | ||
| Playing position | Midfielder | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Internazionale | ||
| Number | 13 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2002–2004 | Envigado | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2004–2007 | Envigado | 38 | (4) |
| 2005–2006 | → Boca Juniors (loan) | 2 | (0) |
| 2006–2007 | → Saint-Étienne (loan) | 18 | (1) |
| 2007–2008 | Saint-Étienne | 18 | (0) |
| 2008–2012 | Porto | 63 | (11) |
| 2012 | → Internazionale (loan) | 6 | (0) |
| 2012– | Internazionale | 46 | (6) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2006– | Colombia | 47 | (3) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 1 December 2013.
† Appearances (Goals).
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 14 November 2013 | |||
Fredy Alejandro Guarín Vásquez (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈfɾeði ɣwaˈɾin]; born 30 June 1986) is aColombian professional footballer who plays for Internazionale in Italy. A versatile player, he is comfortable in the central or right side of midfield.
Capable of efficiently shooting from long-range with both feet and also being able to act as aplaymaker,[1][2] he started his career with Envigado, then had a short spell in Argentina and played two years in France with Saint-Étienne.
Guarín made a name for himself with F.C. Porto in Portugal, where he spent four seasons winning ten major titles, namely three national championships and the 2011 Europa League.
Club career
Early years / Saint-Étienne
Guarín was born in Puerto Boyacá. In 2005, already a regular for Envigado Fútbol Club and theColombian U20 national team, he was taken on loan by Boca Juniors of Argentina, where he spent the first six months in the youth team, with only two league appearances; upon completion of his loan theBuenos Aires-based club attempted to sign him on a permanent basis, but he instead chose to go on loan toFrance's AS Saint-Étienne in August 2006.
Guarín made his debuts for ASSE scoring twice in a friendly against Spain's RCD Espanyol, and gradually fought his way into the starting lineup as the season closed. He made his Ligue 1 debut on 14 October 2006 against Olympique Lyonnais, and scored his first goal in a 3–1 victory against Troyes AC;[3] in late April 2007, the deal was made permanent, for four years.[4]
Porto
On 10 July 2008 Guarín penned a four-year deal with Portuguese League powerhouse F.C. Porto, for an undisclosed fee.Portuguese under-21 international Paulo Machado went the opposite direction, on loan.[5] During his spell at the club he was used mainly as a reserve, but managed to appear regularly; his most important goal came on 16 May 2010 as Porto renewed itsdomestic cup title, defeating lowly G.D. Chaves 2–1.
In 2010–11, even after the departure of Raul Meireles to Liverpool, Guarín initially struggled to make Porto's starting XI. He was, however, a very important midfield element for the eventual national champions, playing in more than 40 official games and scoring ten goals, including five in the UEFA Europa League campaign,[6][7][8][9][10] which also ended in conquest.
Internazionale
On 31 January 2012 Guarín joined Internazionale for €1.5 million, on loan, with the player replacing Paris Saint-Germain FC-bound Thiago Motta.[11] The Italians also had an option to make move permanent for €13.5 million in June.[12][13]
On 17 May 2012, Inter made the move permanent but for €11 million.[14] Guarín scored his first official goal for theNerazzurri on 30 August, in a 2–2 home draw against FC Vaslui for the season's Europa League (4–2 on aggregate);[15]in the same competition but already in the group stage, he provided all three assists in 3–1 success at Neftchi Baku PFC.[16]
Again in the Europa League, on 21 February 2013, Guarín netted a brace in a 3–0 away win over CFR Cluj (5–0 on aggregate) to help Inter make it through to the last-16.[17]
International career
On 24 May 2006 Guarín made his international debut for Colombia, in a pre-FIFA World Cup friendly against Ecuador. He represented the nation at the 2005 CONCACAF Gold Cup and the 2011 Copa América.
